News Staff

The Missouri Department of Transportation is hosting a virtual open house on passenger rail as part of the development of the 2021 State Freight and Rail Plan. The content will be live through June 16, and accessible via MoDOT.org. The virtual open house format allows members of the public to access the materials at any time through June 16.

The Missouri State Highway Patrol released their Memorial Day counting period results. During the counting period, whichw was 6 pm on Friday through 11:59 pm Monday, six people died in traffic crashes. Troopers investigated 270 traffic crashes during the counting period which resulted in 82 injuries and 4 fatalities. The patrol made 112 DWI and 77 drug arrests statewide. The Patrol also investigated 10 boating crashes which resulted in 2 injuries and 1 fatality. There was 1 drowning in the State over the Memorial Day weekend. Troopers made 8 BWI and 2 drug arrests. There were no fatalities in the Troop B area.

The Kirksville Fire Department will conduct their annual flow testing of City fire hydrants beginning this month. The testing will continue throughout June and will ensure the hydrants function properly by flushing the hydrants, measuring their water output, and identifying and repairing any defects in the hydrants. KFD says this process may produce a temporary reddish-brown color in your tap water. If you notice this change in water color, simply run your tap water until it clears. The water does not pose a safety hazard and a boil order is not necessary. KFD also asks that when you are driving, exercise caution when encountering Fire Department personnel conducting the tests, and drive slowly through any standing water.

The Kirksville Police Department is thanking all those involved for making the 2021 Battle of the Badges Blood Drive a success. During the event, they were able to collect 85 units of blood, which exceeded the goal. The police department won the friendly competition with the fire department by collecting about twice as many votes. This year’s The Battle of the Badges Blood Drive, which was held last Thursday, was dedicated to the late Kirksville Chief of Police Steve Farnsworth, who was a frequent blood donor.

Bridge work will temporarily close Adair County Route T this week. Today through Wednesday, MoDOT crews will close Adair County Route T at Nork Fork Salt River bridge, located just west of Shadow Way, for bridge work from 8:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m. each day. The bridge will be open each evening. Motorists will need to use alternate routes during closure times.

A woman was injured in a crash in a parking lot in Scotland County. According to the Missouri State Highway Patrol, the crash happened late Saturday morning at the BP Gas Station in Memphis. 40-year-old Toni Middelton struck a concrete pillar in the gas station’s parking lot. Middlteon suffered moderate injures and was transported by ambulance to Scotland County Hospital. The report doesn’t state a cause of the crash.

The Adair County Health Department confirmed three new cases of COVID-19 last week. All three were verified on Monday, May 24th. The cases involved a 34-year-old female and males ages 29 and 36. The county’s total case count is 2,476. As of Friday, there are two active cases and 2,454 people who have left isolation. Adair County’s COVID-related death toll is 20. A total of 21 new cases were confirmed in May, following April’s new case count of 39.

The City of Kirksville’s annual Founders Day 2021 Virtual Ceremony is now available to watch online. As part of the ceremony, three new gravestones are dedicated to replace those damaged by vandalism, or where none had previously existed. The new gravestones mark the final resting places of Don Carlos Hewitt, former Mayor William Gibbons, and Civil War veteran Wesley C. Fickel. The event was hosted by the City’s Friends of Forest-Llewellyn Cemetery Committee. See the ceremony on the City of Kirksvile’s Facebook and Youtube pages.

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.

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.