Down to just China House and the locally-owned Big River Popcorn, Westland Mall’s food court became rather sparse after Maid-Rite vacated the mall in December of last year.



Last Friday, a new restaurant — BASH (Burger and SteakHouse) — opened up in the former Diamond Dave’s location in Westland Mall in West Burlington. There was little planned fanfare aside from social media updates, and the soft opening proved successful.



Owner Pietro Alfano hasn’t had much chance to leave the restaurant since then, doing his best to keep up with increasingly large crowds.



“We’ve been really busy ever since we opened,” he said.



It’s been nine years since Diamond Dave’s closed its doors, leaving only semi-fast food restaurants as mall dining options.



“It took us four months to revamp it. The old Diamond Dave’s was pretty old,” Alfano said.



BASH brings back the casual “dining out” vibe Diamond Dave’s once fostered, enriching it with higher quality burgers. Price-wise, it’s more in line with Applebee’s Bar and Grill. The cheapest burger on the menu, the classic burger with fries, is $9.99.



The most expensive item on the menu is the signature BASH Burger, which costs $18.99 with fries. Instead of standard hamburger meat, however, the patty consists of ground elk, bison, wagyu beef and wild boar, topped with sauteed onions, bacon jam, and the customer’s choice of cheese.



“You want quality, you get a quality burger here. We’re not McDonald’s. We’re not Burger King. This is BASH, it’s something different,” Alfano said.



In keeping with that spirit of commerce-minded defiance, BASH also features signature mac and cheese bowls. There is sirloin topped mac and cheese. Bacon and chicken mac and cheese, or you can build your own from the menu.



“This will bring people back to the mall again. I think we’ll do pretty well,” Alfano said.



Alfano said he’s been doing “pretty well” since he moved to Burlington 10 years ago and opened The Italian at 300 S. Leebrick St. The Italian moved into the former Sarducci’s building (now Coal Haus 337) for a short stint that proved unfeasible, but business has always been good in Burlington.



“I took a chance on Roosevelt, but it was so expensive, I just couldn’t stay in there,” Alfano said.



This is a different kind of chance. Pizza places weren’t as prominent in Burlington when Alfano opened The Italian a decade ago. Facing over-saturation in the market, he knew it was time to pivot, while still maintaining his customer base at The Italian.



“We wanted to do something different. Not pizza. We already have a pizza place,” he said.



Westland Mall offered what Alfano described as “a good deal,” and he got to work immediately. Breezy six-hour workdays, six days a week, turned into 15-hour workdays, seven days a week.



Just like the old days.



Alfano was born into the restaurant business and doesn’t mind the workaholic lifestyle starting new business demands. He just got married a year ago, and his infant daughter has doubled his ambition.



“I have to make that milk and diaper money. I’ve got another mouth to feed,” he said.



For now, BASH is just a restaurant. Starting in about a week or so, it will also be a bar. That will allow the flexibility to stay open for a drink after a late show at the Westland Theatre, or a pre-movie meal. Hours likely will extend to 1 or 2 a.m. on weekends.



BASH already has opened up early for mall walkers interested in a healthy salad, and Alfano hopes to expand those options and possibly engage in a “dinner and a movie” partnership with Westland Theatre.



The Italian, which has been closed as Alfano prepared and opened BASH, will reopen in a week or two, he said.



Photo by Anthony Dewitt

BASH (Burger and SteakHouse) Now Open In Former Diamond Dave’s

By Beacon Staff



It was a beautiful sunny day throughout the area with spring-like temperatures and clear skies. Burlington's riverfront reflected the sunny weather, with views of the Great River Bridge and the BNSF railroad bridge.



Photos by Joy Mack

Sunny View

Two Des Moines County restaurants closed their doors this past week, though one of them will open again under new owners.



The take-home pizza joint Papa Murphy’s, located in the same building as the Fast Break gas station on Gear Avenue in Burlington, closed Tuesday, Feb. 18.



The restaurant Coconuts Cabana, which opened in Mediapolis roughly two years ago, also closed down. The location is expected to reopen under new owners.



The Papa Murphy’s closure came without warning, and several Papa Murphy’s employees said they found out about the closure when they arrived at work that morning.



It was the second Burlington location for Papa Murphy’s, which was originally located in Walmart.



Coconuts Cabana also closed without warning. The management team announced the immediate closure on Friday on Facebook.



“We are in the process of working with some new owners and hoped to stay open during the transition period. However, due to staffing issues, we will not be able to do this. Thank you for all of your support over the last 2 years!” the post reads.

Two Fewer Places To Eat In Des Moines County

Former World Wrestling Entertainment champion Chris Jericho is coming to Fort Madison this August, and he’s leaving his wrestling boots at home.



Jericho’s rock band Fozzy, which he founded in 1999, will be one of three national rock acts headlining the second night of RiverFest on Aug. 6. The four-day concert is held annually in Fort Madison’s Riverview Park, and two more national rock acts for Aug. 6 will be announced soon. The festival begins Wednesday, Aug. 5, and concludes Sunday, Aug. 8.



Jericho, still an active wrestler, just lost the AEW (All Elite Wrestling) world title last week. He currently stars in the weekly TNT wrestling program, “AEW Dynamite,” and was only two years into his WWE career when he founded the band.



Aside from touring the country, Jericho also hosts an annual cruise that features pro wrestling and rock music, including performances by Fozzy. The group’s most popular song, “Judas,” currently serves as Jericho’s ring entrance, and the lyrics are often sung aloud by the audience.



More national acts for the RiverFest stage will be announced soon, and tickets for the four-day festival will go on sale shortly.



Tickets for all four days of the festival, which includes 10 national rock acts and 20 bands in total, are $39 for GA and $67 for VIP. These prices are good until April 18th, at which time they increase to $42 for GA and $72 for VIP.



For more announcements and future ticket info, visit the RiverFest page on Facebook.

Chris Jericho To Rock Fort Madison At RiverFest

A mother and her two sons were able to escape a house fire on Flint Hills Drive Thursday morning thanks to working smoke alarms.



Missy Branton and her two sons, ages unknown, discovered the source of the blaze above the kitchen ceiling. They then promptly fled the structure.



The fire call came in at 9:07 a.m., and Burlington firefighters arrived at 2300 Flint Hills Drive six minutes later to find light smoke inside the single-story duplex. Thirteen firefighters responded, extinguishing the blaze within a few minutes. They stayed on the scene until 10:33 a.m. Thursday.



Burlington Fire Marshal Mark Crooks said in a press release the fire was accidental and electrical in nature. The American Red Cross was contacted for victim assistance.



The duplex, owned by Ron Starkey, suffered $15,000 in damage and was insured, according to fire officials.

Flint Hills Duplex Fire Chases Family Out Of Their Home

Burlington Mayor Jon Billups smells something foul in the air this upcoming baseball season.



“It’s tough for me to reconcile what Major League Baseball is considering,” Billups said, referring to the possibility that the Burlington Bees may be on the chopping block. “Minor League Baseball is where people fall in love with the game.”



The Quad City River Bandits, Clinton LumberKings and Burlington Bees, have uncertain futures as MLB considers reducing its number of affiliated teams



Billups is one of 145 mayors throughout the country who have signed a mayors’ task force petition to protest the possible minor league closures.



As he pointed out, the petition isn’t just for mayors. It’s for everyone interested in saving minor league baseball and can be found at https://connect.chattanooga.gov/mayors-task-force-to-save-minor-league-baseball/?fbclid=IwAR2DThLhAZ6hzyjmBCdtBxgdE-sMVMwBEXoxd9sc2TcT8ROBFJhKEYYi2QE.



“This is bigger than Burlington, but to me, it’s all about Burlington,” Billups said. 



In the MLB proposal, revealed last fall, are plans for 42 minor league teams to lose their MLB parent-club affiliation. Three of Iowa’s five minor league teams were on the initial cut list.



“I will fight tooth and nail to get anything and everything that we can,” Burlington Bees general manager Kim Parker said in a February interview with the Des Moines Register.



The decision is not official, yet. However, without major league team affiliation, minor league teams are likely to fail within a few years, statistics show.



Billups speculated the organization could be using affiliation-loss as a way to cajole cities with deteriorating minor league parks to improve the facilities.



But Burlington and several other cities have set examples for how a ballpark should look, and that’s what Billups can’t understand. Community Field is the opposite of ill-maintained outliers and money makers for the city.



A report from the Iowa Economic Development Authority determined that the Bees support, directly and indirectly, $4.7 million in wages in Des Moines County.



No Reason Given



At this point, all Billups and minor league managers can do is speculate.



“I don’t know what their agenda is because they haven’t given us a reason,” Parker said last month.



MLB has said it aims to improve working conditions at ballparks, cut down on travel and provide better hotel accommodations. MLB officials also are trying to address player compensation, a problem posed by 45 former players in a 2014 lawsuit against the league.



In a statement provided to The Des Moine Register, MLB maintains that affiliate contraction is not its goal. The league also said that it has plans for every affected team, but what that might mean for local clubs that lose big-league affiliations is unknown.



Double Standard in Dyersville



Nearly every Iowan loves "Field of Dreams" — the movie that inspired a tourist destination. In August of last year, MLB announced its intentions to hold its first-ever league game at the Field of Dreams facility in Dyersville.



It’s an interesting concept sure to sell tickets on name recognition alone, and a dream come true for many Burlingtonians. But in light of the proposed cuts, MLB’s promotional move sticks deep in Billups’ craw.



“They’re looking to spend millions in Dyersville,” Billups said.



Former Burlington Bees board member Al Ourth is also disillusioned by the league's decision.



“Does that even meet the criteria?” Ourth asked. “That wasn’t built to be an MLB field.”



On Aug. 13, 2019 — exactly one year before the Chicago White Sox play the New York Yankees in Iowa’s first-ever MLB game — construction began on a temporary 8,000 seat ballpark for the event.



It’s the only major league game that will be played there next year.



The design of the ballpark in Dyersville, including the shape of the outfield and the bullpens beyond the center-field fence, will pay homage to Comiskey Park, which was home of the White Sox from 1910-1990. The right-field wall will include windows to show the cornfields beyond the ballpark, which will overlook the former movie set.



A week ago, Iowa City Press-Citizen columnist Tony Brecht skewered the MLB for its hypocrisy, citing “plans to destroy more than 100 years of actual, not made-for-TV, Iowa baseball history.”



The Legacy of Burlington Baseball 



There was professional baseball in Burlington long before Community Field, a history dating to 1889. The team was then known as the Burlington Babies, sticking around for a single season before returning in 1895. The team stayed in the area for another two years before leaving yet again, returning in 1904 as the Burlington River Rats of the Iowa State League.



Pro baseball left Burlington a third time from 1917 to 1923, and when the team returned in 1924 with the Mississippi Valley League, it started using the Bees as a nickname.



The original Community Field burned to the ground on June 9, 1971. It took two years to rebuild the stadium, with temporary seats used during construction, but no games were missed.



The stadium was upgraded in 1999, including new bleachers and box seating, followed by a much more extensive 2005 renovation that made use of more than $1 million from the Vision Iowa fund. Among the additions to the 3,200-seat stadium was a new press box and canopy behind the home plate. The cost of the renovation came in about $3 million.



The Class A Burlington Bees have brought a half-dozen Midwest League championships to Community Field since 1949, the most recent in 2008 and 2009.



“I would hate to see baseball leave Burlington,” Ourth said.



Submitted photo



Community Field is shown prior to a Burlington Bees game on a warm and sunny summer day.

Mayors Work To Save Minor League Teams

There are a lot of restaurants in Burlington, collectively covering a world’s worth of cuisine.



But British native Tony Alexander of Burlington has something they don’t - an authentic English palette and a lifetime’s worth of cooking experience he can use to share it.



“I think there’s a niche for it. People don’t know about British food,” Alexander said.



Tony Alexander and his wife Dawn recently purchased the defunct McConnell Cafe on North Fourth Street. In March, they will reopen as The Major Oak, an authentic British restaurant.



At night, when the restaurant closes down around 8 p.m. or so, Alexander will encourage patrons to stay and drink. He’ll take his guitar on stage, and perform with a few friends to lend to the serene atmosphere.



“A slice of England in Burlington,” Alexander said.



The Menu



So what is a British menu, besides the overly-obvious (but certainly available) bangers and mash and fish and chips?



“The best in British and European cuisine,” Alexander said. ”We will be serving breakfast, lunch, and evening dinner.”



It means Indian curry, a British staple, as well as an expanded European menu available on theme nights and, of course, Shepherd’s Pie.



“The place is going to be transformed, and will resemble a good old English pub,” Alexander said.



From England to Burlington



Born in Nottinghamshire, England, Alexander moved to Burlington in 2011 to marry Dawn. He is known as a local crooner who sings throughout Burlington.



However, regulars at the McConnell Cafe have known Alexander as the man behind the counter, where he has worked the past four years. Alexander managed several restaurants and pubs in England before coming to America and feels at home behind the tap.



Running his own place was one of those old childhood dreams he thought might never be realized. But it was music that first captured his soul, and it still hasn’t let go.



“I was crazy about the Beatles and Elvis Presley,” said Alexander, who recently got to record his own album at Sun Studios. “Elvis was my idol.”



Alexander spent three years in the Royal Artillery, boxing as a light-middleweight while playing in various bands until he went solo in 1986. He’s worked a gamut of jobs, and through it all, he cooked for himself.



It’s a skill his mother taught him at age eight. Now it’s more than a skill, but a passion, amongst many.



“I’ve always enjoyed cooking,” he said. “And Dawn is really good with pastries. She’ll be making those.”



An old English telephone already is sitting at the bar, but the doors to the restaurant remain closed as Tony and Dawn scramble to get ready for a soft opening late next month.



On the bar sits a black and white picture of the restaurant’s namesake — the giant tree from Sherwood Forest that hosted Robin Hood and his merry men.



Alexander hopes his new place proves just as comfy and companionable.



“I just want this to be a place where people can come and stay for a while. You don’t have to just eat and leave,” he said.



Photo by Joy Mack



Photo 1: Tony and Dawn Alexander of Burlington pose for a photo inside their new business, The Major Oak, in downtown Burlington.

British Restaurant To Open In Downtown Burlington

Native American eagle dancer Rudy Vallejo shared ancestral dances of the Pottawatomie and Kickapoo tribes Friday at Sunnybrook Assisted Living Center in Burlington. Vallejo, a member of the Kickapoo tribe in Kansas, also discussed his tribe and showed residents his collection of war hammers.



Photo by Joy Mack

Vallejo Brings Ancestral Dances to Sunnybrook

Two men were shot late Sunday night in Burlington, both in the leg.



Neither gunshot wound proved to be life-threatening, and the Burlington Police Department’s Criminal Investigation Division has launched an investigation.



Burlington Police Sgt. John Stirn said the shooting occurred shortly after 10 p.m., with the initial call directing officers to the 2300 block of Washington Street.



The men, who have not been identified by police, were taken to Great River Medical Center in West Burlington. No further details have been released.



Stirn encouraged anyone with information about the incident to call Burlington Area Crime Stoppers at (319) 753-6835 or the Burlington Police dispatch at (319) 753-8366.

Two Injured In Sunday Night Shooting

Stanley Baldwin was found guilty of willful injury Tuesday morning in the beating death of Burlington resident Eddie Breuer.



Baldwin, one of four people police say were involved in the March 2019 beating death of Burlington resident Edward "Eddie" Breuer, faces up to 10 years in prison. His trial began last week at the Van Buren County Courthouse in Keosauqua.



Baldwin denied involvement in the crime and decided to represent himself, dismissing his publicly appointed defense attorney last year. Baldwin petitioned to have the proceedings moved out of Burlington so he could get a fair trial, given how well known Breuer in the city.



Majestic Malone and Markell Price, both of Burlington, were convicted in August of second-degree murder and kidnapping in the death of Breuer.



Known for his geniality and tendency to ask strangers for spare change to buy a soda, Breuer was a couch-crasher and constant face around Burlington. He was found beaten outside an apartment building on 404 Acres St. on the evening of March 17, shortly after visiting a friend on the first floor.



Owen Laird, who was 15 at the time of the beating, testified against Price and Malone in August, and also talked about Baldwin’s alleged role. Laird testified to seeing Baldwin break Breuer’s finger in the alley with a large, red pipe.



Baldwin could not be called as a witness since it would have impacted his own trial.



Laird was moving into the upstairs apartment at 404 Acres St. at the time of the beating, and Baldwin, who was a friend of Laird’s, allegedly found Breuer inside the apartment. Laird’s high school friend, who drove him to 404 Acres St., testified Laird was visibly agitated and struck Breuer several times.



Laird himself testified to hitting Breuer and admitted to murdering Breuer when police arrived. He later recanted that admission and the prosecution believed Baldwin convinced Laird to take the fall and call the police.



A sentencing hearing is expected to be held in the next few weeks.

Baldwin Found Guilty in Beating Death of Breuer

By William Smith



Salvation Army Lt. Dennis Jolly, 29, knew he would never meet another woman as perfect as his future wife, Kelly Summit.



She’s the only woman who has ever understood him. Really understood him, right down to the core.



“We both knew we liked each other, but it took him nearly a year after we left (Salvation Army) training to ask me out,” Summit said.



The two had instantly become best friends upon meeting during Salvation Army training two years prior. Like Jolly, Summit, 33, has a passion for ministry and helping the poor. They’ve worked with each other plenty, their leadership styles locking like puzzle pieces.



But they also shared the little things that make love blossom. An obsession with the TV show “Gilmore Girls,” and the ability to make each other laugh. 



They also share the comfortable audacity to tell each other the truth.



“She always tells me the truth, even when it’s ugly. She doesn’t sugarcoat anything,” Dennis said. “She accepts me for who I am — all my flaws, all my weaknesses.”



Three years after meeting his soulmate, Dennis was still unable to profess the truth of his love. He had felt the same way about her since the day they met, but finding the courage to risk rejection can be an insurmountable life trial for many bachelors.



“I wasn’t sure he was really into me, because it took him so long,” Kelly said, causing Dennis to look sheepishly at the floor.



Love finally won the day over fear. All it took as a few nervous sentences, and an even more pensive question.



“I finally upped my game and asked her out,” he said. “I upped my game again last May and asked her to marry me.”



The two Salvation Army lieutenants tie the knot next month, and after the honeymoon, Kelly will be joining her new husband in leading Burlington’s Salvation Army. Dennis already has been a fixture in the community for the past few years.



Right now, Kelly lives in St. Louis, making for a long-distance relationship they both can't wait to shorten. They were stationed at different posts throughout the country after completing training, yet still kept in close contact, even before dating.



If he hadn’t mustered the courage to test her weekend plans, Dennis and Kelly still would have remained good friends.



“I’m really biased here, but I think she’s wonderful,” Dennis said.



Dennis usually gets nervous meeting new people, and by his own admission, his shyness sometimes comes across as disinterest. Confiding doesn’t come naturally, except when he is with Kelly.



“He’s also really strong and has been through a lot in his life. I love the way he supports me. He challenges me to be a better person,” Kelly said.



To an unfamiliar eye or anyone who happened to see their Valentine’s Day marriage announcement on Facebook, their union would seem almost preordained.



They share the same rank as Salvation Army officers. Kelly’s parents are Salvation Army officers, as are her grandparents. His mother is a former Salvation Army officer, as well.



Despite her family's involvement, Kelly didn’t want to be a Salvation Army officer — not for much of her young life. Unavoidable expectations caused Kelly to rebel against the family legacy.



Her idea of rebelling was helping the less fortunate in a different way.



“I denied the calling for a lot of my life, and so I went to college and I wanted to work overseas at a non-profit thing,” she said.



God gave Kelly the freedom to explore her options, as did her family. She never felt pressure from either, and both were waiting for her when she finally heard the call.



"When I got the call, my family was like, ‘We know.’ They always knew,' " she said.



Unsaddled by the Salvation Army lineage but still faintly connected to it, Dennis didn’t face any expectations. Yet he gravitated toward his mother’s former profession at an early age and made it his own. 



Dennis got the calling at age 15 and worked as a Salvation Army intern growing up in Michigan. He then worked at Salvation Army thrift stores. Then rang the bell at Christmas. Whatever needed to be done.



Earlier this year, Dennis headed up completion of the Salvation Army headquarters in Burlington.



“Everything I did was to get in the Salvation Army,” he said.



For those not as familiar with the Salvation Army, it can be easy to forget that Kelly and Dennis are pastors, which is the tradition for officers heading up a region. And like many pastors, they are subject to the needs of the church. There is no set amount of time for an appointment.



In other words, the future Mr. and Mrs. Jolly has no idea where they will be months and years down the line. 



“We’ll go anytime, anywhere, wherever God wants us through the Salvation Army,” Dennis said.



Home, and subsequent happiness, will travel with them, decorated with kindness and laughter. For now, that home is in Burlington.



“We laugh a lot,” Kelly said.



Shown in the photo (from left to right) Majors Randy and Sue Summit, Lt. Kelly Summit, Lt. Dennis Jolly.

Finding Love In God, And Each Other

Cascade Bridge is once again barricaded, and permanent replacement fencing is due to arrive next week.



But the seemingly eternal question of what to do with the 123-year-old bridge is still being probed by environmental planning firm Impact 7G. The bridge sits on the National Register of Historic Places, connecting downtown Burlington to Crapo Park.



Impact 7G was hired by Burlington to gather public input about the fate of the historic structure and is encouraging residents to fill out a survey by the end of the month.



The options boil down to three — restore the bridge, tear it down and build a new one, or just tear down the bridge without replacing it. Impact 7G estimates the rough cost a new bridge would be $3 to $5 million, while a restored bridge would be $6 to $9 million. The non-profit group Workin’ Bridges, which is only looking at solutions that would preserve the bridge, estimated rehab at a much cheaper $4.7 million.&nbsp;



Impact 7G estimates it would cost $250,000 to demolish the bridge, regardless of what happens after. The city closed the bridge to vehicle traffic in 2008, deeming it a safety hazard, then closed it to pedestrian traffic last year, citing the rusted structure as a falling hazard.&nbsp;



A Burlington man had to abandon his Jeep on the bridge this past weekend after bursting through the barricades when his brakes failed. But one vehicle is hardly an adequate stress test, especially for rehab plans that would reopen the bridge to regular traffic.&nbsp;



The online survey on Impact 7G’s website includes questions about where the bridge should rate for city projects, ways people would like to access Crapo Park and questions about how public dollars should be spent or if taxes should be levied.



A compendium of information about the bridge, as well as the Impact 7G survey, can be found at&nbsp;<a href="https://l.facebook.com/l.php?u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.burlingtoncascadebridge.com%2F%3Ffbclid%3DIwAR1wSv1rXQwB0jAUOHiyVRd-iSKoooCmYURwLP-QUkxWcMBCQnmKZfDnHCE&amp;h=AT2CI_DA64vdLSM5j3ePtg7cDfX4sbbvIdgFTJkUzClHMiI8S4NvSKWzuY2zNOIjEm2uzi_m8N0xgFU5KEDt_mquuvVd4uL-rmDYqgzIuAcW2vbMv9ghro618ZUxYJ_b1KIpQDPypD2nk6WaUNMyfh2iK8jXNrXNF9XMKwDKqo3XRbRMkbWbWmRO5f7EolCec4f8eqA9OPsFRaAWi3t5SkruK8C_XQar4MzFYrRKnxIgGa4YQYW-NDWRgUhJT7gKWJyfyEIi9SefikhXFn8o7NSP9A9T_ogO_Pftyrk2GPvDdNmlWfLkvDrOzIYbQej1-U4q_4WwN9N2aRBKAT46zrAW1PUnwo6Y6-KbxM4SB1IkZ66rH4-Wn8dQI9DsM5bAflgLw8UOK46wzK3_Icj8uGsObwnRhwUowxTjKXiLUaW5ln8HJTCjQ_QVm7s4ke5Hby_vZ7B-dyaLz8Dfv0vuoVMlvqdVXyQisrJ9rS7KbA0S5ByCME1fp1_fwgwoYAhtm8OsSXbS8rsKqk9Q3ImIyeD1v9xfJsexct956VnF2czTZwXIIoqzrWC4tt1eys1LTfczhIWeA-R0vDo-v0O4nHksXdXlAh8KVwWsIeR40d8yAPZxGcxd4q0cuEEtxKDUS5NQ2yTdA2dzGvYTA2Hk5AE" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">www.burlingtoncascadebridge.com</a>



The site includes past engineering reports, historical documents, a brief slideshow presentation, and a project description. Paper copies of the survey are available at the Public Works building at 3510 Division St.



To go directly to the survey, visit&nbsp;<a href="https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/BQH3CXQ?fbclid=IwAR0grNEwTcUgwnuGZy7BuXv-L74F8n_mz23fkoeYbMMOqdySKn4IijDjSa4" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/BQH3CXQ</a>



The survey will close to public input on March 1 and will be followed by a public meeting.

Residents Have Until End Of The Month To Steer Cascade Bridge’s Fate

Caeser Davison Jr. was declared not guilty Thursday of first-degree murder in the 2017 death of Burlington resident DeMarcus Chew.



Though the Des Moines County jury cleared Davison of murder, it did convict him of assault causing serious injury and conspiracy to commit murder. He faces up to six years in prison for both charges.&nbsp;



Davison was accused by the prosecution of shooting Chew seven times and was the last of five men to be tried in Chew’s death.



Davison’s trial began at the end of last week, just two days after a jury convicted Emmanual Spann of first-degree murder for Chew’s death. The other three men accused in the murder — Andre Harris, Derrick Parker, and Antoine Spann — plead guilty to other crimes related to Chew’s death.



A sentencing date for Davison has not been set.

Davison Found Not Guilty of Murder

A Burlington man drove over Cascade Bridge late Friday night when the brakes on his 1996 Jeep Cherokee failed, then left it there until the next morning.



Burlington police found the abandoned vehicle, still sitting on the bridge, shortly before 8 a.m. Saturday. They also found footprints leading away from the vehicle.



The driver, 29-year-old Nathan Mueller, returned to the scene at about 11 a.m. after police contacted him. The vehicle was then towed away without incident.



Mueller, who drove through the barriers on the north side of the bridge and collided with the barriers on the opposite side, was cited by police for striking fixtures and failure to maintain control of his vehicle.



The jeep rolled backward after hitting the south barriers, coming to rest exactly 779 feet south of Main Street and Cascade Boulevard



Mueller told police he panicked in the aftermath of the accident and walked away from the scene. The 123-year-old bridge has been closed to traffic for more than a decade and is also closed to foot traffic due to safety concerns.



Police say Muller caused $2,000 worth of damage to the barriers cordoning off the bridge and $1,500 to his own vehicle.



Photo courtesy of Chelsea Stevens

Police Find Abandoned Vehicle On Cascade Bridge, And The Driver Who Left It There

Photo by Joy Mack



The Russian National Ballet Company brought their famous footwork Saturday to Memorial Auditorium in Burlington. The international sensation presented "Sleeping Beauty" to the riverfront venue. Fifty dancers from the ballet company demonstrated a mixture of grace and athleticism that entertained a large crowd.

Russian Ballet Company Performs At Auditorium

Last year, heavy machinery rumbled up Locust Street, digging into city streets as part of a decade's long sewer separation project.



On Monday, crews labored on South Fifth Street as the estimated $50 million construction project, which could increase in cost, made its way toward South Street.



Two of Burlington’s three sewer basins are already separated by storm and wastewater, but the MASL basin is the largest and most complex. Within the MASL Basin are four sub-basins, Market, Angular, South, and Locust streets.



Burlington is under mandate by the Iowa Department of Natural Resources and the Environmental Protection Agency to have the sewers separated in six years. City officials are hoping for an extension on that deadline, and Burlington was one of a handful of communities granted government money for a project study. If an extension can’t be acquired, sewer customers will likely have to foot the bill.



Photo by Jeff Abell

Sewer Separation Work Continues

By William Smith



If life were a movie, Jon Billups would have pulled out a magically prepared proposal from his sleeve to introduce himself as Burlington’s new mayor.



Instead, his first action as mayor last month was to swiftly help kill an unpopular proposal — moving the Burlington Steamboat Senior Center from Jefferson Street to the vacant cafe space inside The Burlington Depot.



It only took a few public minutes for the council to defeat the measure, far less than the time it took Billups to research and plumb the issue after being elected mayor by his fellow council members.



“That’s what city business is. It’s not glamorous,” he said.



Billups said the proposal to move the seniors to the depot was crafted from only the best intentions. Besides facing a $70,000 plus roof repair (which is figured into the city budget), the drafty old building is expensive to heat and cool, and the Des Moines County supervisors have pulled financial support.



“We weren’t trying to force them to move. We were trying to assist,” Billups said.



The assistance wasn’t wanted, which Billups discovered upon visiting the senior center himself. Through the seniors were too polite to make a public fuss about the move, it didn’t sit right with any of the membership.



“I asked them to put together a membership meeting so we could address all the concerns, so they could make a fair vote,” Billups said.



They did, voting down the move to the depot 22-0. Billups publicly relayed the news to the council at the next work session, and the council unanimously voted it down at the next meeting.



Though he’s happy the city avoided doing any harm in that case, he is disappointed it got so far without the city getting proper input from the seniors. 



“Communication is something the city needs to work on,” Billups said. 



Billups has taken improved city communication as his main charge, often answering questions and clarifying city positions in protracted Facebook conversations with citizens. He relishes the chance to have those conversations in person, but that is difficult to do at such sparsely attended council meetings.



Like mayors before him, Billups would like to see those empty audience seats filled with interested residents.



“The population of Burlington is shrinking,” he said. “We have all these skilled positions, and no one to fill them.”



Billups believes that population decline could soon reverse, given the extensive downtown redevelopment and $17 million worth of TIGER grant money being poured into Jefferson Street and the riverfront over the next few years.



“We all pay into those grants, so I think it’s my job to get as much as that money back as possible,” Billups said, regarding the TIGER grant.



Much of the grant is focused on redeveloping the riverfront, which was flooded for more than six months last year. Forecasters with the National Weather Service have said there will be more major flooding this year, thanks to the overly saturated ground.



Sandbag barriers held back the bloated Mississippi River for more than 180 days with the assistance of the incomplete flood wall on the riverfront, then finally gave way to a flooded downtown. The floodwall itself never failed.



“I think the flood wall performed admirably,” Billups said.



Like many residents, Billups’s gaze upon the Mississippi River is tainted with consternation. A boater himself, Billups practically lives on the river due to his job at Bluff Harbor Marina. He has long taken issue with the way the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers have allegedly pooled the water around Burlington through the lock and dam system, making the river unnaturally high.



“We’re talking a few years before it (the flood wall) will be done,” Billups said. 



That constant flooding had always been a headache for the Friends of the Depot group as well, which disbanded in the wake of the proposal to the move the senior center to the depot. The group, which Billups said renovated the depot from “a hallway to an actual building,” preferred the depot stick to the original plans — a white boxed cafe space.



Again, Billups said, it was another case of poor communication by the city.



“I didn’t know they (Friends of the Depot) were upset with the idea of moving the senior center to the depot,” Billups said. “I feel bad. That’s something I should have picked up on.” 



Billups was part of the Friends of the Depot group himself for about six months and hopes to see the group come back together. He credited Friends for making the building feasible for possible tenants in the first place.



“We would not have had the depot in the condition it is without Friends of the Depot,” Billups said. “That being said, the goal is to fill that building on the north and south ends.”



Billups said there could still be a cafe, or business offices, or a coffee shop.



“There were a lot of businesses that wanted to follow the senior center (to the depot),” he said. 



Then there’s the shuttered 123-year-old Cascade Bridge, which promises to be an issue beyond Billups mayoral run. However, it’s an issue he believes the city can resolve, and not just through the demolition of the bridge without replacement.



Billups mentioned a federal BUILD grant, similar to the TIGER grant, that could help pay for either a new bridge or a rehabbed bridge. At one time, he said, Cascade Bridge was included in the TIGER grant, but the city had to take it out to make the grant more focused. Burlington was only one of two cities in Iowa to win the grant.



“There’s a windfall around 2023 or 2024 with money coming off the city books,” Billups said, suggesting that would be the time to fund a Cascade Bridge project. 



Those are just the concrete problems facing Burlington. More abstract worries, such as the city's crime rate and inferior housing, are decades-long issues that will take time to improve. 



But Billups always has been a consistent plodder, spending exponential amounts of sweat equity in exchange for incremental improvements. As he said, no one outside a Hollywood film ever claimed city work was glamorous, just monumentally important.



“I’ve never shied away from hard work,” Billups said.

Billups Finds Satisfaction Rather Than Glory As Mayor

B-Town Comics &amp; Games is your ONLY SOURCE for Free Comic Book Day. Join us May 2 for fun events, prize giveaways, and of course. Free Comics! Stay tuned for updates.



B-Town Comics &amp; Games is located at 609 &amp; 611 Jefferson Street in beautiful downtown Burlington, Iowa. Phone: (319) 209-2768.

B-Town Hosts Free Comic Book Day

THIS SATURDAY (Feb. 15)! B-Town is proud to be hosting the launch of OFFWORLDER! An epic tale told by comic legends Mike Baron and Jordi Armengol and published by locally-owned Fanatic Comics.



The comic kickoff party is FREE and OPEN TO THE PUBLIC from noon to 3 p.m. in our gaming space.



HUNDREDS OF COMICS WILL BE GIVEN AWAY! Yes! Hundreds of comics! You must be in attendance to win!



There will be free drinks, cake, giveaways, live Q&amp;A with the creative team, special guests and much more. The party will also be broadcast on YouTube and Facebook.



B-Town Comics &amp; Games is located at 609 &amp; 611 Jefferson Street in beautiful downtown Burlington, Iowa. Phone: (319) 209-2768.

Comic Book Launch Party This Saturday

A weekly source for things to do and see in and around Burlington. Only events for the upcoming week will be listed, and submissions for upcoming events will be accepted at burlingtonbeacon@gmail.com.



Saturday, Feb. 15



• Danville Public Library will host a Lego brick building event at 10:30 a.m. • Eagles Club will host All-Day Bingo with refreshments beginning at 11 a.m., with a second session beginning at 2 p.m. Food, coffee and desserts will be available. • Annual Jerky Contest hosted by Riverview Sportsmen of Dallas City, Ill., is 5 to 9 p.m. at the Yellow Rose Saloon in Lomax, Ill. • Country Unlimited will be playing from 1 to 3 p.m. at the Steamboat Senior Center in Burlington. Donations are appreciated. Everyone is welcome and participants are encouraged to wear red. • SCC Softball Hitting Skills Camp is at Burlington Bee’s Hitting Facility. There are two camps for girls ages 9 to 18; Camp I is 9 to 10 a.m.; Camp II is 10 to 11 a.m. The cost is $30 per camp. Registration is 30 minutes before camp. For more information, call (319) 208-5122. • Special Needs Family Roller Skating Party is 11:30 a.m. at Kenny’s Roller Ranch. This skating party is free to all families which include a person with special needs. Wheelchairs will be allowed on the roller rink. • Date Night Done Right at 5:30 p.m. at the Bart Howard Lounge at Des Moines County Heritage Center, including live music, Italian cuisine, dinner, and dessert. Tickets are $40 and available at the Des Moines County Heritage Center. You also can call for tickets at (319) 752-7449. • Civic Music presents The Russian National Ballet at 7:30 p.m. at Memorial Auditorium in Burlington. Bolshig trained dancers will perform the ballet “The Sleeping Beauty.” Tickets are $35 and can be purchased at the Civic Music website. • Dueling Pianos will be from 8 to 10 p.m. at downtown wine bar Corked 101. Aaron Lotzow of Bloom and Iowa Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee Mick Staebell will perform. And there will be wine. • The Paul Nelson Band will play at 8 p.m. at The Washington.



Monday, Feb. 17



• Free viewing of the film “Angry Birds 2” at 5:30 p.m. at the Burlington Public Library. Enjoy free popcorn and drinks. No registration is required, and all are welcome.



Wednesday, Feb. 19



• Burlington Lunchtime Chamber Music will be from 12:15 to 12:45 p.m. at First United Methodist Church, featuring music for violin, clarinet, and piano, including Stravinsky’s Suite from “A Soldier’s Tale.” The concert is free and open to the public.



Friday, Feb. 21



• Pawn Pushers are hosting a chess event is from 9 a.m. to noon. Play, watch, learn, teach and enjoy a game of chess, and bring your own board and pieces if you wish. Chess mentors will be on hand. The event is free and open to the public. • Hamilton-Walters Marine Corps League Ham and Bean Supper will be at 5 p.m. at the Iowa National Guard and Reserve Center in Middletown. All you can eat for $6. • Jerad and Nathan of Stumptown will play at 6:30 p.m. at the Wake N’ Bake Breakfast Company. • Players Workshop Theater production of “The Radiant” premieres at 7:30 p.m. Friday, with an encore performance Saturday, as well as 2 p.m. Sunday. This historical docudrama focuses on the life of Marie Curie and her discovery of radium. Tickets are $15 for adults and $10 for students and are available at the Players Workshop box office 90 minutes before each performance. • Contingency will play at 8 p.m. at The Washington in Burlington. The Keokuk based trio will perform classic and current rock, as well as dance and country tunes.

Faces and Places

Donald Chipman, the owner of Modern Barbershop, has been working for months to restore the interior of his downtown Burlington business.



"It has a long road revamping this old shop. My friend Ian Beard put in lots of free hours helping to get this done. Logan Hand, the owner of Fine Line Painting, did a fantastic job. I'm happy to see it come back to life," Chipman said.



Chipman took over the family trade of hair cutting from his father about three decades ago. His father owned a barbershop in the same building for more than 30 years.



Photos submitted by Donald Chipman

Chipman Works to Restore Barbershop

Last week, Burlington Steamboat Days organizers announced the 57th iteration of the music festival will focus on country music when it returns in June.



Today, organizers announced two of their three headlining acts. Country music star Gretchen Wilson, best known for her hit song “Redneck Woman,” will take the stage on Saturday.



Riley Green, most famous for his song “I Wish Grandpas Never Died,” will take the stage on Friday. Recently, Green has been on tour with country music star Jason Aldean. Before he was a recording artist, Green was a contestant on the CMT reality show “Redneck Island.” He released a self-titled EP in 2013.



Ticket prices and more information will be revealed on the Burlington Steamboat Days Facebook page.

Gretchen Wilson, Riley Green Coming To Steamboat Days

An assistant manager for the Hy-Vee on Agency Street has been arrested for allegedly stealing $10,000 worth of items and cash from the grocery store.



Burlington police arrested Christopher Allen Hartley, 45, of Burlington Wednesday and charged him with first-degree theft. Hy-Vee reported the theft to police Saturday, Feb. 8, initiating a police investigation.



Police executed a search warrant at Hartley’s home and located several stolen items, including a large sum of money, according to authorities. The items were seized by police as evidence.



Hartley started working at the Agency Street Hy-Vee in March of 2019. Before that, he was a district sales manager at the Qdoba restaurant in Springfield, Ill.



He is currently being held at the Des Moines County Correctional Center in Burlington on a $10,000 bond, pending a court appearance.

Assistant Hy-Vee Store Manager Allegedly Robs Employer of $10,000

By Beacon Staff



Burlington Police discovered a “significant” amount of suspected methamphetamine during a Monday (March 30) drug bust.



Terry Lee Douglas III, 33, of Burlington, was arrested Monday on a warrant for possession with intent to deliver methamphetamine. Before the arrest, police executed a search warrant of Douglas’s vehicle, locating the significant amount of suspected meth.



“Over the past several months, the Southeast Iowa Narcotics Task Force and the Iowa Department of Narcotics Enforcement (DNE) have been conducting an investigation into an individual who was dealing large quantities of narcotics in the Southeast Iowa area,” Burlington Police Lt. Wayne Thomson said in a press release.



Douglas was hit with an additional intent to deliver charge outside of the warrant and was also charged with drug tax stamp violation. He is being held at the Des Moines County Correctional Center in Burlington.



Thomson said the arrest is part of an ongoing investigation into drug trafficking in the Burlington area.

Drug Investigation Results In “Significant” Burlington Meth Bust

A Burlington man was arrested Thursday morning for allegedly dealing large amounts of methamphetamine and marijuana in the area.



Andre Emmanuel Sanders, 51, was charged with possession with intent to deliver methamphetamine, possession with intent to deliver marijuana, possession of a firearm by a felon and unlawful possession of an offensive weapon. Sanders also was charged with six Des Moines County warrants, including possession of a firearm by a felon.



The Southeast Iowa Narcotics Task and the Iowa Department of Narcotics had been working the case for the past several months, after being tipped off about a man dealing large amounts of narcotics in the Burlington area.



Police executed a search warrant on Sanders’ home at 646 Higbee Ave., Thursday morning before the arrest, with the assistance of Henry County Sheriff’s office and the Iowa State Patrol Tactical Unit. Police did not say what was found during the search.



Sanders is being held without bond at the Des Moines County Correctional Center in Burlington, pending a court appearance.

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