Government
Government · July 28, 2026
Marengo has a new Public Works Director: the council unanimously approved Tyler Ankney's appointment Monday night, with a start date the morning of its next meeting. It also approved the lift-station change order it tabled in July after the city's engineer called the added cost fair. The council discussed a first-ever mural policy. The night's expected centerpiece, a package of tougher nuisance and outdoor-storage rules, slipped a second time, pulled from the agenda with the code officer who wrote it unable to attend.
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Government · July 23, 2026
The county board declined to ask voters the binding home rule question and sent two advisory questions to the November 3 ballot instead. Here is what happened, and how every member voted.
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Government · July 22, 2026
We compared Marengo's 2025 water-quality report against ten neighboring towns, using the annual report card every Illinois municipal water system must publish. The complaints about taste and staining check out: Marengo had the group's only manganese violation, and by far its highest levels. Safety is a separate question, and the numbers answer it differently: Marengo's lead and radium results were the cleanest of the eleven towns, and its copper was among the lowest. Here is the full side-by-side.
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From the Newsroom · July 20, 2026
It is free, it takes about a minute, and it can tap you on the shoulder when a new story publishes. No app store, no account, no email address required.
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Government · July 18, 2026
Since last summer, a code citation in Marengo can be decided at city hall instead of the county courthouse. How the city's hearing program works, what it can and cannot do, and what to know if a ticket lands in your mailbox.
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Government · July 17, 2026
An advisory home rule question is headed to the November ballot. Here is what home rule is, what it is not, and what it would mean at a Marengo address.
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Community · July 15, 2026
Marengo Park District executive director Dr. Dan Bertrand will leave August 3 after more than five years. The board of commissioners has opened a search for an interim Director of Park Operations.
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Government · July 14, 2026
Marengo's City Council lost power ten minutes into its July 13 meeting and finished in the dark, working through nearly the whole agenda before adjourning early. Members adopted a $32.94 million appropriation ordinance for the year ahead, awarded a $4.86 million contract to extend water and sewer along Route 23, seated new Ward 3 alderman Ryan Mueller, and swore in Police Chief Andrew Kjellgren and Sergeant Roy Amaya. A lift-station change order was tabled, and a nuisance-rules discussion was pushed to a future meeting.
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Schools · July 13, 2026
The MCHS cheer program hosts a youth camp Thursday, July 31, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the high school. Open to pre-K through 8th grade, $50 with t-shirt and bow included. Register by July 24.
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Government · July 10, 2026
Marengo's annual water-quality report for 2025 is out. Most of what the city is required to test for came in under the legal limits; the one violation was manganese, which went over the state's limit late in the year. Here's the plain-English version of what the report says, and how to read it yourself.
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Government · July 8, 2026
Marengo overhauled its water and sewer rates in the spring. We put the new numbers next to ten neighboring towns and built a calculator so you can check your own bill.
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Community · July 7, 2026
Don't toss a worn American flag in the trash. There's a flag retirement drop box at Marengo City Hall, and on August 17 the American Legion and local scouts will retire flags properly at a public ceremony at Indian Oaks Park.
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Community · July 6, 2026
Day in the Park returns to Indian Oaks Park Saturday, July 11, 4 to 11 p.m. Food trucks, live music, kids' zone, beer tent, and fireworks at 9. Free admission, donations appreciated.
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Government · July 1, 2026
Marengo's council agrees with itself most of the time. But on the rare nights it splits, who is missing from the room decides the outcome. A review of every council vote since 2009 shows how an empty seat has quietly moved the property tax levy, the garbage contract, and the ties only the mayor could settle.
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Community · June 30, 2026
The McHenry County Conservation District is asking residents to help shape its next long-range plan for the county's open spaces, trails, and natural areas through a short public survey.
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Community · June 27, 2026
After ten years leading Marengo United Methodist Church, the Rev. Howard "Doc" Newcomb, known as Pastor Doc, gives a final service on June 28 before moving to a DeKalb congregation, and the church welcomes the Rev. James Fu the following Sunday, July 5.
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Community · June 24, 2026
The Marengo Makers Market is back Friday, June 26 from 5 to 8 p.m. at Calvin Spencer Park, and this month brings a first-ever food truck, the return of face painting, a kids' dance party, and a Glory Bound Rescue Ranch adoption event and supply drive.
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Community · June 23, 2026
Zion Lutheran Church is serving free breakfast and lunch to any child 18 and under, weekdays through July 30. No cost, no reservations, just show up and eat.
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Government · June 23, 2026
The Marengo City Council met June 22. Members approved three engineering work orders for the city's water and sewer upgrades and talked over possible new rules for e-bikes and scooters. The city also expects to launch bank-draft autopay for utility bills on September 1. In closed session, the council interviewed four candidates for the vacant Ward 3 seat but didn't make an appointment.
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Local Business · June 19, 2026
The downtown tavern at 214 S. State is back after months closed and a reversed liquor-license revocation, and it's hiring bartenders and cooks. Owner Leslie Boomgarden: "We will be glad to see familiar faces as well as new customers."
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Government · June 18, 2026
Marengo cut the ribbon on its new $7.55 million water filtration plant on Greenlee Street on June 15. The city says the facility, now fully operational, removes iron, manganese, and radium from the municipal supply and, paired with a new 1,020-foot well, adds capacity for the town's growth. City Hall says the project will not raise residents' water rates.
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Community · June 16, 2026
The Marengo Park District needs 50-plus volunteers for Day in the Park on July 11. Sign up for a two-hour shift to help pull off the annual celebration.
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Government · June 13, 2026
The City of Marengo is accepting applications for a new Director of Public Works, a full-time, salaried position overseeing one of the city's largest departments.
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Community · June 13, 2026
Through Beautify Marengo's Adopt-a-Block map, 33 residents have claimed 112 street segments to keep clean on their own schedule. Roughly one in five blocks in town is spoken for, and the rest are up for grabs.
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Community · June 13, 2026
The Marengo Makers Market is back Friday, June 26 from 5 to 8 p.m. at Calvin Spencer Park, with around 35 local vendors and monthly markets running through September.
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Government · June 13, 2026
The empty fields by the Route 23 interchange have frustrated Marengo for years. The exit opened in 2019, and the businesses everyone expected never showed. A new state grant is, in theory, what changes that.
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Government · June 13, 2026
The council named Andrew Kjellgren chief of police. It approved engineering for this year's road program after pushback over Railroad Street, and locked in a two-year natural gas contract for city buildings.
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