When I heard the news that American Airlines flight 5342 collided with a military helicopter, I took notice of it, but I continued what I was doing. Early the next morning – very early – I saw a skating friend had posted on social media that she and her daughters had just seen some of […]
Before February slips away from us and we get caught up in all that “early spring” weather Woodstock Willie told us to expect, we would like to make a few remarks about the remarkable Groundhog Days Festival that Woodstock hosted this year. “Wow!” is the first word that comes to mind. Could the event have […]
Looking back, in the ’60s, Woodstock was named an All-America City because of the efforts of a dozen or so volunteers. The Opera House was renovated in the ’70s thanks to volunteer leadership. In the ’80s, students and adults volunteered and raised funds for co-curricular activities in the public schools, and in the ’90s, local […]
We assume common sense will prevail if federal authorities try to involve local police in any immigration enforcement operations in Woodstock. Despite some federal officials’ characterizations of immigrants as rapists and murderers who are hiding in our churches and schools to avoid arrest, we find the bluster to be totally lacking in evidence. But a […]
“Don’t it always seem to go, that you don’t know what you’ve got ‘til it’s gone?” Those lyrics are fun to sing until they apply to you. Until last week, for example, I didn’t fully understand how much my adult special-needs son depends on federal Medicaid funding. My wakeup call came when I learned that […]
Trying to navigate flurry of immigration directives By Larry Loughlarry@the woodstockindependent.com Local officials are weighing the implications of increased enforcement of U.S. immigration law in the early days of the second Trump presidency, and some feel caught between state and federal efforts on undocumented residents of the community. The Illinois State Board of Education is […]
D-200 schools remain committed to the dignity of all children Our extraordinary community has long been an oasis of welcoming and acceptance for so many. It’s a place where we celebrate our differences with the understanding that a diverse culture doesn’t weaken us — it makes us stronger. One of the things that I love […]
Groundhog Day in Woodstock rolls around every Feb. 2, but while Woodstock remains relatively the same, new people roll in every year. That gives Woodstock the perfect opportunity to put its best foot forward. For 11.5 months out of the year, The Woodstock Independent is laser-focused on City Council meetings, programming, business plans, school board […]
Nearly five years removed, we can safely say that sociologists, psychologists, immunologists, and just about every other “ist” you can think of has written to death about the effects of COVID on our social relations, mental health, and physical well-being. This is not that column. But there are a few things that COVID took away […]
Even though it wasn’t a perfect solution, the Woodstock School District 200 Board of Education voted 5-2 at its Jan. 14 meeting to commit to building a 590 kWh solar field on D-200 land near Woodstock North High School. It will cost around $1.4 million, with a strong possibility that construction will be fully funded […]
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.
