One injured when Freightliner goes off highway

The driver of a Freightliner tractor trailer is recovering from his injuries after the vehicle went off the side of HIghway K on Monday afternoon. The Highway Patrol says 42 year old Brandon Swisher of Kirksville was taken to University Hospital in Columbia after the crash that happened five and a half miles north of LaBelle.

Youth turkey hunters invited to apply for mentored hunt

The Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC) invites new youth turkey hunters to apply for a mentored hunt April 6 and 7 at the Charles W. Green Conservation Area in Boone County. To apply for this mentored hunt, participants must complete an application no later than March 20. Applicants will be notified of their selection by March 25. Youth hunters must be 11-15 years old at the time of the hunt, must have never Telechecked a turkey, and must be accompanied by an adult. Experienced hunters will be provided to mentor youth during the hunt. Youth hunters must purchase a spring turkey hunting permit prior to the event. MDC will provide firearms and ammunition. However, participants are welcome to bring their own cased and unloaded firearms. No reload ammunition will be permitted. Participants must complete their hunter education certification prior to this hunt. MDC will host a Hunter Education Skills Session on Friday, April 5 at 6:00 p.m. with location information to be provided upon selection.

Study session set for tonight

The City of Kirksville City Council is set for a study session tonight at 6 p.m. The tentative agenda includes the asphalt sales policy, municipal code changes, the citizen participation review, a capital campaign update, and the THINK Kirksville 2040 Plan Annual Report.

Two people seriously hurt in weekend crash

Two people are recovering from serious injuries they received in a single-vehicle crash that happened in Buchanan County early Saturday morning. The Highway Patrol says 22-year-old Kurtis Nelson of Stewartsville, Missouri, was driving a Ram 250 southbound on Southeast 140th road, north of Buehler Road, four miles north of Gower, when he lost control of the vehicle, and it hit a tree. He and a passenger, 21-year-old Cayden Pendleton, were taken to Mosaic Life Care for treatment of their injuries. Neither man was wearing a seat belt.

Job Fair set for later this month

The Missouri Department of Transportation will be hosting a job fair on Wednesday, March 20 from 2- 6 p.m., at the Northwest District Office in St. Joseph (3602 N. Belt Highway), focused on hiring multiple positions including: maintenance workers, bridge maintenance workers and signal lighting technicians (electricians). Full-time employees receive on-the-job training and other benefits including retirement, paid vacation, sick and parental leave, medical, vision and dental insurance. MoDOT is a diverse workplace dedicated to safety and personal and professional development.

Route 31 to close

Crews from the Missouri Department of Transportation will be closing Route 31 in Buchanan County south of Easton Monday, March 11, from 8 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. The road will be closed from U.S. Route 169 to Route T to replace a culvert under the roadway. Motorists will need to use an alternate route during the closure. All work is weather-permitting, and schedules are subject to change.

Kirksville police release crime stats

The Kirksville Police Department says Polls have shown that Americans believe crime is on the rise nationwide. They say local data shows that overall crime in Kirksville is down. The Kirksville Police Department compiles crime totals each year. Figures for the last seven years were recently reported to the City Council to see trends. Crimes of violence stayed level, with a downward trend in recent years. The information shows the majority of local violent crimes are from and against people who know each other, not random acts of violence. Drug crimes remained level for the last seven years, with a dip in 2023. Erno, the City’s K-9 officer, has been crucial in drug enforcement. KPD deployed Erno 66 times between March and December of 2023, with 55 related to traffic stops. Those deployments resulted in 37 arrests, two firearm seizures and the recovery of drugs and currency. Those would not have been possible without the K-9. The biggest decline is with property crimes, which dropped 27 percent from 2022 to 2023. And traffic collisions, both injury and non-injury collisions, were significantly reduced for 2022 and 2023. This could be attributed to increased officer presence and traffic stops for moving violations. Though traffic stops significantly increased, 50 percent fewer citations were issued per traffic stop, indicating the stops are mostly educational and positive interactions between the driver and law enforcement. Additional figures to note include an upward trend in calls for service over the last three years, with 26,632 in 2023. Also, KPD hit an all-time high of arrests with 942.

Resurfacing project set to start

A resurfacing and pavement improvement project is scheduled to begin Monday, March 11, on U.S. Route 36 in Livingston County. The Missouri Department of Transportation has contracted with Magruder Paving, LLC to complete the project which extends from the bridge over Coon Creek in Chillicothe to the Caldwell County line. All work is expected to be complete by the end of June. Route 36 will remain open throughout the project, but one lane may be closed in either direction. Single-lane closures could remain up around-the-clock.

TINY TYKES SOCCER PROGRAM

The City of Kirksville’s Parks and Recreation Department is now accepting registrations for the Tiny Tykes Soccer program. Tiny Tykes Soccer, is a four-week program, for children ages 3 through 5, that teaches soccer using play-based learning.

Tiny Tykes Soccer will be held on Tuesdays and Thursdays starting April 9th.

ANDY REID’S SON SENTENCE SHORTENED

Governor Mike Parson’s decision to shorten a particular prison sentence is getting a lot of flak. He announced Friday that he was commuting the rest of the sentence of former Kansas City Chiefs assistant coach Britt Reid to house arrest. Reid, the son of Chiefs coach Andy Reid, was sentenced to three years in prison two years ago after pleading guilty to driving while intoxicated and causing serious bodily injury.

Prosecutors said Reid was drunk when he was driving his Dodge truck about 84 in a 65 mile-per-hour zone on an entrance ramp near Arrowhead Stadium . A girl inside one of the cars, five-year-old Ariel Young, suffered a traumatic brain injury.