KIRX News

Kirksville has a new Police Chief. After a nationwide search, City Manager Mari Macomber announced the selection of Scott WIilliamson, who currently serves as a Police Lieutenant with the Kauai Police Department, where he has worked since 2008.
Williamson is a seasoned law enforcement leader with well-rounded experience in all aspects of police administration and has years of experience in patrol, investigations, and community relations building. Macomber said she believes he will bring a mix of experience and skills with a natural sense of how to work with others, and a proven record of community outreach.

Williamson said his appointment is an opportunity to contribute to a wonderful community, and an outstanding Police Department.

Macomber noted that the City received applications from 16 individuals as part of its nationwide search. The top candidates were brought in for a series of activities, ranging from meetings with other emergency service leaders, a formal presentation to representatives from various community organizations, and a final interview.

Due to the logistics of relocating from Hawaii to the Midwest, Williamson will begin his duties with the City in July. In the meantime, he will begin working with Deputy Chief Justin Jones, and others within the Department and City, to transition into the office.

Missouri will end the state’s participation in Federal Unemployment Benefits that were put in place due to COVID-19. Governor Mike Parson said during a press conference yesterday that the benefits were meant to be temporary and suggested that the benefits are adding to a workforce shortage in Missouri. The Governor cited over 221,000 known job postings across the state.The federal supplement was providing claimants as much or more than $620 per week. $300 of that was federal money. Participation in all federal pandemic-related unemployment insurance programs will end on June 12.

COVID-19 variants have been confirmed in Adair County. The Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services has notified the Adair County Health Department that five residents who tested positive for COVID-19 in March 2021 had two of the identified variants of the virus. Three individuals had the B.1.1.7 variant which was first identified in the United Kingdom and two had the B.1.427 variant, first identified in California. PCR tests are randomly sampled for variants by private labs, hospitals, and the State Public Health Lab in Missouri. Because the samples undergo multiple steps to confirm results, those results may not be confirmed until one to two months following the individual’s initial positive test result. In response to the news about the results, Jim LeBaron, Adair County Health Department administrator said vaccines provide the best shot at containing COVID-19 and the faster-spreading variants. LeBaron says more than 14,000 Adair County residents have initiated the vaccine regimen. Roughly half of them are now fully vaccinated.

This is National Police Week. The Congress and President of the United States have designated May 15 as Peace Officers’ Memorial Day, and the week in which May 15 falls as National Police Week. There are more than 800,000 law enforcement officers serving in communities across the United States, including the dedicated members of the Kirksville Police Department. During the May 3rd City Council Meeting, Kirksville Mayor Zac Burden signed a proclamation declaring May 9 through 15, National Police Week in the City of Kirksville. The proclamation states that members of the Kirksville Police Department play an essential role in safeguarding the rights and freedoms of all individuals who enter our community.

A traffic reminder: Today and tomorrow, crews will close Baltimore Street at the Jefferson Street intersection for cross culvert work that is part of the improvement project taking place on Baltimore Street. The road will close at 7:00 a.m. tomorrow, May 11, and reopen the evening of May 12. There will be no access to Baltimore from either direction on Jefferson.

A Kirksville man was seriously injured in a crash on Friday. According to the Missouri State Highway Patrol report, the crash happened just before 5 a.m. on Highway 6, two miles west of Novinger. A car traveled off the right side of the highway, struck an embankment and a tree and then overturned. The driver was taken to the hospital by ambulance.

A Milan woman was arrested for firing several rounds at a vehicle. According to Milan police, the suspect had allegedly been involved in an altercation with three people while in the 200 block of South Main Street. The woman has been charged in Sullivan County Circuit Court with assault in the first degree or attempt as well as armed criminal action.

Truman State University held multiple graduation ceremonies on Friday and Saturday, The University said that while the 2020-21 school year was affected by the pandemic, Truman was never in a position that necessitated pausing instruction or sending the entire student body home. As of April 27, Truman had a total of 521 cases among students and employees since July 2020. To accommodate in-person guests for graduation, Truman hosted seven separate ceremonies over two days, this weekend
Graduates were allowed two guests each, and Pershing Arena was socially distanced for each event and sanitized in between ceremonies.

The grand opening of the new Kirksville Aquatic Center will be on Saturday, June 19th, and pool passes for both the water park and indoor pool are now on sale. Swimmers can choose from a variety of pass options. Registration is now open for swim lessons with many different sessions and times to choose from. Visit www.kirksvillecity.com/KAC fo rmore details. You can register online, or by visiting the Parks and Recreation Office on the first floor of City Hall.

The Kirksville City Council made its selection to fill a vacant seat. According to a press release, Jennifer Walston was selected, through an application process, to fill the vacancy left by Chuck Long, who resigned on April 5 because he was moving out of the area.

Council members are responsible for filling vacancies that exist on the City Council, selecting someone to serve until the next municipal election in April 2022 when the voters will have a chance to select someone to serve the balance of this council seat.
Mayor Burden expressed appreciation to the four applicants, encouraging the remaining three to consider applying for any future vacancies that occur on any one of the City’s boards and commissions. In her application, Walston noted that she believes the City Council’s job description is first and foremost a call to listen, learn, discern, and act. In response to being selected for the seat, Walston said she is humbled and honored to be chosen to serve the city in this capacity during the coming year.

Walston will be sworn in this coming Monday. The City Council will hold a Special Council Meeting, followed by the regular Council Study Session, starting at 5:30 pm