News Staff

A four-year-old girl from Kirksville was seriously injured in a crash that happened early Monday morning on US 36, two miles east of Monroe City. The Highway patrol says 31 year old James Fisher was driving a Freighliner Cascadia and ran off the right side of the roadway and overturned. Fisher was not wearing a seat belt and suffered minor injuries. The child was transported by air services to University medical center. The Freightliner was totaled.

The Kirksville Police Department would like to make residents aware that their help identifying a suspect regarding several reports of vehicle damage last year has led to a felony charge. On April 12 and 13, 2022, Kirksville Police received reports of slashed tires on seven vehicles in the 400, 500 and 800 blocks of North Franklin Street. The damage to these vehicles totaled just under $2,200 to repair. Police were able to identify a suspect with the aid of the public after releasing the suspect’s photo. The suspect was identified as Michael Douglas Thomas, a 50-year-old male, formerly of Shelby County, Missouri. Kirksville Police applied for an arrest warrant for Michael Douglas Thomas in May 2022, however, he had already fled the area. Michael Douglas Thomas was since charged in Adair County Court with one felony count of property damage. His first court appearance in Adair County was September 27, 2023.

City crews will be striping East LaHarpe Street, from South Franklin Street to South Baltimore Street, beginning at 9:00 am on Thursday, September 28. The new striping adds bike lanes on both sides of the street. The center turn lane will be eliminated for most of the roadway. With sidewalk already present on the north side of the street, this area can accommodate pedestrians, cyclists and motorists. These changes were a recommendation from a Traffic Engineering Assistance Program study performed by engineering firm and were approved by the Kirksville City Council. The changes are also in accordance with the Kirksville Active Mobility Plan, which guides the development of bike lanes, trails and sidewalks by emphasizing safety, health and interconnectivity. This work will last for approximately two hours. No lane closures are anticipated but drivers could experience delays during the painting and are encouraged to utilize alternate routes.

Truman Theatre’s first production of the year will be “12 Angry Jurors” and will run nightly at 7:30 p.m. Sept. 28-30 and at 2 p.m. Oct. 1 in the Severns Theater. When a person’s life is at stake, what constitutes reasonable doubt becomes the most important question. In “12 Angry Jurors,” adapted by Sherman L. Sergel, personalities clash, tempers flare and the clock ticks as 12 people try to come to a unanimous verdict in a murder trial. This tense and enlightening story pits reason against passion, bigotry against fact, and callousness against caring until the very end. Is a young man guilty of murder and deserving of death, or is there a reasonable doubt? Tickets for this play, directed by Jonathan Wehmeyer, can be purchased by visiting boxoffice.truman.edu.

The Milan Chamber of Commerce says Join them for a Special Presentation with Missouri Main Street and Missouri Main Street Connection!. The will unveil their branding and rendering ideas for the betterment of our community. There are two days available: October 9, 6:15 PM – 8:15 PM or October 10, 6:00 PM – 8:00 PM.

Today is the kickoff for the United Way of Northeast Missouri’s 2024 Capital Campaign. The event takes place between 6 and 8 p.m. at White Oaks Wedding Barn in Kirksville. Activities scheduled for the kickoff include: A Wine Cork Pull, children’s games and the Illusion Danz Team from Truman State University. Representatives of all eleven agencies that United Way supports will be set up at tables to answer questions and talk about how they use the monies they receive from the proceeds of the Campaign.

The Kirksville Arts Association says Lyceum tickets for the Liverpool Legends are now available at the Sue Ross Arts Center, 215 S. Franklin. Truman has again made the tickets available to the public at no cost. The Lyceum performance will be October 6th at 7 pm at Baldwin Hall. The Sue Ross Arts Center is open Monday through Friday 11 am to 4 pm. We will be closed this Saturday, September 30th for a private event. We will reopen Monday, October 2nd at 11 am.

Kirksville was recently named as one of All Star Home’s top 61 Hometowns in the United States! Kirksville scored highly in its student-to-teacher ratio, ranking fourth in that metric. The City also measured well in safety and home value, besting a few nearby cities that also made the list.

The Kirksville City Council has scheduled a work session with the Adair County Commissioners at 5:30 pm on Monday, September 25, 2023. The meeting is in the 2nd floor conference room of city hall, and they’ll talk about items of mutual interest for the city and Adair County. The Kirksville City Council will meet in closed Executive Session immediately following the work session scheduled with the Adair County Commissioners on Monday, September 25, 2023. The executive session is for the purpose of legal matters.

Kirksville Parks and Rec says the large dog portion of McKinney Bark Park will be temporarily closed from 8:00 am today, Friday, September 22, 2023, through 8:00 am on Monday, September 25, 2023, to allow parks maintenance crews to install park drainage improvements and recycled content dog play features. The small dog portion of the park will remain open during these improvements.