By Cheryl Wormley Swans were the start of my animal-and-vegetable week. Last Monday afternoon as I was driving north on Route 47, I spotted something white on the pond just beyond Northwood Middle School. I’m used to seeing Canada geese or ducks or both on the pond, but they aren’t white. I looked again and […]
By Kenneth Stoklosa I started out as some material, oh, you know, not just any cloth but fibers with real color. Big and bold, different from all those European flags. Yes, it was important to our young collection of so-called colonies, because we were not yet a free nation. Required to pay rising taxes, without […]
We know it’s coming. Without a doubt, it will change life as we know it in Woodstock. And there is not much we can do to prepare for it. The coronavirus? No, the huge highway project the Illinois Department of Transportation has planned for Route 47 through Woodstock. You can’t see the virus; the highway […]
By Cheryl Wormley Trust is earned. It can’t be purchased or negotiated. Trust develops over time as a person, business, or institution proves over and over again that it is reliable and truthful. I don’t know when The Woodstock Independent became a trusted source of news and information. I expect it was fairly early in the life […]
Uncertainty is the curse of this coronavirus pandemic. Many people who test positive for the virus are not sure where they were or what they were doing when they were exposed. And the often random nature of COVID-19’s spread makes us doubt whether we’re doing the right things, or enough of them, to avoid victimizing […]
By Cheryl Wormley Were it not for COVID-19, this would be a back-to-school column. It would include reminders about stopping for school buses and watching for children walking to school. I’d be encouraging parents to be involved in their children’s schools. I might have urged community members to volunteer at the schools or serve as […]
Celebrating all month for U.S. Women’s Suffrage Thanks so much for the article about our 35th Annual Woodstock Folk Festival – Reimagined. We received many favorable comments from people near and far. Your coverage helped us reach more people. We continue to break new ground during this pandemic, this time with our Woodstock Wednesdays series […]
No one can doubt that we all will remember the summer of 2020. The summer of face masks, social distancing, and extra hand washing. Here it is, August already, and in many ways, the typical summer in Woodstock has yet to begin. These days, the fact that kids are not in school is no proof […]
By Cheryl Wormley Combatting COVID is tiresome. Illinois seemed to be on the right track until July 26, when the number of deaths started to rise again. The uptick nationally began earlier – on July 5. I’m a can-do person, but I admit the uncertainties of COVID are challenging for me. If everyone would just […]
We are fortunate to have our public safety forces Dear First Responders: I would like to thank Lt. Williams of the Woodstock Fire Department and the other first responders who came to my aid yesterday [July 30]. I had a strong gas smell in my home. Fortunately, it was nothing serious. I want to thank […]
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.
