“Judges are like umpires. Umpires don’t make the rules. They apply them. The role of an umpire and a judge is critical. They make sure everybody plays by the rules. But it is a limited role. Nobody ever went to a ballgame to see the umpire.” – John Roberts, Chief Justice, U.S. Supreme Court “This […]
Filings get underway on Monday this week for candidates who hope to be on the March 17 primary election ballot in McHenry County. But political hopefuls better hurry: Monday, Dec. 2, is the deadline to file. Several county-level offices will be on the 2020 ballot, along with some state and federal offices – including U.S. […]
Two new members of the Woodstock City Council were sworn in and two incumbent city officials were re-installed during a brief ceremony May 2. Jim Prindiville and Gordie Tebo took the oath of office before beginning their terms as members of the council. They joined incumbent Councilman Mike Turner and incumbent Mayor Brian Sager in […]
Closing Dean Street Elementary School is among the recommendations that will be presented to the Woodstock School District 200 Board of Education next month. Superintendent Mike Moan presented the final proposals from the district’s Facilities Review Committee at a public forum April 10 at Woodstock High School. “Looking at a number of factors, educational concern […]
Challenger John Fuller will be Dorr Township’s new highway commissioner after winning one of only a handful of contested township races in the Woodstock area. Fuller just edged incumbent Tom Thurman by 1,142 votes to 1,100 votes in the April 4 election, according to unofficial results from the McHenry County Clerk’s Office. Hartland Township’s race […]
Incumbent Brian Sager was re-elected to his fourth term as Woodstock mayor, handily beating challengers Michael Rein and Gregg Hanson in the consolidated election April 4. Sager garnered 58.97 percent of the vote in the three-man race, or 1,834 votes, according to an unofficial tally from the McHenry County Clerk’s Office. Rein, currently a McHenry […]
The 10-person race for school board ended with one incumbent being re-elected, another being voted off and three newcomers joining the Woodstock School District 200 Board of Education. John Parisi, Carl Gilmore, Bruce Farris and Jacob Homuth won the four seats up for grabs in the April 4 consolidated election, which featured two candidates tying […]
A Woodstock resident said she was unable to vote for mayor or City Council today because the McHenry County Clerk’s Office mistakenly believes her house is not in the city. Carrie Wienke of Woodstock’s Savanna Grove neighborhood said she expected to vote in the municipal election and even attended a forum with mayoral and council […]
Candidates for Woodstock mayor and City Council disagree on whether the city should raise its sales tax rate. The proposal to add a home-rule sales tax in Woodstock was a key issue at a candidate forum March 23 at the Woodstock Public Library. Three people are running for mayor in the April 4 election: incumbent […]
Voters in Woodstock School District 200 might find the ballot for the April 4 election to be something of a puzzle. It’s true — it’s possible for a person in the four-seat race to be elected to the board even if he or she doesn’t finish in the top four. The Board of Education’s rules […]
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.
