Traveling northwest to southeast thunderstorms rumbled through the region Wednesday evening.
There was a significant weather advisory for a period of time for Geary County and south central Riley County but no major problems were reported. Rain and lighting were substantial with the storm cell.
Social media photos were submitted to JC Post Facebook from Marilyn Cox and Destiny Faith Serendipity from Wakefield.
The Junction City Commission has approved a request to use Heritage Park for the annual Sundown Salute celebration in 2019. The dates are Wednesday, July 3rd through Sunday, July 7th. The request was submitted by the Sundown Salute committee.
Commissioners were informed by CVB Director Michelle Stimatze that as part of the annual celebration the ministerial alliance would have their service on Sunday the 7th and a concert that evening.
The Ottaway Amusements carnival will open its operation downtown for Sundown Salute on Wednesday, July 3rd.
The celebration is normally headquartered in the downtown area in and around Heritage Park.
Local officials in Geary County ranging from emergency management to law enforcement met with Rick Miller of the Kansas Geological Survey on Tuesday in Junction City.
Geary County Emergency Management Director Garry Berges said they learned that since 2015 a total of 12 all-magnitude earthquakes have occurred in Geary County. “With only four of those in that three-year time being a 2.5 or greater.” Berges said a 2.5 magnitude means the earthquake can be felt indoors but is just a little vibration. He compared it to a heavy truck traveling past your home.
Berges said in the future more small earthquakes of that type are expected. “He said a lot of these that we are getting up here are sympathetic earthquakes because of the earthquakes that are down in the Oklahoma – southern Kansas.” Berges added little shifts occur in the ground in the Geary County and that’s what has been felt.
Two earthquakes of magnitude 2.7 and 2.6 occurred in Geary County in September.
The infant mortality rate for Geary County was rated at 5.7 for 2017, up just slightly from 5.4. Both numbers are significantly better than the 10.4 rate in 2011 when Geary County had one of the highest rates in the state.
Jill Nelson, Program Coordinator for Delivering Change, noted they will keep working at this effort. “I think we’re going to review our cases and see what our local data is telling us, making sure that we are adjusting what we know is happening here on the local level. ” They will continue to raise awareness. “Making sure that women are getting into care since they have positive pregnancy tests, that they’re actually healthy before they even think about becoming pregnant, and then continuing to engage in prenatal care throughout their pregnancy.”
This month Delivering Change and the Geary County Health Department are partnering to shine a light on this topic. Free pink and blue light bulbs are available at the Health Department and Delivering Change offices. Families are encouraged to switch out a porch light for a pink or blue light in remembrance of lost pregnancies and babies gone too soon, and in support of the Wave of Light on October 15th.
In the Wave of Light on the 15th participants in countries around the world will light a candle at 7 p.m. local time, keeping the candles lit for at least an hour. The goal is for the Wave of Light to rise and propagate around the world for the whole day.
This week the Junction City Commission and Geary County Commission have adopted proclamations declaring October as National Pregnancy and Infant Loss Awareness Month in the city and county.
TOPEKA, KAN. – The Office of U.S. Attorney Stephen McAllister has announced that a federal jury trial begins today for a Morris County man charged with downloading child pornography from the internet, U.S. Attorney Stephen McAllister said.
Wesley Wagner, 54, White City, Kan., is charged with one count of receiving child pornography and one count of possessing child pornography. According to court documents, the FBI seized a server belonging to a now-defunct website called Playpen that provided users access to child pornography. The FBI used computer forensics to identify the site’s users, including the defendant. Based on that information, the FBI obtained a warrant to search the defendant’s home.
If convicted, the defendant faces a penalty of not less than five years and not more than 20 years in federal prison on the charge of receiving child pornography, and up to 10 years on possession charge.
The FBI investigated. Assistant U.S. Attorney Christine Kenney is prosecuting.
The loud boom heard Tuesday night in the Junction City area was not an earthquake.
Geary County Emergency Management Director Garry Berges investigated and confirmed the loud boom was due to work being done by Westar Energy contractors putting up high transmission lines for a new substation in the southeast part of the county. “The one that everybody heard last night was in the area of Lyons Creek and U.S. 77.”
Berges stated an explosive technician for Westar Energy confirmed there will be more explosions today ( Tuesday ). “Going to be in that same area around Camp Tomah Shinga on Lyons Creek. They’re also going to have a couple off of Erichsen Road. He said one of these might be a little bit louder than the ones yesterday, last night. We are aware of what’s going on now and it was just a miscommunication yesterday. That’s why we could not confirm it last night.”
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At 7:16 p.m. Monday a loud boom could be heard in Junction City.
Checks with police and emergency management officials did not reveal any damage or calls for assistance. It is unknown at this point if it was an earthquake.
Among the locations where the boom was clearly heard was the Devin Center, where the USD 475 Board of Education was in session.
The areas just north of the city and in the central part of the city were the site of earthquakes in September but no major damage was reported. Those occurred on September 6th and September 14th. The magnitude of those earthquakes was calculated at 2.7 and 2.6.
Geary County Emergency Management Director Garry Berges did report that a meeting was already scheduled Tuesday morning at his office with a representative of the Kansas Geological Survey from the University of Kansas, that works with earthquake data and has the database on earthquakes. Members of the law enforcement, emergency management and public works operations in the city and county are expected to be in attendance at that meeting.
Formal groundbreaking for the new Junction City High School project is set for 2:30 p.m. Friday at the new school location near the K-18 – Munson Road intersection.
There is a chance of rain in the forecast so USD 475 officials are making adjustments in their plan. The Chief Operations Officer for the school district, David Wild says he increased the size of the tent for the event late last week, “to a 40 x 40. I’ll probably add a tentage over the speaker’s podium if it looks like rain is imminent.” Concessions will be served inside a nearby Morton building.
Officials will watch the saturation of the parking area that has been mowed in preparation for the groundbreaking.
Wild confirmed Senator Jerry Moran is currently scheduled to be the keynote speaker for the groundbreaking.
The Talk of JC programming on 1420 KJCK AM can now also be heard at FM 107.9.
General Manager Mark Ediger said a translator has been put on the air that duplicates the 1420 radio broadcast throughout the day. It gives listeners the option to listen on either the AM dial or the FM dial. Ediger said this includes local programming. “Local news, local information, in the morning we’ve got a talk show. There are features throughout the day but we do local news at noon and at five o’clock as well. ” There is also regular sports programming with Blue Jay football and basketball, Lady Jay basketball. Kansas State football and basketball, Kansas City Chiefs and Kansas City Royals.
Ediger explained this is an outstanding development for KJCK. “This is going to give us a lot of opportunities as we go into the future. The signal is going to be tremendous for those that are around the area.” Ediger noted the coverage area of the new FM 107.9 signal will cover the region. “Probably 30 miles around Junction City where you can get an FM signal and it’s less susceptible to noise from the atmosphere from rain, lightning and static. It’s going to be a true stereo FM signal.”
The FM translator was approved by the Federal Communications Commission.
JCPost.com has confirmed with the Penwell-Gable Cremations, Funerals & Receptions that they are handling the arrangements for Albert Curley, Junction City. The former U.S. Army Buffalo Soldier died over the weekend.
According to the National Buffalo Soldiers 9th & 10th ( Horse ) Cavalry Association, as a member of Troop A “9th Cavalry Regiment he became one of the storied Buffalo Soldiers. He was a member of one of the all African-American cavalry and infantry units activated between the late 1800s and the mid-1900s.
Curley was a Purple Heart, Bronze Star, and World War II Victory Medal recipient. He retired from the U.S. Army in 1969 with the rank of 1st Sergeant. During his 28-year career in the Army, Curley served tours of duty in Italy, Japan, Germany, Korea and Vietnam and was assigned to Fort Riley.
The latest in the Memories at the Museum series will be held Sunday afternoon at the Geary County Historical Museum.
This session will be titled “Always a Blue Jay – High School in Junction City. You can attend and share high school memories. For example you could talk about what your schedule was like, the after-school activities you participated in, and the teachers and coaches who made a difference in your life.
The Memories at the Museum program will begin at 3 p.m. Sunday.
