The Geary USD 475 Board of Education will consider a staff recommendation on Monday to purchase four plots of land to support the Junction City High School construction program.

The plots are located north of Al Simpler Stadium along North Eisenhower.

The purchase price for the four lots combined from Gary Olds would be $74,000, or $18,500 per plot. The purchase would ensure the construction program is viable for the next four school years.

The Board of Education meets at 5 p.m. on Monday at the Devin Center.

There will be a strong law enforcement prescence in Junction City on Saturday night for Halloween trick or treating.

Police Chief Tim Brown stated that trick or treating will begin at 6 p.m. “and will end at 8 o’clock with the sounding of the witches wail which is  the sounding of the storm sirens. After that we we would encourage everybody to stop the trick or treating.”

The JCPD will have their normal contingent of officers on the street patrolling, which is normally six or seven. But an additional contingent of six officers will be added. “And they’ll be positioned throughout the town, many of them in unmarked cars just to kind back up the guys, the normal patrol shifts out there.”

Brown said the JCPD will have quite a contingent on the streets, “not to mention even the Sheriff’s Office also.”

FORT RILEY, Kan. – At about 5:50 p.m. Oct. 28, a 1st Infantry Division Soldier died in his on-post residence.

Sgt. 1st Class Christopher Boynton, 84th Explosive Ordinance Disposal, 1st Armored Brigade Combat Team, 1st Infantry Division, was found deceased with an apparent gunshot wound. According to special agents from the U.S. Army Criminal Investigation Command, foul play is not suspected at this point, but agents have not completely ruled it out while conducting a complete and thorough investigation.

No other individuals were injured. No additional information will be
released at this time to protect the integrity of the investigation.

Boynton joined the Army in July 2003 and arrived at Fort Riley in April. He was an 89D, an explosive ordnance disposal specialist. His home of record was Ware, Massachusetts.

Boynton deployed once to Afghanistan and twice to Iraq.

Release from 1st Infantry Division Public Affairs

In connection with the American Express Small Business Saturday the Junction City Area Chamber of Commerce is putting on a Shop Small week November 23rd-28th.

Susan Jagerson, Economic Development Specialist with the Chamber of Commerce explained that they are asking local businesses to offer some kind of promotion throughout that week.

“To get shoppers into the door, and then we are going to have passports that we’re going to give to the businesses to give to shoppers to have them stamped so that the shoppers will be eligible for a prize drawing by the Chamber of Commerce,” said Jagerson.

Currently the Chamber does have 21 local businesses signed up to participate in the Shop Small week.

Businesses can sign up through the Chamber of Commerce Economic Development at 222 W 6th Street or by email to junctioncitychamber@jcacc.org by 5:00 p.m. on Nov. 6th. For questions call the Chamber at 785-762-2632.

WASHINGTON (AP) – Most people in the United States, including Geary County residents,  are set to fall back into standard time and gain an extra hour of sleep this weekend.

The annual change comes at 2 a.m. local time Sunday, but most people usually set their clocks back before heading to bed Saturday night.

The shift moves one hour of daylight to the morning from the evening.

Residents of Hawaii, most of Arizona and some U.S. territories don’t have to change because those places don’t observe daylight saving time.

Public safety officials say this is a good time to put a new battery in the smoke alarm, no matter where you live.

Daylight saving time returns at 2 a.m. local time the second Sunday in March – for 2016, that comes March 13.

WASHINGTON–U.S. Senator Jerry Moran (R-Kan.), member of the Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee, along with U.S. Senators Susan Collins (R-Maine) and Angus King (I-Maine) called on Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Secretary Robert McDonald to commit to maintaining medical services veterans receive through the Access Received Closer to Home (ARCH) program as the VA prepares to deliver a consolidation plan for non-VA community care to Congress next week.

In a letter, the senators stated, “ARCH provides medical care for veterans living in rural areas or for those who are burdened with long wait times for services…According to Congressionally mandated reports to the House and Senate Committees on Veterans Affairs, more than 90 percent of veterans participating in ARCH are overwhelmingly satisfied with their access to care and the medical services they receive from the participating community providers.”

Since 2011, the ARCH pilot program has been operating in five rural sites across the country including Pratt, Kan. ARCH serves rural veterans by giving them access to health care from a community provider close to home instead of traveling several hours to seek care at a VA facility. The inclusion of a two-year extension of the ARCH program in the Choice Act helped to make certain rural veterans were able to continue accessing timely, high-quality care closer to home. Sen. Moran urges Secretary McDonald to capitalize on the demonstrated success of the ARCH program in the VA’s consolidated plan for non-VA, community care.

Sen. Moran has been an advocate for improved accessibility to health care for rural veterans through the ARCH program. In 2014, Sen. Moran sponsored the Choice Act, which implemented significant reforms at the VA and created the Choice Program – a pilot initiative based in part on the success of ARCH.

The full text of the senators’ letter is available here.

Sen. Moran encourages veterans in rural areas to enroll in VA health care and receive the care they have earned through the Choice Act. Click here to see if you qualify for the ARCH program.

Inmates with mental illness issues at the Geary County Detention Center is still a concern for Geary County Sheriff Tony Wolf.

In August Wolf contracted with the detention centers medical contractor, Advanced Correctional Healthcare, to bring in a specialist to help with the mental illness issues.

“I kind of hoped that it would have worked a lot quicker than what it has, but Advanced Correctional told me at the time they didn’t have anybody in this area to fill this position,” said Wolf. “That they had to go out and hire and get someone found for the position, and that’s what we’re doing right now. They’re trying to locate that individual and get them hired.”

The specialist when hired is expected to work with staff at the detention center to better identify inmates with mental illnesses and show them how to properly handle those inmates. The specialist would also work to line out medications for those inmates and also offer some type of therapy sessions.

An estimated 300-500 kids in full Halloween costumes turned out for the All Treats Day activities in downtown Junction City.

The Junction City High School Marching Band kicked off All Treats Day by leading the parade down North Washington with hundreds of kids in tow.

The event provides an opportunity for local merchants to hand out candy and also provides a safe atmosphere for children and parents to go trick or treating in downtown Junction City.

Costumes ranged from popular superhero’s to your favorite Disney characters and some pretty scary villains.

Trick or treating on Halloween night will begin at 6 pm and end at 8 pm with the activation of the “Witches Wail” ( storm sirens ) signaling the end of Trick or Treating.

The cardiopulmonary unit at Geary Community Hospital has been relocated from the basement to the second floor in the older wing of the hospital.

The ribbon cutting on the new site was held Thursday, with Geary Community CEO Dr. Joseph Stratton says the move allows more patient treatment room area. “Especially where the workout area is at for rehabilitation, as well as some other respiratory testing areas. We’re able to gain some space, it’s lighter, it’s easier access to get to.”

The director of the cardiopulmonary unit, Julie Vines, stated that it’s really three departments in one, beginning with a sleep center with a two-bed lab. “We do all aspects of diagnostic studies as far as sleep studies. ” Daytime sleep studies are also done. “We do home sleep apnea tests from the sleep standard.” In cardiopulmonary they can provide diagnostic testing, and for outpatients all the EKG’s, Holter Monitors.

Other services range from stress and pulmonary function to oxygen qualifying testing.