By Cheryl Wormley Even with unseasonably cold temperatures the past couple of weeks, signs are pointing to summer. Woodstock North and Woodstock high school seniors graduated Saturday and Sunday afternoon, respectively. That’s a sure sign of the end of the school year, which means summer is just weeks away. Two weeks ago in Declarations, I […]
Will we know what “normal” looks like when it returns? Apparently, we’re going to gradually be exposed to whatever “normal” is to avoid any sudden shock to our systems. In fact, we’re now in the “bridge” phase, effective last Friday. Next – if the metrics continue to be favorable – we enter Phase 5 of […]
Some additional history about ‘best coach ever’ Many thanks for this article about my Dad/best coach ever! (“You touch a lot of lives in 27 years,” TheIndependent, May 5) I thought I would share some fun facts/history of how it all started. When “Coach,” who taught at rival school McHenry, learned that the cross-country team of […]
By Cheryl Wormley This is a catch-up and communicate week. Memories I’ll start with Memorial Memories. Back in mid-April as I watched the demolition of what had been Memorial Hospital on South Street, I invited Declarations readers to send me their memories of the hospital. In that column, I said I would publish what I […]
We can safely say that the results of the April 6 city election did not represent a mandate for change in Woodstock. That could be assumed by the fact the race for mayor was uncontested and two new City Council members were also elected without opposition. Discontent with the status quo doesn’t allow that to […]
My wife and I recently moved to the Woodstock area, purchasing an older home. We love the sense of community, the thriving local businesses, the way the city supported folks during the pandemic. I love reading TheIndependent. We had both grown up in the country and are thrilled to live in an area with so much […]
By Mike Moan In Woodstock School District 200, we’re all grateful for the opportunity to bring students back into schools this year. We have relished the opportunity and are enjoying the experience with our students and staff. But as we approach the end of the school year, one issue dominates conversations with our parents and […]
By Cheryl Wormley It’s May! While we’re celebrating the return of green grass, blossoms and leaves on trees and bushes, and the persistence of daffodils and tulips, we can start planning what’s next – May and summer! So much was canceled or reimagined in 2020, so it’s a joy to know about plans for 2021 […]
C’mon, Mother Nature! As we’re trying to come out of this year-long pandemic, we’re looking to find a degree of normalcy in our public gatherings by scheduling more outside activities for spring and summer. We could use a little cooperation in the weather department. But according to AccuWeather, the first part of summer will feature […]
By Paul Lockwood “Honest disagreement is often a good sign of progress.” – Mahatma Gandhi I grew up as the son of a United Methodist minister, but for over 15 years now, I’ve been an active participant at Grace Lutheran Church in Woodstock, part of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA). I’ve sung solos, […]
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.
