KIRX News

Kirksville Mayor Zac Burden signed a proclamation recognizing Water and Wastewater Professionals Week in Missouri, which lasts between September 10 and 16, 2023.
Water and wastewater professionals maintain and operate the infrastructure facilities and services that are vital to sustainable and resilient communities, public health, high quality of life and the wellbeing of all. Communities rely on water and wastewater professionals to maintain service through extreme weather events such as drought, flooding, ice storms and many more.
The Kirksville Water Treatment Plant draws water from Forest Lake and Hazel Creek Lake and turns it into safe and drinkable water. Kirksville goes through roughly 2.4 million gallons of water per day.
The Kirksville Wastewater Treatment Plant processes water from homes and businesses to remove waste and other pollutants. The plant treats roughly two million gallons of water per day.
This week is a unique opportunity for these professionals and the communities they serve to join together and recognize the vital role water and wastewater professionals play in our daily lives.

In preparation for National Bologna Day, the city of Kirksville will celebrate Bolognafest from 3-5 p.m. Oct. 21 downtown. Coinciding with Truman Homecoming activities, this family friendly event is hosted in conjunction with Kirksville’s Kraft Heinz facility. The Kirksville plant produces all of the Oscar Mayer bologna packaged and sold in the world. As part of the festivities, the vintage Oscar Mayer Frankmobile will make an appearance in the Truman Homecoming parade, which begins at 9 a.m. Oct. 21 in downtown Kirksville and runs south on Franklin Street through campus. The Frankmobile will also be on display when Bolognafest kicks off at 3 p.m. in downtown Kirksville. In addition to free bologna and fried bologna sandwiches, there will be booths featuring games, prizes, balloons and face painting. Kirksville’s Oscar Mayer plant has been part of the community for nearly 40 years. A $250 million expansion of the facility was completed in 2017, and the plant now employs more than 1,000 people in northeast Missouri.

The Kirksville R-3 school district is still looking for bus drivers. They say the lack of enough bus drivers is still heavily impacting their partner company EccoRide’s ability to deliver timely transportation for our students. The process for becoming a driver first includes getting a class B CDL permit with school and bus passenger endorsements, then you apply online at eccoride.com. There’s an interview, background check, and drug test, and if hired, there’s training, and if you pass the test for the CDL, you can get a permit, and start to drive. They need route drivers, trip drivers, and standby/substitute drivers.

Truman State University says In the coming weeks visitors to campus will see noticeable signs of progress on the Kirk Building renovation project. Starting the week of Sept. 11, interior demolition will begin. Interior demolition is slated to begin soon. Starting the week of Sept. 11, temporary fencing will be placed around the building to keep passersby at a safe distance. A construction dumpster will be located to the east side, and portions of the brick walkway near the residence halls will be temporarily removed. While the sidewalk east of the building will be unavailable, a temporary pathway will be constructed so students living in the residence halls will have full walking access to the entirety of campus. The parking lot behind Dobson Hall will be used as a staging area. It will be fenced off and unavailable. There will also be some construction-related traffic from the Dobson Hall parking lot down the sidewalk that runs south of and in front of Blanton-Nason-Brewer Hall.

The City of Kirksville Airport and Transportation Commission has a meeting set for tomorrow at 1 p.m., in the Kirksville Aquatic Center Conference Room. The agenda shows the group will get a street update, an airport update, and a sidewalk and KAMP update, and they’ll do a policy procedures review.

In collaboration with the National Association of REALTORS® Relief Fund, Missouri REALTORS®, the Northeast Central Association of REALTORS® (NECAR), and Southeast Missouri REALTORS® (SEMAR) are proud to make $100,000 in funds available to Missourians impacted by a tornado that hit Knox County and flooding that occurred in Adair County on August 4, 2023, as well as flooding in Bollinger County on August 13, 2023. If you or someone you know has been affected and could benefit from this program, we encourage you to visit the provided link and submit your application as soon as possible. Please keep in mind that applications will be processed on a first-come, first-served basis. Assistance is available to qualified applicants towards one month’s mortgage payment, temporary rental costs, or hotel expenses, up to a maximum of $1,000 per applicant per household.

The Macon County Health Department reminds, COVID 19 is still around, and here to stay. Since COVID-19 is still listed as a reportable disease in Missouri state statute, Macon County Health Department still tracks laboratory confirmed cases and calls individuals to ensure that they are all right or if they need help or referrals. At this time our case count in Macon County is low but it is increasing and we have been receiving a number of calls from
residents testing positive with home tests which indicates that COVID-19 is present in our communities. Macon County Health Department, through a grant from the Department of Health and Senior Services, provides COVID-19,
flu, and RSV testing for free.

A 74-year-old Moberly man died in a wreck last night. The Missouri State Highway Patrol says Ronald Wilson was driving a motorcycle on Route T, just east of College Mound, when he hit a deer in the roadway. Wilson was pronounced dead at a hospital.

For the month of August 2023, Governor Mike Parson granted 15 pardons pursuant to Article IV, Section 7 of the Constitution of the State of Missouri. Official documents have been filed with the appropriate government agencies and have been sent to the individuals. Families have been or are in the process of being notified. Governor Parson has instructed his legal team to continue reviewing clemency files and working to eliminate the backlog inherited by his administration.

The Kirksville Fire Department says National Preparedness Month is an observance each September to raise awareness about the importance of preparing for disasters and emergencies that could happen at any time.
The Ready Campaign’s 2023 National Preparedness Month theme is “Take Control in 1, 2, 3.” The campaign will focus on preparing older adults for disasters, specifically older adults from communities who are disproportionately impacted by the all-hazard events, which continue to threaten the nation.