Income and spending will jump about 25 percent in the 2020-21 Woodstock city budget – both inflated by the $9 million in major street improvements being made this year.The City Council was expected Tuesday night to pass the budget of about $48 million for the fiscal year that begins May 1.In a budget workshop April […]
As a Woodstock home for developmentally disabled adults reels from the deaths of six residents and a staff member, the people of Woodstock have stepped forward to help.“The support from our community has been outstanding and so uplifting,” said Lauren Schlendorf, business manager the Sheltered Village, in an email Friday. “I can’t even begin to […]
Several spring and summer events in Woodstock have been canceled amid the uncertainty of the spread of the coronavirus.In a news release Thursday, Mayor Brian Sager and city administrators announced the city and various event organizers had canceled Summer in the Park, Gavers Barndance, Fair Diddley, and all shows at the Opera House through May.“It […]
Four residents of a Woodstock facility for developmentally disabled adults have died from COVID-19, and more than a dozen residents have been diagnosed with the illness since the first case was positively identified April 1.Sheltered Village, 600 Borden St., put out an “urgent call” for help with nursing staff, gowns, and oxygen concentrators as the […]
Plans for a slightly reduced program of street resurfacing in Woodstock were approved Tuesday night by the City Council, which met again by conference call because of precautions involving the coronavirus.The council OK’d an $8.6 million contract with Plote Construction of Hoffman Estates to resurface 19.43 lane miles of city streets this year. Officials had hoped […]
In response to Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s announcement Friday ordering all Illinois residents to “stay at home,” and the closure of all “non-essential” businesses, Woodstock officials announced further restrictions on city facilities and personnel. “The governor’s order is similar to that recently imposed in the states of California, New York, and other regions,” City Manager Roscoe […]
Woodstock has declared a local state of emergency in response to risks posed by the coronavirus pandemic. In a news release today, the city said – effective 2 p.m. Tuesday – it was “taking further steps to protect the public and ensure the least possible transmission of COVID-19 infections takes place throughout the Woodstock community. […]
Four proposals to make use of the Old Courthouse and Sheriff’s House brought a generally enthusiastic response this week during the first public airing of the plans. Members of the Old Courthouse and Sheriff’s House Advisory Commission reviewed details of those proposals – and a fifth late submission – for more than two hours Monday. […]
Staff Report news@thewoodstockindependant.com Woodstock will host one of hundreds of marches nationwide this weekend to commemorate the 2017 Women’s March on Washington. A similar march last year drew more than 100 people to the Square in 20-degree cold with 6 inches of snow on the ground. The forecast for this weekend calls for temperatures in […]
With Groundhog Day falling on a Sunday in 2020, big crowds are expected again for Woodstock’s annual Groundhog Days Festival. “Weekends are better,” festival Chairman Rick Bellairs said, noting last year’s record crowd when the observance was on Saturday. “We expect the same in 2020.” Bellairs noted, however, that weather is a big factor since […]
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.
