News Staff

The woman who faces first-degree murder charges following a crash that killed four – including three children from Kirksville – made a court appearance this week. On August 14, 2020, Natasha McBride, who was driving at a high rate of speed, failed to stop at a stoplight in downtown Quincy, Illinois. She struck a vehicle driven 61-year-old Stephen Hendricks. His 54-year-old wife, Jennifer, and their grandsons 4-year-old Archer Corrick, 6-year-old Dakota Corrick, and 21-month-old Ransom Corrick all died from injuries in the crash. Prosecutors claim McBride’s “intentional acts” resulted in the fatalities. During a court appearance Wednesday morning, McBride’s attorney said the defense had obtained an expert witness and asked the judge for more time to work out the logistics. The judge continued the hearing until July 7th.

More funding is coming to the East Locust Creek Reservoir project in Sullivan County. Governor Mike Parson signed SCR 7 into law that expresses support for up to $24 million in state funds to support the 2,300 acre project, sponsored by the North Central Missouri Regional Water Commission. Parson signed the bill yesterday afternoon at the Milan Community Center. The Governor said SCR 7 takes a critical step toward ensuring Missourians in the North Central region will always have a clean, quality, and sustainable source of water.

Missouri’s sweeping abortion law, passed in 2019, has been blocked. A federal appeals court panel ruled yesterday the bill’s provisions are unconstitutional. The law bans the procedures at or after eight weeks of pregnancy, without exception for rape or incest. The measure also prohibits a woman from having an abortion because the fetus has Down syndrome. A lawsuit over the bill was filed by Reproductive Health Services, and the ACLU. A federal judge had blocked the law due to the legal challenge and the state appealed to the 8th Circuit, prompting the federal appeals court to issue a ruling.

An Adair County bridge is available for reuse. The Mussel Fork Bridge, located approximately 16 miles southwest of U.S. Route 63, is eligible for the National Register of Historic Places. Local governments, historical societies or other interested groups may have the opportunity to obtain the bridge for adaptive reuse purposes. Karen Daniels, senior historic preservation specialist at the Missouri Department of Transportation, said the bridge was built in 1933. The bridge is 197 feet long with a 100 foot pony truss with alternating verticals with steel girder approach spans. MoDOT’s Historic Preservation Section is accepting proposals for the relocation and reuse of the bridge or its components until Dec. 31st. More information about the bridge, and proposal guidance, can be found online at: modot.org/freebridges/.

The Putnam County Health Department is hosting a COVID-19 vaccine clinic today from 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. in Unionville The one-dose Johnson and Johnson vaccine will be available for anyone 18 years of age or older.

Missouri’s Department of Natural Resources Director, Carol Comer passed away. While the cause of death was not released, Comer announced in July 2019 that she had undergone two unsuccessful surgeries and was beginning chemotherapy to fight cancer. Comer was named director in Jan. 2017. Governor Mike Parson said Comer was an extremely talented and accomplished leader, and the entire state of Missouri grieves alongside her friends and family.

It’s possible the Grand Opening for the new Kirksville Aquatic Center may delayed by a week. In part, it’s because of all the rain, which made it hard to pour concrete. But things are moving along…the Kirksville City Council got an update and a tour of the new facilities yesterday. In addition, training for 50 lifeguards is getting underway this week.

The Macon County Health Department is sounding the alarm. A press release says there has been an explosion of COVID-19 cases in neighboring Linn and Livingston Counties. A recent news report says Linn County has reached a level of transmission not seen before during the pandemic. That county currently has 200 active cases. Linn County’s Medical Director attributes the spike in the counties to a “perfect storm” of lax attitudes around mitigation measures and quarantining. Many of the cases are in residents younger than 50 years old. The Macon County Health Department is warning that only 31% of their county’s population under 55 have been vaccinated. Macon County is seeing a small spike in new cases over the past three weeks, and out of the 40 recent new cases to date, only 1 was vaccinated.

Governor Mike Parson signed a bill into law, which creates a statewide prescription drug monitoring program. Governor Parson said. “SB 63 will help provide necessary information to health care professionals and empower them to make decisions that better serve their patients and assist in fighting the opioid epidemic in Missouri.” SB 63 establishes the Joint Oversight Task Force of Prescription Drug Monitoring, responsible for collecting and maintaining the prescription and dispensation of prescribed controlled substances to patients within the state. The legislation is designed to assist health care professionals in better monitoring the dispensation of opioids and other prescribed controlled substances to their patients.

The Missouri State Highway Patrol responded to a crash Sunday evening that left one person dead in Linn County. According to a report from Troop B, 21-year-old Alexander Heussner, of Tina, was driving a Ford F-150 westbound on U.S. Highway 36 two miles west of Brookfield when his truck went off the left side of the roadway. Heussner then overcorrected sending the vehicle off the right side of the roadway, striking a westbound Chevy Silverado. Heussner’s vehicle then traveled back across the roadway and overturned where Heussner and his 21-year-old passenger Blane Heussner were ejected. The passenger was pronounced deceased at Samaritan Memorial Hospital.