News Staff Kirksville city council put off a major healthcare decision until the next meeting. Hannibal Regional Healthcare wants to buy 240 acres for a new health care facility. But the land has to be rezoned.
Council expressed excitement over more health care in town — which doesn’t sit well with Northeast Regional Medical Center. The CEO says it will hurt their business if a new facility opens.
Just the clothes on their backs — that’s all a local family has left after a week-end house fire. That’s according to a Go Fund Me page set up for Johnnie Howell, her partner Justus, and their three young daughters. The fire happened on their youngest child’s birthday. Their house on Highway 129 near Unionville burned to the ground. The family was not home at the time
Kirksville city council will consider a report Monday evening on housing in Kirksville that was prepared by a consultant. The report says the city will be short of rental homes and apartments by nearly 800 units over the next five years — with the shortage hitting low income families the hardest.
The report has several recommendations including trying to encourage developers to start building.
Health care controversy. Hannibal Regional Healthcare System wants to build in Kirksville — possibly a 100 million dollar development. But Northeast Regional Medical opposes Hannibal coming.
Last week, the planning and zoning commission said turned-down rezoning land for the project. But a lawyer for Hannibal Regional says on his Facebook page that the city council will revisit that decision Monday evening. He says the development would give area residents a choice in health care.
Traffic note: LaHarpe Street – from South Franklin Street to South Baltimore Street – will be closed to traffic until 7 pm today (9/15). They’re putting down new asphalt. Also Friday, work will begin on First Street – from Jefferson Street to Shepard Avenue – so you should use a different route.
An unusual practice for first responders on Wenesday in Moberly. They will practice a big what if — what if a vehicle crashed into a train car that was carrying used nuclear fuel from the Navy.
They will actually have a vehicle hit an empty car in the rail yard to practice the response. Federal and local authorities are taking part in the drill. Spent fuel shipments do move through the area — accompanied by armed couriers — as they travel to an Idaho facility.
The Adair county sheriff’s office will try something new on their Facebook page. On Fridays, they will post what their deputies have been up to, and what they’ve encountered in the previous week. The idea, the sheriff says, is to maintain a safe community. The new Facebook feature will be called, ” Friday Facts.”
Blood tests. The Sullivan County Health Department in Milan will let you walk in form 8:30 to 10 on the 29th and get lab work done. They will draw blood for the PSA test to check the prostate. That’s $10, so is an A1C test. Other tests are $30 such as a complete blood county, a lipid panel or thyroid test, again that’s 8:30 to 10 on the 29th.
Covid cases dropped in Adair county in the past 7 days. 36 cases reported. That’s 20 fewer than the previous
7-day period. The Adair County Health Department will have doses of the new booster shot soon — that is supposed to be effective against the Omicron strain. If you need information or want to schedule an appointment, call the health department.
A Kirksville murder suspect found dead. That’s what the sheriff believes about human remains found Tuesday off
Youngstown Trail
That’s where the search has been focused for Jesse Rongey. The sheriff says evidence strongly suggests it is Rongey that they found. He’s accused of killing and mutilating 54 year old Stephen Munn of Kirksville. He killed Munn on Youngstown Trail after he had been staying on Munn’s property.
A motive for the murder, not given