News Staff

A New Year’s Eve fire in downtown Macon left a business damaged along with apartments above. The Macon Fire Department responded to the building on fire at 118 N. Rollins Street just before 9PM on Thursday. The fire was brought under control in approximately 1 hour and 20 minutes. The occupants were not home at the time of the fire. There was extensive fire damage to the residential area of the building with smoke and water damage to the business below. There was also smoke and water damage to one adjoining building. The cause of the fire is under investigation. The Macon Fire Department was assisted by the Macon Rural Fire Department, Bevier Fire Protection District, Macon County Ambulance District, Macon Police Department, and the Macon Municipal Utilities.

The City of Kirksville declared a Snow Emergency last night due to snow and ice. That means no vehicles can parked in Emergency Snow Routes, including City streets in the Downtown, or Central Business District. The City expects the Snow Emergency to be terminated sometime early tomorrow morning.

A Winter Storm Warning is in effect until 9 p.m. for Adair, Knox, Linn and Macon Counties. A Winter Weather Advisory is in effect until 8 p.m. for Putnam, Schuyler and Sullivan Counties,

Recipients of the awards for K-REDI’s The COVID Stops With Us Recognition Program have been announced.

The first 2 Medical Champions are: Lori Guffey and Julie Noah. Guffey is the assistant administrator and nurse at the Adair County Health Department, and was for nominated working tirelessly during the pandemic trying to keep the community safe. Noah is the Chief Quality Officer for the Northeast Regional Medical Center where she plays a major role on the infection control team.

The first Education Champions are Nancy Daley-Moore and Ann Gray. Daily-Moore is the Assistant Professor of Health Science at Truman State University, and is responsible for the contact tracing which takes place on campus. Gray is the principal at Mary Immaculate Catholic School in Kirksville, and was nominated for making difficult decisions that kept students and staff safe.

The first Community Champions are business owner Andrea O’Brien and the Adopt-A-Child program. O’Brien made hundreds of masks for the local community. The Adopt-A-Child program took on the challenges of COVID-19 to ensure children in our area still had a bright Christmas.

To nominate champions in the community who have contributed to the citizens of Kirksville and Adair County in a meaningful way during the COVID 19 pandemic, fill out the form on K-REDI’s website.