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Romano found guilty on all counts Former Algonquin man convicted of murdering parents By EMILY K. COLEMAN ecoleman@shawmedia.com
Matthew Apgar – mapgar@shawmedia.com
McHenry High School West faculty picket Thursday outside the school along West Crystal Lake Road in McHenry. School was closed at both McHenry High School West and East because the McHenry High School District 156 teachers union went on strike after an agreement was not made during contract negotiations.
Strike over D-156 contract continues
School board, teachers union to meet Friday
See ROMANO, page A6
Gliniewicz shot with own gun; struggle likely
By ALLISON GOODRICH agoodrich@shawmedia.com McHENRY – McHenry Community High School District 156 schools will be closed for the second day Friday, with the teachers union planning to start its picket lines again at 7:15 a.m. The school board’s negotiation team met Thursday evening to coordinate schedules in order to plan the next bargaining session. After the meeting, lead negotiator for the board, Gary Kinshofer, and union officials said they would next meet about 2:30 p.m. Friday, and possibly Sunday as well. “We’re still committed to finding an amicable agreement,” Kinshofer said. Meanwhile, the first day of the strike that followed months of unsuccessful negotiations between the McHenry Community High School Educators’ Association and the school board began early Thursday morning and went on until the end of the school day. Classes, extracurricular and co-curricular activities for roughly 2,600 students are canceled while the strike continues. Friday night’s football game against Cary-Grove, scheduled to be McHenry’s Teacher Appreciation night, was canceled and will be a forfeit victory for Cary-Grove. Shouts of “Warrior strong” and
WOODSTOCK – Michael W. Romano knew details only the killer would know, a juror said after the jury handed down a guilty verdict Thursday morning. Romano, 54, was found guilty on all four counts of first-degree murder in the 2006 shooting deaths of his father, Nick Romano Sr., 71, and stepmother, Gloria Romano, 65, at their home between Crystal Lake and Cary. Prosecutors have said the former Algonquin man killed his parents to gain an inheritance he needed to pay off $135,000 in debts, while the defense argued no forensic evidence linked Romano to the crime and the money and valuables in the house were left untouched. The jury of seven men and five women were not
unanimous when they went into deliberations Wednesday afternoon, juror Stephen O’Connor of Huntley said after the verdict. About three or four people were on the fence. They spent about two hours deliberating Wednesday before deciding to sleep on it and come back Thursday to finish up their discussions, O’Connor said. The jury spent a little Michael W. more than Romano three hours total deliberating. “They took it very seriously,” O’Connor said. “They wanted to be absolutely convinced. They were looking for a smoking gun.” The smoking gun for O’Connor – since the gun used in the murders was never found – was the combination of the details of the crime Michael Romano knew, the lies he told, the motive laid out by the prosecution that
By KATIE DAHLSTROM kdahlstrom@shawmedia.com H. Rick Bamman – hbamman@shawmedia.com
District 156 teachers, including Heidie Dunn, spokeswoman for the McHenry Community High School Educators’ Association (second from left), walk the picket line Thursday in front of McHenry High School East in McHenry. Shouts of “Warrior strong” and honks from supporters driving by could be heard outside of both high school campuses, where about 150 union members were on strike. honks from supporters driving by could be heard as about 150 union members walked with signs and matching orange T-shirts. Union spokeswoman Heidie Dunn said the atmosphere throughout the day was largely positive with “a lot of community support,” from drivers passing by to students who brought food and coffee to those on the picket line. Directly after Wednesday’s negotiation session ended, Kinshofer said the board was disappointed with the union’s decision to strike, adding, “Going on strike is not in the best interest of the kids.”
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more photos from the McHenry Community High School District 156 picket lines, visit NWHerald.com.
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See STRIKE, page A6
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Raucous concerts at Plum Tree National Country Club concern residents / A3 NATION
Parents seek answers Curt and Judy Michols mourn son, Chris, who was killed Sept. 20 while returning to temporary home at PADS shelter / A3
FOX LAKE – Fox Lake Police Lt. Joseph Gliniewicz was shot twice with his own gun, Lake County investigators said Thursday. What investigators believe was the first shot went into the front of Gliniewicz’s bulletproof vest on the right side, and would have incapacitated him, Lake County Major Crime Task Force Cmdr. George Filenko said at a news conference outside the Fox Lake Police Department. “A comparison was made. It would be similar to that of a sledgehammer hitting you in the side,” Filenko said. The second shot, which Filenko said was the fatal one, struck Gliniewicz in the area of his upper-left chest. Filenko would not say whether the fatal shot was
On the Web To see video from the news conference, visit NWHerald.com. fired around or pierced the bulletproof vest. Filenko said investigators continue to pursue the case as a homicide, although officials have not officially ruled it as a homicide, suicide, accident or unFox Lake determined. Police Lt. Filenko said Joseph there were Gliniewicz indications of a struggle at the crime scene, but gunshot residue
See GLINIEWICZ, page A6
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Community college shooting Gunman fires at Ore. school, dies in shootout with police; at least 9 others dead / B3
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