KIRX News

The winter weather has caused disruptions this week – from causing school closures, meeting cancellations, roadwork delays, and even caused the postponement of the new Kirksville Aquatic Center groundbreaking ceremony. A winter weather advisory remains in effect until 6 this evening. Forecasters are calling for up to additional two inches of snow for the area. Plan on slippery road conditions. The hazardous conditions could impact the morning or evening commute. Check road conditions at traveler.modot.org/map/

As of 3pm, Troop B of the Missouri State Highway Patrol had responded to 35 calls, checked on 6 stranded motorists and worked 6 crashes resulting in no injuries.

A Rutledge woman and her passengers were injured in a crash in Knox County earlier this week. The Missouri State Highway Patrol reports that 30-year-old Jessica C. Shulatz, was southbound on Old Lake Avenue, two miles north of Edina, when she lost control of her pickup due to the icy road conditions. The vehicle traveled off the left side of the roadway and struck several trees. Shulatz suffered moderate injuries in the accident. A nine-year-old girl also suffered moderate injuries and a six-year-old girl suffered minor injuries. All three were transported by private vehicle to Northeast Regional Medical Center in Kirksville for treatment of their injuries.

192 medical marijuana dispensary facilities received their licenses yesterday. According to the Department of Health and Senior Services, well over 1,000 applications were submitted to the state. Dispensary facilities who applied for their licenses through the Medical Marijuana Registry Portal were notified by email yesterday of either their approval or denial. The state says the dispensaries chosen are the top-scoring ones meeting all eligibility requirements. The list of winners can be found on the Department of Health and Senior Services website.

Edina Mayor Steve Peters will not be seeking reelection in the upcoming municipal election. He told the City Council about his decision last week, and said it was for personal reasons. Peters replaced one-term Mayor Eric Hunolt in 2018 who replaced 12-term Mayor Davey Strickler in 2016. 3 people have filed for the open seat.

U.S. Senator Roy Blunt participated in the Senate signing ceremony for the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement Implementation Act. The bill enrollment marked the final step before USMCA heads to the White House for the president’s signature. Blunt voted to pass the trade deal earlier this month. He called the bill a big win for farmers, and ranchers, and workers across the state. Blunt projects that under USMCA, U.S. agriculture exports are estimated to increase by $2.2 billion.

The Kirksville Police Department is alerting residents about social security scams. The Federal Trade Commission cites scams mentioning the Social Security Administration as the number one type of fraud reported to their agency.

The Kirksville Police Department has received several recent calls about citizens who received letters from the Social Security Administration and threats to suspend benefits and/or garnish income. According to SSA’s own website, “Social Security employees will occasionally contact you by telephone or mail for business purposes if you have ongoing business with the agency, but they won’t tell you that your Social Security number has been suspended, demand an immediate payment, ask you for credit or debit card numbers over the phone, demand that you pay a Social Security debt without the ability to appeal the amount you owe, or promise a Social Security benefit approval.

More information can be found at both the Federal Trade Commission’s website at www.ftc.gov and the Social Security Administration’s website at www.saa.gov.

A winter weather advisory is in effect as snow showers are expected to start in Kirksville by late morning. Drivers are encouraged to plan accordingly and stay informed on rapidly changing weather conditions. Missouri Department of Transportation crews will be out in full force to once again battle precipitation. MoDOT District Engineer Paula Gough, says this is a slow-moving front, and there is the potential for precipitation from today into Friday. To check road conditions, go to MoDOT’s Traveler Information Map at traveler.modot.org/map/. The map is also available as a free app for Apple and Android devices.

Due to conditions, High Prairie Wind Farm is postponing the work on Schuyler County Routes O, D and A that was scheduled for this week. Therefore, the routes will be open to traffic. Updates will be given on any work as MoDOT is informed of them.

Entrepreneurs from across Missouri, and those who support them, are banding together to form NEXT Missouri, a coalition dedicated to advancing public policies that drive job growth across the state by easing the path for entrepreneurs and their new firms that are at the heart of the state’s economy. State job data, compiled by MOSourceLink’s Show Me Jobs report shows nearly 80 percent of new jobs in Missouri are created by startups with fewer than 20 employees. That’s an average of 40,000-plus jobs per year. Furthermore, wages paid by these new businesses exceed the state average after two years in business.
At the same time, Missouri ranks dead last in the country for survival rate of startups making it past their first year. NEXT Missouri will assemble entrepreneurs and those who support them to ensure that the
public and policymakers understand their needs in hopes of reducing barriers to business creation and growth. To learn more about or lend your voice to NEXT Missouri, visit nextmissouri.org.

The City of Kirksville invites the community to the Kirksville Aquatic Center Groundbreaking Ceremony today at 11:00 am. A short ceremony will be held at the entrance to the current Aquatic Center in Rotary Park, and will officially commemorate the start of construction on the new facility. The new Kirksville Aquatic Center is scheduled to open on Memorial Day 2021.