The Junction City Little Theater production of Oklahoma opens Friday Nov. 1 at the C.L. Hoover Opera House at 7:30 p.m.
You can also see the show Saturday, Nov. 2 at 7:30 p.m. and Sunday, Nov. 3 at 2 p.m., Friday and Saturday Nov. 8 and 9 at 7:30 p.m. and Sunday Nov. 10 at 2 p.m.
Set in Western Indian Territory just after the turn of the century, the rivalry between the local farmers and cowboy provides the backdrop for the love story between Curly, a cowboy, and Laurey, a farm girl. As the road to romance and the road to statehood converge, Curly and Laurey are poised to spend their new life together in a brand new state: O-K-L-A-H-O-M-A OKLAHOMA.
Monte Dibben and Kaye Fisher are the directors for the show.
More than 200 invitations were sent to companies to attend the Junction City / Geary County reception at the AUSA convention in Washington D. C. Junction City Area Chamber of Commerce President Mickey Fornaro-Dean estimated nearly 100 more were given to companies on the convention floor the day of the reception.
Fornaro-Dean told a Chamber audience that there was good attendance at the reception. “Very much interested companies that we’ll continue to build relationships with. And this was our second year of that reception so we’re hoping that each year it will continue to grow.” The goal was to attract business interest in Junction City and Geary County.
One of the new companies already recruited earlier to Junction City was Camso Manufacturing USA, Ltd., a manufacturer of agricultural track equipment. Fornaro-Dean said Camso is a supporter of the military. “Because, like over 40% of their employees are retired military. They are a global company with headquarters in Quebec, Canada.
Local businesses are stepping up to support the United Way campaign in Junction City and Geary County. The Business Blitz is under way this week and next.
Executive Director Nichole Mader provided an up-to-date list of donors so far.
The ribbon cutting and open house for the new Crisis Stabilization Center in Manhattan will be held Friday afternoon at 1558 Hayes Drive.This facility will serve a 10-county area including Riley and Geary counties.
Pawnee Mental Health Services has announced the center will provide an alternative to emergency room visits, and holdings in jail, while being able to provide care for community members in crisis in a safe, therapeutic environment.
Accessibility closer to home than alternative resources means that individuals are more likely to be agreeable to the services, voluntarily and willingly. Treatment is with the same organization and often the same staff and physicians that they will follow up with upon discharge, thus increasing the compliance with aftercare. It can also serve as a stepping stone back to their home community for those being released from state hospitals.
The primary goal is to respond to needs of adults experiencing crisis and to resolve immediate concerns and connect people with community-based services.
Fort Riley Garrison Commander Col. Stephen Shrader
By Dewey Terrill
JC Post
Soldiers are in the process of returning from overseas deployments to Fort Riley. That and many other topics were discussed by Garrison Commander Col. Stephen Shrader during the JC Now show on 107-9 FM and 1420 KJCK this week.
On the return of troops Shrader stated flights have arrived that brought in Combat Aviation and 1st Armored Brigade Combat Team soldiers. Shrader stated Fort Riley is getting closer to a full nest. “We’ve got several more main body flights to go. If you recall back in March we were at our high side, our peak of soldiers deployed, probably around 10,000 soldiers between NTC and our forward deployed soldiers. We leveled out about 6, 400. And so we’re whittling that 6,400 down now. By the end of November we’ll have everybody back inside the doors, a full nest for Fort Riley and a full nest for the community.”
Total active duty soldiers assigned to the installation are just under 15,000 and there are just under 17,000 family members and dependents.
A number of programs help with the re-integration and uniting of soldiers back with their families. That could include Army Community Services with the Directorate of Morale, Welfare and Recreation services.”It’s everything from legal counseling to financial counseling. It’s really about communicating with the leadership and the soldiers and the families that are coming back in because every family is different, and their needs are different. So it’s understanding what resources are available within the ACS and pointing that family to one they need the most.”
There was recently a groundbreaking for new housing on Post with the privatized housing partner, Corvias, that works with the garrison and housing office. Shrader stated it’s called the Corvias Solutions Investment, a $325 million investment program that covers six installations including Fort Riley. Shrader noted for this installation that equates to $62 million in development costs, “Ninety-six new Junior NCO homes, which is what we did the groundbreaking for last week. We’ve got 32 homes on the installation that we’ll fully renovate in our old Rimrock area down on the historic Main Post. We’ll put new roofs on about 80 historic Main Post homes, which are all historic homes.” Shrader added energy conservation measures will also be done for all 3,827 homes on the installation.
The new homes will replace other older homes that will be demolished. “We’ll peak as we build out these new 96 Junior NCO homes so we’ll raise in total population by 96 units. Once those homes are done and we put soldiers and families into them our oldest facilities that we have on the installation, our oldest housing, we’ll cycle those up for demolition and continue that process. ” Shrader added when you looking at the total portfolio footprint for Fort Riley out of 3,827 homes about 56% have either been fully renovated or new work done by Corvias since they have been working as the privatized housing partner. The new homes will be built in the Warner Peterson housing area on Custer Hill.
The 2nd Armored Brigade Combat Team recently had an opportunity to train with the new enhanced night vision goggles and the family of weapons sites. Shrader said it increases the lethality and readiness for the soldiers. “Those enhanced night vision goggles bring about the ability to see through smoke and fog and dust and whether it’s night or day brings a thermal capacity to it, brings an augmented reality capacity to it that their previous night vision goggles did not have.”
Fort Riley has signed intergovernmental agreements. One was with the City of Manhattan for use of bulk salt, another with Kansas State University for an archaeological site survey, and another with KSU involving a partnership where students can come on the installation to do surveys with cost efficiency savings for the Post. As for an agreement with Junction City and Geary County there are multiple options through the Army Community Partnership programs. Shrader said, “We regularly bring the broader Flint Hills region into Fort Riley to talk about opportunities and we’ve got a couple on the deck with Junction City as well that we’re working through. It’s all about cost efficiency and savings for both the community and for the installation.”
During the past year initiatives at Fort Riley have ranged from a fitness focus that led to new fitness equipment in the gyms as the Post prepares for the Army Combat Fitness Test. “We’ve put at this point in time just over a million dollars worth of fitness equipment in three of our different facilities, King Field House, Whitside and Leonard Gym.” Shrader also noted that Craig Fitness Center has been turned into a 24/7 gym. “We’re about to do Whitside as another 24/7 gym opportunity for soldiers and families on the installation. ”
The garrison commander said there have also been improvements converting the bowling alley to spare time interactive entertainment. “Took an old bowling alley that doesn’t get much use and was frankly losing money, and converted it into something. ” Shrader said there is bowling, hyper-bowling, glow in the dark putt putt, batting cages, you’ve a rock climbing wall, simulators and a tailgate area. “You’ve got something for everybody to really come in. The teams have been really innovative and creative in coming up with ideas to adapt programming to today’s soldiers and families and at the same time do that in a way that’s saving us money and making us more efficient across the installation.
As a result of the hard work during the past year Fort Riley has been identified as an Army Community of Excellence bronze winner. Shrader called it awesome. “We’re putting it up on signs on the installation. Thirty thousand dollars that came to the installation that we’re putting into a trail network to connect housing areas down to recreation areas.
The garrison commander said the plans for the next year include more innovation, creativity and continued efforts to make the installation better for the future of soldiers, families and civilians. “Infrastructure improvements tied to safe and quality housing. Obviously that $62 million development cost from Corvias goes a long way to that. We’ve completed a lot of barracks for restoration and modernization funding. FY 19 we got about $37.8 million of funding to renovate three of our barracks, and we’re going to focus and we’re going to focus on three additional barracks, we’re going to compete for FY 20. So it’s all about creating the current infrastructure on the installation and supporting the soldiers that are there, and creating future infrastructure that’s going to support the soldiers and the mission training for the Big Red One and our attendant units.”
You can listen to Col. Stephen Shrader’s interview at https://www.jcpost.com/category/podcasts/jc-now/
Rathert Field dates its’ history back to the late 1930’s. Located on the north side of Junction City, the facility serves as home to the Junction City Brigade summer collegiate baseball team, the Junction City Blue Jays and the Junction City American Legion Blues team.
JC Post photographer Javon George received a tour of the facility from Junction City Brigade General Manager Cecil Aska Wednesday and took these photos.
A need to extend the runway at the Junction City airport, Freeman Field, recently received discussion at an Economic Development Advisory Committee meeting. Chairman Mark Powers told JC Post there are enough times that there is a need for people visiting the community that want to land their planes here. “We don’t have a long enough runway for a lot of those so we’re just trying to accommodate the people that are wanting to use our airport.”
Powers is hopeful that there can be some potential grant funding for a project of that type. I’m hopeful that we can look at some funding through the FAA and national and state means.” Manhattan had received some FAA support to help with airport improvements. Powers noted, “Anymore that’s how airports get built.” There is no plan to use local property tax money.
GEARY COUNTY — One person died in an accident just after 11:30 a.m. Tuesday in Geary County.
The Kansas Highway Patrol reported a 2007 Chevy Silverado driven by Savannah R. Laudemann, 22, Woodbine, was eastbound on State Lake Road six miles south of Junction City. The Silverado entered the roadway and was struck by a 2016 Peterbilt Semi that was southbound on U.S. 77.
Savannah Laudemann and a passenger Dawnette M. Laudemann, 44, Woodbine, were transported to Geary County Hospital where Savannah died.
The semi driver Bryan K. Lewis, 46, Crosby, Texas, was not injured. The occupants of the Silverado were not wearing seat belts, according to the KHP.
The Geary County Sheriff’s Department reported that U.S. 77 is now back open to traffic.
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UPDATE:
The Kansas Highway Patrol reported via social media that this is now a fatal crash investigation. U.S. 77 Highway is still closed to traffic from Lyons Creek to K-157.
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Two people were injured in a pickup truck – semi-truck accident near mid-day on U.S. 77 south of Junction City.
Geary County Emergency Management Director Garry Berges said the accident occurred at State Lake Road and U.S. 77 highway about seven miles south of Junction City. “U.S. 77 is blocked from Lyons Creek down to K-157.” Traffic around that area is being diverted onto West Lyons Creek Road.
Berges estimated it would be about two hours before traffic can resume on U.S. 77. He said two people were transported by ambulance. One person was transported to Geary Community Hospital, and the other was being taken to the helipad at GCH to be transferred out by LifeStar. The Geary County Sheriff’s Department has provided a map for traffic being diverted around the scene.
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Geary County Emergency Management Director Garry Berges has announced that traffic on U.S. 77 Highway south of Junction City is being diverted. Both lanes at U.S. 77 from Lyons Creek to K-157. are closed. Traffic is being diverted onto West Lyons Creek Road.
JC Post will provides updates as information becomes available.
USD 475 has scheduled a VIP event at 10:30 a.m. Friday, Oct. 25, to celebrate the commencement of vertical construction on the new Junction City High School. The goaL is to keep the community informed of construction progress.
Scheduled speakers will include USD 475 Superintendent of Schools Dr. Reginald Eggleston, U.S. Senator Jerry Moran, Congressman Roger Marshall, Board of Education President Rina Neal, Geary County Commission Chair Charles Stimatze and Junction City Mayor Pat Landes.
The 355,000 square foot high school facility is being built on a 159 acre site on the west side of Junction City, north of K-18 Highway. The new school will include parking for 800 vehicles, 116 general and lab classrooms. and will be able to accommodate up to 1,800 students.
Vertical construction of the walls for the school is scheduled to begin in mid-Nov. following placement of footings. Construction is scheduled to be completed in the summer of 2021, with the school opening for use in Aug. 2021.
On Monday evening for the second consecutive year the Junction City Area Chamber of Commerce hosted a reception for military-related businesses in the Washington D.C. area. It was held on the first day of the Association of the United States Army convention. The goal was to try and attract interest on the part of some of those businesses in Junction City and Geary County.
City Manager Allen Dinkel was in attendance during the reception at the Washington Convention Center. “It’s very successful this year. I would say we had twice the amount of crowd we had last year.” Dinkel added the initial reception last year was successful. “We’ve moved up a whole bunch of levels this year. It’s a nice crowd.
The AUSA trip included updates on the future of Fort Riley and the Army, meetings on Capitol Hill with a congressman, and senator from Kansas plus their staffs. The convention runs through Tuesday.
