At mid-year, 2021 was shaping up to be the year of recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic in Woodstock. Vaccines had been available for more than six months and the weekly number of new cases –which had peaked in McHenry County at just over 2,000 in mid-November 2020 – had fallen to 19 for the week […]
The past year of high school sports in Woodstock looked very different from any other year on record. The year included many high points and a few lows as it was a year of shuffled seasons, abbreviated schedules, and lost opportunities. The most notable season flip was football, which was postponed from the fall of […]
That special something that makes Woodstock something special was on display for much of 2021. Amazon Prime had a film crew in town for much of the summer to transform the city into Farnsworth, the fictional setting for a sci-fi series, “Lightyears,” starring Oscar winners J.K. Simmons and Sissy Spacek. Local folks took the opportunity […]
By Cheryl Wormley One of the traditions at The Independent – for more than 30 years – is compiling a year-in-review paper the week between Christmas and New Year’s Day. That’s the paper you’re reading right now. Staff members, especially Larry Lough and Sandy Kucharski, identified what they believe are the top news stories and sports accomplishments […]
Six months in, what do you think of 2021? Considering where we were 12 months ago, the new year has to receive high marks, if only by contrast. Social and economic life around Woodstock has been expanding for weeks, unlike July 2020 when … well, we don’t need to remind anyone what COVID-19 did to […]
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.
