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O c t o ber 1, 2015 • $1 .0 0 *
CHICAGO FOOTBALL WEEKLY 62 45
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D-156 union talks go on
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D-155 board approves bid to remove bleachers
Late negotiations left strike uncertain Wednesday night By ALLISON GOODRICH agoodrich@shawmedia.com McHENRY – Unless a negotiation session Wednesday night ended in a tentative agreement, the McHenry Community High School District 156 teachers union will strike Thursday mornInside ing, the union spokeswoman D-156 said. teachers A Wednesstrike would day negotiation session, slated affect for 7:30 p.m., athletes in was planned afall sports ter the McHenPAGE B1 ry Community High School Educators’ Association and the school board failed to reach an agreement after a five-hour session Tuesday. Negotiations still were in progress Wednesday when the Northwest Herald went to press. The district issued a statement Wednesday afternoon informing parents, guardians and students of the association’s intent to strike if no agreement is reached. “Please understand that this situation can change at any moment,” it said. “We will send out an all call tonight or early tomorrow morning with a more definitive answer. “Should the association go on strike, all classes, all extracurricular and co-curricular activities will be canceled.” Representatives from both the association and the school board declined comment on what kind of progress was made Tuesday. “However, I can tell you that unless a tentative agreement is reached tonight [Wednesday], the strike will begin as planned Thursday morning,” union spokeswoman Heidie Dunn wrote in an email. While she wouldn’t give specifics about recent negotiations, she did write “no movement was made.” Gary Kinshofer, lead negotiator for the school board, also
Photos by Sarah Nader – snader@shawmedia.com
Community High School District 155 Board President Ted Wagner listens to community members speak out about how the board handled the controversy surrounding the bleachers at Crystal Lake South High School during Wednesday’s special meeting at Cary-Grove High School.
Decision contingent on judge’s order, review of options On the Web
By EMILY K. COLEMAN ecoleman@shawmedia.com
McHenry County Board member Donna Kurtz speaks to the school board Wednesday at CaryGrove High School.
CARY – The controversial bleachers at Crystal Lake South High School can come down, the Community High School District 155 Board decided Wednesday evening. The 5-2 vote approving a $233,000 bid was contingent, however, on a McHenry County judge moving forward with his tear-down order or talks with neighboring property owners and the city of Crystal Lake failing to come up with an alternative. Moving forward with the project would require board approval. McHenry County Judge Michael Chmiel had ordered the tear-down of the bleachers on the west side of the Crystal Lake South football
To see video from the meeting, visit NWHerald.com. field last October, but the decision was stayed as the Crystal Lake-based school district appealed his decision to an appellate court and ultimately to the Illinois Supreme Court. The Illinois Supreme Court issued an opinion last week, backing the lower courts’ decisions and ruling school districts are subject to municipal zoning and stormwater ordinances. The new expanded bleachers at Crystal Lake South
See BLEACHERS, page A4
See D-156, page A4
Jury begins deliberating Romano double-murder charges By CAITLIN SWIECA cswieca@shawmedia.com WOODSTOCK – Prosecutors in the murder trial of Michael W. Romano asked jurors Wednesday to convict him based not on one specific piece of evidence but on the many pieces of circumstantial evidence they presented throughout the seven-day trial. After closing arguments late Wednesday afternoon, the jury began deliberations on the four counts of first-degree murder the former Algonquin man faces for the 2006 shooting
deaths of his father, Nick Romano Sr., 71, and stepmother, Gloria Romano, 65, at their home between Crystal Lake and Cary. Jurors deliberated for two hours Wednesday night and are expected to resume deliberations Thursday morning. Michael Romano Michael W. pleaded not guilty to Romano the charges and chose not to testify Wednesday morning after prosecutors rested the state’s case.
With Michael Romano’s brother Nick Romano Jr. looking on, McHenry County Assistant State’s Attorney Robert Zalud said the defendant was the only person with the motive (the prospect of inheriting his parent’s estate to pay off his hefty debt), the means (access to firearms) and Nick the opportunity (a key Romano Sr. to his parents’ home and knowledge of their habits) to commit the crime.
The state painted a picture of Michael Romano as a pathological liar, leaning heavily on videotaped police interviews to show he lied about a number of circumstances surrounding Nick Sr. and Gloria Romano’s deaths. The argument also focused on the .22 calGloria iber Remington bulRomano lets a neighbor gave Michael Romano two days before the deaths – the same type of bullets used
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in the killings. The state accused Michael Romano of manipulating the crime scene, as he focused on a Camel cigarette butt he mentioned to a woman he was having an affair with but not to police. Michael Romano and both of his parents smoked, they said, but none of them smoked that brand. “He thinks he’s smarter than everybody else,” Zalud said during the 85-minute presentation. “He’s a manipulative guy. It’s not one thing – it’s
See ROMANO, page A4
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