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Preliminary data from the Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC) shows turkey hunters checked 43,380 birds during Missouri’s 2024 regular spring turkey season, April 15 through May 5. Top harvest counties for the regular season were Franklin with 940 birds harvested, Callaway with 822, and Texas with 780. Young turkey hunters also harvested 3,739 turkeys over the youth weekend, April 6 and 7, bringing the overall 2024 spring turkey harvest to 47,119. According to MDC, that is a 6-percent increase in total harvest from 2023 and a 20-percent increase in total harvest compared to the previous five-year average.

Join members of the Kirksville Police Department and Kirksville Fire Department in a friendly competition as the 2024 Kirksville Battle of the Badges Blood Drive happens on Thursday, May 23, 2024, at the Multi-Purpose Building at the NEMO Fairgrounds. Help support the American Red Cross to maintain blood donations for those in need. The blood drive will run from 12:00 pm to 5:30 pm. To schedule an appointment, visit RedCrossBlood.org and enter KirksMasonicLodge in the Make An Appointment box. You may also call 1-800-733-2767.

City of Kirksville says registration is open for participants in the 2024 Red, White and Blue Parade, which will be held on Saturday, July 6. If your group or organization would like to be in the parade, head over to bit.ly/4aRXPXo and complete the form. The Kirksville Kiwanis Club will be coordinating a float competition and there will be trophies for first-, second-, and third-place entries. The deadline to register is June 28.

Weather permitting, two resurfacing projects in Macon County are set to begin as early as the week of May 20. Contractor crews will start on Route DD, from U.S. Route 63 to Route K, then continue to Route AA, from Route K to the end of state maintenance.

The $6.4M contract, awarded last year to Emery Sapp & Sons, Inc. of Columbia, Missouri, includes several additional resurfacing projects, which are scheduled to be begin in late-June and completed by November 1, 2024:

Macon County, Route T – From Missouri Route 3 to U.S. Route 63
Randolph County, Route FF – From Route CC to the end of state maintenance
Randolph County, Route CC – From Route J to Route K
Randolph County, Route K – From U.S. Route 63 at Cairo to Missouri Route 151
Randolph/Monroe County, Route M – From U.S. Route 63 in Randolph County to Missouri Route 151 in Monroe County

The City of Kirksville says there will be two road closures on Wednesday, May 8, 2024, so new bathrooms can be delivered to City parks.
Decker Road – the road leading to and around Patryla Park – will close from 8:30 am to 10:30 am so one bathroom can be delivered there. The section of Osteopathy near Spur Pond will close from 10:00 am to 12:00 pm so the other bathroom can be placed there.
Please use alternate routes and avoid these areas during these times.

Moderate injuries were reported in a single-vehicle crash in Clark County on Monday. The Highway Patrol reports, 23-year-old James Alvis of Wayland was driving a Chevy Cruze on U.S. 136, four miles east of Kahoka, when the vehicle went off the right side of the road, hit an embankment, and overturned. He was taken to Blessing Hospital. He was not wearing a seat belt.

A 22-year-old Iowa man was arrested in Kirksville in the early hours of April 26, 2024, for Unlawful Use of a Weapon, Assault in the 1st Degree, Armed Criminal Action, and several other charges.
At about 1:10 am, officers were dispatched near the area of McPherson Street and Franklin Street for a public nuisance. As the officers approached the area, they heard and saw the flashes of gunshots in the vicinity of a group of four to five people. The gunman fled on foot, and after making sure there were no injuries, officers quickly apprehended the suspect, who was identified as Jackson Phillips, 22, of Iowa. Officers also recovered the firearm and shell casings from the area. Phillips is currently being held at the Adair County Detention Center.
At this time, there is no current threat to the public and the case remains under investigation.
A criminal charge is merely an accusation and a defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty.
Anyone with information about this incident, or any suspicious activity is encouraged to contact the Kirksville Police Department at 660.785.6945, Central Dispatch at 660.665.5621, Adair County Sheriff’s Office at 660.665.4600, anonymously at 660.627.BUST (2878), or email police@kirksvillecity.com.

Governor Mike Parson signed Executive Order 24-05, extending Missouri’s drought alert to September 1, 2024. The action directs continued coordination of resources and combined response efforts across state government until conditions improve in drought-impacted areas. Lack of precipitation and below normal streamflow over the past year have kept Missouri under a drought alert continuously since May 31, 2023. Prior to that, a drought alert was active from July 2022 to March 2023. In accordance with the Missouri Drought Mitigation and Response Plan, today’s executive order will continue the drought alert in Missouri counties with areas experiencing moderate or greater drought conditions. It will also extend to any other county that begins experiencing drought conditions consistent with the drought plan’s phases and triggers table.

Colonel Eric T. Olson, superintendent of the Missouri State Highway Patrol, would like to make the public aware that May is Motorcycle Safety Awareness Month. It’s important for motorcyclists to take an active role in their safety. Preliminary 2023 statistics indicate there were 2,459 crashes involving motorcycles. In these crashes, 2,141 people were injured and 175 people were killed.

Please keep these suggestions in mind when you’re on the road:

* Be visible. Motorists often have a hard time seeing you. Keep your headlights on, day or night. Use reflective strips/decals on your clothing and on your motorcycle. Be aware of other vehicles’ blind spots.

*Dress for safety. Wear a helmet and eye protection. Wear bright clothing. Wear thick or leather clothing for protection.

*Think safety while riding. Give yourself space to react to other motorists’ actions. Use lane positioning to increase visibility. Watch for turning vehicles. Signal your next action in advance. Pretend you’re invisible and drive defensively.

*Know your bike. Get formal training and take refresher courses. Practice riding your motorcycle before going into heavy traffic. Know how to handle your motorcycle in all types of road conditions.

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, May 8, 2024, in observance of Harry S Truman’s birthday. Normal operations will resume on Thursday, May 9, 2024.

Monday, May 27, 2024, in observance of Memorial Day. Normal operations will resume on Tuesday, May 28, 2024.