KIRX News

A former A.T. Still University student was fatally shot during a home break-in Iowa. Police say 28-year-old Aaron Thompson broke into a home near Ottumwa last Thursday and fought with the homeowner before he was shot. Investigators say Thompson was suffering from a mental health crisis when he entered the home. Police are calling the incident a tragic event and said no criminal charges will be filed. Thompson was a student at A.T. Still University Medical School in Kirksville but was on family leave.

The Adair County Health Department administered 825 doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine yesterday during the 2nd dose clinic at The Crossing in Kirksville. These were administered only to people who received their first dose of the COVID vaccine on January 27th. Today’s regional mass vaccine distribution of the Moderna vaccine is for those who registered for the Feb. 10 and/or Feb. 18 events that were cancelled due to inclement weather.

The Macon County Health Department is conducting a second dose COVID-19 vaccine clinic today. The clinic is for those who received their first dose on February 4th and will take place at the Expo Center at the Macon County Fairgrounds. Participants are asked to enter the fairgrounds off Highway PP, to have their first dose vaccination card and to come at the same time as their first dose appointment. If you are unable to make your scheduled time, you are asked to call 660-395-4711.

Kirksville’s first medical cannabis dispensary, on East Charles Street, will open next month. Missouri regulators recently extended the deadline for the state’s medical cannabis companies to open after most of them failed to meet the one-year cutoff to be up and running. The extension gives roughly 260 out of 370 licensed companies to have until September to open. Each deadline extension is based on each company’s specific circumstances.

More details have been released about the officer-involved shooting in Livingston County – including the name of the person who was fatally shot. The Livingston County Coroner identified the person who was shot on Friday as 34-year-old Timothy David Frandson, of Marceline.
Livingston County Sheriff, Steve Cox, said the deputy responded to a one-vehicle accident on U.S. Highway 36 east of Chillicothe and became concerned that the driver had possible mental health problems based on some of the things he was saying.

Cox says Frandson handed the deputy some type of suspected drug and personal items. While trying to help Frandon, who was seated in the front passenger seat of the patrol vehicle, the man become violent and began to assault the deputy. Cox says as the assault continued, the deputy pulled his duty weapon, and fired, with at least one round striking the suspect who was later pronounced dead at the scene.

The Livingston County Deputy was released from an area hospital that evening with moderate injuries.

The Adair County Health Department has received multiple calls about the two vaccine clinics scheduled for this week. If you received your first dose of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine on Jan. 27, you should return for your second dose today at The Crossing, in Kirksville.

Tomorrow’s clinic is a regional mass vaccine distribution of the Moderna vaccine only. The clinic was rescheduled due to weather postponements and is sponsored by the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services and coordinated by the Missouri National Guard, in cooperation with the Adair County Health Department and area healthcare partners. This clinic is for those who registered for the February. 10 and/or Feb. 18 events and they should keep the same scheduled appointment time. All those registered for Thursday’s regional event should bring their signed consent form with them.

The Salisbury man whose vehicle was struck by a train last week, died from his injuries. The accident occurred on the morning of Febrary 17th in Chariton County about three-and-a-half miles west of Salisbury. According to the Missouri State Highway Patrol, a vehicle driven by 60-year-old Leland Linneman attempted to stop at a train crossing but ended up sliding into the path of a westbound Norfolk Southern train. Linneman was transported to Columbia for treatment but died from his injuries Friday afternoon.

A former Memphis woman is sentenced to 16 months in prison on wire fraud charges. According to a news release from the U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Missouri, 27-year-old Kala Childress worked for Bloomsdale Excavating Co. as an administrative clerk. She was responsible for overseeing the company’s credit card accounts. Beginning in July 2017 and continuing through December 2018, Childress began directing payments from the company’s Commerce Bank Visa credit cards to personal accounts. In total, she redirected over $246,000. In addition to her prison sentence, Childress is responsible for repayment of restitution to both her former employer, and the insurance company that covered most of the company’s loss. The case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

The brutal February weather has resulted in an early pothole season. The Missouri Department of Transportation says crews are focusing on pothole repair through April. MoDOT will have about 300 pothole patching crews statewide working to make roadways safer. In 2020, MoDOT patched approximately 760,000 potholes spending $18 million on pothole patching. Natalie Roark, MoDOT state maintenance director says brutally cold temperatures coupled with ice and snow throughout February have led to a high number of potholes blossoming on Missouri highways already. Motorists are asked to be patient as the repairs are being done.

Tractor Supply Company, the largest rural lifestyle retailer in the United States, announced it has entered into an agreement to acquire Orscheln Farm and Home. Orscheln is based in Moberly and has 167 stores in 11 states. Store locations in Missouri include Trenton, Chillicothe, Bethany, Brookfield, Cameron, Carrollton, and Kirksville. Barry Orscheln, Chairman and CEO of Orscheln Farm and Home, says he’s confident Tractor Supply will continue Orscheln’s tradition of taking care of customers and communities in this next phase of growth.