NORTHWEST
MISSOURIAN
THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 16, 2021
MARYVILLE, MISSOURI
NWMISSOURINEWS.COM
VOL. 110, NO. 5
@THEMISSOURIAN
Mandate leaves officials waiting NATHAN ENGLISH Managing Editor | @nathan_3nglish
ADDALYNN BRADBURY | NW MISSOURIAN
Pharmacist Julie Simmerman fills a syringe for a COVID-19 vaccination in Rogers Pharmacy where vaccines are given every Friday. With President Joe Biden’s new vaccine mandate, all employers with over 100 employees must require COVID-19 vaccines for employees or require them to submit to weekly testing.
NEWS BRIEF
Sole suspect dead after 15 day manhunt The man charged with killing Northwest online student Allison Abitz and her daughter Jozee was found dead from a self-inflicted gunshot wound Sept. 8. Authorities say JT McLean shot himself in a stolen truck parked at a motel in Dakota Dunes, South Dakota. Multiple agencies worked to locate McLean, eventually using the navigation device in the stolen truck to find his body. After they found the truck, the Union County, South Dakota, Sheriff’s Office proceeded to use nonlethal measures to initiate a response from McLean, but he did not respond. A drone was then deployed over the vehicle and showed he died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound. The Boone County Prosecutor’s Office confirmed Sept. 15 that the murder charges and case will be dismissed after authorities found McLean, the sole suspect, deceased. In addition to the double homicide of Allison and Jozee Abitz, McLean was a suspect in the
killing of Miller County, Missouri, residents Daniel and Pamela Stephan and stealing their vehicle to flee the state. The Stephans were related to a former wife of McLean, authorities said. At a press conference last week, Boone County Captain Brian Leer said the investigation would continue, and in a Facebook post, the department said it is still collaborating with the Miller County Sheriff’s Office and the Union County, South Dakota, Sheriff’s Office to complete the investigation. Allison Abitz was a Northwest online student pursuing her educational specialist degree. Both Abitz and her daughter were beloved by the Columbia, Missouri, and Fulton, Missouri, communities. A number of tributes and gatherings have been held in their name to honor and remember their impact. As always, students are welcome to use Wellness Services for counseling by contacting 660-562-1348 during regular business hours from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., or contact the University Police Department at 660-5621354 outside of business hours. Faculty and staff can call the University employee assistance program at 800-964-3577.
FULL STORY ONLINE:
NWMISSOURINEWS.COM
ADDALYNN BRADBURY | NW MISSOURIAN
City councilman John McBride speaks out on his opinion with the recent discussion on upgrading new golf cars for Mozingo Lake Recreation Park at its meeting Sept. 13.
President Joe Biden announced a sweeping federal vaccine mandate Sept. 9, which will likely affect many local entities, including Northwest. Under the mandate, all employers with over 100 employees must require COVID-19 vaccines for employees or require them to submit weekly testing. Amanda Cullin, a member of the Crisis Response Team 2, said the team and other officials at the University are consulting with medical and legal experts to determine what exactly this mandate could mean for Northwest. “Right now, it’s a wait and see,” Cullin said of the actions of the team and Northwest officials. Nodaway County Health Department Administrator Tom Patterson echoed Cullin’s statements and said everyone is just waiting for further details. CRT 2 is expecting more information to roll out from the federal and state governments in the next few weeks about the specifics of the mandate. Northwest will also communicate and look at what other local higher education institutions are doing, Cullin said. It’s not known at this time whether the mandate will apply to Northwest’s student employees and its faculty and staff. President of Mosaic - Maryville Nate Blackford compared this mandate to one Biden’s administration issued in August requiring staff at nursing homes to be vaccinated. “They have still not received clear guidance on what that means,” Blackford said of local nursing homes. Mosaic recently completed the first of its three-tiered vaccine mandate Sept. 13, which was the deadline for the first tier of employees, including new hires and contractors. “We’ve had not a whole lot of pushback to that. Certainly, there’s been some, but by-and-large, folks have accepted and understood the importance of it,” Blackford said.
SEE VACCINE | A4
$78,390.68
Total rollover budget prior to the We Gotchya appropriation
$22K Money appropriated to We Gotchya
$56K Funds Student Senate still has to appropriate
MAKAYLA POLAK | NW MISSOURIAN
Senate rolls out plan to allocate surplus KAILEE FORD News Reporter | @kailee_ford
Northwest’s 99th Student Senate created a plan on how to appropriate $78,390.68 in rollover budget funds to campus organizations, and approved the first appropriations at its Sept. 14 meeting. One of the applications for rollover funds was from the campus organization We Gotchya, which provides free menstrual products in women’s bathrooms on campus. Volunteers for the organization and Northwest faculty Jac-
City OK’s measures aimed at improving Mozingo Lake Park
quie Lamer and Carolyn Johnson presented Student Senate with their plan for opening up locked pad and tampon dispensers. The goal of the funds is to remove the payment requirements on the dispensers and unlock them, so they can be regularly stocked with products. We Gotchya’s current funds, according to Lamer, are $12,000, and in order to unlock the 38 dispensers on campus, they requested $20,000 from Senate during its cabinet meeting on Tuesday. Senate raised the appropriations to $22,000 to help them reach QUENTIN MORRIS News Reporter | @TheMissourian
The Maryville City Council voted on several measures aimed toward improving Mozingo Lake Recreation Park at its meeting Sept. 13. The Council passed three ordinances. Two include improving the golf car user experience, and the third includes expanding the RV park. The city passed an ordinance to outsource the expansion of the RV park. The city had already begun expanding the south side of the park, but due to staff shortages, the city outsourced the job. Pope Dirt Work LLC provided a $20,000 quote for the project.
their goal, and the funds were approved by the full Senate. “Our goal is to ensure that students won’t miss class because of a period and that these products are available free of charge,” Lamer said. Treasurer Jenna Lee-Johnson said that an application was created with the help of Assistant Vice President of Student Affairs Kori Hoffmann last Friday. The application is open to campus organizations to request funds from the rollover budget. Lee-Johnson said there is no limit as to how much an organization can request from the rollover budget. Funds could be requested multiple times from the same organization but that it depends on the situation.
SEE SENATE | A4 The expansion is projected to be complete within two weeks. Pope Dirt Work LLC will also be providing the city with a quote to work on the north side of the park. Once the grading has been completed the city will then begin putting in utilities. In May of 2017, the City Council approved a four-year operating lease with the Masek Golf Car Co., which distributes Yamaha vehicles, for the use of 75 golf cars and two utility vehicles; that lease was set to expire next month. Maryville received three new lease offers from Yamaha, M&M Golf Cars LLC and Cushman.
SEE COUNCIL | A4
Northwest Missouri’s oldest and largest independently-owned and operated bank. Maryville Savannah Mound City St. Joseph 660-562-3232 660-442-3131 816-324-3158 816-364-5678 AN INDEPENDENT STUDENT NEWSPAPER SINCE 1914.
Member FDIC PLEASE
RECYCLE