News Staff

The Adair County Health Department confirmed 16 new cases of COVID-19 yesterday, and another COVID-related death. A 90-year-old female whose case was confirmed Sept. 7 passed away Sept. 9. There have now been 3,384 confirmed cases and 31 confirmed deaths. There are currently 88 active cases and 3,265 people who have left isolation. Five of the new cases reside at addresses with at least one other confirmed case, five are in the K-12 schools sector and one is in the higher education sector. Three are breakthrough infections of fully vaccinated individuals.

For nine decades, the Missouri State Highway Patrol has answered the call to serve and protect the citizens of this state. Yesterday was the 90th Anniversary of the start of the Missouri State Highway Patrol. In recognition of the anniversary, Governor Mike Parson proclaimed it to be Missouri State Highway Patrol Day in Missouri. In 1931, Governor Caulfield signed into law an act of the 56th Missouri General Assembly establishing the Patrol. Present day, the Patrol consists of over 1,500 Troopers and 1,200 civilian employees. Thirty-one Troopers have been killed on duty since 1931 with one member dying in World War II. Colonel Eric T. Olson, superintendent of the Missouri State Highway Patrol, says they are committed to being professional, courteous, compassionate, resourceful, and responsible.

The Adair County Health Department confirmed 15 new cases of COVID-19 since Friday, September 10th. Among the newly confirmed cases are a 64-year-old female hospitalized at Boone Hospital since Sept. 2 and a 57-year-old female admitted to Northeast Regional Medical Center Sept. 10. Neither of the women require use of a ventilator. Also among the new cases is one fully vaccinated female in the higher education sector. On Friday, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention published a study which shows that unvaccinated individuals are 11 times more likely to die from COVID-19 than fully vaccinated individuals. The CDC reports that 53.8% of the eligible population in the United States is fully
vaccinated. The Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services reports that only 46.3% of eligible Missourians and 36.9% of eligible Adair County residents are fully vaccinated.

Truman State University has reached a milestone after being recognized as the No. 1 public school in the Midwest Region for the 25th consecutive year according to U.S. News & World Report. In the 2022 Best Colleges rankings, Truman came in at No. 6 overall among both public and private institutions in the Midwest Region, an improvement of one spot from last year. In addition to being the No. 1 public university in the region, Truman was the only Missouri public school in the top 70 spots. Truman secured an additional No. 1 award on the Best Value Schools rankings. Among both public and private schools, Truman was again tops in the Midwest Region in terms of affordability. It was the only Missouri public school included in the top 50 spots. University President Susan Thomas said, “Twenty-five years as the top public Midwest Region university is a spectacular accomplishment and a true testament to the sustained excellence exhibited by every member of our campus community.”

Adair County’s overall case count reached 3,353 with another 15 new cases confirmed Friday by the Adair County Health Department. There were 84 new cases over seven days and one more resident passed away. There are currently 97 active cases, 3,224 people who have left isolation, and 30 COVID-related deaths.

As of last Thursday, 56% of the active cases in the county were among residents ages 30 and under. One-fifth, or 20% of the active cases were in the K-12 Adair County schools sector. Adair County health officials say these percentages reflect the nationwide trend of rising infections among children and young adults since the Delta variant became the prevalent COVID strain.

Breakthrough infections among fully vaccinated residents represent 10.5% of the 815 confirmed cases from June 25 through Sept. 9. Among breakthrough cases,
70% are ages 12-60 and 30% are 61 and older. The COVID vaccines are designed to prevent serious illness requiring hospitalization and death. Only two fully vaccinated residents have required hospitalization, which is 2% of the 86 breakthrough cases. An 85-year-old male was hospitalized for two days. A 63-year-old female died while hospitalized for eight days.

Governor Parson is promising a legal fight over President Biden’s vaccination mandates that were announced last week. On Friday, Parson called the measures an assault on individual liberty and free enterprise, and accused the Biden Administration of trying to reset after its disastrous withdrawal from Afghanistan. Parson said Missouri will not be a pawn in this publicity stunt that seeks to force Missourians to disclose private health care decisions and dictate private business operations. Parson added that his office is working with the Missouri General Assembly and the Attorney General’s Office to align resources for a pending legal fight.

The 30th Adair County death from COVID-19 was reported yesterday. The health department says an 81-year-old woman who had been admitted to North Kansas City Hospital August 27th is the latest victim of the virus. There were 12 new cases confirmed by the Adair County Health Department Wednesday, and another 13 yesterday. The overall case count is now 3,338 with 105 active cases and 3,203 people who have left isolation. Of the new cases, three are in the higher education sector, three are in the K-12 schools sector, 13 reside at addresses with at least one other confirmed case, and four are breakthrough infections. One of the new cases from yesterday is a 43-year-old female admitted to Northeast Regional Medical Center. She is not on a ventilator.

Two notable publications have recognized Truman for quality and affordability. Washington Monthly included Truman as one of the top master’s universities in the nation. Coming in at No. 6 in the publication’s 2021 college rankings, Truman improved six spots from last year’s honors. The Washington Monthly rankings place an importance on social mobility, research and promoting public service. Along with traditional benchmarks such as graduation rates and costs, schools are rewarded for criteria including the number of first-generation students enrolled and the percentage of students receiving Pell Grants or participating in ROTC. Of the 616 schools included on the list, Truman was the only Missouri public university among the top 275 spots. In its Best Bang for the Buck rankings, Washington Monthly placed Truman at No. 30 among Midwest schools. This list rates institutions according to how well they help non-wealthy students attain marketable degrees at affordable prices. Along with Washington Monthly, The Princeton Review also recently recognized Truman as one of the nation’s best schools for undergraduates to earn their college degree.

Governor Mike Parson has ordered the Missouri State Capitol dome to shine red and blue beginning tomorrow, September 11, in remembrance of the 20th anniversary of the September 11 attacks. The dome will light up at sunset on Saturday and remain lit until sunrise Sunday in honor of the victims of the September 11 attacks and in remembrance of the heroes who gave everything.

A Bucklin man charged with 43 counts of 1st degree sex offenses made a court appearance this week. The Missouri Highway Patrol reported the arrest of 44-year-old Roger Cupp on September 3rd. Cupp appeared by video from the Macon County Jail with his attorney and waived formal arraignment. He entered a plea of not guilty to the charges. Cupp remains in custody as bond was denied. On August 25th, the Linn County Sheriff’s Office requested the Patrol’s assistance. During the investigation, it was determined over a five-year period Cupp had committed multiple sexual offenses involving one child.