spOrts

By Sandy Kucharski NEWS@THEWOODSTOCKINDEPENDENT.COM

Despite the current postponement of many high school sports, Marian Central Catholic High School celebrated several Hurricane athletes looking ahead to college sports careers with a signing event Nov. 11 at the school.

THERE ARE CURRENTLY NO HIGH SCHOOL SPORTS COMPETING. IF YOU HAVE A RECREATIONAL SPORT OR TEAM THAT YOU WOULD LIKE TO HAVE LISTED IN THE INDEPENDENT SCOREBOARD, PLEASE EMAIL SANDY@THEWOODSTOCK INDEPENDENT.COM

SCOREBOARD PRESENTED BY

Bryce Shelton is bound for the Air Force Academy in Colorado.

“I get to serve my country while getting a great education as well as being able to wrestle while I am there,” Shelton said. The academy’s teams compete in the Mountain West Conference.

In the 2020 high school wrestling season, Shelton was a sectional champion and medaled at the state level, earning fourth place in the IHSA Class 2A individual wrestling tournament.

His projected weight to wrestle in college will be 141 to 149.

Shelton is interested in studying engineering but will keep his options open.

INDEPENDENT PHOTOS BY VICKY LONG

When Alyssa Graf set foot on the campus of Converse College in Spartanburg, S.C., she knew it was where she wanted to continue her education as well as her athletic career.

After a warm welcome from the volleyball coach and team, and meeting some of the dedicated professors, she said, “In that moment I knew, this is where I wanted to grow collegiately and personally on the court and in the classroom.”

Graf was recruited to play as a six-rotation outside hitter for the Valkyries. A Division II school, Converse competes in the Conference Carolinas.

In addition to her athletic talents, Graf brings an impressive academic résumé to her new college. Listed as top 10 percent in her class, she has been awarded Principal’s List, Academic Excellence, and Discipleship Award honors. She is the co-president of the Pro-Life Club, vice president of National Honor Society, council member of Freshman Mentor Program, and secretary of Spanish Honor Society.

She plans to double major in biochemistry and psychology.

Published every Wednesday | Est. 1987 | Serving Woodstock, Wonder Lake and Bull Valley, Ill. | www.thewoodstockindependent.com | $1.00INDEPENDENTTheWoodstock June 10-16, 2020 A&E Fireworks at Emricson Park will be different – still a blastPAGE 11 SCHOOLS Retirees in District 200 recall their careers with fondness PAGE 8 See DEBT, Page 2 Which bad option is best? BUSY MORNING D-200 wants your thoughts on tax hikes, program cuts By Larry Lough LARRY@THE WOODSTOCKINDEPENDENT.COM How would you prefer Woodstock School District 200 manage its $161 million bond debt?Would you mind much if the school property tax went up, say, $120 a year – or more?How about combining the athletic programs at the two high schools, eliminating middle schools sports, and maybe cutting into co-curricular activities such as music and art? Or maybe stretching out payments on the debt three or four years, adding millions to the payback? And how much of the district’s $25 million surplus should be spent as part of whatever solution the Board of Education eventually approves? You are apparently going to have the opportunity to share your opinion in a survey that will ask about budget cuts, tax increases, and other options no one likes.“Eventually, if you want to save money,” Superintendent Mike Moan told the board last week, “you’re going Published every Wednesday | Est. 1987 | Serving Woodstock, Wonder Lake and Bull Valley, Ill. | www.thewoodstockindependent.com | $1.00INDEPENDENTTheWoodstock June 17-23, 2020 SCHOOLS Local INCubatoredu program has national ‘pitch’ competitor PAGE 9 See PHASE 3, Page 2 Phase 3 opens up a little PRIDE PROUD Moving too fast puts local liquor license in jeopardy By Larry Lough LARRY@THE WOODSTOCKINDEPENDENT.COM Lines extended more than 200 feet for much of last week at the state license branch in Woodstock, spilling out of the office and wrapping around the laundromat at the south end of the building along Eastwood Drive. People waited an hour or more even though license branches statewide are open to serve only new drivers, customers with expired driver’s licenses/ ID cards, and vehicle transactions. People didn’t seem to know or care the state had extended the expiration date until Oct. 1 for licenses, vehicle registration, and other permits that have expired or will by July 31. The weather cooperated last week with the reopening of some social and business activities that had been limited by the coronavirus. Sunny skies and temperatures in the 70s and 80s called people to take advantage of outside dining at restaurants throughout the city. Lots of activity was observed on the patio at Public House restaurant; at tables in the street along the Published every Wednesday | Est. 1987 | Serving Woodstock, Wonder Lake and Bull Valley, Ill. | www.thewoodstockindependent.com | $1.00 INDEPENDENT TheWoodstock June 24-30, 2020 COMMUNITY Crafts for kids a big part of library’s summer reading plan See PHASE 4, Page 2 Are we ready to open? Woodstock prepares for more activity under Phase 4 By Larry Lough LARRY@THE WOODSTOCKINDEPENDENT.COM Woodstock seems ready for Phase 4. Summer concerts by the City Band – in its 136th season – will begin July 1 on the Square. We will have fireworks on the fourth in Emricson Park. And city of Woodstock offices and facilities plan to reopen next week, as Gov. J.B. Pritzker on Monday released guidelines for the state to move to the next level of his Restore Illinois plan. Phase 4 will allow gatherings of up to 50 people and permit restaurants, bars, and theaters to invite customers inside for the first time in three months since the state issued a shelter-in-place order to prevent spread of the coronavirus pandemic. Specific crowd and capacity limits are included in guidelines. Although “normalcy” will return, guidelines continue to encourage face masks, social distancing, and hand washing as the norm. If you want to visit City Hall, masks are mandatory – and available there.SUBSCRIBE As a small business we need you more than ever! Please consider supporting your local newspaper.

INDEPENDENT PHOTO BY KEN FARVER Downtown Woodstock, as evidenced by this photo of Cass Street, was as busy Saturday as it had been for a while when the Farmers Market returned to the Square for the first time this season. Because of coronavirus concerns, the producers market had stayed at its winter home at the McHenry County Fairgrounds. It will now resume the normal summer schedule of being open each Tuesday and Saturday. The Woodstock Independent 671 E. Calhoun St., Woodstock, IL 60098 Phone: 815-338-8040 Fax: 815-338-8177 Thewoodstock independent.com COMMUNITY Neighborhood flower walk honors Woodstock couplePAGE 14 Obituaries 4 OpiniOn 6 schOOls 8 a&e 11 Marketplace 12 cOMMunity 14 calendar 18 classified 20 puzzles 22 public nOtices 23 spOrts 25 INDEX City adds space to grow downtown See DOWNTOWN, Page 2 By Larry Lough LARRY@THE WOODSTOCKINDEPENDENT.COM When the time is right for development of the downtown area, Woodstock will have a big place to develop. The City Council last week approved the purchase of the vacated grain silo site at 313 Short St. for $200,000. Under the sale agreement, the seller, DeLong Co., will demolish all structures on the site.According to Garrett Anderson, the city director of Economic Development, that 1.02 acres means the city will will have 16.5 acres north of the Square “which could potentially be developed” among more than 17 acres the city will own in that area.City Manager Roscoe Stelford said the site of the former grain elevator was a “key piece” of the city’s long-term plan for downtown development. “This puts the city in a much better position of having control of the parcel,” he said of the area north of INDEPENDENT PHOTO BY KEN FARVERMelissa McMahon and daughter Charlotte McMahon Thomas stand outside their home Sunday on the Woodstock Pride Pomenade route of more than 30 decorated homes and businesses throughout the city. The Woodstock Independent 671 E. Calhoun St., Woodstock, IL 60098 Phone: 815-338-8040 Fax: 815-338-8177 Thewoodstock independent.com MARKETPLACE Finch Farm revived with sweet scent of lavender PAGE 13 COMMUNITY Project Front Line linked restaurants with workersPAGE 19 OpiniOn 6 schOOls 9 a&e 11 Marketplace 13 cOMMunity 19 calendar 24 classified 26 puzzles 28 public nOtices 29 spOrts 30 INDEX MCAT expands police resources See MCAT, Page 3 By Larry Lough LARRY@THE WOODSTOCKINDEPENDENT.COM When a traffic accident is serious, a call goes out to MCAT.“It has to be a serious injury or death,” said Sgt. Rob Pritchard of the Woodstock Police Department. Since May 2019, Pritchard, 50, has been commander of the McHenry County Regional Major Traffic Crash Assistance Team.That’s what kept him on the scene of a fatal accident June 4 for more than eight hours, leading a team of nine police officers from five city police departments who investigated the collision at U.S. 14 and Route 120 (Washington Street).Pritchard said “serious injury” meant broken bones, loss of limbs, and similar critical injuries. Just days before the wreck in Woodstock, MCAT investigated a Spring Grove accident involving a motorcyclist who survived hitting a tree.Based on information he received June 4 from the Woodstock Fire/ Rescue District, Pritchard activated INDEPENDENT PHOTO BY TRICIA CARZOLI On the first day of summer 2020, umbrellas protected diners at The Double Yolk Café from sun early in the morning and from raindrops later as the Woodstock Farmers Market finished its third week on the Square. The Woodstock Independent 671 E. Calhoun St., Woodstock, IL 60098 Phone: 815-338-8040 Fax: 815-338-8177 Thewoodstock independent.com PAGE 16 SCHOOLS 20 students in District 200 receive 2020 PRIDE awards PAGE 8 MARKETPLACE Local food trucks find hungry customers during shutdown PAGE 13 Obituaries 4 OpiniOn 6 schOOls 8 a&e 11 Marketplace 13 cOMMunity 16 calendar 20 classified 22 puzzles 24 public nOtices 25 spOrts 26 INDEX Virus sparks restaurant competition See FOOD TRUCKS, Page 2 SUMMER’S START By Larry Lough LARRY@THE WOODSTOCKINDEPENDENT.COM Deputy Mayor Mike Turner urged the Woodstock City Council to “be creative” in considering changes to the city’s food truck regulations to address complaints from brick-andmortar restaurants about their mobile competitors. “It’s kind of a blank canvas as to whether to do anything different,” he said. After discussing the issue for more than an hour, council members agreed to do nothing – for now. The issue was a discussion-only item on the agenda for last week’s council meeting. Changes to the city’s 2012 ordinance could be made at the council’s meeting July 21, depending on what members hear from the public – including restaurants – between now and then. Turner said the issue was raised by Benton Street bars about the Que Pasta truck being parked on the street outside Ortmann’s Red Iron Tavern at Church and Clay streets.We Are Woodstock! 3 MONTHS FREE Call or email for details FOR NEW SUBSCRIBERS TODAY! Your news, your business, your community

TO SUBSCRIBE: 815.338.8040 • thewoodstockindependent.com rebecca@thewoodstockindependent.com

thewoodstockindependent.com Offer good for addresses in 60097 & 60098

Enter to Win! www.woodstockilchamber.com

Marian Central Catholic varsity girls golf team came in second at the Johnsburg Regional. With the help of three senior student-athletes this season, who would have otherwise been playing volleyball, the team earned a trip to the Seneca Sectional. The team was led by senior Lauren McNulty who received all-conference and all-state honors. Thank you to Coach Carver who is retiring from coaching after 30 years at Marian Central.

sponsored by

CONGRATULATIONS!

INDEPENDENT PHOTOS BY VICKY LONG

The academic reputation and the beauty of the campus were the factors that led Jenna Golembiewski to commit to Miami University, Oxford, Ohio.

She was recruited to play centerfield for the Division I Redhawks, competing in the Mid-American Conference.

Golembiewski was a member of Marian’s regional championship softball and basketball teams. She was named All-East Suburban Catholic Conference in softball in both her freshman and sophomore years, before Covid-19 took away her junior season.

She plans to study biology and pre-med in preparation for becoming an optometrist.

Strong bonds developed through wrestling have directly influenced Dylan Connell’s choice to commit to the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign.

“Choosing the University of Illinois was something I always had in my head,” Connell said. “After being coached by Mike Poeta in seventh and eighth grade and him leading me to an eighth-grade state title, I always thought we had a special connection. When he decided to take the job as assistant head coach at the U of I, that’s when Illinois became a top school for me.”

Depending on his growth, Connell is projected to wrestle 184 or 197 with the Division I Illini, competing in the Big 10 Conference.

As a three-time state champion, Hurricane wrestler Connell said being involved with such a great team and having one of the best high school coaches in Illinois was one of his most memorable high school highlights.

Connell plans to study entrepreneurship and/or business management/ marketing.

Recognized by the East Suburban Catholic Conference as an All- State softball athlete in 2019, Amelia Fitzgerald has signed to play for Upper Iowa University, Fayette, Iowa. She was recruited to play shortstop and third base her freshman and sophomore years and move to catcher more as a junior and senior.

Upper Iowa is Division II and participates in the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference. “I picked Upper Iowa because I love the environment that the entire school has and how the softball team is like a little family,” Fitzgerald said. “The softball facilities are great, and the players always bring an amazing energy to the game.”

She also appreciates the small size of the student body because she looks forward to knowing most of the people there once she’s finished her freshman year.

Fitzgerald plans to study biology in preparation for going into pre-med.