The Dickinson County Sheriff’s Department has reported the arrest of 22 year old Austin Michael Johnson, Abilene on December 20th on drug related allegations.

According to Sheriff Gareth Hoffman members of the Dickinson County Sheriff’s Department Drug Enforcement Unit, Kansas State Parole Officer’s, Dickinson County Sheriff’s Deputies and members of the Abilene Police Department executed a search warrant for a residence at 301 opal Road lot 20, Red Rock Trailer Court, Abilene on the 20th.

The results of the search warrant led to the arrest of Johnson on suspicion of felony count of Possession of Methamphetamine, Possession of Marijuana, Possession of Drug Paraphernalia, on misdemeanor counts of Possession of Drug Paraphernalia, Endangering a Child and a Parole violation.

During the search of the residence, law enforcement officers seized methamphetamine and marijuana along with drug paraphernalia. Prior to conducting the search warrant there was a child present in the residence.

The case is ongoing and further arrests are possible.

State Representative Dave Baker, Council Grove, confirms for JCPost.com he will seek reelection to a two-year term in the Kansas House of Representatives.

“When I first ran for office I had several goals. And we’ve got some of those accomplished, and we’re still working on several more. ”

Baker expects the school finance issue to dominate in the early part of the upcoming 2018 legislative session.

Baker represents the 68th District in the Kansas House. That district includes Morris and Chase counties,  part of Junction City and Geary County, and the city of Herington in Dickinson County.

The Junction City Fire Department has put the damage estimate from a garage fire on Sunday, Dec. 24 at $50,000.

No one was home at the attached residence at the 1305 West 9th Street location at the time of the fire. There were no injuries.

According to Fire Chief Terry Johnson when firefighters arrived on the scene they were faced with heavy smoke and fire showing out of the eaves of a detached garage. One line was placed between the house and the garage to protect the exposure and one was taken to the back for entry. Another crew used a rescue saw to cut into the garage door for access.

The fire investigator for the Fire Department said the fire’s ignition source was undetermined.

There will be a Sundown Salute Kickoff Party in Junction City on Saturday, January 27. It is scheduled at the Geary County Convention Center at 310 Hammons Drive.

The cost to attend will be $40 person or $300 per table. Funds raised will support the 2018 Sundown Salute celebration.

There will be cocktails with a cash bar from 5:30 – 6 p.m., dinner from 6:15 to 7:15 p.m. and there will be entertainment with “Dueling Pianos” beginning at 7:45 p.m.

For tickets contact Michelle Stimatze at 785-307-1476, Kim Roberts 785-223-3308 and Janie Murk at 785-341-5181.

State Representative Lonnie Clark says one issue facing the legislature when they return to work in Topeka next month will be the need to address the “adequate funding” of education in Kansas.

According to Club President Ferrell Miller, Clark reported that $600 million would most likely fund both the equity and adequacy issues the State Supreme Court has directed the legislature to improve. Clark stated, “This would amount to about 38 – 38% of the State’s budget and would have an impact on other agencies to accomplish.”

State revenues are up during this fourth quarter of the year. Clark added that he expects cigarette and gasoline taxes to rise because those are some of the only things left to help pay for education. “It is not going to be easy for a number of years to get us out of a deep hole. We need time.”

Clark also intends to meet every two weeks with a representative from the Kansas Department of Health and Environment to try to find a way to control the blue green algae at Milford Lake in particular. “Algae has been with us for years and you never get rid of all of it, but there has to be a way of controlling it.” Clark said that he hopes by working with others, controlling the algae can be accomplished.

The Geary County Sheriff’s Department has reported the arrest of four people at 3:22 a.m. Wednesday on I-70 at mile marker 310 in the eastern part of the county.

Deputies arrested Trevon J. Lamb, Kansas City, MO on suspicion of Speeding, Possession of Marijuana, Possession of Drug Paraphernalia and Drug Proceeds.  Gariel M. Munoz, Bergen, New Jersey, Justin W. I. Walker, Gladstone, MO, and Michael A. Hernandez, Independence, MO all on suspicion of Possession of Marijuana, Possession of Drug Paraphernalia and Drug Proceeds.

DICKINSON COUNTY—  Four people died in an accident just after 10a.m. Tuesday in Dickinson County.

The Kansas Highway Patrol reported a 2001 Dodge Dakota driven by Lisa A. Luft, 47, Kearney, MO. was westbound on Interstate 70

Due to weather conditions the pickup hit the guardrail just east of Solomon.

The pickup traveled 230 feet beside the guardrail and then continued 150 feet on top of the guardrail before falling approximately 25 feet off the bridge. It landed on an embankment next to the railroad tracks below on its top.

Luft and passengers Brianna E. Luft, 20, and Saleena A. Senezee, 18, all of Kearney, MO., were pronounced dead at the scene.

A fourth passenger Aria L. Luft, 14, Kearney, MO., was transported to the hospital in Abilene where she died. The passengers were not wearing seat belts, according to the KHP.

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DICKINSON COUNTY—Just after 10 a.m., the Dickinson County Sheriff’s Department requested assistance from the Kansas Highway Patrol after taking a report of the single vehicle crash westbound near Abilene with multiple fatalities.

According to Trooper Ben Gardner, three people were pronounced dead at the scene and another died at the hospital shortly after.  Multiple families had to be notified so the names haven’t been released yet.

The cause of the accident is also still under investigation.

Trooper Gardner said that the KHP was busy this morning with non-injury “slide-offs” caused by snowfall. Weather is also believed to have played a factor in this morning’s fatality, according to Trooper Gardner.

 

ABILENE, Kan. (AP) — Four people are dead after a one-vehicle accident on Interstate 70 in Dickinson County.

The accident was reported just before 10 a.m. Tuesday in Dickinson County, near Abilene. Names of the victims have not been released.

Kansas Highway Patrol Trooper Ben Gardner says the vehicle went off the roadway and rolled over. The cause of the accident isn’t immediately known but snow was falling Tuesday morning, causing slick roadways in many parts of the state.

Gardner says several vehicles have slid off of roads and highways because of the slick conditions, but no other fatal wrecks were reported.

Water / Ways is a Smithsonian Institution traveling exhibit about the ways water shapes our lives, and it’s coming to the Geary County Historical Society from Jan. 6 to Feb. 18, 2018.

The Water / Ways grand opening will be held Saturday, Jan. 6 at 1:30 p.m. at the Geary County Historical Museum at 530 North Adams. The guest speaker will be Caryn Mirriam-Goldberg, who will talk about “Kansas Weather in Life, Literature and Photography.” There will be a ribbon cutting at 2 p.m.

The exhibit focuses on the numerous relationships between people and water. Photographs, hands-on components and audio and video clips from the Smithsonian Institution explore how water has shaped history and traditions, how it impacts daily life, and what the future holds for water.

This interactive exhibit will be open for free to the public Tuesday through Sunday, 1-4 p.m., from Jan. 6 to Feb. 18. Junction City is one of just seven cities in Kansas selected to host the Smithsonian traveling exhibit.

The museum’s own Submerged exhibit will also open Jan. 6. Submerged dives into the history of water in Geary County, including a mock flood zone with a description of major floods in Geary County and a 20-foot-long historical timeline about the events leading up to the construction of Milford Dam.

Geologist Rex Buchanan will give a free program entitled “Water in Kansas: Past & Present” at the C.L. Hoover Opera House on Jan. 20 at 3 p.m. about the importance of water to Native Americans, early pioneers & Kansans today.

On Feb. 3 at 1:30 p.m., the Milford Nature Center will present a free public program about “Reptiles and Amphibians” at Starcke House at 5th and Adams. Featuring live animals and interactive demonstrations, this kid-friendly program will explore the natural science of aquatic ecosystems.

The Water / Ways Smithsonian exhibition is part of Museum on Main Street, a collaboration between the Smithsonian Institution and the Kansas Humanities Council. Support for Museum on Main Street has been provided by the United States Congress. Water / Ways was adopted from an exhibition organized by the American Museum of Natural History in New York.

For more information about Water / Ways, including how to book a private tour, schedule a program for your community group, or learn how you can help, contact the Geary County Historical Society at 785-238-1666 or email GearyHistory@gmail.com. The museum will be closed from Dec. 23 to Jan. 1 for the holidays. Regular hours resume on Jan. 2.

The subject of blighted property arose when Geary County Commissioners met with area legislators this past week.

Ben Bennett, Chairman, indicated they would like legislators to do something for the counties in the case of blight. “Give us some bite and policing authority. We can cite people who are blighted but we can’t go out and take care of it and charge against their taxation like municipalities can do. So we’re pretty limited in what we do and we’re looking at long court battles.”

Bennett added if blights aren’t cleaned up in the proper amount of time the county wants the ability to charge the clean up bill to their property tax.

In the healthcare industry, particularly at Geary Community Hospital, it is our call of duty to take care of patients and families to promote their well-being. From the friendly face greeting you at the front door to the nurse taking your vitals or the radiologist tech conducting an exam, our giving and nurturing nature is a major part of what we do. Throughout the holiday season at Geary Community Hospital, we proudly go above and beyond that call of duty and give back to those in need within Junction City and Geary County.

 

Every fall GCH participates in the United Way’s annual fundraising campaign with dozens of hospital employees purchasing a United Way t-shirt to wear on Mondays to show their support. Funds donated to the United Way directly impact local agencies whose work supports the community with education, health, income stability and safety net services.

 

Closer to the holidays, GCH conducts its own holiday program, “Operation Care,” a food and warm clothing drive, and also takes part in the Salvation Army’s “Angel Tree – Christmas is for Kids” gift program. Both programs ran through mid-December and they benefit families in need in our community. We were delighted to have the Flint Hills Chapter Harley Owners Group take part this year with major contributions to both programs.

 

This was the 19^th year for “Operation Care” at GCH. Once again, we teamed up with Wheels of HOPE (Helping Other People Eat), a local organization that fights hunger in our community. Throughout the holiday season we collected canned and non-perishable food as well as new and gently used warm clothing. Many GCH employees also choose to donate their own holiday gift from the hospital – a fresh turkey – to help other families have a holiday meal. All of these donations were distributed to the community’s most needy families on Thursday, December 21.

 

GCH also supported the Salvation Army’s “Angel Tree – Christmas Is For Kids” project. For several weeks, the GCH lobby hosted a Christmas tree decorated with many ornaments – each representing a child in need for Christmas. Employees selected ornaments from the tree and shopped for the child’s requested clothes and gifts. The GCH Patient Access team took the gifts to the Salvation Army who will deliver them to each child’s home prior to Christmas Day. This year our GCH employees and the Flint Hills Chapter Harley Owners Group graciously adopted 50 kids making their holiday even brighter.

 

This year the Angel Tree program at GCH met children’s wishes with gifts and Operation Care brought barrels of food items which helped create 80 holiday turkey meals to feed hungry families in our community. We hope to grow donations over the years and continue the strong tradition of giving back to help our neighbors in need during the holidays.

 

Nikki Davies, Director, Marketing and Public Relations