No “video gaming cafés” will be approved in Woodstock, according to revised licensing rules approved by the City Council. But nobody seems to know exactly how to define such a business. Like the definition of obscenity made famous by U.S. Supreme Court Justice Potter Stewart, city officials say they will know a video gaming “café” […]
Members of the Woodstock City Council were not exactly sure what they did in an emergency meeting Sunday afternoon. They just knew they had to do it. “It’s a do or die moment,” City Manager Roscoe Stelford called it. After about 40 minutes of discussion, the council voted 5-0 to enact a “penny per push” tax […]
Mixin Mingle’s request for a video gambling license has been formally postponed until city officials revise the city ordinance regarding all such permits. The event venue at 124 Cass St. has a liquor license, which is required before obtaining a gambling permit. The City Council first considered the gambling permit at its Aug. 17 meeting, […]
Two weeks after discussing options for a reorganized city government, the Woodstock City Council is scheduled Tuesday night to consider approving the addition of three new executive director positions, two of which would be funded this fiscal year. The agenda for the 7 p.m. meeting in City Hall also calls for a revised salary structure […]
Just a week after deciding to lift the cap of 25 video gambling licenses in Woodstock, the City Council started the process of pushing it to 27. In a 7-0 vote last week, council members increased the cap to 27 to allow applications from Lucky Café, 460 S. Eastwood Drive, and Mariscos El Poka, 84-88 […]
Mayor Mike Turner was hesitant to guess how many local businesses would be offering video gambling five years from now. But he is sure it will be more than 25. That was the “artificial cap” the City Council last week voted 6-0 to lift under an ordinance that had limited issuance of local gambling permits […]
Overhead lights have been strung above the tables, chairs, and umbrellas that now fill Benton Street outside several bars and restaurants north of Judd Street. But while street-level dining outside has evolved from a pandemic necessity to an essential business model, another downtown Woodstock restaurant has set its sights higher – about two stories higher. […]
The Woodstock City Council is expected later this month to consider revamping city ordinance to increase the number of video gambling licenses in the city. Mayor Mike Turner, who mentioned the issue at a strategic planning meeting of the council June 3, last week directed the city staff to prepare an amendment to the existing […]
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.
