Staff Report news@thewoodstockindependent.com Two small children took turns posing inside the kid-sized wood locomotive in front of M.D. Trains on Cass Street as their mother took their picture. That kind of thing has happened a lot the past couple of weeks since the city placed several oversized Christmas decorations in and around various buildings on […]
It’s been 11 months since the Christmas decorations in Greenwood, S.C., inspired Gordy and Anita Tebo to dream up some new wonder for the Woodstock Square. In the meantime, local elves have been busy creating a stack of decorations that the city’s public works department will install on Tuesday, Nov. 30. “The majority of the […]
If you’re a child visiting the Woodstock Square at Christmastime, a pilgrimage to Santa’s Hut is a must. Special events, such as the Lighting of the Square and the Christmas parade, have a high “wow” factor. There are even some stores that no child would object to visiting – checking out the trains as they […]
Woodstock streets will get $12 million worth of work next year as the city resumes the aggressive street improvement program that was interrupted this year by the COVID-19 pandemic. And higher property taxes will pay for the work. The project cost will be $58.6 million through 2025, with the property tax increasing by $226.19 on […]
Looking for new and different ways to promote Woodstock, Deputy Mayor Mike Turner made a couple of requests of people appearing before the City Council for approval of their projects Sept. 4. Land next to a planned solar farm along U.S. 14 – the city’s eastern “gateway” – would be “an interesting place to put […]
Following a public hearing on the matter, city officials differ on whether or not to implement a home-rule sales tax in Woodstock — and if so, how much the city should charge. The City Council is considering increasing Woodstock’s sales tax on general merchandise. The tax rate could rise from 7 to 8 percent, although […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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.
