MSHP Participating in Operation C.A.R.E. for Holiday Weekend

The Missouri State Highway Patrol is urging safety for the Memorial Day weekend. Colonel Eric T. Olson reminds motorists the Patrol will be participating in Operation C.A.R.E. (Crash Awareness Reduction Effort) during the long holiday weekend. This means every available trooper will be on the road enforcing traffic laws and assisting motorists. This year’s counting period for the holiday weekend begins at 6.tonight, and ends at 11:59 p.m., May 31st. Troopers will focus their attention on seat belt use, use of child safety seats, impaired drivers, hazardous moving violations, and speed violations. Over the 2020 Memorial Day holiday weekend, 10 people died and 444 were injured in 1,081 traffic crashes. Last year, troopers made 118 DWI arrests. The Memorial Day weekend is also an unofficial start to the boating season. During the 2020 Memorial Day weekend, there were 11 boating crashes which included one fatality and seven injuries. One person drowned over last year’s holiday weekend. Troopers arrested 11 people for boating while intoxicated last year.

Date Set for Lawsuit Over Expansion of Medicaid Program

A lawsuit seeking to uphold a voter-approved constitutional amendment to expand Medicaid coverage in Missouri will go to trial on June 18th. Governor Mike Parson ordered the state on May 13 to discontinue implementation of Medicaid expansion planned for July 1 after the general assembly didn’t appropriate funds for it. The lawsuit seeks an order for the Department of Social Services to allow newly eligible Missourians to enroll and receive coverage starting July 1st. Voters approved expansion of the Medicaid Program last August.

Gas Prices Up for Holiday Travelers

As the Memorial Day Weekend gets underway, AAA says motorists will see the highest gas prices since 2014. The current national average price for a gallon of unleaded gasoline is $3.04 per gallon, 16 cents more than a month ago and $1.08 per gallon higher than last year. The average price per gallon of unleaded in Missouri is $2.72. In Adair County it’s $2.75.

Battle of the Badges Dedicated to Late KPD Chief

The annual Battle of the Badges is today, and the Kirksville Police and Fire Departments are asking for your help to make the event a success. This year they are dedicating the event to the late Kirksville Chief of Police Steve Farnsworth. Organizers say Chief Farnsworth was a faithful blood donor and it seemed fitting to honor him this way. The Kirksville Police and Kirksville Fire Departments have teamed up with the American Red Cross to have a friendly competition to see who can recruit the most blood donations. When participants give blood, they will have an opportunity to cast a vote for either department. The Battle of the Badges Blood Drive is today from noon to 6 p.m. at the NEMO Fairgrounds in Kirkville. Visit the American Red Cross, or the link provided on the Kirksville Police Department’s Facebook page for more information and how to sign up:

Memorial Day Holiday Travel to Rebound to More Than 37 Million

AAA expects a significant rebound in the number of Americans planning to travel this Memorial Day holiday weekend. More than 37 million people are expected to travel 50 miles or more between May 27 and May 31. That’s a 60-percent increase from last year, when only 23 million traveled, the lowest on record since AAA began recording in 2000. In Missouri, AAA Travel expects 50% more Missourians will travel this Memorial Day holiday weekend. Debbie Haas, Vice President of Travel for AAA says, “A year’s worth of pent-up demand is being unleashed this summer, as Americans anticipate the kickoff to the season.”

Wading Pools to Open Saturday

The wading pools at both Brashear and P.C. Mills parks will open on Saturday and will both be open daily from 2:00 pm to 6:00 pm. Once the new Kirksville Aquatic Center opens next month, the wading pools will return to their normal schedules.

Troop B Reports on Recent Crashes

Troop B investigated 5 injury crashes and 1 fatal crash for the week of May 16 thru May 22. With 7 people being injured as a result of those crashes and 1 fatality. 3 occupants of those vehicles were unrestrained or not wearing a helmet on a motorcycle. Troop B is conducting Click-It-Or-Ticket operations through June 5. Hours for this operation are from 8 am to 4 pm. Troopers will also be detecting speeding and hazardous moving violations that are contributing factors for traffic crashes.

Judge Makes History with Appointment to MO Supreme Court

A state high court appointment is making history. Governor Mike Parson appointed the Honorable Robin Ransom as the next Judge of the Supreme Court of Missouri. She will fill the vacancy created by the retirement of the Honorable Laura Denvir Stith in early March. Judge Ransom was appointed to serve on the Eastern District Court of Appeals by Governor Parson in 2019. Before serving on the appellate bench, Judge Ransom was appointed as a Circuit Judge for the City of St. Louis by Governor Matt Blunt in 2008. Prior to her appointment to the bench, Judge Ransom served for six years as a Family Court Commissioner in the City of St. Louis. She also previously served in the St. Louis County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office as well as the St. Louis County Public Defender’s Office. With her appointment, Ransom has made history, as she becomes the first Black woman to sit on the Missouri Supreme Court. The Missouri Legislative Black Caucus said they are pleased to see black women finally represented in the state’s highest court with the appointment of Judge Ransom.

Adair County Veterans’ Organizations to Host Memorial Day Ceremony

The Adair County Veterans’ Organizations will host a Memorial Day Ceremony at 11:00 am, Monday, May 31 at Adair County Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 2508, on Parallel Road in Kirksville. Mr. Eric Sullivan, Missouri State Commander, Veterans of Foreign Wars will be the featured speaker. The public is invited to attend.

Click It or Ticket Campaign Underway

The Missouri Coalition for Roadway Safety is joining with state and local law enforcement now through June 6 in the national “Click It or Ticket” enforcement campaign to highlight the importance of buckling up.

Along with wearing a seat belt, they want to remind motorists to slow down, put the phone down and never drive impaired.

For 2020, preliminary data indicates 428 individuals killed in Missouri traffic crashes were not wearing their seat belt. It is the highest number of unbuckled fatalities in Missouri during the last 5 years and an 18% increase from the year before. Seat belt use in Missouri has consistently risen over the last two decades, but in 2020, that momentum was stopped.

Missouri’s new strategic highway safety plan, Show-Me Zero, Driving Missouri Toward Safer Roads, identifies four key focus areas to help reduce traffic deaths, including the importance of seat belts, car seats, and motorcycle helmets. Other focus areas in the plan include distracted driving, speeding and impaired driving.