By Cheryl Wormley A couple of weeks ago, The Independent published its annual spring Home, Farm and Garden section. Editor Larry Lough asked me to write a column about what he calls “growing up on the farm.” So, I wrote about my memories of baby chicks arriving back in the 1950s. Baby-chick day began when someone from […]
By Suzanne Hoban When I give presentations to groups, I usually start out by asking a question: “Does the U.S. have the best health care in the world?” Depending on the group, the answers differ, and it often results in spirited exchanges that span a wide range of opinions. When everyone has weighed in, I […]
With the April 6 consolidated election rapidly approaching, voters will be streaming to the polls in less than a week. Or not. As McHenry County Clerk Joe Tirio observed last week, it’s hard for voters to get excited about a ballot full of uncontested races. Woodstock is a perfect example. Although, technically, we will elect […]
Backing Bob Kristensen for re-election to WFRD Board I write to support Bob Kristensen’s re-election to the Board of Trustees, Woodstock Fire/Rescue District. The WFRD provides financial oversight and strategic policy direction for our community’s fire and rescue services. The continued high-performance of our fire and rescue squads, and the training and logistics that support […]
By Susan W. Murray The thud of my heart dropping came on a mid-March morning when I turned to the Northwest Herald’s obituary page and saw the face of Kirk Halma smiling at me. I had called him back in December for a story that I was working on about the scarcity of dogs in shelters […]
City needs more discussion on matters of racial equity Thank you for reporting on the discussion by members of Standing Up Against Racism-Woodstock at the recent “Coffee With the Chief” session (TheIndependent, March 17). We need more of these discussions. I couldn’t help but detect some implicit bias at work in your reporter’s account. The reporter […]
By Cheryl Wormley I received my second dose of the Pfizer vaccine Feb. 18, so I’m past the two-week wait time for full effectiveness. Back in early January, I made a list of things Jim and I would do “after COVID.” Now I realize there’s no such thing as after COVID. It’s not going to […]
Virus hits too close to home That was the headline at the top of the March 11, 2020, edition of The Woodstock Independent. Schools cancel international travel over spring break That was the secondary headline to explain the action by officials of Woodstock School District 200 in halting school-sponsored trips abroad. It was a sign, our […]
During a visit to Madison in late January 2020, I walked the commercial area east of the University of Wisconsin campus while Jordan, our younger golden retriever, was seeing his cardiologist. As I searched for lunch, I noticed several students wearing masks. All were of Asian descent. Obviously, they knew something we didn’t. While I […]
Big kudos to [McHenry County Department of Health]. I had to go to the McHenry old Kmart store to get my COVID-19 shot. The place was full of senior citizens and [MCDH] workers. All [MCDH] workers were very courteous and very busy. They all were efficient, helpful, and courteous, especially Connie. They all worked very […]
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.
