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County communities fight emerald ash borer infestation Municipal crews from Lake in the Hills are focusing solely on removing ash trees, rather than replacing them as they go, now that the emerald ash borer infestation has begun killing the trees at a rapid pace. The emerald ash borer is an exotic beetle native to Asia that attacks only ash trees. In McHenry County, the infestation first hit Algonquin in July 2008 and since has spread throughout the area. Lake in the Hills’ ash trees were plagued by the spread later that year, and since, about 1,780 trees have been removed and replaced, said Guy Fehrman, superintenVoice your dent of streets for opinion the village’s public works departHave you ever ment. lost a tree to the There have emerald ash bor- b e e n 1 9 0 t r e e s er? Vote online at treated and about NWHerald.com. 1,390 untreated trees left standing. “Most of those are showing at least 50 percent die-back,” Fehrman said during a recent Lake in the Hills Village Board meeting. In the update he gave the board, he said crews began noticing a rapid decline of village ash trees over the past couple years. He added that the decline – the dying trees lose their leaves and become brittle to the point of breaking limbs – was making it difficult for the four crew members working on a daily basis to keep up with tree removal. After offering options, such as working with in-house staff along with contracted workers to speed the process, Fehrman said he took board direction to keep costs down by using in-house staff, and instead reallocated time and funds to focus solely on removals rather than replacements – similar to what Algonquin did last year, Algonquin General Services Superintendent Steve Ludwig said. After having done that, Algonquin municipal workers are in the final stretch of their daily battle
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against the emerald ash borer infestation. “It absolutely is the final stretch for us,” Ludwig said. “We are breathing a sigh of relief at this point.” Algonquin now has less than 300 trees to remove and about 1,200 left to replace. The village started off with more than 5,000 ash trees. In Crystal Lake, it started just a few years ago in 2012, said Larry Zurek, streets division superintendent. The effort there, and in every other affected community, has come with a price tag, however. Replacement trees cost anywhere from $150 to $500, different municipal officials have said. Removal could cost about $100 a tree. In Crystal Lake, about $720,000 has been budgeted for removal, and about $160,000 worth of work has been contracted out, Zurek said. Since 2012, almost 4,100 trees have been removed, and Zurek said he hopes to have only 500 left to take down by the end of the year. As in neighboring communities, the decline has been quick, Zurek said, adding the process is what makes it difficult to keep up. “People think it’s a piece of cake to get [the trees] down,” he said. “You can take it down in about 20 minutes, but then there’s stump grinding and restoration work to the stump hole, then the planting of a new tree in the area.” Residents in the Island Lake area might see workers doing similar work Wednesday, Island Lake Village President Charles Amrich said.
Prosecutors: Romano killed to get inheritance By KATIE DAHLSTROM and CAITLIN SWIECA editorial@nwherald.com
See ASH BORER, page A7 The emerald ash borer attacks only ash trees.
It absolutely is the final stretch for us. We are breathing a sigh of relief at this point.” Steve Ludwig, Algonquin general service superintendent
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WOODSTOCK – Prosecutors in the case against a former Algonquin man accused in the 2006 shooting deaths of his father and stepmother said Tuesday the man was motivated by the prospect of a financial Michael W. i n h e r i - Romano tance. A s sistant State’s Attorney Patrick Kenneally p r e s e n t - Nick e d t h e Romano Sr. case for the state, which argued Michael W. Romano was mot i v a t e d Gloria by the in- Romano heritance because he was about $135,000 in debt at the time of the deaths. Romano, 56, was indicted on four counts of first-degree murder last year. He denies the charges. Both sides gave opening statements Tuesday, and attorneys for the state began witness testimony and evidence presentation. Nick Sr. and Gloria Romano were found dead Nov. 19, 2006, in their home between Crystal Lake and Cary. Each had gunshot wounds to the back of the head. There were no signs of forced entry at the couple’s home, and neither victim showed signs of defensive wounds or oth-
er injuries, the then-coroner said at the time. Romano emerged as a suspect when he told police he found his parents dead at 3 a.m. at their Lake Killarney home. According to reports from the time, he said he was there because they weren’t answering their phones. Assistant Public Defender Angelo Mourelatos said Tuesday surveillance footage from an Algonquin White Hen and McDonald’s would exonerate Michael Romano and cited the absence of gunshot residue on the defendant’s hands and in his car when officers searched them after the bodies were found. In the state’s case, Kenneally said Romano had made comments about inheriting his parents’ multimillion-dollar estate in the months leading up to the deaths, but unbeknownst to him, Nick Romano Sr. had removed him from his will and trust five years earlier. He did so, Kenneally said, because Michael Romano had been caught stealing $100,000 from his employer, Pepper Construction, in 1999. Nick Romano Sr., who also worked for the company, was forced into early retirement because of it, Kenneally said. Kenneally also cited Michael Romano’s nonchalant behavior and demeanor during police interviews, including the fact he began calling his father “coldhearted” shortly into his first interview. The state said Romano borrowed .22-caliber ammunition from a neighbor that matched the bullets found in his parents’ bodies.
See ROMANO, page A7
Police: Man fatally shot father, pretended to be him in texts Complaint alleges the shooting occurred on or about Sept. 4 By KATIE DAHLSTROM kdahlstrom@shawmedia.com WOODSTOCK – A McCullom Lake man fatally shot his father, then sent text messages from the slain man’s phone pretending to be him, according to a McHenry County criminal complaint.
Michael L. Bakker, 46, of 5017 McCullom Lake Road, posed as his father, Daniel L. Bakker, through texts to hide the man’s death, police allege. Police discovered Daniel Bakker’s body Thursday with a fatal gunshot wound to the head. “[Michael Bakker] concealed the death of Daniel L. Bakker, by using Daniel’s cellphone to make contact with other family members, purporting to be Daniel in text messages, causing the other family members to believe Daniel was still alive,” the complaint reads.
Michael Bakker also told family members and associates that Daniel Bakker, 69, was alive and receiving medical treatment, but unable to talk, according to the complaint. Police refuse to disclose how long Daniel Bakker had been dead before his body was Michael discovered. L. Baaker However, the complaint alleges the shooting and subsequent cover-up happened on or about Sept. 4, nearly two weeks
before police found Daniel Bakker’s body in his home in the 2500 block of Alton Road near McHenry. McHenry County Coroner Anne Majewski said the state of Daniel L. Bakker’s body was consistent with the timeline outlined in the complaint. “His body was found in a state of advanced decomposition,” Majewski said. Daniel Bakker’s neighbors said Monday they last saw him before Labor Day. Police have said he lived in the home alone. McHenry County Major Investi-
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gation Assistance Team Cmdr. John Birk has said police were first called to the house for an unresponsive subject, although he would not say who made the call. Police on Friday charged Michael Bakker with first-degree murder and concealment of a homicidal death. He has been in McHenry County Jail on $5 million bond since he was arrested in Lake Geneva and extradited Friday. Michael Bakker is next due in court at 9 a.m. Wednesday in front of Judge Michael Feetterer.
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