Archives for December 2015

Some of the worst flooding in the country is in Missouri where boats are being used to rescue people stranded by rapidly rising floodwaters. 

The National Guard is patrolling communities that have been evacuated, and are assisting with mandatory evacuations as the Mississippi and Missouri rivers overflow their banks.  Hundreds of roads have been flooded including major highways and that’s led to a traffic nightmare in and around St. Louis.
So far the flooding has killed at least 20 people in Missouri and neighboring Illinois. Many of the victims died after their cars were swept away by floodwaters.  

We now know what business will be going into the vacant Wendy’s building in Kirksville. It’s not another restaurant…it’s a business already in the city, who will relocate. Title Cash will move into the former Wendy’s from their current location on South Baltimore Street. The store manager says they are making the move because the old Wendy’s spot has better access and more parking. They plan to open at the new location on Monday.

A Virginia man is charged with kidnapping and abusing a Missouri teen.

Another case of a teen talking with a guy — a stranger — online. In this case, a 14 year old girl who ended-up held against her will in Virginia. Police say the teen left her home in Missouri three days before Christmas with 28 year old Edward Anderson. The girl texted a family member on Christmas day to say she was held against her will — family contacted the law. Anderson facing a list of charges from kidnapping to rape. The teen was re-united with her family in Missouri.

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The Kirksville City Council puts a sales tax renewal before the voters in an April referendum.

City leaders are hoping voters in Kirksville will renew the half- cent Economic Development Sales Tax, as they seek more funding toward street improvements during the Municipal Election in April. Should the voters give the thumbs up, expectations are that the tax would pump nearly 1.2 million dollars a year into projects for economic development and storm water improvements. In other business, the council also approved a plan to revitalize downtown Kirksville, providing offering low-interest loans to property owners to help pay for their portion of the improvements; and an ordinance approving a plan for an industrial development project for Kraft Heinz foods company; authorizing the city of Kirksville to issue its taxable industrial development revenue bonds to finance the costs of the project.

Missouri ranks in the top 20 among all states when it comes to giving to charity. According to the website WalletHub.com’s 2015 World Giving Index, Missouri ranks 16th when it comes to giving to those in need. Utah ranks first in the nation, and Rhode Island takes the 50th slot. According to the National Philanthropic Trust, 95.4 percent of households in the U.S. donate to charities, each contributing an annual average of just under $3,000. In 2014, Americans donated more than $338-billion.

Icy roads this week caused a number of accidents in the area. There was the fatal accident that killed a Milan man and a Greencastle woman in Sullivan County.

Also Monday morning, a 24-year-old Moberly woman was seriously injured when her car ran off Highway 24, just west of Madison. The patrol says her car slid off the roadway and struck a ditch. The woman taken to Moberly Regional Medical Center.

Icy roadways caused a one-vehicle accident on Highway 36, just west of the 63 interchange in Macon, Monday night, seriously injuring a Bevier woman. 46 year old Brenda Hawkins, was taken initially to Samaritan Hospital in Macon and then transferred to University Hospital in Columbia after the accident. She was a passenger in pickup driven by 49 year old Charles Donahue, of Bevier.
Missouri Highway patrol says Donahue lost control on the ice-covered roadway and the pickup skidded off the roadway and into the median cable barrier. Donahue suffered moderate injuries. [buh-veer]

Governor Jay Nixon has activated the Missouri National Guard as the state deals with widespread flooding.  The several hundred National Guard troops will assist law enforcement with enforcing road closures. After days of rainfall, waterways in Missouri are swollen including the Mississippi River, which is expected to crest tomorrow at near-record levels. 13 people have died in Missouri flooding – most of them died after driving into floodwaters.

Voting on the taxes you pay. In Kirksville, voters will decide whether to continue a special sales tax.

The issue will be on the ballot in April. The decision — whether to extend the city’s half-cent sales tax beyond 2019. More than $7 million from the tax is used to pay for part of the Highway 63 bypass construction. The last payment to DOT would be in 2019 and the city wants to keep the sales tax going beyond that to fund other projects such as street and storm water repair and some of the money would be used to promote economic development.

Gas leaks forced some Kirksville residents out of their homes yesterday afternoon. The the Kirksville Fire Department responded to a call of smoke in the furnace area in an apartment complex on South Marion. Crews determined the gas furnace had been on fire, but was out. A short time later, tenants in two other apartments reported gas leaks, and Battalion Chief David Rigdon saw a second furnace burst into flames. He says the fire was caused by the pilot light on a water heater igniting the gas that had leaked. 3 of 8 apartments experienced damage – mostly smoke. The Red Cross is assisting those people. Liberty Utilities crews will be at the apartment complex today to further investigate.

The icy roads have caused a number of accidents in the area…including a fatal one. A Milan man was killed and a Greencastle woman was seriously injured following a 2-vehicle crash yesterday morning in Sullivan County. The Missouri State Highway Patrol said Larry Mcatee, 47, of Milan was killed when he lost control of his pickup on the ice-covered roadway and slid into the path of an oncoming SUV. Mcatee was pronounced dead at the scene. The driver of the SUV, 55-year-old Lisa VanVelzer of Green Castle, suffered serious injuries and was taken to Northeast Regional Medical Center in Kirksville for treatment. She was then transferred to University Hospital in Columbia.

A 24-year-old Moberly woman was seriously injured when her car ran off Highway 24, just west of Madison, just yesterday morning. The patrol says her car slid off the roadway and struck a ditch. The woman taken to Moberly Regional Medical Center after the accident.

Icy roadways caused a one-vehicle accident on Highway 36, just west of the 63 interchange in Macon, last night, seriously injuring a Bevier woman. 46 year old Brenda Hawkins, was taken initially to Samaritan Hospital in Macon and then transferred to University Hospital in Columbia after the accident. She was a passenger in pickup driven by 49 year old Charles Donahue, of Bevier.
Missouri Highway patrol says Donahue lost control on the ice-covered roadway and the pickup skidded off the roadway and into the median cable barrier. Donahue suffered moderate injuries.