News Staff

Another nine cases of COVID-19 were confirmed Friday by the Adair County Health Department. The total case count is now 2,152 with 97 active cases and 2,036 people who have left isolation. Five of the nine cases are in the higher education sector and three are in the K-12 schools’ sector. Three cases reside at addresses with at least one other confirmed case.

Over 900 people received the first dose of Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine on Thursday at the Adair County Health Department’s drive through clinic at the NEMO Fairgrounds. Vaccines were administered to more people in the Phase 1 tiers as recommended by the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services. Jim LeBaron, Adair County Health Department administrator, said they are continuing to get the county’s most vulnerable citizens vaccinated as doses become available and will continue making requests for doses and to administer them to residents as quickly as possible in the tiers recommended. LeBaron added that there will be a regional vaccination drive-through in February targeting older adults. He said they’ve not yet been advised by the Department of Health and Senior Services about how to register for this event, but the health department let everyone know more as soon as they receive the details.

Kirksville police are still searching for 1 missing girl. On Saturday, the police department issued an alert that they were searching for 3 missing teenage girls, two from outside the Northeast Missouri area and the third from Macon. Later in the day, KPD announced that a 15-year-old and 16-year-old had been located safe. They were still searching for a 15-year-old, first name Evanna, a biracial, female, 5’2” tall, 120 lbs., brown hair, brown eyes, last seen wearing a puffy black jacket, blue bandana, and green and purple pants. Anyone with information should call KPD.

COVID-19 cases in Adair County are up to 2,143. The Adair County Health Department confirmed 13 new cases Wednesday and another 22 cases yesterday. There are 98 active cases and 2,026 people who have left isolation. Among yesterday’s cases, one is in the K-12 schools’ sector, six are in the higher education sector and 11 reside at addresses with at least one other confirmed case.

Elsewhere in Northeast Missouri, 7 new cases were reported the last couple of days in Knox County. The Schuyler County Health Department confirmed 14 active cases yesterday, bringing the county’s total case count to 373.

The Scotland County Sheriff’s Office is asking for the public’s help in a property damage investigation. In the late evening hours on Friday, January 22, approximately 20 MoDOT and Scotland County road signs were damaged. All signs in question were intentionally pushed over by an unknown full-size pickup truck. Paint transfer and tire track evidence was collected by the Sheriff’s office at the scene. Anyone with any information is asked to call the Scotland County Sheriff’s Office at 660-465-2106. All tips will remain confidential.

The latest recipients of The COVID Stops With Us Recognition Program have been announced.
This week’s Medical Champion is Kat Probst, the Assistant Chief Executive Officer for the Adair County Ambulance District for her efforts to ensure our region had access to state provided rapid testing.

The Education Champion is John Stewart, general manager of Sodexo at Truman State University for making adjustments to continue food service to students during the pandemic.

The Community Champion is Sarah Halstead, Administrative Services Coordinator for the City of Kirksville, for figuring out the equipment and systems needs for the City to be able to conduct public meetings remotely and keep citizens informed.

You can nominate a Champion who has stepped up during the pandemic at k-redi.com.

Wintery roads were the cause of another multi-vehicle incident in Northeast Missouri. Yesterday afternoon, Troopers with Troop B announced at 1:40PM that traffic was stopped on US 36 eastbound east of Monroe City due to multiple traffic crashes. According to the Highway Patrol, there were four non-injury crashes involving eight separate vehicles. Two of the vehicles were jackknifed tractor trailers. All eastbound 36 traffic was detoured until the road was open at 3PM.

The Sullivan County Health Department has received 200 doses of Moderna Covid-19 Vaccine for which they will be hosting a clinic. The clinic will be targeting the following groups: PHASE 1A-PATIENT-Facing Health Care Workers and Long-Term Care Facility Residents and Staff, Phase 1B-Tier 1: First Responders, Emergency Services, and Public Health Infrastructure and -Phase1B-Tier 2: High-Risk Individuals. Members of these target groups must Pre-Register for the clinic by calling one of three registration phone lines. Registration will be this Friday from 9AM-7PM and Saturday from 10AM-7PM. Find those numbers on the Sullivan County health Department’s Facebook page.

A date is set for Kirksville’s State of the City Address. The virtual event be held Friday, February 5th, at 8:00 am, via both YouTube Live and Zoom. The State of the City Address will be delivered by Kirksville Mayor Zac Burden. Find the links to virtually attend the State of the City Address at: facebook.com/cityofkirksville.

Financial help is available for northeast Missouri families facing COVID-19 hardship. Ameren Missouri encourages customers to apply for available energy assistance dollars and utilize payment programs. Since March, the company has helped thousands of Missourians with their statement balances and provided nearly $12 million in energy assistance and charitable contributions. Connie Taylor, manager of customer advocacy at Ameren Missouri says thousands more are eligible for these funds and haven’t applied. For a complete list of energy assistance programs, visit AmerenMissouri.com/energyassistance.