Memories of those who have fought cancer and won and those who did not survive were on the minds of many during Relay for Life in Geary County on Saturday at Al Simpler Stadium.

Co-chair Bernadean Sykora said she thought the $25,000 fundraising goal for the American Cancer Society would be exceeded.  The funds are used for rides, information, wigs, research, education and lodging. Organizers estimated the turnout at nearly 300 people.

Co-chair Noemi Molina said the event went well. The heat on Saturday afternoon was a challenge. “It was horrible this afternoon, but I think we beat it. We had enough water around the track for everybody, so everybody kept hydrated.”

During Relay for Life teams had walkers on the track at the stadium. There was also an evening luminary ceremony where candles were lit inside paper bags and the names of cancer survivors and victims were read out loud in their memory.

The Morris County Sheriff, Scott Coover, has reported that the Sheriff’s Department received a 911 call about a train / combine accident Thursday evening at a crossing located approximately one-quarter of a mile east of 2400 Road on J Avenue southwest of White City.

A combine driven by Jerry G. Britt of rural White City was eastbound on J Avenue and was attempting to cross the tracks when the combine was struck by a Union Pacific train traveling northeast. Britt was pronounced dead at the scene by the Morris County coroner.

One train crew member had a minor head injury.

The accident is under investigation by the Sheriff’s Department and the Union Pacific.

The Heat Mizer is definetely dictating this summer.  With heat indices consistently over 100 degrees the past few days, it’s been tough trying to find ways to stay cool.

But what about our furry family members that can’t exactly tell us if they’re too hot?

Mark Stenstrom, Doctor of Veterinary Medicine, says that finding a balance between keeping an active pet and avoiding a heat related incident is a delicate matter.

“I don’t care how good of shape you or your dog is in, don’t take them on rigorous exercise activities during the day. I see people out running in the middle of the day with their dogs and they’re asking for problems with themselves and they’re asking for problems with their pets,” said Stenstrom.

Stenstrom advises active pet owners to be especially cautious with brachycephalic dog breeds – the breeds with the little, short faces like bulldogs, boston terriers, and shih tzus.

“Their ability to dissipate heat through panting is limited at best,” Stenstrom warns. “Those dogs can get in to a heat stroke situation in just a few minutes outside when the weather is like this.”

While many pet owners keep their dogs in their homes, there are some dogs that are primarily kept outside.

Dr. Stenstrom advises that even even outdoor dogs should be temporarily brought indoors to avoid the heat.

“Even outdoor dogs that are used to being outside, with the extreme temperatures that we are experiencing right now, they are at an increased of heat exhaustion, heat stroke,” says Stenstrom.

The Doctor of Veterinary Medicine suggests that outdoor dogs should only be outside “early morning, late evening hours for any length of time; but during the heat of the day, only for very short trips to use the bathroom.”

With our busy and sometimes hectic lifestyles, it may be difficult to accomodate an outside dog in your home. In instances like these Dr. Stenstrom has some tips to keep them safe.

“If a dog has to be outside, it needs to have shade, and plenty of fresh, cool water – and that water needs to be changed multiple times a day so that they’re not drinking 105 degree water either because that really limits their ability to dissipate heat,” says Stenstrom.

The heat can be a scary situation for your furry family members, so here are some signs of a heat stroke/heat exhaustion in your pet:

• Dazed or confused demeanor in dogs
• Dog may be in a state of collapse
• Rapid, uncontrollable panting, mouth open
• Gums and other mucus membranes will be dry and warm to the touch instead of being moist

“If [they] proceed to that level, they need immediate medical care,” says Stenstrom. “The best way to treat heat stroke is to not have it in the first place – keep [them] inside, keep them cool, keep them quiet with lots of water.”

Mark Stenstrom, Doctor of Veterinary of Medicine works at Animal Care Clinic at 106 N. Eisenhower in Junction City.

 

Junction City police are seeking suspects allegedly involved in a break-in at Performance Audio, 118 North Washington Street in which stero equipment was stolen.  It occurred in the early morning hours of June 11.

Police say the subject pictured and another man allegedly broke into the business. If you can identify this man or have information about the crime contact crime stoppers at 762-8466 or visit the Geary County / Junction City Crime Stoppers website at https://www.gearycrimestoppers.com/

To text a tip, Text CRIMES ( 27643 ) and start your tip off with “tipjc”

You may be eligible for a cash reward of up to $1,000.

With the heat advisories in our area, and the blistering 100 degree temperatures, it has been tough trying to “beat the heat” this month.

The Junction City Municipal Pool may be the perfect place to cool off this summer.

Erica Howard, assistant manager for the Municipal Pool in Junction City, says that at although the pool is a great place to cool off, they are still mindful of the excessive heat.

“We have hoses set up so that we can keep the sidewalks cooler, and we have the spray park on that the patrons can use [to cool off],” said Howard.

While patrons are wading and swimming to stay cool, pool employees must also be cautious not to overwork themselves in the extreme heat.

“When we have a heat advisory [here at the pool] we take a break every hour on the hour so [our] lifeguards can stay cool as well – but during that time the adults can be in the pool and swim and they can use the spray park as well,” said Howard.

Howard says that pool employees recommend that everyone enjoying the pool this summer either brings water or purchases water and gatorade at the concession stand in order to stay hydrated.

Howard’s overall tips for staying safe in the heat while at the pool this summer:

• Drink water
• Wear a hat and sunglasses
• Be sure to apply sunscreen more than once a day

While this season has been off to a standard start at the pool, the increasingly frequent sweltering days could cause a spike in the pool attendees.

 

 

As Trace Adkins would say, get your ‘honky tonk badonkadonk’ in gear, grab your cowboy hats and practice that country two-step; Country Stampede is upon us.

The largest annual music festival in Kansas which will run next weekend boasts an impressive lineup of musical acts and festival fun.

Wayne Rouse, Director of the Country Stampede, says there are some new features to look forward to this year.

“We have a new attraction this year in the campgrounds called ‘Carlos O’Kelly’s Radio World Stage’ and it will be active when the festival is not; and inside the festival we have a human  Foosball court, which is full size…we’ll have a lot of games going on, a lot of vendors – it’s just [going to be] a great time,” said Rouse.

One thing you may notice about this year’s lineup is that it is Thursday through Saturday and doesn’t include the traditional Sunday festival day.

“This year something that we did is that we took the kickoff party on Thursday and did away with it and we moved Sunday to Thursday and Thursday is a full day with the gates opening at 1:00 pm,” said Rouse.

Thursday night catch Sam Hunt at 8:00 pm and then Dierks Bentley closes the night at 10:00 pm.  On Friday, June 24th the legend Tim McGraw headlines the Cenex Main stage at 10:00 pm. On the final night of the stampede, Saturday, June 25th look forward to easy on the eyes Jake Owen closing out the festival at 10:00 pm.

With over 200 vendors spanning food, cowboy hats, and tattoos this year’s Country Stampede is bound to be another successful event.

Prepare your country-boho inspired outfits, festival tees, and most importantly – your tickets – time is running low.

The 2016 Country Stampede is Thursday, June 23rd through Saturday June 25th at Tuttle Creek State Park in Manhattan.

Visit www.countrystampede.com for more information.

Geary Community Hospital announced a new achievement today: receiving the High 5 status for the Martha K. Hoover Women’s Health Center.

The achievement was reached through a combined effort of the Geary Community Hospital Women’s Center and Delivering Change: Healthy Moms, Healthy Babies in order to implement maternity care procedures based on the proven health benefits associated with breastfeeding.

“We have several other healthy living initiatives already established and the High 5 initiative is one in addition to it…and we’re happy to be a part of that,” said Joe Stratton, Geary Community Hospital CEO.

Gwen Whittit, Program Coordinator for High 5 for Mom & Baby Program,  awarded Women’s Center Manager Melissa Wells with the plaque in honor of their achievement at a press conference Tuesday afternoon.

“Kansas High 5 for Mom & Baby  has provided education to 58 of the 69 maternity care hospitals in the state of Kansas,” Whittit continued, “with the hard work of the entire staff here and your community partners at Geary Community Hospital, change has been made that will support moms and babies in the community with lifelong health benefits.”

Wells accepted the honor and noted that this is something that has been taking place for a few years at the Women’s Center and Geary Community Hospital.

 

“We began the process towards becoming a High 5 for Mom & Baby hospital in 2012. Fortunately, we were already doing most of the High 5 practices, but we needed to add official guidelines to establish them as our standard of care….We are thrilled to have made all of the benchmarks and have seen dramatic improvements in our moms and our babies,” said Wells.

Delivering Change:  Healthy Moms, Healthy Babies program coordinator Jill-Elizabeth Nelson remarked, “Since it’s inception in 2012 Delivering Change:  Healthy Moms, Healthy Babies has had an incredibly strong collaborative relationship with Geary Community Hospital. Utilizing federal “Healthy Start” funding, Delivering Change  partnered with the Breastfeeding Coalition to assist Geary Community Hospital and the Martha K. Hoover Women’s Center in achieving the High 5 for Mom & Baby  designation.”

The High 5 program is initiated, funded, and provided at no charge to Kansas hospitals by the United Methodist Health Ministry Fund.  The Hutchinson based health fund developed High 5 for Mom & Baby in conjunction with the Kansas Breastfeeding Workgroup.

You’ve heard about it for months; you’ve seen the devastating side effects and health officials have linked it all to one singular insect – mosquitoes.

In the past few months there have been several reports of a “Zika outbreak” that is traveling from Central and South America into the United States.

As of June 8th, 2016 the Centers for Disease Control in the United States released the following information regarding the Zika virus in the United States, not including US Territories whose reported cases are much higher:

• Travel associated cases reported: 691
• Locally acquired vector-borne cases reported: 0
• Of the 691 total: 11 sexually transmitted

According to the CDC Zika virus often has no symptoms to those affected, but for some symptoms can include: fever, rash, joint pain, muscle pain or headaches. People very rarely die from Zika, but the virus remains in the blood for about a week after the infection – sometimes longer.

In pregnant women, the Zika virus has been known to cause a birth defect called microcephaly.

While Kansas has yet to experience a Zika virus outbreak, Julie Hettinger, Community Health Planner of the Geary County Health Department says that “the best way we can prepare for [Zika] is as individuals protecting ourselves by wearing long clothing, using insect repellent and getting rid of the breeding places that mosquitoes lay their eggs.”

Hettinger says that some of these breeding places include “standing water that isn’t changed very often ,” which could include your dog’s water bowls.

“We don’t have the type of mosquito that transmits the Zika virus, so we want to be focused on protecting against West Nile [virus], which is what we usually have several cases of each year [that are] locally transmitted,” said Hettinger.

With the high amount of rain this year, it isn’t surprising that the mosquito population in Kansas has flourished.

In Sedgwick county,  high numbers of mosquitoes known to transmit the West Nile virus have been found. The Kansas Department of Health and Environment said that the rise in the number of Culex mosquitoes (responsible for West Nile) is likely to increase statewide.

“Since we have some of the same climate and environment, I would suspect that there is a chance that we [already] have those mosquitoes that carry West Nile,” said Hettinger.

Hettinger said other ways to mosquito proof your home are to make sure your screens don’t have holes in them and to use netting to help keep mosquitoes out.

West Nile virus is transmitted through mosquito bites and not from person to person.

According to the CDC, almost 80% of those affected by the virus experience no symptoms. About 1 in 5 people will experience fever, vomiting, rashes, and diarrhea; those affected in this way often make a full recovery but fatigue and loss of strength can last for weeks. Only approximately 1% of people will develop a serious neurological issue such as meningitis. This recovery can take months; about 10% of those affected with neurological illnesses will die.

There were 34 West Nile cases in Kansas last year according to KDHE , with just over half requiring hospitalization. 2012 was a record year in Kansas with 57 cases of West Nile virus.

From the Kansas Department of Health and Environment here are some tips to help combat mosquitoes:

• Empty standing water from tarps, old tires, buckets and other places where rainwater is trapped. Use larvicide in low-lying areas where water cannot be removed. Refresh water for bird baths, pet bowls and wading pools at least every three days.
• Limit outdoor activities when mosquitoes are most active.
• Wear protective clothing when practical (long sleeves and pants). 

For more information on Zika and West Nile viruses visit jcgchealthdept.org for the Geary County Health Department website or call them directly at 785-762-5788.

Retiring Junction City Police Chief Tim Brown is loved, respected, admired, and certainly a highly respected member of the law enforcement community.  All of those opinions and emotions were on full display during the retirement reception for Brown Friday before a packed standing room only full house at the Municipal Court Building.

Brown has brought an end to his 37 year, eight month career with the Junction City Police Department. With family and many friends and colleagues watching Brown stated when he began working with the JCPD he didn’t realize how blessed he was going to be during his tenure. “I’ve had the best job a man could ever have and have worked with the most wonderful people a man could ever ask for.”

Brown thanked all of his colleagues for their support and friendship, and the example they set by serving faithly and with humility. “Some people judge their lives on what they do, others on who they are. I want my life judged on the legacy I left, the friends I have made, and the hope that I have done everything in my power to serve and protect the citizens of Junction City.” 

The audience applauded loud and long as Brown wrapped up his remarks.

That moment was preceded by a number of tributes from family, community members and colleagues in law enforcement…..not to mention many tears from people who were grateful for Brown’s service and support. He was also presented with numerous plaques and gifts from organizations ranging from the JCPD, Geary County Sheriff’s Department, and Grandview Plaza Police Department to the Junction City Fire Department, Riley County Police Department, KBI, and FBI. There were numerous others as well.

It was obvious from the respect shown that Tim Brown set the bar high in his service to the Junction City community and Police Department.

( Photos from Nita Miller and Dewey Terrill )

“This week we gather on historic Fort Riley, the best place to train, live, deploy from, come home to and retire at; in memorium and tribute to – the fantastic Fighting First,” said Major General Wayne Grigsby Jr. during his speech at the final event for Victory Week 2016 – the Division Review.

The week came to a close with the 1st Infantry Division Review Friday morning at the Calvary Parade Field on Fort Riley.

Major General Wayne Grigsby Jr., Command Sergeant Major Joseph Cornelison, Brigadier General Patrick Frank, and Brigadier General William Turner rode horseback during the ceremonial “review” of the division troops.

Major Gen. Grigsby Jr. echoed sentiments from earlier in the week by CSM Cornelison about the strength of the non-commissioned officer core as well as the commissioned officers core and it’s importance in the success and strength of the Big Red One.

Major Gen. Grigsby Jr. boasted, “…[we have] a non-commissioned officer core that is the envy of foreign militaries and the measuring stick for standard bearers across the army….The 1st Infantry Division has the fi

nest core of commissioned officers core, unmatched by any force on the planet.”

Kicking off the events today, were the awards for the Soldier of the Year and the Non-Commissioned Officer of the Year.

The Soldier of the Year award went to Sergeant Steven Gonzalez, of the 1st Support Maintenance Company, 1st Sustainment Brigade. Sgt Gonzalez was promoted during the 1st Infantry Division’s Soldier of the Year process.

Non-Commissioned Officer (NCO) of the Year was awarded to Staff Sergeant Bryan Teneyck, 287th Military Police Company, 97th Military Police Battalion.

SGT Gonzalez and SSG Teneyck will both go on to compete at the III Corps Best Warrior Competition.

Both winners walked away with about $1900 each in cash and gift cards and other valuable prizes totaling over $2500 for each winner.

The 97th Military Police Battalion were the Victory Cup Winners.

Major Gen. Grigsby Jr. expressed an unparalleled sense of pride in the Division and the award winners.

“Victory week has always represented more than just sports and recreational activities – it represents our unity, pride and the spirit of [the] core…This victory week marked the official countdown to America’s first, best and oldest division’s centennial celebration next year,” said Maj. Gen. Grigsby Jr.

One question that the Commanding General of 1st Infantry Division and Fort Riley was asked that stuck out in his mind today was how he was going to replace the previous General.

Major Gen. Grigsby Jr. said, “The one question I was asked when I first took command was, ‘so are you going to be able to replace General Funk, he was a great General’, and I looked out at the field and then at [the reporter] and said ‘no issue, we have the greatest soldiers and non-commissioned officers in the world, it doesn’t really make a difference who Danger Six is’; I’m just some guy, but it’s those soldiers out there that can bring us our freedom and security that we have today, and I love every one of them.”

The ceremony, on a warm sunny day, concluded with the cavalry charge across the picturesque field and the fresh smell of flowers mingling with the aromas of pride and patriotism.

“I am certain [that] our destiny and future looks brighter than ever, our place among the ages is secured, these first 100 years will be the launching point for the next…I know the Big Red One will continue it’s long and valorous service to our nations,” said Major Gen. Grigsby Jr..

The Big Red One will celebrate it’s Centennial Anniversary next year.