By Ken Paulson When government fails, it’s the rare public official who says, “Oops. My fault.” That’s human nature, particularly for officials in the public eye who may have to run for office again. No one wants to be held directly responsible for letting the public down. Case in point is the recent catastrophe in […]
Messages of “thank you,” “good job,” and “welcome” are due to some good people (and animals) doing good things to make Woodstock a great community. Here are a few deserved pats on the back from recent pages of The Woodstock Independent. * Our own Woodstock Willie (at right) has no competition among the weather-forecasting rodents of the world! The […]
By Cheryl Wormley Friday will mark a year since the first COVID-19 mandate in Illinois. I know where I was when I felt the impact of Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s first mandate – the banning of gatherings of 1,000 and recommending the postponing of gatherings of 250 or more. I was on Chicago’s Michigan Avenue with […]
Keep state’s nuclear plants operating to secure future When speaking about both the Future Energy Jobs Act, which is law, and the proposed Clean Energy Jobs Act, it makes sense to prioritize with even greater urgency keeping the Byron and Dresden nuclear generating stations [in Illinois] operating, providing clean, reliable, affordable electricity. As we’ve seen […]
Did you ever hear anyone say, “What Woodstock really needs is a [name a national brand store].”? Or, “I wish Woodstock had a [name a national brand restaurant].” Maybe you’ve even said things like that yourself. Rather that just mutter to yourself or your companion, why not tell it to people who might actually do […]
By Cheryl Wormley Oh, yes! I asked and you responded! Two weeks ago, Declarations focused on blooming where we are planted as the pandemic waxes on and on. I took a chance announcing I would publish what I received. What if no one responded? Well, no worries. The emails and messages I received were filled […]
Like its citizens, city should also live within its means This is in response to the Feb 10 front page article on “Tax levy freeze to be put to the test.” I’m grateful to live in a city that is looking ahead to the future needs of Woodstock, but a shift in thinking needs to […]
As the graph above indicates, things are getting better regarding COVID-19 cases in Illinois. But don’t be fooled. We still have a long, long way to go before anything resembling normal returns. Health officials are still reporting new infections and more deaths from the coronavirus every week. We are still living with a pandemic, and […]
By Cheryl Wormley Perseverance, NASA’s newest Mars rover, landed on the Red Planet! Given all of the cancellations and postponements of key events in so many of our lives the past year due to COVID-19, it was a joy and a relief to witness something so significant happening as planned. I watched the goings on […]
“The problem with winter sports is that – follow me closely here – they generally take place in the winter.” – Dave Barry “A lot of people like snow. I find it to be an unnecessary freezing of water.” – Carl Reiner “Snow and adolescence are the only problems that disappear if you ignore them […]
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.
