How would you feel about a water tower being erected on the Square, rising 68 feet above street level atop the building on the northeast corner of Jackson and Benton streets? No, not a real water tower – a “stealth” one to hide antennas that T-Mobile needs to provide expanded 5G cellular service for its […]
Eminent domain is a process for government to take private land it needs from someone who doesn’t like the price that was offered to sell it. But it isn’t always done for that reason, and it’s not always an adversarial process. The Woodstock City Council voted June 18 to take property belonging to Throop Street […]
A university will look into how the city-owned Old Courthouse could be used as a co-working space. The Woodstock City Council approved a contract for the first phase of a feasibility study to be conducted by Northern Illinois University’s Center for Governmental Studies. The study will examine the potential for a co-working space in the […]
Neighbors opposed to plans to host events at a bed and breakfast on Fremont Street turned up in droves to voice their concerns to the Woodstock City Council Nov. 7. The standing room-only council meeting stretched until after midnight, with residents expressing worries for more than three hours about cars, noise and inebriated guests swamping […]
Woodstock City Council meetings soon will be available to watch online. Beginning this winter, each of the council’s twice-monthly meetings will be livestreamed and archived to the city’s website. The City Council approved a contract Oct. 3 with web video company Granicus for a year of service for $8,752, which includes a one-time setup fee […]
A landlord registration program will not move forward as proposed after Mayor Brian Sager and members of the Woodstock City Council said they wouldn’t support it. More than 100 people gathered at a City Council meeting Oct. 3, many of them to voice opposition to a program that would have required residential landlords to register […]
The sales tax in Woodstock will increase next year after the City Council approved a 1-point hike. The council voted 6-1 Sept. 19 to approve a home-rule sales tax in Woodstock, which will bring the total rate on most purchases to 8 percent starting Jan. 1, 2018. The current sales-tax rate in Woodstock is 7 […]
Woodstock’s sales tax rate could rise in 2018 if the City Council approves an increase at a meeting later this month. The council will consider an ordinance Sept. 19 imposing a one-point home-rule sales tax that would raise the rate in Woodstock from 7 to 8 percent, according to City Manager Roscoe Stelford. The city’s […]
Final costs for project total $61,000 A city-funded outdoor dining project ended up costing Woodstock over 20 percent more than estimated. Final expenses for the Benton Street Boardwalk totaled $61,115.52, according to Paul Christensen, Woodstock’s finance director. The estimate for the project was $50,000. “There was some modification to the project once started so that […]
A local distillery plans to add outdoor service and tastings to its offerings. Wondertucky Distillery & Bottling Co., 315 E. South St., will be allowed to host outdoor seating and on-site consumption of its products after the City Council modified the distillery’s liquor license Aug. 1. Previously, Wondertucky’s B-9 license allowed for the sale of […]
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.
