News Staff

The City of Kirksville says The Hannibal Regional Healthcare System and Complete Family Medicine have created a new survey designed to gather community input on specialty healthcare services in Kirksville. The purpose of the survey is to identify where needs and gaps might be when it comes to specialty healthcare in the City. Examples of specialty care would include cardiology, urology, orthopedics, gastroenterology, and many more. To take the survey, you can check out the link on the City of Kirksville’s Facebook page. The survey will only take a few minutes to complete, with August 12, 2023, being the deadline to complete it.

Tonight is National Night Out 2023. It’s a national initiative designed to bring law enforcement and other organizations together with the communities they serve. For the evening, neighbors are asked to lock their doors, turn on their porch light, and go outside and spend the evening with local law enforcement and their community. The effort takes place in more than 17,000 communities. It was established in 1984.

The Kirksville Arts Association says “Thank You For Your Service”, a photography exhibit honoring former members of the military continues in the Ellebracht Gallery in the Sue Ross Arts Center, through August 26th. Forty area men and women are being recognized for their military service. A reception will be held Thursday, August 24th from 5:30 to 7 pm and will include presentation of quilts by the Hands of Friendship Quilt Guild to five of the honorees.
There is no cost to visit the exhibit and the reception is open to the public. The Sue Ross Arts Center is located at 215 S. Franklin Street in Kirksville and is open Monday through Friday 11 am to 4 pm and Saturdays 10 am to 2 pm.
Any veteran interested in being included in a future exhibit should contact Christina at 660 665 0500.

The Kirksville Arts Association says Summer on the Square has only four concerts left this season. “Hootin Annies with Jimmy Campbell” from Baldwin City, Kansas will be performing their Bluegrass with a twist this Friday, August 4th at 7pm at the Adair County Courthouse lawn.

A 36 year old man from Kirksville was involved in a four-vehicle, chain-reaction crash in Iowa that left two people dead. The Iowa State Patrol says Dennis Hagedorn was not hurt in the crash that happened on Highway 63, four miles south of Ottumwa. 49 year old Lora Sprouse of Bloomfield was driving an SUV, and was stopped at a temporary stoplight as part of a single-lane closure for bridge work. Behind her, Hagedorn was stopped in a pickup truck. Behind the pickup was a second SUV driven by Steven Hinebaugh, which was stopped or slowing down. 22 year old Reid Hilpipre of Pocahontas, Iowa, was driving a tractor-trailer and failed to stop, and hit the back of Hinebaugh’s SUV, which set off the chain reaction. Hagedorn’s pickup, along with the second SUV, and the semi, went into a ditch and became fully engulfed in flames. Hinebaugh and his wife, Brenda Hinebaugh, were killed.

The Missouri Department of Health and Human Services will start taking applications from anyone interested in operating a marijuana micro-business starting today. Missouri DHSS defines a microbusiness as a marijuana facility license “designed to allow marginalized or under-represented individuals to participate in the legal marijuana market,” either through a dispensary or wholesale facility. In October 2023, a total of 48 microbusiness licenses will be issued for the first round of application/lottery and licensure; six microbusiness license applicants will be selected within each of the eight Missouri congressional districts. Of the six in each district, two will be microbusiness dispensaries, and four will be microbusiness wholesale facilities. The lottery will take place no later than Sept. 1, 2023. The lottery drawing results will be posted to the Department’s website as soon as they are available.

A ribbon cutting ceremony will be held on Thursday July 27, 2023, at 5:30 pm at the Kirksville Labyrinth Center, located on hill above Spur Pond in Patryla Park. This site can be accessed from Decker Road.
The ribbon cutting will celebrate the construction of a gazebo as part of an Eagle Scout Project by Jacob Thompson, as well as improvements at the site that include the construction of Kirksville’s only permanent outdoor labyrinth. Future park improvements will also be discussed at the ceremony.

The City of Kirksville’s Parks and Recreation Department is now accepting registrations for the Tiny Tykes Soccer program. Tiny Tykes Soccer is an exciting and engaging four-week program, for children ages 3 through 5, that teaches soccer using play-based learning. Tiny Tykes Soccer will be held for children ages 3 through 5 on Tuesdays and Thursdays starting September 19, 2023. Registrants will choose either a 4:30 pm to 5:15 pm session, or a 5:30 pm to 6:15 pm session when registering online at parks.kirksvillecity.com or in person at the Parks and Recreation office located at the Kirksville Aquatic Center, 801 E. Mill St. Registration is $30 per participant and each player will receive a Tiny Tykes Soccer t-shirt. All Tiny Tykes Soccer will be held at the Tiny Tykes Soccer Field located next to the Pee Wee Baseball Fields at the North Park Complex, 3000 Novinger St.
For more information, please contact the Parks and Recreation Department at 660.627.1485.

After a summer of declining donations, the American Red Cross needs the public’s help to prevent a blood shortage. When a donor makes and keeps an appointment to give blood in the weeks ahead, they can help ensure trauma patients, those undergoing cancer treatment, and people with lifelong blood disorders can get the blood they count on. Right now, the Red Cross especially needs type O negative, type O positive and type B negative blood donors. Donors of all blood types can schedule an appointment to give by downloading the Red Cross Blood Donor App, visiting RedCrossBlood.org or calling 1-800-RED CROSS (1-800-733-2767).

The Kirksville Police Department says with temperatures at the end of this week predicted be over 100 degrees, the Kirksville Police Department would like to remind everyone of the dangers of leaving children in a vehicle. As of just a few days ago, 14 children had died in hot cars the United States so far in 2023.
Here are a few tips from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration:
Parents and Caregivers
1. Never leave a child in a vehicle unattended for any length of time. Rolling windows down or parking in the shade does little to change the interior temperature of the vehicle.
2. Make it a habit to check your entire vehicle – especially the back seat – before locking the doors and walking away.
3. Ask your childcare provider to call if your child doesn’t show up for care as expected.
4. Place a personal item like a purse or briefcase in the back seat, as another reminder to look before you lock. Write a note or place a stuffed animal in the passenger’s seat to remind you that a child is in the back seat.
5. Store car keys out of a child’s reach and teach children that a vehicle is not a play area.
Secure Your Car
Always lock your car doors, year-round, so children can’t get into unattended vehicles.
Act Fast. Save a Life
If you see a child alone in a locked car, act immediately and call 911. A child in distress due to heat should be removed from the vehicle as quickly as possible and rapidly cooled.