NORTHWEST MISSOURIAN THURSDAY, JANUARY 28, 2021
MARYVILLE, MISSOURI
NWMISSOURINEWS.COM
VOL. 109, NO. 18
@THEMISSOURIAN
RACHEL ADAMSON | NW MISSOURIAN
Linda Kirsch receives her first dose of the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine Jan. 26 at the mass vaccination clinic in the Carl and Cheryl Hughes Fieldhouse. Mosaic Medical Center - Maryville, the Nodaway County Health Department and the University partnered to host the event where close to 700 people were vaccinated.
700 residents receive COVID vaccine MADELINE MAPES Assistant News Editor | @MadelineDMapes
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he first of many coronavirus vaccines have been administered to Phase 1A qualifiers of the Missouri COVID-19 vaccine availability plan in Nodaway County. Nodaway County Health Department Administrator Tom Patterson delved into what the vaccine means for Nodaway County and the University. Patterson said as of Jan. 8, the NCHD had administered 100 vaccines to patient-facing healthcare workers and long-term care facility residents and staff. In addition, as of Jan. 5, 215 caregivers at Mosaic Medical Center Maryville have received the vaccine, according to the hospital’s Community Relations Manager Rita Miller. More vaccinations are scheduled for this week including some second doses. Although the administration of COVID-19 vaccines is a glimmer of light at the seemingly never ending tunnel that is the pandemic, Patterson said the vaccine’s work will most likely not reflect in the number of cases until a few weeks after peo-
TRACKING COVID-19: NEW DAILY CASES IN COUNTY DURING JANUARY 15 cases New cases Seven-day average 10
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ple start receiving their second dose. According to the Nodaway County COVID-19 Data dashboard, as of Jan. 12, the seven-day rolling average is seven cases, which is part of a small decrease in cases since Jan. 6, with 17 cases. As of Jan. 12, there are 76 cases in Nodaway County. Patterson said this small decrease does not reflect any changes made by the administration of the vaccine to Phase 1a of the first tier. “We are asking people to be pa-
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tient and keep an eye on or listen to local news,” Patterson said. He suggested keeping up with local news outlets for vaccine availability and noted that the tier system for administering vaccines is controlled by the state and federal governments. According to a Springfield News-Leader article, most of the general public will not begin to receive the first does of coronavirus vaccines for at least a few months. The article stated that the
New ag building sets sight on June opening Northwest’s new agriculture building is scheduled to be finished in early June. The 29,000 square-foot building will hold two classrooms, five laboratories, a processing kitchen, offices and an exposition. Director of the School of Agricultural Sciences Rod Barr said the facility will be called the “Agricultural Learning Center,” but the laboratories have been named after donors of the project. Barr said getting to this point has been a bit of a long journey.
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state’s health director, Dr. Randall Williams said most people should 0 hopefully be able to be vaccinated by July of this year. Vice President of Student Affairs Matt Baker said 14 Northwest employees, including Wellness Services workers and athletic trainers, have been vaccinated. Later this week Northwest is expecting to receive further plans from the state regarding the distribution of vaccines to help the University begin
SEE COVID-19 | A4
City extends mask mandate, plans for new water plant KENDRICK CALFEE News Editor | @calfee_kc
ADDALYNN BRADBURY | NW MISSOURIAN WESLEY MILLER News Reporter | @wesleymiller360
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to structure its own plans to vaccinate staff and students. “We’re beginning to plan, but there are a lot of unknowns right now,” Baker said. Baker noted that Wellness Services is still waiting to hear from the state if they can be an administrator of vaccines. He said the University has begun discussions on who the first people to receive vaccines would be if Wellness Services is approved to administer them. Baker explained that this new plan, which the University hopes to receive this week, will include guidelines that are different from the current ones the state has laid out for whom to administer the vaccine to first. Baker noted that Wellness Services is still waiting to hear from the state if they can be an administrator of vaccines. He said the University has begun discussions on who the first people to receive vaccines would be if Wellness Services is approved to administer them.
Kyle Vulgamott cuts through a beam of steel during construction at the new Agriculture Learning Center. The University broke ground on the new building last spring with hopes it will be completed by June 2021.
The original idea for the facility was made over 30 years ago. Thirteen years ago, the University started looking at other facilities, such as the Litton Center in Chillicothe, Missouri, for inspiration. Just a few years after that, Barr said decision-makers at Northwest’s School of Agriculture were asked by the Northwest provost at that time, Doug Durham, what their biggest need was and the answer was “academic space at the farm.” Last spring, the University offi-
cially broke ground on the project. Now, construction for the center is well underway, and in just over five months, it will be completed The building cost $11.4 million to construct, but thanks to funding from the University, Missouri state legislature and funding from the Northwest Foundation, including a $500,000 donation from Northwest Foundation Board of Directors member John Cline, it will be covered.
SEE AGRICULTURE | A4
The first ordinance Maryville’s City Council passed in 2021 was an intent to build a new water treatment plant — the second to extend the local face covering mandate until 11:59 p.m. April 30. The City Council was split on opinions to extend the mask mandate this time, and the vote resulted in a 3-2 decision with councilman Jason McDowell and Mayor Ben Lipiec voting no. A public hearing regarding the face covering ordinance preceded the Jan. 25 meeting, where fewer people wanted to talk than previous meetings where a public hearing was not an option. Citizens were given two minutes to speak on the subject. Four people spoke up.
Thirty minutes later, after a presentation from HDR Engineering on water treatment alternatives, City Manager Greg McDanel read opinions from local health offi cials. Mosaic Medical Center - Maryville, Northwest and others all supported an extension of requiring face coverings. At the meeting, the City Council heard from Tom Patterson, the director of Nodaway County’s health department. COVID-19 “We’re focused on vaccines now. We’re not going backwards,” Patterson said. “We’re not asking anybody to do anything more; we’re just asking everyone to hold on a little longer.”
SEE CITY COUNCIL | A4
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