News Staff

A 39 year old man from Georgetown, Illinois, was killed in a two-vehicle wreck in Shelby County on Monday afternoon. The Highway Patrol says Kim Willis was driving a Ford Focus northbound in the southbound lane of Missouri 151, two miles north of Clarence, when he hit a Chevy Silverado head-on. Willis was not wearing a seat belt. He was pronounced dead at the scene. THe driver of the Silverado, 27 year old Kaytlin Mefford of Clarence, suffered serious injuries and was taken by helicopter to University of Missouri Hospital.

Weather permitting, a 17.8 mile seal coat project located on Missouri Route 15 in Shelby and Monroe counties, from 0.2 mile south of U.S. Route 36 at Shelbina in Shelby County to Missouri Route 154 north junction at Paris in Monroe County, is expected to begin as early as June 13.The $1M contract was awarded last year to W. L. Miller Company of Hamilton, IL. The contract also includes a 7 mile seal coat project on Missouri Route 15 in Shelby County, from Missouri Route 168 at Shelbyville to just north of U.S. Route 36 at Shelbina. Work is anticipated to begin early July, upon completion of the above project. Traffic will be reduced to one lane with a 10-foot width restriction in place at the location where crews are actively working for the duration of the project. Flaggers and a pilot car will be utilized to direct motorists through the work zone. Signs and message boards will be in place to alert motorists, as schedule changes occur. All work is weather dependent and schedules are subject to change.

Three teens from Hannibal suffered moderate injuries in a single-vehicle wreck that happened on Sunday evening. The Highway Patrol says none of the three men were wearing seat belts. 18-year-old Austin Wilhoit was driving the Kia Sportage on County Road 337, three miles north of Palmyra, when he lost control of the vehicle, and it overturned. He and a passenger, 19-year-old Mason Wasson of Hannibal, were taken to Hannibal Regional Hospital for treatment of their injuries. Another passenger, 19-year-old Hayden Sims of Hannibal, was taken to Blessing Hospital.

A summer tradition returns later this month as the Kirksville Parks and Recreation Department’s Block Party schedule begins.
Join City staff and community partners for a ton of fun in our local parks. There will be free food and drinks, along with great games and activities for the whole family. Each Block Party will run from 3:00 pm to 5:00 pm.
We look forward to seeing you in a park very soon!
The dates and locations are:
June 23 @ PC Mills Park
July 14 @ Memorial Park
July 21 @ Jaycee Park
August 4 @ Brashear Park

The City of Kirksville would like to make residents aware that a section of South Halliburton Street, between Wiles Lane and Gillaspy Road, will be closed on June 10 and 11 so Lawson Construction can install a manhole. Please seek alternate routes during those two days.

Fisheries biologists with the Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC) confirm a fourth northern snakehead has been recorded in the state. The fish was caught by an angler May 25 below Wappapello Lake Spillway in Wayne County. The northern snakehead fish (Channa argus) is a long bodied, predatory fish that is not native to the U.S. This fish’s head resembles a snake, thus its name. Its body can grow up to 3 feet long with python-like coloration and pattern.

The Street Maintenance Division of the City of Kirksville’s Public Works Department will begin mill and overlay work on sections of Davis, Halliburton and Randolph streets on June 3.
Work will be done on South Davis Street, from East Fillmore Street to East Patterson Street; East Randolph Street, from South Davis Street to South Halliburton Street; and South Halliburton Street, from East Patterson Street to East Normal Street. The streets will have alternating traffic lanes during construction. This project is expected to be completed by June 14, 2024, depending on the weather.

The City of Kirksville would like to make residents aware of potential traffic disruptions on Friday, May 31, 2024, as several trailers are moved from the former Dogwood Trailer Court on West Gardner Street. The trailers will be moved across five trips, with the first happening around 7:00 am. The other four will happen over the course of the day.
The route is as follows:
East on West Gardner Street to Osteopathy; North on Osteopathy to West Potter Avenue; West on West Potter Avenue to Industrial Road; North on Industrial Road to Cable Street; East on Cable Street to North Baltimore Street; then North on North Baltimore Street to exit southward onto Highway 63.
Kirksville Police will be escorting these loads. Officers will need to direct traffic when crossing Highway 6 and exiting onto North Baltimore Street, so please pay attention to officer direction in those areas.

Missouri is home to more than 1 million anglers, 500,000 hunters, and several thousand trappers. MDC issues nearly 2.6 million hunting, fishing, and trapping permits each year. While MDC permit prices have increased only slightly over the past 20 years, MDC’s cost of doing conservation work have increased significantly. To keep pace with continual rising costs of goods and services, MDC has implemented initial price adjustments to most permits over the past several years and proposes additional modest and gradual adjustments to permit prices over the coming years. For 2025, MDC is proposing an incremental increase to non-resident permit prices and a few resident permit prices. The Missouri Conservation Commission gave initial approval to the MDC proposed permit price adjustments at its May 24 open meeting in Jefferson City.

The Street Maintenance Division of the City of Kirksville’s Public Works Department will begin mill and overlay work on Kimberling Drive on Tuesday, May 28, 2024. The street will have alternating traffic lanes during construction. This project is expected to be completed by May 29, depending on the weather. The City appreciates the patience of all affected citizens during the 2024 street improvement season.