The Suburbs Keep Pushing West. Is Marengo Next?
McHenry County's eastern towns are booming because Chicago's sprawl has reached them. Its western towns are stalling. Marengo sits right on the line.
Mar 30All Stories
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Everything Costs More and the Worst Part Hasn't Started
The Strait of Hormuz carries 20% of the world's oil. Its closure is just beginning to reach Marengo's gas stations, city budget, and farm operations.
Mar 29Marengo Lost Its Train in 1950. Now It Has a Chance to Get One Back.
A $275 million state project would put passenger trains back on tracks that already run through town. Marengo has not had rail service since 1950.
Mar 28One Well Tested High for Manganese. The City Shut It Down and Got the All-Clear.
A routine test last fall flagged elevated manganese in Well 6. Marengo took the well offline, ran follow-up tests, and the state confirmed the water system is in full compliance. A new filtration plant will add another layer of protection.
Mar 27Marengo Is Accepting Applications for Hometown Hero Banners
The Chamber's banner program honors military members from the community. Applications for 2026 are open now, with banners going up in time for Settlers' Days.
Mar 27Four Solar Developers Are Suing McHenry County. Here Is What Happened.
The County Board rejected four solar farm proposals in December. All four developers have filed lawsuits arguing the denials violated state law. The outcomes will shape what gets built on farmland across the county.
Mar 27Where Things Stand on the Route 23 Corridor, Six Years After the Interchange Opened
Marengo's I-90 interchange was McHenry County's first interstate connection. The land around it is still farmland, but $30 million in state-funded utility work is changing that. Here is what has been built, what is underway, and what comes next.
Mar 27McHenry County Farms Depend on Immigrant Labor. There Is No Legal Way to Hire Most of It.
The county has 911 farms and 2,300 agricultural workers. Federal enforcement arrested more than 4,000 people in Illinois last year. The seasonal visa program does not cover dairy, nurseries, or any year-round farm work.
Mar 27Route 23 Farmers Are Planting Into a Fourth Year of Losses
The University of Illinois projects negative returns of $100 to $200 per acre for corn and soybean rotations statewide. Tariffs on Chinese imports triggered retaliatory duties that cut Illinois growers off from their largest export market.
Mar 26Where Marengo's Police Pension Stands, and Why the Gap Is So Hard to Close
The city has set aside about 47 cents for every dollar it owes in pension benefits. The trend is improving. But a $260K revenue loss just eliminated the extra payments that were closing the gap.
Mar 26Why Marengo's Water and Sewer Repairs Are So Expensive, and How the City Plans to Pay
More than $25 million in work is needed over the next decade. State grants brought in $3.9 million last year. But the wastewater plant alone needs $5.2 million in urgent repairs, and user fees don't cover operating costs.
Mar 26The FY26/27 Budget: Flat Revenue, Rising Costs, and a Tax That Disappeared
The budget balances with $3,196 to spare. Health insurance is up 15%. Use Tax revenue fell $260K. And the voter-approved sales tax is finally fixing the roads.
Mar 26Marengo's Roads Were Rated 'Very Poor.' The Voter-Approved Sales Tax Is Fixing Them.
In 2023, 69% of city roads were rated Very Poor, Serious, or Failed. Two years later, a 1% sales tax is generating $800K a year and the Street Department budget has doubled.
Mar 26Council Is Being Asked to Approve a Drive-Thru Before the Business Is Named
A Grant Highway application requests a drive-thru permit and three zoning variances for a business that has not been identified. Aldermen tabled it once. It came back unchanged.
Mar 23Two State Street Restaurants Apply for Liquor Licenses on the Same Block
A new operator takes over a revoked license slot at 214 S. State. An Italian restaurant at 228 S. State applies for beer and wine. Two signs of downtown activity on the same block.
Mar 23How the Route 23 Water and Sewer Extension Is Being Paid For
The $8.4 million project costs more than double Marengo's entire General Fund budget. A state capital grant through the Rebuild Illinois program is covering most of it.
Mar 23Marengo Hires a Full-Time Code Enforcement Officer
The city created the position after months of resident complaints about property conditions in Deerpass Greens.
Mar 9Marengo Transfers 153 Acres to the Conservation District
Four city-owned parcels west of Deerpass Road will become protected open space after an 8-0 council vote. The sale fills a gap in the conservation corridor that runs along the north edge of town.
Mar 9