Westar Energy confirms a mid-Friday afternoon power outage on the west side of Junction City was caused by contractors working. Power was quickly restored.
At the time of the outage Westar reported more than 13-hundred customers or sites without electricity.
Challenges common to rural counties across the nation are the subject of a conference in Ouray County, Colorado this week.
Larry Hicks, Geary County Commissioner, is attending the Fall 2015 Rural Action Caucus Symposium, presented and supported by the National Association of Counties.
There are strategy discussions. “Examining ways to make the National Rural Action Caucus more relevant in federal legislative policy and arenas. Caucus members are going to be taking an in-depth look at an annual calendar of events in order to try and determine how officially and much more effectively address key county priorities throughout rural action caucus engagements all over the nation.”
Some challenges range from substance abuse trends and drug trafficking occurring more frequently to dealing with an aging rural population and combatting rural childhood poverty.
The Junction City/Geary County Drug Operations Group is reporting that they found an abandoned clandestine methamphetamine lab in the southeastern portion of Geary County.
According to the report the Drug Operations Group received a tip Tuesday
about a possible meth lab located on a vacant property located in the 22000 block of Humboldt Creek Rd..
“Geary County Drug Operations Group executed a search warrant that was obtained for the property, and an abandoned clandestine methamphetamine lab was located inside the barn,” said Tim Brown, Junction City Police Chief.
The Riley County Police Department’s Hazardous Materials Response Team responded and assisted with evidence collection and the cleanup of the lab. Materials used in the making of methamphetamine were collected and disposed of.
“It appeared to be abandoned for a while, but it was in the middle of a cooking process when it was abandoned.”
Anyone with information in reference to this incident can contact the Junction City Police Department at (785) 762-5912 or the Junction City/Geary County Crimestoppers Hotline at (785) 762 TIPS.
FORT RILEY, Kan. – The 1st Infantry Division Artillery is set to reactivate Oct. 16 at a ceremony on Cavalry Parade Field.
Division artillery, or DIVARTY, is a brigade headquarters-sized unit
that has the mission of effectively synchronizing joint fires across Fort Riley and the 1st Inf. Div. DIVARTY fills a unique role in the “Big Red One,” said Col. Thomas Bolen, the unit’s commander. Most people are familiar with artillery, he said, but what DIVARTY does is set standards for that artillery. Its Soldiers train and certify sections and enable higher-level exercises.
“We feel privileged to be activated to be the DIVARTY,” Bolen said. “There’s such a great team already in place.”
DIVARTY’s return doesn’t mean area residents will see an increase in big equipment on the post. The division’s two field artillery battalions will maintain their guns and radar equipment. The biggest pieces the DIVARTY will bring is radar and communications equipment, Bolen said.
While the Oct. 16 ceremony marks DIVARTY’s official return to the Big Red One, Soldiers and leaders were in place months ago to move its mission forward. The unit is continuing to build its formation with an expectation to be at 90 percent strength by January, according to information from the unit.
DIVARTY inactivated 10 years ago in Germany. The process began more than a year ago to reactivate DIVARTY units in the Army’s 10 divisions, and the 1st Inf. Div.’s DIVARTY is one of the last two to stand up this year.
Release from the 1st Infantry Division Public Affairs Office.
The Dr. Ronald D. Mace Rural Medicine Education Program was introduced during a press conference at Geary Community Hospital on Monday.
The Hospital is expanding and dedication their preceptorship program in partnership with the KU Medical Center, and naming that program after the late Dr. Ron Mace, who practiced medicine at Geary Community Hospital for approximately 38 years. During 17 of those years Mace oversaw a rural residency program at GCH.
Dr. Michael Kennedy, Associate Dean, McCain Professor for Rural Education at the KU Medical Center, said the student program in Junction City is a step into a new world in community collaboration in medical education. “That’s not to say there hasn’t been this kind of collaboration in the past, and as a matter of fact we’ve had medical students rotating here for years.” Kennedy said the new program will build on that and reinvigorate a tradition, but with a little bit different emphasis on the collaboration between communities and KU Med.
The expansion will allow more KU Medical School students to learn about rural healthcare at Geary Community Hospital. The expansion entails a housing area on the GCH campus where students can stay at no cost. They will spend anywhere from two up to six weeks in Junction City studying under various physicians throughout their stay.
Dr. Mace’s wife, Andrea Mace, said her husband loved the hospital. “He loved this staff. He loved taking care of his patients and he loved working with his family practice residents. ” She noted that before the KU residency program started he had worked with approximately 50 preceptees. Many of them lived with the Mace family.
Dr. Mace’s daughter, Dr. Rhonda Mace, will help coordinate the rural medicine education program. During the press conference she thanked officials and colleagues at the hospital and Geary Community Healthcare Foundation. “And of course Dr. Lynley Holman who has been instrumental in getting a lot of the leg work done.”
The Geary Community Healthcare Foundation will use the memorial gift for Dr. Ron Mace to support the rural medicine education program.
The U.S. Senate has approved the annual National Defense Authorization Act.
The measure had already passed in the House so now it goes to President Obama, but there is the possibility he could veto it.
Senator Jerry Moran stated explained that the legislation includes the necessary legislation to keep the Apache helicopters at Fort Riley through the summer of 2016.”This is an important issue as far as the thought about number of soldiers at Fort Riley. The reason this is important is the Apaches are being moved to the National Guard. There are helicopters that are replacing them, but we’re not ready yet to bring the helicopters to Fort Riley.”
Moran added they didn’t want to lose the Apache helicopters prematurely, and then learn it meant there was less necessity for soldiers to be at Fort Riley.
The Act also also authorizes $12.1 million for the unmanned aerial vehicle complex project at Fort Riley.
Wayne Shirley kicked a 27-yard field goal in overtime to lift the Junction City Blue Jays to a 17-14 victory over the Manhattan Indians at Bishop Stadium.
Shirley’s game winning kick after the Blue Jay defense stopped Manhattan on fourth and inches at the goal line. Junction City took over control of the football, ran three plays, and then brought Shirley in for the final kick.
On the fourth down play at the goal line there appeared to be a fumble by Manhattan, the Blue Jays picked up the football and began returning it for a score, but the officials ruled the ball down. So Junction City then ran three plays before kicking the final field goal.
The postgame comments of the two head coaches: Randall Zimmerman of Junction City: “They weren’t in. The ball was behind the offense. ” Zimmerman added his team scooped up the loose football and scored but the officials didn’t see it.
Manhattan coach Joe Schartz felt his team scored on the fourth down play at the goal line. “We scored, six inches and we got two feet. We were in. The ball should have been dead at that point. As Ian was in the pile after he had already scored, he was trying to make sure that he scored and he reached the ball out and that’s when it came loose.”
The win secured Junction City at least a tie for the Centennial League championship. The Blue Jays are 6-0 while Manhattan fell to 4-2.
Geary USD 475 cut the ribbon Friday morning on the third new school to be built on Fort Riley in the past four years.
The new Fort Riley Elementary School joins the new Fort Riley 
Middle School that opened in time for last school year and Seitz Elementary School that opened two years ago.
All three schools were built using partnerships between the school district, the Office of Economic Adjustment and the State of Kansas.
Governor Sam Brownback was in attendance Friday for the ribbon cutting and spoke of the importance of those partnerships.
“Without that partnership we aren’t in front of this building here today,” said Brownback. “Students of Fort Riley Soldiers will now learn in safer, more modern classrooms with fabulous teachers. When Soldiers leave on deployment, we want to ease their minds knowing that their kids are getting a great education.”
When the school district went out for bid for the new school last year, bids came in $4 million higher than originally expected. Through cost cutting efforts the district was able to cut the overrun in half and the Office of Economic Adjustment and the State of Kansas pitched in to cover the remaining $2 million at no cost to USD 475.
The new school offers over 76,000 square feet of space for up to 500 K-5 students, and houses spacious classrooms, an innovative library media center, wireless technology and mobile labs. The gymnasium also serves as a tornado safe room built to FEMA standards to withstand 250 mph wind speeds.
Zone C at Milford Lake has been closed under recommendations from the Kansas Department of Health and Environment following test results from samples collected October 5th.
According to RJ Harms, Operations Project Manager for the Corps of Engineers at Milford Lake cell counts and toxin levels in zone C dramatically increased to record levels at the Timber Creek boat ramp warranting the closure.
“The Timber Creek area had over 800 million cell counts and over 30,000 on the microcystin toxin levels,” said Harms. “If you remember the warning level starts at 250,000, a closure starts at 10 million and the cell count was over 800 million for that. The toxin levels the warning starts at 20, a closure starts at 2,000, and we had 30,000 measured at Timber Creek. Whatever happened over the last week or so has really gotten things going up there on the north end of the lake.”
Levels in zone B did go below the watch status but with expected north winds over the next 24-36 hours that could push some of the blue-green algae down from zone C to zone B the KDHE recommended keeping zone B under a watch status. Zone A remains clear.
Under a complete closure the Corps of Engineers does place barricades in front of the boat ramps in Zone C and restricts all water contact. Boating and fishing is still permitted under a watch status.
Additional samples will be collected next Monday to monitor current conditions and any movement of the concentrated bloom.
GEARY COUNTY- One person died in a 2-vehicle collision just after 3:30a.m. on Thursday in Geary County.
The Kansas Highway Patrol reported a 2008 Ford F-150 driven by Thomas J. Packer, 26, Tama, IA, was south bound on U.S. 77 nine miles north of Junction City.
The pickup left the west edge of the road and entered the ditch. The driver overcorrected back onto U.S. 77.
A northbound semi collided with the pickup on the passenger side. Both vehicles came to rest in east ditch.
Packer, a soldier at Fort Riley, was pronounced dead at the scene and transported to Penwell-Gabel Funeral Home
The semi driver Robby R. Johnson, 49, Augusta, was transported to Geary Community Hospital.
Packer was not wearing a seat belt, according to the KHP.
The road has reopened to one lane of traffic. A pilot car is being used to lead traffic.