The Junction City Little Theatre production of “A Christmas Carol” is set for tonight ( Thursday ) through Sunday at the C.L. Hoover Opera House.

Sets, music and costumes bring to life the familiar story of a sinner given one last chance at redemption by four persuasive ghosts.  This family-friendly re-telling of Charles Dickens’ classic tale instills a powerful message about redemption and the spirit of the holiday season.

Show times are 7:30 p.m. Thursday, Friday and Saturday and the Sunday matinee on will begin at 2 p.m.

 

The Junction City/Geary County Convention and Visitors Bureau (CVB) has announced that Milford Lake will be a Cabela’s King Kat Championship Qualifier lake in 2019.

“We are excited to have a Cabela’s King Kat Tournament at Milford Lake. This event will highlight the fishing at Milford Lake, provide positive exposure for our area and increase the economics of Geary County,” stated Michele Stimatze, Director of the CVB.

The tournament is set for March 30, 2019 and is a two-person team event. The competition will provide the opportunity for a team to win a spot at the national championship. The tournament will be headquartered at Acorns Resort.

 

 

 

 

Bruce Johnson, MS LCP, has been named the new Crisis Stabilization Manager for Pawnee Mental Health Services. Johnson received a bachelor’s degree in Psychology from the University of Kansas and his MS in Psychology at Avila University in Kansas City, Missouri. he is a Kansas licensed clinical psychotherapist.

Johnson’s past work experience ranges from Director Psychiatric Services at St. John Hospital to Director of Therapeutic Services at HCA Research Psychiatric Center in Kansas City, Missouri.

Pawnee Mental Health Services’ new Crisis Stabilization center will open in the spring of 2019 and offer 24 / 7 access for adults experiencing mental health or substance use crisis. Services offered will include triage, sobering unit, crisis observation and a crisis stabilization. The services will be provided to residents of the 10-county service area of Pawnee Mental Health Services, including Geary, Riley, Pottawatomie, Clay, Jewell, Marshall, Mitchell, Republic, Cloud and Washington.

By Dewey Terrill

JC Post

The expense of KPERS ( Kansas Public Employee Retirement System ) was one of the factors in the inability of Geary Community Hospital and Salina Regional Health Center to enter a merger. The fact that there would be no merger was announced last week.

Geary Community is a publicly owned hospital with employees earning KPERS benefits. Salina Regional is a privately owned hospital.

Joe Stratton, CEO at Geary Community, was asked about the KPERS issue and how it could be adjusted for future discussions with other healthcare entities.  Stratton noted that if GCH is in a position that they are going to have a partnership with another healthcare system and leaves the KPERS program, the only way to do it when you’re KPERS eligible is through insolvency or privatization, meaning you go into an arrangement with another organization.

Stratton stated that possibility was looked at closely and it would have a been a significant sum of money to extract GCH from KPERS from a decision that stemmed back to 1990. He confirmed that Geary Community spends about $400,000 to $500,000 extra per year to remain in the KPERS fund as a hospital.

Stratton added when partners look at you it’s something that they’re concerned about and wonder about.

Geary Community Hospital is dealing with financial challenges, like many other hospitals.

There will be no merger between Geary Community Hospital in Junction City and Salina Regional Health Center. That information was announced by GCH officials last week. It leaves officials considering other future possible talks with other healthcare facilities. Geary Community Hospital, like many other healthcare facilities, has been dealing with financial challenges.

On Monday the chairman of the Geary County Commission, Charles Stimatze, commented on the subject. “Disappointing, disappointing, but have not gotten all the full details from Dr. Stratton ( GCH CEO Dr. Joe Stratton ). So we have got to get with him to see what the next steps will be, see what else is out there, see what we can do, see how we can keep the hospital and keep it here in Geary County. That’s what we all want.”

Commissioner Ben Bennett said his first reaction was disappointment that the possible merger between GCH and Salina Regional Health Center had come to that conclusion. “I had already decided in my own mind about six months ago that I was really skeptical of whether it would work or not.” Bennett added he does not know what the future will bring and things are always changing.

Bennett referred to medicaid expansion, which if approved in the legislature, could provide some extra funding for hospitals. “Many people say if the legislature and the governor come together and opt out with the medicaid issue that that will be a number of dollars to us that probably would help bridge that gap. And that’s been discussed for the last several years.”

Bennett noted the commission needs to sit down with the hospital management and the hospital board, and discuss what the future holds and where it’s going.

The new director of the Junction City Area Chamber of Commerce Military Affairs Council, Craig Bender begins work Tuesday.

Recently retired from the military, Bender will return to an area where he spent time while serving in the Army at Fort Riley. “My family and I lived here for about five years, really involved in this community out in Milford. Just getting out of the Army and I still really enjoy dealing with the Army. This just seems like a good fit where it came to being able to help the community and still be tied in to the military. So the two just seemed to go hand in hand.”

Bender retired from the Army with the rank of Lieutenant Colonel.

Schools:

–Cloud County Community college campuses in Junction City and Concordia are both closed today. There will be no classes.

–Geary USD 475 Junction City, Fort Riley, Milford and Grandview Plaza schools are cancelled on Monday.

—St. Xavier Catholic School is closed Monday.

–USD 473 Chapman schools are closed on Monday.

–USD 383 Manhattan – Ogden schools will be closed on Monday.

—USD 481 Rural Vista no school on Monday

–-K-State cancelled classes on the Manhattan and Salina campuses until noon Monday, and all day Monday on the university’s Olathe campus.

—Wamego USD 320 has cancelled classes on Monday

–USD 378 Riley County cancelled. All activities will be postponed.

–USD 417 Morris County ( Council Grove ) has cancelled on Monday.

–USD 379 Clay Center – Wakefield

 

Other cancellations and postponements:

–THe Lt. Gen. Richard J. Seitz VA Outpatient Clinic in Junction City is closed on Monday

—Fort Riley was on a two-hour delay on Monday

–The Geary County Senior Center will be closed on Monday.

–House of Hope is closed Monday.

–The Angel Tree program sign up scheduled Monday at the 12th Street Community Center has been postponed until Tuesday at the same location. The hours for the sign up will be 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.

–The Junction City Blue Jay wrestling scrimmage scheduled Monday night has been cancelled.

–The Delivering Change Becoming A Mom Prenatal Education class for Monday at Geary Community Hospital at 10 a.m. has been cancelled. They will continue to have the 6 p.m. class until further notice.

 

 

The blizzard warning on Sunday brought a storm with snow, blowing snow, drifts and it closed roads in multiple counties including Geary County.

I-70 had to be closed from the U.S. 77 intersection westbound due to a six-vehicle accident approximately three to four miles from the intersection. No one was injured, but a semi jackknifed in the accident. That stretch of interstate reopened Sunday afternoon.

I-70 eastbound from K-177 to Topeka had to be closed but reopened Sunday night.

One person was injured in a multi-vehicle accident on K-18 Highway approximately 3-4 miles west of Junction City.

Geary County Emergency Management Director Garry Berges said at mid-afternoon after the snow had stopped the roads were treacherous. He noted there was a lot of wet snow with a little bit of icing underneath. “But it’s making for slow growing. We had numerous slide-offs even though we stressed to people not to be out.” Berges stated there were a lot of motorists driving during the height of white-out conditions. City, county and state crews were working on the roads but it would take awhile to get them in working conditions.

Gusty winds were a problem and caused drifting.

Berges said during the story you did not know what was going to happen. “Whiteout conditions. At points some of  the deputies were working accidents. They said they couldn’t see 15-feet in front of them which is bad for them, and also they had to worry about cars coming up that didn’t know exactly where they were so it was dangerous for all of our responders out there.” Berges added one of the county public works vehicles slid off the roadway east of Junction City but he didn’t know about any type of damage.

 

 

 

URGENT - WINTER WEATHER MESSAGE
National Weather Service Topeka KS
633 AM CST Sun Nov 25 2018

...Blizzard on Track to Impact the Region Today...

.A potent storm will track through the region today, spreading
into north-central Kansas and the rest of northeast and east central 
Kansas through midday. Rain early on will quickly change over to snow 
with snowfall rates of over an inch per hour possible at times. 

Total snowfall amounts of 6 to 12 inches will be likely for areas north of a 
line from Emporia to Lawrence with locally higher amounts possible. Lower
snowfall amounts of 2 to 6 inches are expected south of that line.

Strong winds of 40 to 50 mph, coupled with the heavy snow, will lead to blizzard 
conditions along and north of the Emporia to Lawrence line. Even with lesser snow 
totals expected south of that line, near blizzard conditions are possible. 
If you choose to travel you will be in a very dangerous situation with slick roads
and whiteout conditions.

Republic-Washington-Marshall-Nemaha-Brown-Cloud-Clay-Riley-
Pottawatomie-Jackson-Ottawa-Dickinson-Geary-Morris-
Including the cities of Belleville, Washington, Hanover, Clifton,
Linn, Greenleaf, Marysville, Blue Rapids, Frankfort, Sabetha,
Seneca, Hiawatha, Horton, Concordia, Clay Center, Manhattan,
Wamego, St. Marys, Holton, Minneapolis, Bennington, Abilene,
Herington, Junction City, and Council Grove
633 AM CST Sun Nov 25 2018

...BLIZZARD WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 6 PM CST THIS
EVENING...

* WHAT...Blizzard conditions with total snow accumulations of 7
  to 13 inches expected with locally higher amounts possible.
  Winds gusting as high as 45 mph will lead to whiteout
  conditions.

* WHERE...Portions of north central and northeast Kansas.

* WHEN...From 6 AM to 6 PM CST Sunday. The heaviest snow will
  likely occur from the mid-morning to early afternoon hours.

* ADDITIONAL DETAILS...Travel will be difficult if not
  impossible at times. Areas of blowing snow could significantly
  reduce visibility.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

A Blizzard Warning means severe winter weather conditions are
expected or occurring. Falling and blowing snow with strong winds
and poor visibilities are likely. This will lead to whiteout
conditions, making travel extremely dangerous. Do not travel. If
you must travel, have a winter survival kit with you. If you get
stranded, stay with your vehicle.

The latest road conditions for the state you are calling from can
be obtained by calling 5 1 1.