KIRX News

The Putnam County Health Department is hosting a COVID-19 vaccine clinic today from 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. in Unionville The one-dose Johnson and Johnson vaccine will be available for anyone 18 years of age or older.

Missouri’s Department of Natural Resources Director, Carol Comer passed away. While the cause of death was not released, Comer announced in July 2019 that she had undergone two unsuccessful surgeries and was beginning chemotherapy to fight cancer. Comer was named director in Jan. 2017. Governor Mike Parson said Comer was an extremely talented and accomplished leader, and the entire state of Missouri grieves alongside her friends and family.

It’s possible the Grand Opening for the new Kirksville Aquatic Center may delayed by a week. In part, it’s because of all the rain, which made it hard to pour concrete. But things are moving along…the Kirksville City Council got an update and a tour of the new facilities yesterday. In addition, training for 50 lifeguards is getting underway this week.

The Macon County Health Department is sounding the alarm. A press release says there has been an explosion of COVID-19 cases in neighboring Linn and Livingston Counties. A recent news report says Linn County has reached a level of transmission not seen before during the pandemic. That county currently has 200 active cases. Linn County’s Medical Director attributes the spike in the counties to a “perfect storm” of lax attitudes around mitigation measures and quarantining. Many of the cases are in residents younger than 50 years old. The Macon County Health Department is warning that only 31% of their county’s population under 55 have been vaccinated. Macon County is seeing a small spike in new cases over the past three weeks, and out of the 40 recent new cases to date, only 1 was vaccinated.

Governor Mike Parson signed a bill into law, which creates a statewide prescription drug monitoring program. Governor Parson said. “SB 63 will help provide necessary information to health care professionals and empower them to make decisions that better serve their patients and assist in fighting the opioid epidemic in Missouri.” SB 63 establishes the Joint Oversight Task Force of Prescription Drug Monitoring, responsible for collecting and maintaining the prescription and dispensation of prescribed controlled substances to patients within the state. The legislation is designed to assist health care professionals in better monitoring the dispensation of opioids and other prescribed controlled substances to their patients.

The Missouri State Highway Patrol responded to a crash Sunday evening that left one person dead in Linn County. According to a report from Troop B, 21-year-old Alexander Heussner, of Tina, was driving a Ford F-150 westbound on U.S. Highway 36 two miles west of Brookfield when his truck went off the left side of the roadway. Heussner then overcorrected sending the vehicle off the right side of the roadway, striking a westbound Chevy Silverado. Heussner’s vehicle then traveled back across the roadway and overturned where Heussner and his 21-year-old passenger Blane Heussner were ejected. The passenger was pronounced deceased at Samaritan Memorial Hospital.

A Unionville man was seriously injured following an accident in Sullivan County yesterday morning. An SUV driven by 23-year-old Jeramiah Summers, of Unionville, was on Missouri Highway 129, 8 miles south of 136, when the vehicle traveled off the left side of the road and overturned. The vehicle was totaled in the accident. Summers was transported by ambulance to Northeast Regional Medical Center.

Four new cases of COVID-19 confirmed by the Adair County Health Department last week and two old cases identified by audit brings the county’s overall case count to 2,482. Currently, there are four active cases and 2,458 people who have left
isolation. On June 1, a 17-year-old male was admitted and discharged from Northeast Regional Medical Center. Other active cases confirmed June 4 include females ages 29 and 92 and a four- year-old male. Two cases reside in the same household. Also on June 4, two cases from May, involving a 25-year-old female and 28-year-old
male residing in the same household, were identified as part of the Adair County Health Department’s ongoing auditing process. On June 2, the Health Department was notified that a 24-year-old male who tested positive for COVID-19 in May had the B.1.617.2 variant first identified in India. Variant identification was made in random sampling of lab tests.

Two people were injured in separate crashes in Northeast Missouri over the weekend.

On Saturday, a woman suffered minor injuries in a single vehicle accident in Chariton County. The Missouri State Highway Patrol report says 68-year-old Kathryn Mellesen of Marceline, was driving westbound on Route JJ, two miles west of Marceline, when her vehicle ran off the road and struck a ditch. She was taken by Linn County Ambulance to Pershing Memorial Hospital.

Yesterday in Putman County, one person had minor injuries in a 2-vehicle collision. The Highway Patrol reports the accident happened on 27th Street and Birch Street in Unionville. A Ford Escape, driven by 79-year-old Shirly Mahoney, failed to yield and traveled into the path of a Can-Am UTV, driven by 37-year-old Eric Lutz. He was transported by ambulance to Putnam County Memorial Hospital.

Missouri State Auditor Nicole Galloway announced on Friday that she won’t run for re-election in 2022.Galloway said serving Missourians has been the honor of her life. She also said that during this past decade, she’s missed countless family events, little league games and school activites. Galloway says she is ready for the next chapter of service and life with her family. Galloway was appointed auditor by Governor Jay Nixon in 2015 and won a full term in office in 2018. She lost in a run for Governor in 2020 against Mike Parson. Galloway is the only Democrat to currently hold a statewide office in Missouri.