By Richard Guebert Jr. The nip in the air of a cool fall morning and crunch of leaves underfoot are hallmark characteristics of autumn weather in Illinois. For many Illinoisans, these indicators prompt a visit to a local pumpkin patch or apple orchard. For farmers, they mean it’s time to head to the field down […]
Harnessing the power of the sun is not a new concept. Nor is technology to make capture of solar energy more efficient. But solar arrays – with our Midwestern agricultural heritage, we call them solar farms – is relatively new to the Woodstock area. Because change – fear of the unfamiliar – brings skepticism, sometimes […]
By Cheryl Wormley This week’s Declarations is primarily for our Newspaper in Education readers. But, I encourage all of you to keep reading, because there is good information for faithful readers and a thank you to donors. This is the 34th year The Independent has offered newspapers free to Woodstock schools through our NIE program. […]
The stakes are too high for you to stay home.” – “Daisy” political ad for President Lyndon Johnson, 1964 If you’re like me, you probably dread commercial breaks in the months/weeks/days before an election. This fall, Chicago-area TV stations have been showing countless ads for seemingly every candidate running for an Illinois statewide office, an […]
If you failed to take advantage of either Dusty Boots Tour of the Old Courthouse and Sheriff’s House – soon to be the Old Courthouse Center – you might have missed your chance to see the renovation progress up close before the project nears completion in the spring. Guides from Friends of the Old Courthouse […]
By Cheryl Wormley I know it isn’t even Halloween. But since this issue of The Independent is being delivered to every mailbox in ZIP code 60098, I want to tell this week’s greater readership about Woodstock’s annual Christmas Parade. After I’m finished writing about the parade, I have two other topics. For the first time […]
Brian Gerloff was part of the organizing committee for the recent 50th reunion of the Woodstock High School Class of 1972. These are some of his remarks at the reunion dinner. Our organizing committee would like to thank all of you for being a part of this weekend honoring the 50th anniversary of our graduation. […]
For all your pet projects, Woodstock has a store In late 2020, my family made a 1,200-mile move to Woodstock. Last year, we were able to experience the area more and found ourselves at the McHenry County Fair. Our daughter, like many families’ kiddos, ended up winning a goldfish (and not on the first try!) […]
“There’s a big problem” of drug addiction in McHenry County, according to Bobby Gattone, executive director of New Directions Addiction Recovery Services based in Woodstock. State’s Attorney Patrick Kenneally described the problem as “so big.” By the end of this year, the graph above will probably be updated to show that overdose deaths increased again […]
By Cheryl Wormley How can it be the second Wednesday of October already? It seems as if we are flying through 2022. Summer has come and gone. Weren’t we watching fireworks just last week? No, that was three months ago. Yes, it’s fall, folks. I’m sure you’ve noticed the leaves turning – especially the bright […]
Larry Lough is editor of The Independent and reports local news.
Janet Dovidio has been a freelance correspondent for The Independent for eight years.
Susan W. Murray wrote for The Independent, covering various beats, from 2005 to 2008.
Tricia Carzoli is a freelance writer and photographer that on community news.
