News Staff

Weather permitting, February 5, emergency asphalt pavement repairs will begin on the westbound lanes of Interstate 70 from Danville to the Callaway County line between mile marker 170 and mile marker 165. Crews will be working during daytime hours between 5:30 a.m. – 5:30 p.m. Motorists can expect delays as traffic will be reduced to one lane with a 12-foot width restriction in place where workers are present. All work is weather dependent, and schedules are subject to change. For the safety of the crews and the traveling public, we would like to remind drivers to be attentive in work zones and put down your cell phones to eliminate distractions.

Captain Erik A. Gottman, commanding officer of Troop B, Macon, is pleased to announce Troop B will conduct a two-day Student Alliance Program. The purpose of the program is to provide an opportunity for current high school students to learn more about law enforcement and the Missouri State Highway Patrol. The 2024 Troop B Student Alliance Program will take place from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. on two consecutive Saturdays, beginning on March 2, 2024, at the Troop B Headquarters in Macon, Missouri. Participants must provide their own transportation and will be on their own for a lunch break each day. During the program, students will participate in a variety of educational activities intended to familiarize them with Highway Patrol operations and equipment. Some of the activities will include: DWI enforcement, firearms, traffic safety, marine operations, stop and approach, and crime scene investigation. Troop B is seeking interested high school students of good character to apply to participate in the program.

Two people were killed in a crash on U.S. 24, one mile east of Moberly, late Monday night. The Missouri State Highway Patrol says a Kenworth Tractor Trailer was stopped partially off the roadway, with a towed unit blocking both lanes of U.S. 24, when a Freightliner tractor trailer hit the Kenworth towed unit, and the driver of the Kenworth, who was outside of the Kenworth tractor. The driver of the Freightliner, 61 year old Michael Fenner of Jackson, Mississippi, was killed. Also, 31-year-old Kaysamual Blanks of Rancho Cordova, California, associated with the Kenworth, was killed.

The Clinton County Route H bridge over Interstate 35 is scheduled to be replaced beginning next month. Phillips Hardy, Inc., working with the Missouri Department of Transportation, plans to close the bridge on Monday, Feb. 5. The project is expected to be completed in November 2024. I-35 will also have brief, overnight closures beneath the bridge for parts of the project. Specific dates and times will be provided when available. To learn more about the project, visit: https://www.modot.org/route-h-bridge-replacement-clinton. All work is weather-permitting, and schedules are subject to change.

One person suffered moderate injuries in a single-vehicle wreck in Macon County early this morning. The Missouri State Highway Patrol says 45-year-old Tracy Tullous of Columbia, Missouri, was driving a Chevy Trailblazer northbound on Highway 63, north of Marshall Road, nine miles south of Macon, when he lost control, went off the west side of the road, and hit a tree. He was taken to University Hospital in Columbia. He was not wearing a seat belt.

Professor Griff, an inductee of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and co-founding member of the hip-hop group Public Enemy, will speak at Truman as part of the Kohlenberg Lyceum Series. This event, taking place at 7 p.m. Feb. 1 in the Student Union Building Georgian Room, is in partnership with the Black History 101 Mobile Museum. Tickets are not required for this event. Doors open at 6:30 p.m. and attendees are encouraged to view the artifacts on display after the lecture.

The City of Kirksville was announced as a recipient of a Water Fluoridation Quality Award from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Fluoridation is the adjustment of fluoride in drinking water to a level effective for preventing tooth decay. The award recognizes communities that achieved excellence in community water fluoridation by maintaining a consistent level of fluoride in drinking water throughout 2022. For 2022, 1,209 public water systems in 27 states received one of these awards. There were 53 in Missouri. The CDC has recognized community water fluoridation as one of 10 great public health achievements of the 20th century. CDC recommends water fluoridation as one of the most practical, cost-effective, equitable and safe measures a community can take to prevent tooth decay and improve oral health.

A Missouri State Highway Patrol trooper was involved in a shooting after a vehicle pursuit in western Illinois. Emergency communications called for help located a suspect who was believed to have fled from Adams county and Quincy, Illinois. The suspect vehicle was believed to have entered Missouri while driving west on Highway 36. Troopers found the vehicle on U.S. HIghway 36, west of Hannibal, and ended up chasing the suspect while trying to stop him. The driver stopped after taking the exit at highway 151. The suspect then got out of the vehicle, and started to shoot at troopers. Troopers shot back and hit the suspect, who was taken to a local hospital for treatment of non-life-threatening injuries. The trooper also was hit by gunfire, and had non-life-threatening injuries. Yesterday that suspect, 51 year old Erik Prange of Moberly, was formally charged with four counts of felony assault first degree of a special victim (law enforcement officer) and four counts of armed criminal action.

The Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC) and partners invite the public to a series of warm-season grass establishment workshops around northeastern Missouri. Native warm-season grasses have deep root systems which make more efficient use of water and soil nutrients. They can grow and thrive during the summer when cool-season grasses cannot, and they tend to need less fertilizer and lime than cool-season grasses. For all workshops, the doors will open at 9:30 a.m. and the event will run from 10 a.m. until 1:30 p.m. Registration is required by Feb. 7 and can be done at http://short.mdc.mo.gov/4mY. Available workshops in northeastern Missouri are as follows:

Feb. 21 in Shelbina at the First Baptist Church (125 W. Chestnut Street)
Feb. 22 in Elsberry at the Plant Materials Center (2803 MO Hwy 79)
Feb. 27 in Milan at the Milan Communications Center (205 N. Market Street)
Feb. 28 in Chillicothe at the Litton Ag-Center (10780 Liv 235)

A fatal wreck in Ralls County yesterday. The Missouri State Highway Patrol says 44 year old Frederick Thompson of Higginsville was driving a Nissan Altima on Missouri 19, three miles snorth of Center, and lost control. 64 year old Cynthia Kilby was driving a Chevy Malibu and hit the Altima on the passenger side. Thompson died. Kilby suffered serious injuries. Thompson was not wearing a seat belt.