KIRX News

Covid count. The Adair county health department says 28 new cases on Wednesday. That brings the current number of active cases to 123. And since this all started last year, Adair county has had right at 39-hundred people in the county with the virus. Nearly all recovered.

The city of Kirksville will hold a workshop for people interested in starting a daycare.

WIth the pandemic, child care has become an issue, with some centers closing or having trouble getting help.

But the city says that grant money is available to help open child care facilities. So a session is planned for Wednesday, Dec 15th on Zoom to explain the details. You can contact the city to learn more…665-3348.

The new Omicron strain of covid-19 has turned up in the U.S. — in California. The patient is fully vaccinated and has mild symptoms.

Locally, cases of covid are climbing in Adair county. Yesterday, the Health Department confirmed 10 new cases, and that pushes the number of people known to have the virus in Adair county to 106. That is the highest number in a while. The youngest person reported with a new case is a five year old boy. An 86 year woman also one of the newly diagnosed patients.

But there are no reports of the Omicron strain except for that California case.

In Sullivan county — 3 new cases reported on Wednesday.

A Missouri federal judge says the federal government cannot force health care workers to take the covid shot. The ruling affects workers in Missouri and nine other state. Judge Matthew Schelp said that rules given by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid were not valid because Congress did not approve the mandate. Schelp said that the feds were taking decisions traditionally made by the state, creating a federal dictate into private medical decisions of millions of Americans.

Adair county ended the month of Novmber with 42 new covid cases yesterday and two new deaths. An unvaccinated 94 year old woman died, and a 60 year old man who was also unvaxxed passed away. In all, 37 people in the county have died from covid since the pandemic began.

In Sullivan county, the health dept says only 39% of the county’s population is fully vaxed. That’s about 24-hundred people. Five new positive cases in the county this week for a total of 13 active cases at the moment.

The state patrol says nine people died in wrecks during the Thanksgiving holiday — none of the fatalities in our area.

Statewide during the holiday period, the patrol was called to 457 wrecks with 114 injured. Troopers also made 125 arrests for DWI and 72 people arrested for having drugs

Covid vaccination clinics are scheduled at the Adair County Health Department. The shots are free but you have to call the Health Department to register. The adult clinics are from 1:30 to 3:30 on December 7th, 21st and 28th.

The pediatric COVID-19 vaccine will be given from 3:30 to 5:30 p.m. on each Thursday in December.

And there’s pandemic payola for getting the shot. Those who get the vaccine, including kids ages 5-11, will receive a $50 gift card to local Casey’s, Hy-Vee, Walgreens or Walmarts. You also get a $50 gift card for a second dose…but not boosters.

If you want to buy a Christmas gift for a child in need — you just have a day left — to sign up for the Adopt a Child program run by the Kirksville Salvation Army.

The deadline to get involved is tomorrow. To sign up, just call the Kirksville Salvation Army or message them on their Facebook page. You’ll be given the name of a child 16 or under to buy for — and the Kirksville fire department will hand out the toys.

An 88 year old man suffered moderate injuries in Marion county when some farm animals hit a four-wheel ATV he was driving. The 4-wheeler overturned and threw the man off. The State Patrol says that Franklin Tuley was taken to University hospital. The wreck happened on a farm on Hwy 168.

Donations are mounting-up for a Missouri man who was wrongfully convicted of killing three people.

Kevin Strickland got out of prison after a judge said he is innocent. The GoFundMe page to benefit Strickland has raised more than $430,000.

Strickland is 62, and he’s not getting any money from the state because state law only allows payments for people who are cleared by DNA evidence. Strickland has always maintained that he was home watching television and had nothing to do with the killings, which happened when he was 18 years old. Evidence used against him was completely debunked.