The City of Kirksville is offering a new program to help residents plant trees in the right-of-way adjacent to their property. This program reduces costs for residents, beautifies Kirksville and boosts property values. Residents can apply for a new tree by completing the Residential Street Tree Program application and paying the $100 program cost share fee. Parks and Recreation staff will plant the tree, with it then becoming the homeowner’s responsibility to take care of from there. This program was designed after the Emerald Ash Borer killed many ash trees in the City. Because of that, priority will be given to properties where ash trees were removed. September 1, 2023, is the deadline to apply for the first planting. As this program is annualized, there will be plantings in spring and fall.
Health department hosting school supply drive-through
–The Adair County Health Department is hosting its annual school supply drive-through on Friday, Aug. 4, at 1001 South Jamison Street in Kirksville. Staff of the Health Department will be handing out bags from 10 a.m. until supplies run out. The bags contain a variety of school supplies and personal essentials for children in pre-K through Grade 12. Contents differ according to age, pre-K, K-6th grade, and 7th to 12th grade. The back-to-school bags are courtesy of the Adair County Health Department and community sponsors.
Street work underway in Kirksville
The Street Maintenance Division of the City of Kirksville’s Public Works Department will begin mill and overlay work on Leisure Drive, from Manor Road to East McPherson Street, starting Monday, July 31, 2023. The street will have alternating traffic lanes during construction, and will be closed temporarily. No street parking is allowed during the paving operation. This project is expected to be completed by August 3, depending on the weather.
Survey aims to gather input on healthcare services
The City of Kirksville says The Hannibal Regional Healthcare System and Complete Family Medicine have created a new survey designed to gather community input on specialty healthcare services in Kirksville. The purpose of the survey is to identify where needs and gaps might be when it comes to specialty healthcare in the City. Examples of specialty care would include cardiology, urology, orthopedics, gastroenterology, and many more. To take the survey, you can check out the link on the City of Kirksville’s Facebook page. The survey will only take a few minutes to complete, with August 12, 2023, being the deadline to complete it.
National Night Out is tonight
Tonight is National Night Out 2023. It’s a national initiative designed to bring law enforcement and other organizations together with the communities they serve. For the evening, neighbors are asked to lock their doors, turn on their porch light, and go outside and spend the evening with local law enforcement and their community. The effort takes place in more than 17,000 communities. It was established in 1984.
“Thank you for your service” runs through August 26th
The Kirksville Arts Association says “Thank You For Your Service”, a photography exhibit honoring former members of the military continues in the Ellebracht Gallery in the Sue Ross Arts Center, through August 26th. Forty area men and women are being recognized for their military service. A reception will be held Thursday, August 24th from 5:30 to 7 pm and will include presentation of quilts by the Hands of Friendship Quilt Guild to five of the honorees.
There is no cost to visit the exhibit and the reception is open to the public. The Sue Ross Arts Center is located at 215 S. Franklin Street in Kirksville and is open Monday through Friday 11 am to 4 pm and Saturdays 10 am to 2 pm.
Any veteran interested in being included in a future exhibit should contact Christina at 660 665 0500.
Four concerts left of Summer on the Square
The Kirksville Arts Association says Summer on the Square has only four concerts left this season. “Hootin Annies with Jimmy Campbell” from Baldwin City, Kansas will be performing their Bluegrass with a twist this Friday, August 4th at 7pm at the Adair County Courthouse lawn.
No injuries to Kirksville man in Iowa crash
A 36 year old man from Kirksville was involved in a four-vehicle, chain-reaction crash in Iowa that left two people dead. The Iowa State Patrol says Dennis Hagedorn was not hurt in the crash that happened on Highway 63, four miles south of Ottumwa. 49 year old Lora Sprouse of Bloomfield was driving an SUV, and was stopped at a temporary stoplight as part of a single-lane closure for bridge work. Behind her, Hagedorn was stopped in a pickup truck. Behind the pickup was a second SUV driven by Steven Hinebaugh, which was stopped or slowing down. 22 year old Reid Hilpipre of Pocahontas, Iowa, was driving a tractor-trailer and failed to stop, and hit the back of Hinebaugh’s SUV, which set off the chain reaction. Hagedorn’s pickup, along with the second SUV, and the semi, went into a ditch and became fully engulfed in flames. Hinebaugh and his wife, Brenda Hinebaugh, were killed.
State opening applications for marijuana microbusinesses
The Missouri Department of Health and Human Services will start taking applications from anyone interested in operating a marijuana micro-business starting today. Missouri DHSS defines a microbusiness as a marijuana facility license “designed to allow marginalized or under-represented individuals to participate in the legal marijuana market,” either through a dispensary or wholesale facility. In October 2023, a total of 48 microbusiness licenses will be issued for the first round of application/lottery and licensure; six microbusiness license applicants will be selected within each of the eight Missouri congressional districts. Of the six in each district, two will be microbusiness dispensaries, and four will be microbusiness wholesale facilities. The lottery will take place no later than Sept. 1, 2023. The lottery drawing results will be posted to the Department’s website as soon as they are available.
Ribbon cutting set for Kirksville Labyrinth Center
A ribbon cutting ceremony will be held on Thursday July 27, 2023, at 5:30 pm at the Kirksville Labyrinth Center, located on hill above Spur Pond in Patryla Park. This site can be accessed from Decker Road.
The ribbon cutting will celebrate the construction of a gazebo as part of an Eagle Scout Project by Jacob Thompson, as well as improvements at the site that include the construction of Kirksville’s only permanent outdoor labyrinth. Future park improvements will also be discussed at the ceremony.