Here are a list of postponements and cancellations for Tuesday, January 16th due to the cold weather, low wind chill temperatures that are anticipated.

–Geary USD 475 Schools will be closed on Tuesday.

–Saint Xavier Catholic School will be closed on Tuesday.

–USD 383 Manhattan – Ogden Schools and Manhattan Catholic schools are closed on Tuesday.

–Cloud County Community College campuses in Geary County and Concordia will delay their start time on Tuesday until 10 a.m.

–Wamego no school

–Rock Creek no school

–USD 379 Clay County schools will be closed.

–USD 481 Rural Vista schools will be closed.

–USD 435 Abilene schools will be closed on Tuesday

–USD 473 Chapman schools are going to be closed on Tuesday

–USD 487 Herington schools will not be in session Tuesday because of severe wind chills that will continue throughout the day. There will also be a delayed 10 a.m. start time on Wednesday, January 17th.

–USD 305 Salina Schools will be closed on Tuesday.

–Immanuel Lutheran Early Childhood Center in Junction City will be closed on Tuesday.

–Riley County USD 378 will not be in session on Tuesday

Dr. Marche Fleming-Randle said Monday that Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. had the dream to dream, had the education and skills, knowledge and ability to move the nation forward.

During the Martin Luther King Jr. celebration in Junction City, Fleming-Randle. the Vice President of Diversity and Community Management at Wichita State University stated every step toward the goal of justice requires three S’s….sacrifice, suffering and struggle. She asked the audience at the C.L. Hoover Opera House if they were willing to do those things to move the country forward. “Can I count on you this morning to keep the dream alive for Dr. King. I challenge you to truly be a change agent.”

Fleming-Randle has local ties after arriving to live in Junction City in 1986 with her father who was a member of the military, said, “We all need to realize that all hands must be on deck to get progress going.” She also outlined 10 best practices to keep the dream alive in 2018. They included: Use the ballots, love your enemies, rediscover your lost values, be true to yourself and others, surround yourself with greatness, recommit yourself to Martin Luther King Jr.’s dream every day, be part of the solution and not the problem, get involved with your community, education is your civil right so continue to learn and participate in education, and when something is not right you have the moral obligation to speak up.

Fleming-Randle told the audience do not let Dr. King’s sacrifice go to waste. She received a standing ovation at the conclusion of her remarks.

The observance also included the presentation of the Coretta Scott-King Courage Award to Delilah Hamilton of Junction City,  musical performances by the Geary County Children’s Choir, members of the 1st Infantry Division Jazz Band and the Michael T. Brown MLK Ensemble and then concluded with members of the community braving the frigid temperatures to do a one square block march through downtown Junction City.

 

 

Unity was the central theme for the Martin Luther King Jr. observance Sunday in Junction City.

Reverend Dr. Larry Jones spoke to a gathering of community members at the Second Missionary Baptist Church at the two-day Martin Luther King Jr. observance began in Junction City. “We have to know that if we’re going to win, if we’re going to succeed, if we’re going to move forward we have to do it in unity. Martin Luther would say his message wasn’t about a particular treaty, wasn’t about a particular race but his message was for everybody. His message was that he wanted everybody to be treated the same.”

Numerous choirs and groups participated in a gospel tribute and celebration as part of the event. Coordinator Daphne Maxwell reported that they included Royal Priesthood and Sanctuary Choir from New Church of the Living God, the Second Missionary Baptist Church men’s choir, Ward Chapel AME Church, Dr. Virginia Hines from Bethel AME from Manhattan, dance ministries from Morris Gospel Service at Fort Riley and New Church of the Living God in Junction City, and Michael T. Brown MLK Ensemble.

Maxwell estimated approximately 200 people attended the observance.

The annual Martin Luther King Jr. celebration in Junction City on Monday is scheduled at the C.L. Hoover Opera House. The keynote speaker will be Dr. Marche Fleming-Randle, who is from Junction CIty and is now the Vice President For Diversity and Community Engagement at Wichita State University.

There have been several admissions related to the flu at Geary Community Hospital, and the emergency room and lab are seeing a number of influenza patients. That information was provided by the hospital’s Chief Nursing Officer, Dawn Engel. “Just up to January 9th of the flu swabs we did do we had a 46% positive rate. That’s just on the swabs we did, not on the patients that were actually sick.”

Engel believes the flu cases are up from past years and it hit about two months earlier than in past years. “It usually spikes for us about February, but we had a really high spike in December that’s not usual.” Engel also thinks that could possibly happen again in mid-February.

To prevent the flu Engel said the first thing to do is get a flu shot. “The flu shot may not prevent you from getting the flu, but maybe it will lessen the symptoms. Other things are to avoid close contact with people that are sick. If you’re sick stay home. If you think that it’s the flu and you have a fever stay home at least 24 hours after that fever is gone. ” Other tips include covering your mouth and nose when you cough and sneeze, wash your hands with soap and water or hand sanitizer, and avoid touching your face and nose. Be sure to keep everything clean and disinfected on surfaces.

The Martin Luther King Jr. celebration will be spread over two days in Junction City.

On Sunday the MLK observances will include a Gospel Tribute and Musical Celebration at 3:30 p.m. at the Second Missionary Baptist Church at 701 West 10th Street. The program will feature area choirs and music groups. The guest speaker will be Larry Jones, pastor of Second Missionary Baptist Church. “A Man with a Message” is the theme for the 2018 celebration.

At 10 a.m. Monday the MLK Celebration will be held at the C.L. Hoover Opera House. Dr. marche Fleming-Randle will be the keynote speaker. She is the first female African American Vice President for Diversity and Community Engagement at Wichita State University. Fleming – Randle has military roots in Junction City and is author and motivational speaker.

At the celebration there will be presentations for the local Coretta Scott King Courage Award and Martin Luther King jr. Scholarship. Special music will be provided by the Geary County Children’s Choir and the Mike Brown Ensemble. The program will conclude with a community walk. All of the activities are open to the public, and admission is free.

Posted by USD 475 Communications Department via the school district’s connectED

USD 475 announced on December 20, 2017, that Jackie Bender, from Sheridan Elementary, and  Jennifer Brown, from Junction City Middle School, would be the USD 475 nominees for Kansas Teacher of the Year. Each school district is given the opportunity to nominate one elementary classroom teacher and one secondary classroom teacher for Kansas Teacher of the Year from within the district. These nominees must be a full-time classroom teacher in any state-approved or accredited school in USD 475, pre-kindergarten through grade twelve, who is planning to continue in an active teaching status.  Jackie and Jennifer were chosen by a panel of previous Kansas Teacher of the Year nominees from the school district to represent USD 475 for the 2019 school year.

Jackie Bender has been with USD 475 for three years teaching first grade at Sheridan Elementary. She is originally from upstate New York. She studied early childhood education at Niagara University and then earned her Master’s in Education with a concentration in literacy from City University of Seattle. Jackie is certified in Early Childhood Education, Early-Late Childhood Generalist, and English to Speakers of Other Languages. Her journey includes teaching pre-k, first and second grades in the states of New York, Washington, North Carolina, and Kansas.

“I love teaching at USD 475 for so many reasons.  Most important are the kids, families and my co-workers who all help create a positive, exciting, and energetic environment for the kids to learn in.  The diversity in our district is really unique and the different backgrounds our kids come from really contribute to their learning. The support we receive from the community and district is tremendous.  There is an abundance of professional and personal development opportunities.  My recent involvement in Girls on the Run was a perfect mix of being a role model for students while being able to do something I really love, which is running.” – Jackie Bender

 

Jennifer Brown has been with USD 475 for eight years. She teaches Language Arts at Junction City Middle School. She began teaching in the inner-city of Cleveland in 2002 as part of a school-based masters program. After moving to Kansas for her husband’s job, she began teaching in the district in 2007.

“I love teaching in 475 because of the people. In every position I’ve had, I’ve always been surrounded by amazing colleagues, great administrators, and fantastic kids. It really is the best place to work, learn, and grow.” – Jennifer Brown

There will be an adjustment for the annual United Way campaigns in Geary County going forward in the future.

United Way Director Nicole Mahder said when she was first hired in 2016 she agreed to take the position on a part-time basis. “With being part-time we’re finding that it’s going to be a little bit better for us to run the campaign from August until the first part of June. That way if it’s not convenient for them ( a business ) to do an internal campaign in October or November, maybe it’s more convenient for them to do a workplace campaign in February or March.”

Mahder added they want to try and work with the community and their supporters. and that will allow them to accommodate those supporters and agencies.

Fundraising for the current United Way campaign will continue until June.

The overnight and morning snow and ice in Geary County led to multiple cancellation, but fortunately no serious injury accidents on roadways in the county.

Sheriff Tony Wolf stated when Fort Riley decided to go with nonessential personnel and USD 475 closing that helped. “That took a lot of traffic off the roadway and made things a lot easier for us to deal with this morning.”

The sheriff confirmed there were a few vehicle slide-offs on roads and one non-injury accident on K-57 in the southeast part of the county. He noted there still could be some slick spots so motorists should use caution as they travel home.

 

Fort Riley has begun to operate with minimal manning and limited services today. Units and services supporting 1st Infantry Division training are considered mission essential. The announcement was made on the Fort Riley Facebook page. If you have questions contact your supervisor.

 

 

 

Geary USD 475 has cancelled school on Thursday.

The district had been on a two-hour delay but officials have now decided to cancel school for the day. That USD 475   schools in Junction City, Fort Riley, Grandview Plaza and Milford. That also includes cancellation of the Boys and Girls Club.

–No school for Chapman USD 473 on Thursday

–St. Xavier Catholic School in Junction City is closed today

–The Immanuel Lutheran Early Childhood Center is closed on Thursday.

–No school for Manhattan – Ogden USD 383 and Manhattan Catholic Schools on Thursday

–The Cloud County Community College Geary County campus will have a delayed start Thursday. They will open at 10 a.m. and the open enrollment scheduled for today will begin at 11 a.m.

–Clay County USD 379 schools will be closed Thursday

–Rural Vista USD 481 will be closed Thursday.

–Wamego Schools USD 320  will be closed Thursday.

–Rock Creek USD 323 cancelled

–Riley County USD 378 cancelled

–Blue Valley Randolph USD 384 cancelled

–Marysville USD 364 no school on Thursday

–Neighborhood Learning Center in Junction City is on a three-hour delay

–Concordia USD 333 is on a two-hour delay

–Salina USD 305 Schools are closed on Thursday.

–The Eisenhower Presidential Library will be closed for the day.

–The Geary County Senior Center is closed for the day.

–The Fort Riley Thrift Shop will be closed today.

–The Kansas Department of Wildlife, Parks and Tourism Commission meeting that is scheduled today at the Milford Lake Conference Center will have a delayed starting time. Instead of 1 p.m. that meeting will begin at 2:30 p.m.

–The Community Connections scheduled at JC Naz Church at noon on Thursday has been cancelled.

–Sunset Zoo in Manhattan is closed today.

–The Military Affairs Council meeting scheduled Thursday in Junction City has been cancelled.

–The Metropolitan Planning Commission scheduled Thursday evening at the Junction City Municipal Building has been rescheduled from 7 p.m to 5:15 p.m.

KANSAS CITY, KAN. – A Junction City woman was indicted Wednesday on charges of producing child pornography, U.S. Attorney Tom Beall said.

Kayla Michelle Simpson, 22, Junction City, Kan., is charged with one count of using a child to produce child pornography and one count of violating the conditions imposed on a registered sex offender. The crime is alleged to have occurred in July 2016 in Junction City.

The indictment alleges that Simpson, who was registered sex offender, enticed a 16-year-old victim to engage in sexual activity for the purpose of producing child pornography.

If convicted, Simpson faces a penalty of not less than 15 years and not more than 30 years in federal prison on the production charge, and up to 10 years and a fine up to $250,000 on the sex offender charge. The FBI investigated. Assistant U.S. Attorney Christine Kenney is prosecuting.

In all cases, defendants are presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty. The indictments merely contain allegations of criminal conduct.

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Jim Cross

Public information officer for U.S. Attorney Tom Beall in the District of Kansas