News Staff

The 42nd annual Truman Piano Festival and Piano Fellowship Competition will take place Feb. 14-15. Performances will begin with a guest recital by Dr. Oliver Jia, a piano faculty member from Bilkent University in Turkey. With a repertoire of dozens of concertos and more than two hundred solo and chamber works, Jia has performed for audiences worldwide. He made his official debut at the Isaac Stern Auditorium in Carnegie Hall, playing Sergey Prokofiev’s “Piano Concerto No. 5” with the Juilliard Orchestra. Jia’s recital will take place at 7:30 p.m. Feb. 14 in the Ophelia Parrish Performance Hall. A live stream will be available at outube.com/@trumanmusicconcerts/streams. As part of the festival, Jia will present master classes and serve as a judge for students participating in the fellowship competition, Feb. 15. The top three competition participants will perform on Truman’s newly refurbished Steinway D and be professionally recorded during the winners’ recital at 7:30 p.m. Feb. 15 in the Ophelia Parrish Performance Hall. Both recitals are free and open to the public.

The Missouri State Highway Patrol would like to remind the public that driver examination stations throughout the state will be closed on the following dates:
Wednesday, February 12, 2025, in observance of Lincoln’s birthday. Normal operations will resume on Thursday, February 13, 2025.
Monday, February 17, 2025, in observance of Washington’s birthday. Normal operations will resume on Tuesday, February 18, 2025.

The City of Kirksville is pleased to announce it has received the Government Finance Officers Association’s (GFOA) Certificate of Achievement for Excellence in Financial Reporting for its annual comprehensive financial report for the fiscal year that ended December 31, 2023. This is Kirksville’s 40th year of recognition for this award. This award is the highest form of recognition in governmental accounting and financial reporting, and its attainment represents a significant accomplishment by a government and its management. This achievement reflects the value the City of Kirksville places on the financial resources entrusted to it by the community, and demonstrates the City’s efforts for full disclosure to clearly communicate its financial story. It also shows the City’s commitment to responsibly using those funds.

Governor Mike Kehoe ordered U.S. and Missouri flags be flown at half-staff at government buildings in Pettis and Saline counties, the Fire Fighters Memorial of Missouri in Kingdom City, and firehouses statewide on Tuesday, February 4, 2025, from sunrise to sunset in honor of West Central Missouri Fire Protection District of Saline and Pettis Counties Captain Christopher Mykel Clevenger. Captain Clevenger died of a medical emergency on January 26, 2025, after responding to an emergency call as a member of the West Central Missouri Fire Protection District of Saline and Pettis Counties the previous afternoon.

Kirksville Police have made a second arrest regarding an armed robbery that occurred in January. At approximately 10 pm, on January 8, 2025, Kirksville Police responded to a robbery at the New Star Mart on 1312 S. Baltimore St. regarding an armed robbery. Responding officers were informed a white male suspect entered the business and came around the counter. The clerk reported the male suspect demanded money from the register and stated he would shoot the clerk. The male left the business with an undisclosed amount of cash. During the subsequent investigation, police determined the clerk working at the time of the incident was a willing participant in the robbery and is accused of planning the robbery. The clerk, 37-year-old James Ray Findling Jr., of Kirksville, was arrested in Kirksville on January 31. He has since been charged in Adair County court with First-Degree Robbery, a Class A felony. At the time of his arrest, Findling was in possession of methamphetamine, drug paraphernalia and a sawed-off shotgun. Charges are pending for possession of those items.

Just a friendly reminder from Kirksville Parks and Rec, bathrooms are closed for the season. Freezing temperatures can cause water lines to burst creating costly repairs and delays in the spring. As a reminder, all park bathrooms and water fountains are closed each year from the end of October to the first week in April.

Kirksville Police say on January 14, 2025, Killian Andre Langley, 28 years old, of Kirksville, pleaded guilty to Attempted Enticement of a Child in Adair County Circuit Court and was sentenced by Judge Matthew Wilson to eight years in the Missouri Department of Corrections. The criminal investigation of this case began on September 7, 2023, when Langley contacted an online undercover persona (UC) he believed was a 13-year-old girl. This UC was a Kirksville Police Detective assigned part-time to the Kirksville Regional Computer Crimes Unit/Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force. On January 11, 2024, Langley made conversation, sexual in nature, saying he wished the UC was of legal age and suggested they meet to engage in sex acts. On January 16, 2024, Langley suggested meeting the UC in a nearby park to have sex with the UC. Langley waited in the park in 5-degree weather until he was greeted by Kirksville Police and placed under arrest.

The City of Kirksville realizes that success emanates from citizen involvement. The City is eager to involve community-minded citizens in local government through one of our many Citizen Advisory Commissions. The City Council is currently accepting citizen applications for one opening on the Tourism Advisory Board. The Board oversees the operations of Kirksville Tourism and the collection of the City’s lodging tax. Visit kirksville.gov/p/boards-commissions and submit your application before Friday, February 7, 2025, at 5:00 pm, to be considered for the opportunity to serve.

The Kirksville Police Department made an arrest as part of a joint investigation with Iowa authorities for a man wanted on child pornography charges. On December 18, 2024, the Kirksville Police Department assisted detectives from the West Des Moines Police Department in executing a search warrant in the 300 block of South Franklin Street in Kirksville. On January 23, 2025, arrest warrants for the resident, Scott Alexander Koslow, were issued from the State of Iowa. The charges linked to these arrest warrants include multiple counts of possession of child pornography. Koslow was arrested by Kirksville Police at 10:28 am today, January 24, 2025, and is being held pending extradition. Koslow recently moved to Kirksville from West Des Moines and was unemployed at the time of his arrest.

The Kirksville R-3 School District says architects from BRS have released the most up-to-date exterior design images of the Educational Center for the Performing Arts. Signage decisions are still being made, variations can be seen in the images that are up on the district’s Facebook page.