Featured – Page 158

Friends of Animals Pet Fair and Walk for Life, Saturday May 6th

Posted on May 4, 2017May 3, 2017

The Friends of Animals will host a Pet Fair and Walk for Life on Saturday, May 6th.

The event will be held at the Geary County/4H Senior Citizens Center at 1025 S. Spring Valley Rd. in Junction City.

Admission is $2 per person, children under 5 are free. The admission cost includes lunch.

Events begin at 9:00 and last until 1:30 pm including:

Low Cost Vaccination Clinic by the Animal Care Clinic, 9:00 am – 1:00 pm, Shots $10, heartworm test $15, Microchip $25
Walk for Life on Rescue Road, 9:00 am – 10:30 am, $15 fee includes a goody bag
Vendor booths, 9:00 am – 1:30 pm (something for entire family, and pets to enjoy)
Silent Auction, 9:00 am – 1:00 pm
Raffles and Games, 9:00 am – 1:30 pm
Selfie Booth, 9:00 am – 1:30 pm, FREE
Kentucky Derby Friends of Animals Style, 11:00 am, $2 Entry fee (line up pets in side by side lanes with owners on opposite end cheering their pet to victory)
Pooch Pie Eating Contest, 11:30 am, $2 entry fee (fastest pie eater wins)
Big Splash – Sheriff Tony Wolf, 11:30 am – 1:30 pm, 3 shots for $5 Sure shots, $20 (dunk tank)
Tennis Ball Lottery, 12:00 pm, $5 per ball, 3 balls for $10 (every ball is a winner)

All of the proceeds will benefit homeless, neglected and abused animals.

For more information contact Sally Mayes at 238-8751.

All-American Rejects, Eli Young Band to perform at Victory Fest

Posted on May 3, 2017

Eli Young Band and All-American Rejects are amongst the headline performers for Victory Fest 2017.

The event will be held on Saturday, August 19th at the Marshall Army Airfield on Fort Riley.

David Roudybush, MWR Director at Fort Riley, said that Victory Fest will be an all day festival on August 19th.

“We’ll start off the day with some family friendly events as well as a car and bike show; but we will have some different things out there like henna tattoos, hair braiding, some carnival games,” said Roudybush. “Then we’ll sort of shift into some local bands and then we’ll get into some large name recognized entertainment that will go throughout the rest of the evening, and then we’ll cap off the celebration with a fireworks show.”

Other acts performing on the main stage include The Charlie Daniels Band and Lit. Local artists and the USO Troupe will perform on a second stage.

Tickets for DOD ID card holders, students and Veterans are $25 in advance and $35 at the gate; non-Affiliated civilians are $35 in advance, $45 at the gate. Children 5 to 12 are $10 with an adult ticket purchase, children under 4 are free.

There is a family and friends rate for 4 tickets via advanced purchase only for $80 for DOD ID card holders, students and Veterans; the same package is available for civilians for $120.

Volunteers, sponsors and additional vendors are needed; for more information contact:

Volunteers: 239-4920
Corporate Sponsors: 239-3733
Vendors: 239-5771

For more information visit https://www.facebook.com/rileymwr/.

Plans to tear down 6th Street McDonald’s and begin work on new structure to begin this Summer

Posted on May 3, 2017May 3, 2017

Plans to build a new McDonald’s to the west of its current location on 6th Street in Junction City will impact the traffic flow through the alleyway behind the current restaurant.

David Yearout, Junction City/Geary County Planning and Zoning Administrator, provided the final details on the project to City Commissioners at their meeting on May 2nd.

“The existing building will be torn down and raised to the ground; a brand new building will be built effectively, immediately to the west of that current location,” said Yearout. “Parking will be reconfigured, traffic patterns will be reconfigured, the drive up lanes for ordering through their order boxes will be reconfigured, all of that will be significantly adjusted from how that currently exists.”

The alleyway behind the restaurant will also be closed to thru-traffic. Yearout noted that McDonald’s cited safety reasons for wanting to block the portion of the alley that sits behind the restaurant.

“As it’s planned in the current layout, no one will be able to drive straight through from either direction on the current alignment of the alley,” said Yearout. “Probably the biggest impact is going to be on the fact that currently City trash service does move down that alley to pick up trash service, well now it will change the pattern in which they will be driving through that area.”

City Public Works Director Ray Ibarra noted that they will adjust according to the change, and saw no reason to worry.

The changes may take some time for the community to adjust to, but City Commissioner Pat Landes said that it is welcomed and needed.

“There used to be a lot of accidents between 6th and 7th Street on both ends of that McDonald’s, and by creating only one access point at the top of 6th Street that should simplify things considerably and hopefully increase the safety in that area,” said Landes. “It’s also something we need to celebrate that a business wants to expand in Junction City.”

Landes comments were via telephone at the May 2nd Commission meeting.

Plans to tear down the existing location on 6th Street and begin work on the new structure are expected to begin this summer.

Veterans Parking Spaces to be unveiled Thursday

Posted on May 3, 2017

photo courtesy Howard County Chamber of Commerce, Columbia, MO (sample of potential sign)

New Veterans parking spaces will be unveiled this week in Junction City.

Mayor Phyllis Fitzgerald said there will be four signs placed in City-owned parking lots.

“We’re going to put two of them in the parking lot that’s at the corner of 6th and Washington – as a reference point, the Little Caesar’s parking lot area – and then one north of our Municipal building here in our City parking lot, and also one out at Rathert Field,” said Fitzgerald.

A small ceremony for the unveiling of the signs will take place on Thursday.

“We’re expecting the Garrison Commander from Fort Riley to be attendance; I’ve invited the VFW, the Legion, and really all community members that want to come out and be a part of that small token of our appreciation for our Veterans,” said Fitzgerald.

The ceremony will begin at 1:00 at the City lot on the corner of 6th St. and Washington St. in Junction City.

The public is invited to attend.

Celebrity basketball game and block party to bring big names to Junction City

Posted on May 2, 2017May 3, 2017

Terrell Owens, Allen Iverson, Sam Riddle, Travis Kelce – these are just a few of the big name celebrities that will be on Fort Riley this June.

They are all coming as part of a My Mil Deals fundraiser for the Fort Riley MWR – which includes a celebrity basketball game to feature the All Army basketball team and block party event in Junction City.

My Mil Deals representative Chris Dorm attended the City Commission meeting, where commissioners ultimately gave approval to Coyote’s Saloon to host a 7th Street block party in conjunction with the event. The event required City approval in the form of a Special Event Permit to sell alcoholic beverages at beer tents within the block party.

“The event would start at 7:00 pm, Sam Riddle would go on at 10:00 pm and we’d have a couple of other things going on,” said Dorm.

The 7th Street block party would serve as the official after party concert of the celebrity basketball game. Some of the celebrities participating in the game include Sam Riddle, Allen Iverson and Terrell Owens, as well as a former Lady Vol basketball player turned Victoria’s Secret model. The Kansas City Chiefs are also sending a group of players to include Travis Kelce, to support the celebrity basketball game and attend the after party festivities, according to Dorm.

Other details for the block party event are still being worked out.

“We’re looking at the event being here, to keep soldiers here,” said Dorm. “[One thing] we are actually looking to do, with [Junction City] being so close to the base is hire some type of shuttle service…for young soldiers, if we made it easier with a shuttle bus that’s running on a constant basis getting them on and off post – it would get more people coming out and it can cut down on the possible DUIs.”

According to Dorm, the block party will be billed as a full concert with tickets to go on sale for $10. The basketball game will be held in Manhattan.

One hundred percent of the proceeds from the game, block party and other festivities will be donated to the MWR.

An official announcement on the block party, celebrity basketball game and other activities planned for the weekend of June 2nd is scheduled for Thursday, June 4th.

Check back with JC Post for updates.

Officials eyeing reduction in staffing, amongst other options “in order to stay solvent”

Posted on May 2, 2017May 2, 2017

Geary Community Hospital CEO Dr. Joseph Stratton

The County-owned Geary Community Hospital (GCH) is operating at a fairly “even keel” at this time.

Ben Bennett, County Commissioner, reported during a weekly Commission meeting that the hospital was struggling.

“We’re going to have to make some cuts and some of our expenditures,” said Bennett. “We are looking at the fact that we may have to do a reduction in staffing – and nobody really wants that, but we may have to do it in order to stay solvent in the near future.”

JC Post contacted Geary Community Hospital CEO Dr. Joseph Stratton for his comments on the issue; while Stratton didn’t disagree with the Commissioner, he made clear that there is no formal plan to reduce staffing at this time.

“I think when we look at this year’s budget, we’re going to continue to cut costs where we can within reason and better control expenses – that could have anything to do with medical supplies, any travel and education and other supply costs; of course you have to look at the personnel side of things as well,” said Stratton. “We have no formal plan at this time to do a reduction of force or layoffs; before we’d get to that [point] we’d try to do whatever we could through attrition with employees through retirement and maybe not filling positions here and there.”

Earlier indications from the Hospital have been that there could be reductions in costs such as supplies; Stratton noted that every proposal/solution is on the table for discussion.

“Some of these things are kind of slow moving and things that we’ve been working on in terms of better controlling our supply cost and looking at our contracts that we have with the companies that are payers through insurance companies – whether it’s Aetna or Blue Cross and Blue Shield – and examining what we’re getting paid and maybe renegotiating some of those agreements,” said Stratton.

It was reported last month, that GCH was losing approximately $1 million annually due to the lack of Medicaid expansion. Bennett, has been vocal in recent months about the problems the local hospital faces.

No final actions have been taken at Geary Community Hospital at this point.

Jared Morris – Next Band Director at JCHS

Posted on May 2, 2017May 2, 2017

Jared Morris has been introduced to JC Post as the next band director at Junction City High School. He will succeed T. J. Taylor, who is retiring following the current school year.

Morris is originally from Utah, where he taught a high school band program at Timpanogos in Orem, Utah for seven years. The past two years he has been working on a Master’s degree in music education in Cincinnati. “And my wife has been working on a doctorate in oboe performance, also at the University of Cincinnati. She was just recently hired to be the oboe and music theory professor at Kansas State. When she got that job then I started looking for work in this area, and was thrilled to find out about the Junction City High School position.”

Morris will begin directing the JCHS Marching Band during the Sundown Salute parade in July. “We’ll do band camp and leadership camp in July. Of course when the school year starts we’ll be doing marching band.”

T.J. Taylor is retiring after 36 years in music education.

Teaching is the Most Honorable Profession Today

Posted on May 1, 2017May 1, 2017

Shante Moore speaking during the Celebration of Teaching Banquet

Shante Moore returned to Junction City 25 years after his high school graduation.

The U.S. State Department diplomat graduated from Junction City High School in 1992, and Monday evening served as the keynote speaker for the Celebration of Teaching banquet at the Courtyard by Marriott Convention Center.

Moore told an audience of USD 475 educators that teaching is the most honorable profession there is today. “The influence of teachers have in shaping our minds, dreams, aspirations and behavior of young people is profound and important.”

Moore credited his teachers for their efforts including the importance of grammar and writing, which is a skill he uses extensively with his job in the State Department. “And that’s been important because what I do in the State Department is we write and we write a lot. That’s part of my job. I go out, I meet with other people in other countries and I am supposed to report back to Washington about my conversations on what’s going on in the country.”

Moore remembered his days growing up in Junction City and his first paying job working at Alco where he worked from 1990 to 1996. ” If you ever had to pick up peat moss or lava rock or just remember a guy working in the garden center that was probably me.”

This was the 13th annual Celebration of Teaching Banquet hosted by the Geary Community Schools Foundation. A number of scholarships were presented to educators. They included:

–The Devin Family Memorial Teacher Scholarship to Erin Lopez

–Ron Shandy Memorial Teacher Scholarship to Tiffany Rene’ Stephens

–Geary Community Schools Foundation Teacher / Para Educator Scholarships to Sara Devine, Jennifer Farr, Erica Howard, Roseanne Mizell, Shanae Porter, Ruth Stephenson, Courtney Youngers, Kaci Wells, Emily Warren, and Heather Boland.

‘The Gatsby’, JCHS Prom 2017

Posted on May 1, 2017May 1, 2017

Prom at Junction City High School is this Saturday, at the Courtyard by Marriott in Junction City.

This year’s theme – The Gatsby.

Kate Harmison, JCHS Activities Coordinator and Freshman Success Academy Assistant Principal, said the students and sponsors are excited to have the prom at the Marriott.

“They have tried to alternate every two years between having it on post, and then having it at the Marriott,” said Harmison. “We had [prom] on post for the last two years, so we decided to bring it back to the Marriott in town; [we are] hoping to increase our numbers and obviously get the public a little more involved.”

Ahead of the prom on Saturday, there will be a public viewing from 6:00 pm to 7:00 pm for parents and others to see the hard work the students put into the Gatsby theme.

“The Junior Class had to do a lot of fundraising, we tried to keep the price down as much as possible and the Marriott has been willing to work with us; but the students in the Junior Class did all of the fundraising for the prom,” said Harmison.

The decor will be primarily black and gold, with a sophisticated feel in trying to stay true to the “Gatsby” theme.

“The Junior Class and it’s sponsors worked really hard to do this for our students, and it’s all fundraised money that the students have raised,” said Harmison. “We appreciate the community’s support for [the Juniors] to do this for their peers.”

Junior Class sponsors include Roxanne Whaley and Barbara Savant.

The prom is from 8:00 pm until 11:30 pm on Saturday, May 6 at the Courtyard by Marriott in Junction City.

KSU Officials Watching the Legislature

Posted on May 1, 2017May 1, 2017

Could there be a reversal of some previous budget cuts and the possibility of a two-percent faculty and staff pay raise at K-State.

The wrapup session of the Kansas legislature begins today ( Monday ).

At K-State the University President Richard Myers noted some thought has been given to restoring some previous cuts and giving faculty a two-percent raise. “But we don’t know if any of that is going to come true. When they ( Legislature ) come back we’ll hear how it goes. And they’re going to have to have some kind of…apparently…a tax package because tax revenue projections are not going to meet the budget expectations.”

Myers added remains optimistic. “I think the legislators in Topeka want to do the right thing in terms of higher education. They realize the importance of higher education to the state to the region. This is kind of what fuels our state in many ways, all this talent. So I think they’re going to do the right thing.”