Over the objections of neighbors, the City Council last week rezoned part of a residential area for business use to allow self-storage units off Route 120 at 708 McHenry Avenue. Part of the property near the state highway already was zoned for business, but the rest – less than an acre – was designated for […]
Staff Report news@the woodstockindependent.com Tourism in Woodstock will get a boost with a state grant of more than $30,000 for marketing efforts to encourage visitors. Woodstock is among 51 grantees throughout Illinois to receive a share of $2.9 million in state funds to help tourism districts hit hard by the COVID-19 pandemic. The Travel and […]
In a sharp contrast to earlier City Council meetings involving the sale of cannabis in Woodstock, last week’s approval of zoning for such a dispensing business came with no discussion. The request of Six Labs Inc. of Chicago for a special use permit at the former miniature golf business at 1411 S. Eastwood Drive was […]
The day that employees at Oliver’s Bar & Grill put tables and chairs on Benton Street for outdoor dining, the temperature reached 83 degrees. “Since then, it hasn’t been warm enough for people to sit out there,” Oliver’s owner Wes Dicksin said. Over the past several years, the city of Woodstock has encouraged restaurants and […]
By Eileen Millard news@the woodstockindependent.com Building senior housing as part of a proposed development of the former Die Cast factory site has some strong support despite a negative recommendation from the Woodstock Plan Commission. County Board member Lou Ness voiced her support during the public comments section of last week’s City Council meeting. And Mayor […]
By Eileen Millard news@the woodstockindependent.com The makeup of the Woodstock City Council changed last week, reflecting the results of the April 4 elections. The gender balance stayed the same. Council members Lisa Lohmeyer and Wendy Piersall, who had chosen not to seek a second term, attended their last meeting May 5. Newly elected council members […]
What kind of artwork should Woodstock display in the center of the city’s first traffic roundabout? City officials have formally asked for ideas by issuing a 32-page RFP – Request for Proposal – for what is described as “an original, large-scale public artwork piece that will be a permanent installation in the center of the […]
Circle July 15 on your calendar. That’s the date city officials expect the $22 million restoration and remodeling of the Old Courthouse Center to finally be finished. Mayor Mike Turner made that clear to construction manager Bulley & Andrews of Chicago during last week’s meeting of the Woodstock City Council. “We need this done by […]
Investigations at crime and accident scenes would get a new tool with the purchase of two drones for the Woodstock Police Department. That purchase is among the new spending items for the WPD in the 2023-24 Woodstock city budget, which was scheduled for approval Tuesday night by the City Council. Revenues in the new budget […]
Darrin Flynn and Natalie Ziemba haven’t been around Woodstock for long, but they dived into their new community upon arrival. Flynn, a downtown retailer, didn’t move to Woodstock until 2017, the year after he and his partner opened their shop on the Square. Ziemba, a former teacher, has been in town only since 2019, but […]
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.
