Lovato to appear on Valentine’s Day in murder case
The pretrial conference has been continued again for Dylan Lovato, 23, of Beach Park. He is accused of last year’s fatal shooting in Macomb.
The pretrial conference was scheduled for early this month, but has now been rescheduled for February 14.
Prosecutors say Lovato drove from his home in northern Illinois to Macomb in the middle of the night in early March.
Once in Macomb, he entered his ex-girlfriend’s apartment using a key to the place that he still possessed. He then shot Ivan Almanza in the head while Almanza was sleeping.
Police described Almanza as an acquaintance of Lovato’s ex-girlfriend.
Lovato has pleaded not guilty to four counts of first-degree murder.
Galesburg man charged with murder to keep attorney
A Galesburg man facing murder charges in a 2022 shooting death was considering representing himself in Knox County circuit court.
Asheem Afutu appeared before Ninth Circuit Judge Andrew Doyle and asked to have his private defense attorney removed from the case, so he could represent himself.
Doyle advised the defendant that could put him at a disadvantage.
Then at a status hearing, Afutu agreed to keep his attorney.
Afutu is accused of shooting Gregory Tucker in the 2100 block of Grand Avenue last July. Tucker later died from his injuries.
A pretrial conference is set for March 6.
Case continued for Macomb accountant
Attorneys were back in court this week for a Macomb accountant charged with felony theft.
The case involving Al Reusch was continued until next month to allow time for a possible plea deal.
Reusch is accused of making transactions from a checking account owned by a business during a two-year period. Those transactions totaled nearly $110,000.
Reusch has pleaded not guilty.
MMA coach pleads not guilty on sex charges
A Galesburg mixed martial arts coach pleaded not guilty to sex charges in Warren County.
Beau Admire, 42, is charged with two counts of criminal sexual assault of minors and one count of aggravated criminal sexual abuse of a victim over age 17.
Admire is the owner of Badger Combatives in Galesburg.
He was detained on a $100,000 Warren County warrant in November and released after posting cash bond.
A pre-trial conference in the case is set for March 15.
Macomb seeks grant for water main replacement
Macomb is applying for a $1.5 million Community Development Block Grant.
Mayor Mike Inman said the money would be put toward a water main replacement project in the city’s northwest quadrant.
The city would also commit nearly $38,000 of its own money to help cover the estimated cost of the work.
The city council held a public hearing on the grant application. No one from the public spoke during the hearing.
West Burlington seeks public input for visioning program
West Burlington is one of ten communities in the state selected to participate in the 2023 Community Visioning Program through Iowa State University.
As part of the program, ISU is gathering ideas from residents about transportation opportunities and needs in the community.
Residents are encouraged to provide that input during one of six focus group meetings on Saturday, February 18.
The groups will be divided into different demographics: older adults, the mobility challenged, parents, youth 12 and under, youth 13 and older, and active recreationalists.
Each of the meetings will last approximately one hour. They will take place at West Burlington City Hall, 122 Broadway Street.
More information is available by contacting the city. To participate in one of the focus groups, go to https://www.communityvisioning.org/westburlington/ and click on “Public Input.”
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