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Marengo football team enjoying ‘amazing’ run to Class 4A semifinals / C1 NWHerald.com
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Man sentenced to life in prison Romano was convicted last month in 2006 double-murder of his parents By CHELSEA McDOUGALL cmcdougall@shawmedia.com WOODSTOCK – For the death of his parents, Michael W. Romano will never see life outside of prison’s walls. Romano, convicted last month in the double-murder of Nick Sr. and Gloria Romano, was sentenced Thursday to life in prison, plus 50 years.
He is 56. “The defendant’s actions in this case were disgusting,” McHenry County Judge Sharon Prather said. “It was an execution of his parents prompted by greed. It is unforgivable.” Nick Sr., 71, and Gloria Romano, 65, were found dead in their Cary-area home in 2006. Michael Romano long had
been considered a suspect, but it wasn’t until eight years later when prosecutors charged Romano – then livMichael W. ing in Las Vegas Romano and working as a cab driver – with two counts of first-degree murder.
“Investigators put together a strong case, but we only get one shot at [trying] a murder suspect,” Assistant State’s Attorney Patrick Kenneally said outside the courtroom. “… We reviewed the case in 2013, and we thought we had enough evidence to go forward with it.” Although there was no murder weapon found and no confession, the circumstantial
evidence against the former Algonquin man was enough to convince a jury of his guilt. Testimony during the twoweek trial revealed Michael Romano knew details only the killer would know, such as the two gunshot wounds to the back of the head that killed Nick Romano Sr., although his injuries were not visible. Further, a neighbor had given Mi-
chael Romano .22 caliber bullets – the same caliber used in the Romanos’ killings – three days before their murders. Michael Romano had amassed $135,000 in gambling debts, and prosecutors said he killed his parents for inheritance he believed he would receive upon their death. Little
See ROMANO, page A4
Parties in bleacher suit reach agreement
PLANNING FOR WINTER WEATHER
Deal puts hold on total teardown of structure By EMILY K. COLEMAN ecoleman@shawmedia.com
Matthew Apgar – mapgar@shawmedia.com
Friends Amy Plante (left) and Nicole Boyer of Crystal Lake prepare a dinner of potato soup and salad with their children, Sydney Plante (back), 15, Morgan Schmitt (second from right), 6, and Luke Golonka (right), 5, Wednesday in Algonquin. Both single mothers are nurses at Centegra Hospital.
Snow days create tough choices Child care among issues for working parents when schools close We hate to break it to you, but winter is coming. You know the drill: plunging temperatures, blustering winds, snow, sleet, etc. … Winter also can bring school cancellations, and for some families, they relish in a day to play in the snow. But for others – particularly single-income or hourly wage earners – snow days mean last-minute arrangements for transportation or
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their children. But those benefits are not afforded to all workers. According to the Bureau of Labor StaWinter storm watch issued for tistics, 61 percent of the private inMcHenry County; snow expected this dustry labor force are afforded paid weekend. PAGE A3 sick days, and only 31 percent are granted personal days. child care. And for some workers, Amy Plante of Algonquin is a it can mean a choice between child single mother and emergency room care and taking an unpaid day off nurse at Centegra Hospital. Hers work. is a busy workplace, and calling Such cancellations have pushed in sick is not something she takes the school calendar limit the past lightly. Plante has only called in sick two years. once, when she had her gallbladder Some parents can take a sick or personal day to stay home with See SNOW, page A4
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House votes to erect high hurdles for refugees coming to American shores / B3
Amy Plante Single mother and emergency room nurse at Centegra Hospital
LOCAL NEWS
Sports program is not up for elimination at this time, trustees say / A3
Debate on refugee system
“If there’s a snow day and schools are canceled, I have nobody to watch my kids. I don’t have a dad around to help me. With me, I’m hourly. If I call off, I don’t get paid.”
A shot at something special Styf: Three McHenry County football teams enter state semifinals as underdogs / C1
See BLEACHERS, page A4
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By CHELSEA McDOUGALL cmcdougall@shawmedia.com
CRYSTAL LAKE – A compromise has been reached to keep the west bleachers at Crystal Lake South High School standing at their current height while Community High School District 155 moves through the city’s zoning process. After weeks of negotiations, the three parties involved in the lawsuit – the school district, the property owners who filed a lawsuit against the district and the city of Crystal Lake – agreed to a stay on a pending demolition order that would require the district to completely dismantle the bleachers. McHenry County Judge Michael Chmiel signed off on the agreed order Thursday morning. The stay means the demolition order will be put on hold until March 15, giving the district time to submit a zoning application with the city and make its way through that process. “The parties simply agreed to wait,” said Victor Filippini, the attorney representing the city. This way, the neighbors get to keep the demolition order in play as they’ve requested, and the district will not be violation of a court order, something its attorney raised concerns about. “We’re content,” said Tom Burney, the attorney representing the property owners. “This stay order meets all the district’s needs,” said the district’s attorney, Robert Swain. “There are a lot of the details that need to be worked out, and the zoning process is where that should be handled.”