This is homecoming week at Junction City High School.
The royalty candidates conducted a rehearsal Wednesday afternoon at Al Simpler Stadium. The king and queen, plus the princesses and princes will be crowned at halftime of the Junction City – Manhattan football game Friday night at the stadium.
This Friday, October 7th DEL Motors located at 1737 N. Washington Street in Junction City will host a free event for the community.
Super bowl football players will sign autographs and take pictures with fans and community members beginning at 3:30 pm on Friday until 5:00 pm.
Players in attendance include:
Guests will register for a chance to have breakfast Saturday morning with the players at Cracker Barrel in Junction City.
My Mil Deals will provide small footballs and other fan tokens for the pros to sign.
Maintaining strong relationships with legislators and the army is a top priority for city/county officials as they attend the annual Association of the United States Army (AUSA) meeting in Washington, D.C.
“I think one of the most important parts of the trips is always to keep relationships with everybody…and to keep moving forward with a lot of processes that have benefits to Junction City and Fort Riley,” said Allen Dinkel, City manager.
Dinkel cited last year’s visit as an instrumental part in getting the housing numbers reduced on Fort Riley.
“Last year we talked about removing some of the houses on Fort Riley and we feel last year’s visits were very important in moving that process forward; and part of it is we always thank our representatives [at the meetings]…so we want to make sure we thank them but also keep forwarding our needs to them all the time,” said Dinkel.
Junction City Mayor Mick McCallister believes in the power of face to face conversations, and this year his goal is addressing the blue green algae problem that has become a statewide issue.
“One of the biggest issues that we’ve discussed so far today and will continue to discuss tomorrow is the blue green algae…a long term fix needs to be done,” said McCallister.
Officials from Junction City spent much of today meeting with Senator Moran, Senator Roberts, and Representative Pompeo addressing the statewide issue that is blue green algae.
“Some of the issues that we’ve had is testing issues and how it’s tested on Monday and not advertised until Thursday…we’ve asked them to look at and talk to the Corps of Engineers and see if we could get a more timely result so it didn’t affect, or falsely affect our lake condition a week away from the testing,” said McCallister.
Some have criticized the need for city officials to travel as far as Washington, D.C. seeking changes or concerns locally.
Phyllis Fitzgerald, City Commissioner, said that the face to face dialogue shows a deep concern for 
and strength within the local Junction City – Geary County community.
“By coming to Washington, D.C. and doing face to face meetings and also interacting with the military, whether it’s our local representatives or the representatives in Washington, D.C., it’s a continuation of building that partnership, that relationship and together we are all sharing what we all believe are the main issues and needs of our community,” said Fitzgerald.
The AUSA meeting continues through October 5th in Washington, D.C.
JC Post received an update from the city/county officials as they head in to the final day of the annual meeting.
Geary County Sheriff Tony Wolf can eat beef brisket.
He won the brisket eating competition at Cox Brothers Barbecue on East Chestnut Street as that business celebrated five years of business in Junction City this past Saturday.
Wolf said he was asked to participate in the competition. “I went down there and I had it in my mind that you either go big or you go home, so went down and I won the darn thing.” Wolf put away a lot of brisket. “According to their weights and measurement I ate 1.55 pounds in five minutes.”
The sheriff was full after that experience. “I did not eat anything until late Sunday evening. I had a chicken salad sandwich and that was it. I was full, let me tell you.”
Wolf received a prize package for winning the contest, that included among other things two KSU football tickets. He gave the tickets to a pair of Fort Riley soldiers who had also entered the competition.
The Board of Education met last night and one agenda item was of some interest – a steering committee of approximately 50 people will be formed to help gather and provide input to the Geary USD 475 Board of Education on a the possibility of a new Junction City High School.
“That committee will work with the Board in deciding whether or not we want to forward that as a potential interest,” said Associate Superintendent of Schools, Dr. Beth Hudson.
The steering committee will meet on October 13th and 27th, November 17th, December 1st and 15th and January 5th – these meetings are not open to the public.
“We will also be conducting a phone survey/online survey with a market research company that will be giving us a wider swath of the community to understand what their interests are as well…we hope to get that survey started fairly soon as well, so that information can be provided to the steering committee as another way of finding out where the community is,” said the Hugh Davis, Executive Director of Communications USD 475.
Davis explained that during their first meeting, the Steering Committee will be informed about the foreseeable challenges in a new high school.
The Kansas Black Leadership Council set their 2017 legislative platform during a meeting on Saturday at the C. L. Hoover Opera House in Junction City.
Bonita Gooch, Council President, said one initiative on the platform is to get the State of Kansas to ban the box, “which is to eliminate the question on their applications about whether you are a felon or not a felon….to move that back later in the process so people are given an opportunity to at least interview and show themselves.” Gooch added it’s a way to get felons employment opportunities and help the economy.
A second initiative is a move to revise the payday lending regulations in Kansas “so they are not onerous, see if we can get down from 400% average interest maybe even to 200 or 100% interest. ” Governor Brownback will be asked to form a committee to study at how revisions might be made to payday lending regulations in Kansas.
Expansion of medicaid was a third initiative.
The fourth was a program to help grow small businesses. “We say let’s help them by giving them more work and opportunities, and that the State of Kansas would designate some contracts for small Kansas businesses so that they can get better at what they do, get more opportunities and grow them that way instead of just giving them a tax break.”
Gooch said in addition to approving a platform those attending the session wanted to talk about how they move forward. “Because last year we left with a great platform, but not a plan with how to get some of these things done. ” They looked at issues where they felt recently there was an opportunity to get some traction, and how they proceed to get that traction.
Gooch called the session a first step toward many other steps heading toward the legislative session and all of 2017. The legislative session begins in January.
The 2016 Association of the United States Army (AUSA) Annual meeting will take place next week in Washington, D.C.
Local community leaders will travel to the meeting, a decision that many have criticized as invaluable to Junction City and the Flint Hills region.
Mick McCallister, Mayor of Junction City, said that having a local presence at this national meeting is essential, and not as costly as some may suggest.
“The amount of money we spend is a pittance in the grand scheme of our budget and what we get out of it for the small amount,” said McCallister.
At the 2015 meeting, McCallister had an opportunity to see firsthand how in-person discussions can sometimes go a long way for the community.
“AUSA is important to the community, there are some folks who don’t believe it’s very important, but as I look back last year talking to the honorable Ms. Hammock, and talking about the recycling sorter that we desperately need at Fort Riley for a regional opportunity to recycle; and she said, ‘well we just don’t have the money right now but if I find the money, Fort Riley will be the first place on my list’ – and she did, she found the money and Fort Riley has a recycler,” said McCallister. “It was one of those face to face, nose to nose, across the table talking and letting people know what we need here in this region.”
Now that Fort Riley has the recycling sorter, McCallister said the next step is to put everyone in the region on a recycling plan.
“Now the next step is going to be, take all those folks in the region, put them on a recycling plan, recycle that material and make it profitable, make it economical for Fort Riley to be able to do that and plus, it will help the Flint Hills region as a whole to be able to get on board with the environmental issues and doing some of that stuff, said McCallister.
McCallister, along with other City and County officials will travel for the conference October 3rd through 5th.
Three area residents have been bound over for trial in Geary County District Court on charges of Aggravated Kidnapping and Aggravated Battery, stemming from a July 18 incident in rural Geary County.
Deputy Geary County Attorney Chris Biggs reported that Randy C. Fetters Jr.,36, Herington, Story Stanley ( Blocker ), 36, Herington, and Justin Spiker 26, Alta Vista, were bound over for trial following a preliminary hearing in Geary County District Court on Thursday. “The allegation is that they removed the victim from a rural property in Wabaunsee County and took him across county lines into Geary County to another rural residence. The allegation is that he was beaten repeatedly, threatened, and then he also had his hair cut.”
At the request of the State, each defendant was also bound over for conspiracy to commit the primary charges.
Concerning the reasons why the defendants took the alleged actions Biggs stated, “The allegation is that there was a dispute about some property, and then there was also evidence about there being some motive involving the sexual orientation of the victim. The matter is being reviewed right now by me for consideration of whether to request an enhancement under the state statute concerning hate crime.”
Biggs said that could result in a potential additional sentence. In Kansas there is no separate hate crime that’s a crime, but an aggravator that a jury could consider. “If the jury finds certain facts beyond a reasonable doubt at a trial there is then the potential that the sentence could be enhanced by a court, but that finding would need to be made by the jury beyond a reasonable doubt. ” Biggs said, “I’m considering that for application only to one of the defendants, which would be the defendant Randy Fetters Jr., but I have not made a decision or at least have not filed that yet.” That would not apply to the other two defendants.
Arraignment dates have been set in District Court for Fetters on November 4, Blocker on October 24, and Spiker on October 7.
LOLITA C. BALDOR, Associated Press
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Army has named a new commander at Fort Riley, Kansas, to replace an officer who was fired Monday, just weeks before soldiers from the 1st Infantry Division deploy to Iraq.
Maj. Gen. Joseph Martin is assuming command of the division. Martin replaces Maj. Gen. Wayne Grigsby Jr., who is the subject of an Army investigation and was removed from command. The Army hasn’t released details of the investigation.
Martin is a 1986 graduate of the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, and recently was commander at the National Training Center in Fort Irwin, California. He deployed to Iraq twice as a commander during the Iraq war. He has prior experience with the 1st Infantry Division. According to his National Training Center bio, Martin commanded the 2nd Brigade, 1st Infantry Division from Fort Riley, and deployed with that command to serve in northwest Baghdad, Iraq.
Martin has also served as the Deputy Commanding General, US Army Combined Arms Center at Fort Leavenworth.
Brig. Gen. Jeffery D. Broadwater will take command of the National Training Center. He’s currently deployed to Afghanistan.
As a young boy, Jim Sharp read about the growing strength of the Nazi’s in Germany – little did he know, he’d one day come face to face with them.
“When I was a boy growing up in Morris county down by White City, I was interested in history and everyday my job was to ride by pony to the mailbox and pick up the [mail]; and back in those days it was full of information about Adolf Hitler..and his troops invading these countries in Europe,” said Sharp.
Sharp was a combat infantryman with the 1st Infantry Division when his Company Commander recommended the young soldier to work as a guard in the trials of Nazi leaders.
“This was a trial being conducted that had never been conducted before,” said Sharp noting that when he was selected to work as a guard, that it was an important moment in history. “I spent seven months there and it was a very interesting part of history.”
Sharp worked as Sergeant of the Guard at the Nuremberg trials at the Palace of Justice. Top Nazi leaders, both civilian and military, stood trial.
Sharp kept a diary for the two years he served in the Army, that included his time in Germany. His journals would later create books such as Diary of a Combat Infantryman and Sergeant of the Guard at Nuremberg.
Sharp will speak at the Eisenhower Presidential Library, Museum and Boyhood Home in Abilene on Thursday, September 29th as part of the World War II Remembered: Leaders, Battles & Heroes exhibit on display until December 31, 2016.
