business

In preparation for its move, Empowher Boutique is having a sale, 50 percent off on most items, until March 31.

The previous tenant of that space, on the south side of the Square, was Sonshine Girl, also a women’s clothing retailer, which closed the store in the spring of 2018 after less than two years at that location.

Krista Coltrin, Economic Development coordinator for the city, said the store has been “an important retailer and service business in Woodstock.”

“We thank [the owners] for their civic engagement with the annual Woodstock Wedding Walk event and wish them continued success in future endeavors,” Coltrin said in a statement. “As with all vacancies, we will continue our collaborative efforts with landlords and realtors to pair them with interested commercial tenants as we look toward the eventual post-pandemic recovery of our economy.”

INDEPENDENT PHOTO BY KEN FARVER

■ Residence at 1600 Ginny Lane, Woodstock, was sold by Christopher Jaeger, Elgin, to Kelly Danielle Dahlke, Woodstock, for $235,000. ■ Residence at 1313 Chatham Lane, Woodstock, was sold by Jerome A. Wolf, Miramar Beach, Fla., to Erin L. Case, Woodstock, for $405,000. ■ Residence at 914 Wicker St., Woodstock, was sold by Robert N. and Regina E. Kamin, Woodstock, to Stephen Whitaker, Woodstock, for $145,000. ■ Residence at 8807 Burton Road, Wonder Lake, was sold by Richard E. Zabel Jr., Wonder Lake, to Brandin A. Wikman, Wonder Lake, for $180,000. ■ Residence at 610 Hickory Road, Woodstock, was sold by William J. Lock, Crystal Lake, to Ingrid Kardynalski, Woodstock, for $260,000. ■ Residence at 8700 Crystal Springs Road, Woodstock, was sold by The Eugene G. Olsen Family Limited Partnership, Marengo, to John and Cherisse Lamka, Woodstock, for $250,000. ■ Residence at 4110 Westwood Drive, Wonder Lake, was sold by Melissa M. Green-Eitel, Wonder Lake, to Cassandra Kowalski, Wonder Lake, for $191,000. ■ Residence at 539 Washington St., Woodstock, was sold by Trifecta Services Inc., McHenry, to Sharon R. Phipps, Woodstock, for $200,000. ■ Residence at 1618 S. Valley Hill Road, Woodstock, was sold by Suzanne L. Dooley, Asheville, N.C., to Stephen Taylor, Woodstock, for $445,000. ■ Residence at 365 Vine St., Woodstock, was sold by Ralph D. Storck, Lostant, to Andrew Rousey, Woodstock, for $229,900. ■ Residence at 324 Dean St., Woodstock, was sold by Dean S. Lovewell, Woodstock, to Jon P. Koppari, Woodstock, for $299,000. ■ Vacant land, approximately 1 acre, on Bull Valley Drive, Woodstock, was sold by The Amy R. Weiler 2011 Revocable Trust, to Jeffrey A. Leverenz, Lakewood, for $40,000. ■ Residence at 2015 Mallard Lane, Woodstock, was sold by The Peter L. Samaras and Susan E. Samaras Trust No. 1, Hilton Head Island, S.C., to Robert K. Stevens, Woodstock, for $315,000. ■ Residence at 716 Robert Drive, Woodstock, was sold by Megan Ingold, McHenry, to Christhian Baez Espinosa, Woodstock, for $230,000. ■ Residence at 1502 Scarlett Way, Woodstock, was sold by Brian D. Sivak, Lake Geneva, Wis., to Juan D. Castaneda Vazquez, Woodstock, for $170,000. ■ Residence at 1509 Marshland Way, Bull Valley, was sold by Anne S. Wallace, Bull Valley, to Jillian Fleer, Bull Valley, for $475,000. ■ Residence at 1035 Wicker St., Woodstock, was sold by The Donna M. Howard Trust, Machesney Park, to Devyn Johnson, Woodstock, for $141,000. ■ Residence at 2014 Greenview Drive, Woodstock, was sold by Jeffrey W. Skiba, Springfield, Tenn., to Brandon P. O’Connor, Woodstock, for $261,000. ■ Residence at 9903 Lucas Road, Woodstock, was sold by Devin Douglas Hall, West Dundee, to Ryan Alan Chorbagian, Woodstock, for $375,000. ■ Residence at 2850 Braeburn Way, Woodstock, was sold by Steven J. Howen, McHenry, to Damian Ortiz Flores, Woodstock, for $307,000. ■ Residence at 604 W. Donovan Ave., Woodstock, was sold by Estate of Eleanor Setser, Woodstock, to Gregory Brian Roth, Wonder Lake, for $120,000. ■ Residence at 1306 Redtail Lane, Woodstock, was sold by D.R. Horton, Inc. - Midwest, Vernon Hills, to Vincent J. Westfallen, Woodstock, for $277,000. ■ Residence at 10320 Saddlebred Trail, Woodstock, was sold by Terrence L. Franklin , Fort Mill, S.C., to Christopher Zientek, Woodstock, for $375,000. ■ Residence at 2370 Applewood Lane, Woodstock, was sold by Ruhy V. Garcia, Round Rock, Texas, to Jose A. Valencia Loranca, Woodstock, for $199,900. ■ Residence at 828 Jewett St., Woodstock, was sold by Cynthia S. Tayler, Frederick, Colo., to Juan Ortiz, Woodstock, for $116,000. ■ Vacant land, approximately 5 acres, on Pleasant Valley Road, was sold by The Steven Fitzgerald 2017 Gift Trust, Venetia, Pa., to Ryan J. Gieseke, Marengo, for $51,800. ■ Residence at 3604 W. Meadow Lane, Wonder Lake, was sold by Anthony T. and Linda D. Hacker, Crystal Lake, to Jason F. Nuss, Wonder Lake, for $173,000. ■ Residence at 13907 W. South St., Woodstock, was sold by Steven G. Walters, Woodstock, to Mark and Janet Moritz, Woodstock, for $325,000. ■ Residence at 1406 Park Lane, Woodstock, was sold by The James Anthony Zoia Trust, Johnsburg, to Jeffrey John Gregg, Woodstock, for $485,000. ■ Residence at 2780 Braeburn Way, Woodstock, was sold by Christopher Zientek, Woodstock, to Patrick R. Douglas, Woodstock, for $247,000. ■ Residence at 4503 McCauley Road, Woodstock, was sold by Scott M Iovine, Miami, Fla., to Christopher and Stacie Savittieri, Woodstock, for $270,000. ■ Residence at 904 Golden Ave., Woodstock, was sold by Patrick E. Phelan, Watkinsville, Ga., to Philip M. Weidner, Woodstock, for $295,000. ■ Residence at 2007 Castleshire Drive, Woodstock, was sold by Wilbur J. Wickham Jr. and Sandra A. Wickham, Avon Park, Fla., to Dylan T. Price and Michaiah F. Price, Woodstock, for $125,000.

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

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