According to the National Weather Service of Topeka, clear skies and cooler temperatures will be in store for today and tomorrow. Today will be breezy with winds gusting up to 35 mph from the morning into the late afternoon.There is Red Flag Warning issued for this afternoon indicating critical fire danger. Do not burn today. Tonight will be cold, dipping into the 20’s across northeast Kansas before a slight warm up on Friday.

Tonight: Clear. Lows in the upper 20s. West winds 5 to 10 mph.

Friday: Sunny. Highs in the upper 50s. Southwest winds up to 10 mph.

Friday Night: Clear. Lows in the mid 30s. South winds 5 to 10 mph.

Saturday: Sunny. Highs in the mid 60s. Southwest winds 10 to 20 mph with gusts to around 30 mph.

Saturday Night: Mostly clear. Lows in the lower 40s.

Sunday: Mostly sunny with slight chance of rain showers. Highs around 60.

Sunday Night: Mostly cloudy with a 40 percent chance of rain showers. Near steady temperature in the mid 40s.

Monday: Mostly cloudy with a 30 percent chance of rain showers. Highs in the lower 60s.

Monday Night: Mostly cloudy with a 50 percent chance of rain showers. Lows in the lower 40s.

Tuesday: Mostly cloudy with a 50 percent chance of rain showers. Highs in the mid 50s.

Tuesday Night: Colder. Partly cloudy with slight chance of rain and snow. Lows in the lower 30s.

Wednesday: Mostly sunny. Highs in the mid 50s.

Three fires were reported in rural Geary County on Wednesday as gusty winds swept through the county.

Garry Berges, Geary County Rural Fire Chief, stated that a grass fire in the 7400 block of Riffle Road about four miles south of Junction City burned approximately 25 acres. The blaze began after a bonfire site from the past weekend rekindled. “And it started a whole bunch of grass on fire. “Junction City Fire / EMS ambulance and the Fort Riley Fire Department responded to provide assistance. The call on that fire came in at 12:06 p.m.

There was a fire at 9:45 a.m. that started in an interstate median near milepost 314 about 20 miles east of Junction City. Berges attributed that blaze to smoking materials discarded from the window of a vehicle. The fire was put out prior to the arrival of fire units.

At 11:40 a.m. a power pole fell over in a field in the 4800 block of Old Highway 40, rubbed against a tree, which caught on fire, and started a brush pile on fire. The property owners saw the blaze, which was fortunate. Beges noted had it continued, the fire could have damaged some nearby stacked hay bales. But that did not occur.

There were no injuries in connection with any of the fires.

There will be a fundraiser for the Friends of Animals on Friday at Ike’s Place, 416 Golden Belt Boulevard, Junction City.

Proceeds from sales made between the hours of 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. and 5:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. will be donated to the Friends of Animals.

It hardly seems possible that I am coming up on one year here. Time goes by fast when you’re having fun. I make a monthly report to our Board to keep them informed about things here, but I thought it was also important to let you, our patrons, know how things are going. I know this is a little long, but I’ve created section headings if you want to jump to the parts that interest you.

• Attendance is up! First, know that the C.L. Hoover Opera House is doing well. If you have attended any of our October shows, you’ve noticed that we have had wonderful attendance and very positive feedback about the programs.

• Friends of the Opera House has almost tripled. In addition, our Friends of the Opera House has had and continues to have phenomenal growth. Last year we had 18 Friends of the Opera House with a total revenue of $5,050; this year we are up to 52 Friends with a total revenue of $13,100. That’s an increase of $8,050 (and we are continuing to add new Friends)!

• Our finances are in order. We have the financial tools in place to track our income and expenses and we are on track with our budget. Be assured that your donations are being spent to enhance our programming and keep your Opera House financially sound and secure.

• We are partnering with businesses for in-kind support. In addition to the monetary donations from patrons, businesses and corporations, the Opera House benefits from in-kind support – services or goods given to us. Rainbow International has been a long-standing supporter of the Opera House in the quarterly cleaning of our carpets, and just recently we received the gift of LED light bulbs for our lobby (upstairs and down). This was a donation from Waters True Value Store, Jim Waters, CEO and the General Electric Corporation. Not only did we get the donation of the bulbs, but we save in many other ways. They use so much less electricity, we project saving at least $800 per year. Add to that the life of the bulbs is projected to be 13.5 years – total savings to the Opera House will be over $10,000!!! We had wonderful volunteers who helped us install the bulbs on Oct 12.

• Success in staffing: I believe a big part of our success here is our wonderful staff. Although we have no full-time employees, everyone here does the work of several people and does it with a smile and positive attitude. Everyone – from those patrons who rent for an event to the performers who grace our stage with their talent – is consistent in their praise of our wonderful staff. Our staff consists of: DeGe who keeps things looking clean and bright; Madison, who creates the wonderful graphics and makes sure you are all aware of the exciting programming opportunities here; Steve, Austin and Kaye who manage all the tech for the programs; and Danny, who not only manages the Opera House but is pretty much the go-to guy for anything you need to know or find. In addition to these fine individuals, I am so pleased to have Sheila Markley (my wife) as Development Director. For the present, she shares an office with me. She brings so much positive energy and great ideas to the program.

• Work on the 2016-17 season has begun. Any suggestions? I know it is hard to believe, but we are already busy looking at dates and considering acts for next year’s (2016-17) season. I appreciate the ideas for acts that some of our patrons have already given me. Maybe there is an act we have had in the past you would love to see return. But remember, many factors play a part in getting an act booked – dates, cost, availability, intended audience – and all of these are important considerations in booking an act. If you have ideas or suggestions, please call, email or come in and talk to me. I welcome your feedback.

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Barack Obama is urging the nation to keep veterans in their thoughts long after Veterans Day and ensure that they receive the care and benefits they’ve earned.

During a ceremony at Arlington National Cemetery on Wednesday, the president is noting some of the problems that veterans have faced in receiving health care through the Department of Veterans Affairs. He says improvements are occurring, but he is not satisfied.

Obama said the Department of Veterans Affairs is getting a bigger budget. He said it’s also making progress on problems such as veteran homelessness and a backlog of disability claims.

The president laid a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknowns and led remarks at an annual observance intended to honor and thank all who have served in the armed forces.

Earlier in the day, the president had a breakfast reception with veterans and their families in the East Room of the White House.

November 21 is International Survivors of Suicide Loss Day, a day when suicide loss survivors gather to find strength in the knowledge that they are not alone.

Pawnee Mental health Services will host a screening of Family Journeys, a new documentary that tells the stories of a diverse group of suicide loss survivors. After the film a member of Pawnee’s treatment team will host a post screening discussion and question and answer session.

The screenings will be held on Saturday, November 21 at the Pawnee offices:

–814 Caroline Avenue, Junction CIty, 8:30 a.m. – 10 a.m.

–2001 Claflin Road, Manhattan, 10:30 a.m. – noon

–210 West 21st Street, Concordia, 10:30 a.m. – noon

The screening is free and open to the public. To register or for additional information contact Shannon Hughston at ( 785 ) 587-4300 or by email at shannon.hughston@pawnee.org.

Besides a bit of wind, the weather was wonderful Wednesday morning for the Annual Veterans Day Parade in Manhattan! The parade featured soldiers, past and present, civic leaders, emergency responders and an astounding 2000 students representing 17 different schools.

Following the parade, a Commemorative Program was held at the Peace Memorial Auditorium hosted by the Master of Ceremonies Don Thomson. The event was highlighted by performances by Lee and Theodore Roosevelt Elementary 2nd Graders, as well as an award ceremony for Veterans Day poster and essay winners.

Special appearances included Kansas Representative Tom Hawk, Representative Tom Phillips, Representative Sydney Carlin, Riley County Commissioner Ron Wells and Manhattan Mayor Karen McCulloh.

The keynote speaker was Commanding General of the 1st Infantry Division and Fort Riley, Major General Wayne W. Grigsby. He began with a short film that detailed the history of the Big Red 1, and noted that how the community comes together for Veterans Day was “breathtaking.”

A Veterans Day Recognition Honors Banquet will be held tonight at 6 p.m. at the American Legion Hall  Post 17, at 114 McCall Road.

As a fundraiser the Junction City/Geary County Crime Stoppers is selling poinsettias that will be delivered the week of December 1st.

Each plant is 20-24″ tall and comes in an 8″ pot. The funds will go to the Junction City/Geary County Crime Stoppers to help STOP crime.

The cost is $25 per plant. Deadline to order is November 25th.