Taking a “pause” is how city officials have described the interruption in their ambitious plan to upgrade the condition of virtually every street in Woodstock over the next few years. Before calling a timeout for up to a year because of the uncertainties involved with the coronavirus pandemic, the City Council had certainly been aggressive […]
By Cheryl Wormley This is switchover week. The annual Lighting of the Square Friday and Christmas parade Sunday left no doubt Thanksgiving was behind us and we were ready for Christmas. Fall and Thanksgiving decorations are stored away, and winter and Christmas decorations are being hauled out and put about. I remain an advocate for […]
Let’s survive the holidays: wear a mask, shop local For 8+ months we have been collectively suffering through this pandemic. Whether you’re a small business, someone (like me) who’s lost their livelihood, the loneliness, uprooting of lifestyles – you name it, we all can empathize with one another, regardless of political affiliation. Which is why […]
As of last Friday, the Illinois Department of Public Health had recorded more than half a million cases of COVID-19 since spring, including more than 10,500 deaths statewide. Of more than 5,362 people in Illinois who were reported to be hospitalized with the disease at the end of last week, nearly 1,000 patients were in […]
By Cheryl Wormley When Woodstock schools closed early for spring break last March with the hope of curbing the spread of the COVID-19 virus, I titled that week’s Declarations, “This, too, shall pass.” Even my most pessimistic thoughts wouldn’t have had us hunkering down again as Thanksgiving nears. Sometime in the past two weeks, I […]
Van Landuyt’s work helped to make Woodstock unique This letter of appreciation goes out to Jeff Van Landuyt, who will be retiring from director of Public Works for the city of Woodstock. As chairman of Woodstock’s Transportation Commission, it has truly been an honor and pleasure to work with him on the many issues the […]
McHenry County, being a reliably Republican suburb in a decidedly Democratic state, exposed its red roots last week when Democrats had little success locally in the Nov. 3 election – but not just because of the county’s political history. True, the county gave a majority of its votes to Republican candidates for president and U.S. […]
By Cheryl Wormley First off, let’s celebrate the wonderfully warm, dry first week of November 2020. The Chicago Tribune reported it was the longest string of warm November days since 1953. I was 9 then, and unfortunately, I don’t remember taking advantage of those unlike-November days. November is one of Northern Illinois’ cloudiest, grayest months. […]
By Dr. Mark DePue For many of us, the Korean War is truly a “forgotten war,” lost to our consciousness between America’s triumph in World War II and the tragedy of the Vietnam War. But for the past two decades, the Korean peninsula has again caught our attention, chiefly because of the incessant saber rattling […]
Taxpayers must have been encouraged by recent discussions that did not include a property tax increase as part of a plan to address the $160 million bond debt of Woodstock School District 200. But don’t make the mistake of thinking that we’re somehow going to get out of this more-than-decade-old school construction debt without a […]
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.
