Lovato granted continuance in murder case
A trial date for a Macomb murder case has not yet been set.
Instead, defendant Dylan Lovato, 23, was granted a continuance in the case this week.
Lovato, of Beach Park, is charged with four counts of first-degree murder in the March 9 shooting death of Ivan Almanza at a Macomb apartment near the campus of Western Illinois University.
Lovato’s attorneys said they are still reviewing discovery in the case and requested the continuance.
Ninth Circuit Judge Raymond Cavanaugh granted the request and set the next pretrial conference for June 21st.
According to prosecutors, Almanza was an acquaintance of Lovato’s ex-girlfriend.
Lovato pleaded not guilty and has requested a jury trial. He remains in custody in the McDonough County jail on $5 million bond.
Burlington UAW workers go on strike
Members of United Auto Workers Local 807 at the CNH Industrial plant in Burlington are on strike
The contract for UAW employees at the CNH plants in Burlington and in Racine, Wisconsin, expired April 30.
That contract was extended hour by hour, as the parties tried to reach an agreement.
But when the lunch bell rang at noon on May 2, union workers for the two plants walked out.
Members said the company failed to present an agreement that met their demands and needs.
CNH Industrial manufactures agricultural and construction equipment for companies such as Case IH and New Holland.
There 1,100 hourly employees between the two plants.
Warren County inmates charged with battering guards
Two inmates at the Warren County are charged with aggravated battery for intentionally injuring two correctional officers on April 27.
Mulleek Odomes, 20, is serving a 180-day sentence at the jail for driving under the influence of drugs and causing a collision that seriously injured three people in 2020.
He also was charged with resisting a peace officer following the incident.
Nathan Perez, 18, is in custody at the jail awaiting trial for attempted murder in a Monmouth shooting last month and a burglary case from March.
Macomb ARPA spending plan approved
Macomb city council members voted unanimously in support of the city administration’s plan for spending money from the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA).
The city will receive more than $2.3 million.
More than half of the money will be put toward public works projects, such as street repairs. The city has not yet designated specific projects.
The rest of the money will be spent in several different ways: for employee hazard pay, for a residential façade improvement program, on two pocket parks, grants for local non-profit organizations, and for the city’s second small retail business competition.
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