According to the National Weather Service of Topeka, high temperatures will continue to rise today into Tuesday with some readings near 70 likely Tuesday afternoon. A very strong storm system will bring windy conditions and thunderstorm chances for much of the Tuesday night to Wednesday night time frame. Some severe thunderstorms could develop with the greatest thunderstorm potential from Wednesday morning into early afternoon. This system will bring rather strong winds for much of Wednesday and Wednesday evening.

Today: Sunny. Highs in the mid 60s. South winds 5 to 15 mph with gusts to around 25 mph.

Tonight: Mostly clear in the evening then becoming mostly cloudy. Lows in the lower 40s. Southeast winds 5 to 10 mph.

Tuesday: Partly sunny. Highs in the upper 60s. South winds 10 to 15 mph.

Tuesday Night: Warmer. Mostly cloudy. Areas of drizzle…slight chance of rain showers and thunderstorms after midnight. Lows in the mid 50s. South winds 10 to 20 mph. Gusts up to 30 mph after midnight.

Veterans Day: Windy. Mostly cloudy. Chance of rain showers… Thunderstorms and areas of drizzle in the morning…then chance of rain showers in the afternoon. Highs in the mid 60s. South winds 15 to 25 mph shifting to the west 20 to 30 mph in the afternoon. Gusts up to 40 mph. Chance of precipitation 50 percent.

Wednesday Night: Breezy…colder. Mostly clear with slight chance of rain showers. Lows in the mid 30s.

Thursday: Sunny. Highs in the upper 50s.

Thursday Night: Clear. Lows in the upper 20s.

Friday: Sunny. Highs in the mid 50s.

Friday Night: Clear. Lows in the lower 30s.

Saturday: Sunny. Highs in the lower 60s.

Saturday Night: Clear. Lows in the upper 30s.

Sunday: Sunny. Highs in the lower 60s.

MARION COUNTY- A Kansas teen died in an accident just before 9a.m. on Sunday in Marion County.

The Kansas Highway Patrol reported a 2009 Mitsubishi Galant driven by Sally N. Rowell, 19, El Dorado, was southbound on U.S. 56 five miles south of Herington.

The vehicle went left of center and collided with a northbound International semi driven by Tommy M. Tibbets, 45, El Dorado.

Rowell was pronounced dead at the scene and transported to Zeiner Funeral Home.

Tibbets was transported to Herington Municipal Hospital.
Both drivers were properly restrained at the time of the accident, according to the KHP.

The turnout for the second Luke’s Community Baby Shower totaled about 300 people including approximately 120 pregnant mothers, their support personnel, and volunteers.   That total was supplied by Jill Nelson, with Delivering Change: Healthy Moms, Healthy Babies, who noted it was up from a similar successful event held in June.

Nelson said the focus of the shower was  on safe sleep practices. “So we want to make sure that all of our Geary County families know about safe sleep and how to keep their babies safe. ” Nelson added it also focused on community resources. “We want all of our families to know what’s available to them in our community and how to access those resources.”

Some of the booths that visitors could go to ranged from new parent support from Fort Riley and Parents as Teachers to Becoming a Mom and a Safe Sleep Booth. The event was held at Washington Elementary School, which accomodated the big turnout.

Marketing Director for Delivering Change, Ashley Powers, says the ABC’s of safe sleep include ‘alone, on your back, and in a crib.’  That can save lives. Those in attendance were able to learn about the ABC’s of safe sleep.

Organizers indicated they expect more of these baby showers in the future.

The Junction City Police Department has reported the arrest of two California residents on drug related allegations.

In their Saturday morning tour log report the Police Department reported that David Webb Dunbar, 56, and Alvin Chodo Bell, 55, both from California had been arrested on suspicion of Possession of Marijuana, Possession of Drug Paraphernalia, and Transporting of Drug Proceeds.

MANHATTAN — Kansas State University in Manhattan has been designated the first bicycle friendly university in Kansas by the League of American Bicyclists, according to a media release from KSU.

The university has received the bicycle organization’s Bronze-Level Bicycle Friendly University award. In all, the league awarded or renewed bicycle friendly status to 49 universities in 31 states this year, bringing the total of designated bicycle friendly universities and colleges to 127 in the nation.

The Bicycle Friendly University program recognizes institutions of higher education for promoting and providing a more bikable campus for students, staff and visitors. The program provides the road map and technical assistance to create great campuses for cycling.

“Being designated as a bike friendly campus is something to be proud of,” said Derek Jackson, director of Kansas State University’s Housing and Dining Services. “Students and staff are biking more and more for both transportation needs as well as for recreational wellness. Having infrastructure that supports biking is important to our campus and community.”

Kansas State University encourages bicycling as an easy option for transportation and continues to improve the bicycle friendly nature of campus as called for in the university’s 2025 strategic plan.

According to Mark Taussig, associate director for campus planning who will serve as the university’s contact for the Bicycle Friendly University program, some of the steps the university has taken to be more bike friendly include developing master plan guidelines and standards for pedestrians and bicyclists; improving lighting, especially at intersections and crosswalks; adding appropriate pavement markings at crosswalks, on streets and on sidewalks; creating 3.3 miles of shared pedestrian/bicycling paths around the campus on Kimball, Denison, North Manhattan and College avenues; adding bike lanes and bike routes on city streets, including on North Manhattan and Denison avenues; and adding hundreds of new bike parking spaces on campus.

Increased awareness and enforcement of pedestrian and bicycle regulations have been priorities, as well as realigning some key intersections for improved safety, Taussig said. In addition, the university is taking out streets and replacing them with wide walkways, or malls, for pedestrians and bicyclists. One of the malls was built this year on a quarter-mile section of 17th Street on campus, with another mall planned in 2016 that will cover mile on Mid-Campus Drive.

Doug May, transportation planning intern for the Flint Hills Metropolitan Planning Organization and master’s student in regional and community planning, spent several months collecting data and preparing the application for the Bicycle Friendly University designation.

“Using the knowledge and skills I learned in the planning program at K-State, and through my internship with the Flint Hills Metropolitan Planning Organization, I was able to prepare the comprehensive Bicycle Friendly University application,” May said. “I’m looking forward to the future of K-State as it continues to grow and move even more toward a bicycle- and pedestrian-friendly environment.”

With the designation, the university will have access to a variety of free tools and technical assistance from the League of American Bicyclists to become even more bicycle friendly.

To learn more about the multimodal efforts underway at Kansas State University, the surrounding community or in the region, contact the Flint Hills Metropolitan Planning Organization at FHMPO@FlintHillsRegion.org or 855- 785-3472. To learn more about the Bicycle Friendly University program, visit bikeleague.org/BFA.

The Geary County Extension Office is hosting a meeting on agricultural
leases on Wednesday, November 18th.  The meeting will start at 7:00 p.m.
and will be held at the Geary County 4-H/Sr. Citizens Building, 1025 S Spring
Valley Road in Junction City.  Geary County Extension Agent, Chuck Otte,
will discuss various topics on agricultural leases including, the impact of the
Kansas ag lease law, crop share leases, cash leases including variable cash
leases, and the importance of communication. The meeting will last 1½  – 2
hours.  For more information, Otte can be contacted at 785-238-4161 or
cotte@ksu.edu.

Chuck Otte

The JC Breakfast Optimist Club will have a fundraiser at Cox Brothers Bar-b-que on Tuesday, November 10 from 5-8 p.m.

Ten percent of each customer’s purchases and all donations received will be presented to the JCHS Cheerleaders to help them make their trip to the Holiday Bowl in San Diego, California.

The Junction City Little Theater will hold auditions for two plays, “Lonestar,” and “Laundry and Bourbon” on November 9, 10, and 11 at 7 p.m. in the Junction City Little Theater Annex building at 618 North Jefferson.  Three males and three females ages 21-35 will be cast. Monte Dibben will serve as director.

“Great comedic timing will be a huge plus for either show,” said Dibben. “No singing or dancing required, only the ability or the strong desire to act.” he added.

Both shows will be performed at the JCLT Annex, 618 North Jefferson. Showtimes will be December 31, January 1, and January 2 at 7:30 p.m.  Tickets are $10 cash or check at the door.

According to the JCLT news release both plays have language that could be offensive to some, and are not recommended for children.