Month: July 2021

Troop B with the Missouri State Highway Patrol will be conducting a Child Safety Seat check day from 8 am till 10 am. To schedule a seat inspection, call Troop B at 660-385-2132 and request to speak with Cpl. Justin Dunn.

Be sure to dring plenty of fluids and plan to stay cool as dangerous heat comes our way. A heat advisory will be effet for the area from noon tomorrow to 9 PM Thursday. Heat index values up to 108 are expected. The combination of hot temperatures and high humidity may cause heat illnesses to occur.

A bridge replacement project in Adair County is set to start today. Crews will close Missouri Route 11 at Steer Creek, located 4.7 miles east of U.S. Route 63 near Kirksville, for bridge replacement. The bridge is currently striped as one lane. Missouri Department of Transportation Area Engineer Amy Crawford says once completed, Steer Creek will be 26 feet wide and have two-foot shoulders, while allowing two-lane traffic to cross. This bridge is included in Gov. Mike Parson’s $351 million Focus on Bridges program, which will repair or replace 250 bridges across the state. The contractor for this project was awarded nearly $531,000.

The Missouri Supreme Court unanimously ruled last week in favor of the voter-approved expansion of Medicaid. Their ruling vacates a circuit court ruling that said expansion violates the state constitution’s prohibition on voters creating new programs that aren’t funded. The decision by the Supreme Court sends the case back to the circuit court who is instructed to enter a judgment in favor of those who sought expansion of the program. Three women who were eligible under the expansion sued the state in May after the legislature failed to appropriate extra money for the program and Governor Mike Parson instructed his administration not to expand eligibility because it wasn’t funded. The expanded eligibility was set to begin July 1st. Voters approved the amendment to expand Medicaid for low income people last August.

A teenager was seriously injured in a crash in Monroe County last Thursday. According to the Missouri State Highway Patrol Crash report, the 16-year-old male was travelling east in a small pickup when it ran off the left side of the road and overturned. The pickup came to rest on its wheels. The teen was taken by ambulance to University Hospital in Columbia.

The Adair County Health Department confirmed 16 new cases of COVID-19 yestrerday, the highest one-day total since February 2nd. The Health Department
also confirmed the county’s 23rd COVID-related death, an 84-year-old female who had been at Northeast Regional Medical Center since July 8th. The total case count has now climbed to 2,686 with 67 active cases and 2,596 people who
have left isolation. yesterday’s cases include a 31-year-old male and a 63-year-old female admitted to NRMC Wednesday. Neither are currently on a ventilator. The 63-year-old female is fully vaccinated. Breakthrough cases requiring hospitalization are rare. According to the CDC, 97% of patients hospitalized due to COVID-19 are unvaccinated. The local woman lives with other COVID-positive cases, none of whom are vaccinated.

Attendees of the Vacation Bible School program held by the Green City, Missouri – First Baptist Church, are being asked to monitor for symptoms related to a possible COVID-19 exposure. As part of an ongoing contact investigation, any individual who attended the program from July 11-15, who feels they have been exposed, can call the Sullivan County Health Department at 660-265-4141 to discuss risk assessent.

Truman State University has announced its COVID-19 guidelines for the upcoming fall semester. Masks are not required, though unvaccinated students, faculty and staff are “strongly advised” to wear them. Anyone who prefers to remain masked can also do so. University officials worked with CDC guidelines and health officials to formulate the plan for fall. According to a recent survey 88.9% of students who responded said they are fully vaccinated. The percentage of faculty and staff responding to the survey who are fully vaccinated is 96.5%. Truman says the high vaccination rates significantly reduce the probability of a significant COVID-19 outbreak on campus.

With COVID-19 cases and hospitalization on the rise, the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services has issued a “Covid Advisory” for Adair, Macon and Randolph Counties.

DHSS believes the Delta variant is the major cause of the increase. In the past 14 days, there have been 75 new reported cases in Randolph County, 69 in Adair, and 39 in Macon. The department expects the disease to spread northeast from Southwestern and Central Missouri along the U.S. Highway 63 corridor.

The percentage of people that have completed vaccination in Adair County is 33.3%, in Macon County 28.4%, and in Randolph County 24.2%. State health officials say these counties are below the state rate of 40.4%. Experts say at least 70% – 80% of people, depending on the type of variant virus, need immunity to provide the best chance of minimizing spread within a community.

The Adair County SB40 Developmental Disability Board will be presenting a $45,000
grant in a check presentation ceremony during the regular monthly Board meeting of Community Opportunities, Inc. tomorrow at noon at the workshop located at 1001 S. Osteopathy Ave., Kirksville. The purpose of the grant is to support the Community Opportunities worksite to provide competitive employment opportunities through their various vendor contracts and service programs. This grant is made possible through funds generated from the Adair County tax levy passed by Adair County voters in 2005.