According to the National Weather Service of Topeka, another nice day is in store across the area with light winds. High temperatures today through Saturday will range from the upper 80s to lower 90s. There is a small chance of thunderstorms after midnight tonight into Friday morning for areas generally along and west of a Belleville to Minneapolis line.

Tonight: Partly cloudy. Lows in the mid 60s. South winds 5 to 10 mph.

Friday: Mostly sunny. Highs around 90. South winds 5 to 10 mph.

Friday Night: Mostly clear. Lows in the mid 60s. Southeast winds 5 to 10 mph.

Saturday: Sunny. Highs in the lower 90s. South winds 5 to 10 mph.

Saturday Night: Mostly clear. Lows in the upper 60s.

Sunday: Sunny. Highs in the lower 90s.

Sunday Night: Partly cloudy with slight chance of showers and thunderstorms. Lows around 70.

Monday: Partly sunny with a 40 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Highs in the upper 80s.

Monday Night: Mostly cloudy with slight chance of showers and thunderstorms. Lows in the upper 60s.

Tuesday: Partly sunny with slight chance of showers and thunderstorms. Highs in the lower 90s.

Tuesday Night: Partly cloudy with slight chance of showers and thunderstorms. Lows in the lower 70s.

Wednesday: Breezy. Mostly sunny with slight chance of showers and thunderstorms. Highs in the lower 90s.

Dr. Theresa McCreath has a special use permit request before the Junction City/Milford/Geary County Metropolitan Planning Commission Thursday night.

The permit would allow her to operate a small animal veterinary hospital on the northwest corner of the intersection of Strauss Boulevard and South Spring Valley Road on Junction City’s west side. McCreath explained that the sale of that piece of land is contingent on whether or not she can get the special use permit.

“My plan is to get this and then build a vet clinic out there. It will be just small animals only, there won’t be any large animal at all at that facility,” said McCreath.

She said that if the permit is granted then she hopes to get construction started right away and hopefully be open within four to six months. McCreath added that she would name the new clinic the Spring Valley Veterinary Hospital.

The MPC meets Thursday night at 7 pm in the commission room of the Municipal Building.

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Archery Deer Hunting Program will continue for the 2015 hunting season.

A drawing for 32 permits will be held Saturday, August 29th at the Milford Project Office. Registration for the drawing will begin at 8:30 am and the drawing will begin at 9:30 am. Each person wanting to draw for a permit must be present, show a valid hunting license and photo identification (driver’s license, military ID, etc). Individuals can register for any Corps of Engineer parks in which they may want to archery deer hunt as long as permits are still available for that park.

There will be 10 permits for School Creek and Curtis Creek, 5 permits for West Rolling Hills and 2 permits each for East Rolling Hills, Farnum Creek and Timber Creek and one permit for the KDWPT Fish Hatchery area for a total of 32 permits.

Archery season dates will be October 1st to December 1st, and December 14th to December 31st, 2015. Archery hunting in the park will not be allowed during the regular firearms season or any extended season. Regular firearm season is December 2nd to December 13th.

If you have any questions or would like more details, please call the Corps of Engineers office at 238-5714 and dial “0” for assistance.

A Big Band Concert and Dance by the 1st Infantry Division Army Band will be part of the celebration of the 70th anniversary of V-J Day at the Eisenhower Presidential Library in Abilene.

On August 14, 1945, it was announced that Japan had surrendered unconditionally to the Allies effectively ending World War II. Since then, both August 14 and August 15 have been known as “Victory over Japan Day,” or simply “V-J Day.”

The concert and dance will begin at 7 p.m. Saturday ( August 15 ) on the steps of the Library building. You can bring your dancing shoes and dress in your best 1940s attire as the band encourages dancing to their “big Band” selections from the 1940s. Tim Rives, Deputy Director of the Library, said, “We’re also going to offer visitors a chance to reenact that famous Times Square kiss where the sailor is bending the young woman over to celebrate the end of the war. ” Rives said there will also be a cutout life size photo where people can pose.

The activities will also include the movie, “Unbroken,” which will be shown at 3 p.m. in the Visitors Center auditorium. The movie tells the story of Olympian and WWII Veteran Louis Zampernini. After a near fatal plane crash in WWII, Zampernini spent a harrowing 47 days in a raft with two fellow crewmen before he was caught by the Japanese navy and sent to a prisoner-of-war camp.  The movie and the concert are both free and open to the public.

Rives said it’s hard to believe 70 years have passed since the end of World War II. “We’re trying to offer more programs about the Pacific Theater. Of course we tend to concentrate on the European Theater, because that’s where Ike was. But we want to recognize the service and sacrifice of everyone who served in the Pacific Theater as well.”

Rives also noted there are new exhibits on the Pacific Theater in World War II in the Museum located on the Presidential Library grounds.

A group of Junction City and Geary County officials from different offices met Wednesday to work through the different requirements and process leading to the sale of the first vacant housing lots through a new land bank.

Junction City Manager Allen Dinkel said after the session he felt the County would move forward as quickly as possible “to have where the clear titles can be given when these lots are sold in mid-September.”

Geary County Commission Chair Ben Bennett noted the bottom line is that the officials from city and county “know that they have to go through a process in order to get this piece of property cleared so that it can have a clear title.”

The City wants to put 25 vacant lots up for sale in September.

Little Apple Post

MANHATTAN – Law enforcement authorities in Manhattan continue to investigate Tuesday’s reported bomb threat at Florence Manufacturing.

The Riley County Police Department reported Jarrid Jones, 21, Junction City, was arrested just before noon on Tuesday for the offense of aggravated criminal threat after reporting that there was a bomb at Florence Manufacturing in the 5900 block of Corporate Drive.

Jones’ bond was set at $20,000.00 and he remains in custody.

Police have not revealed a motive for the alleged threat.

TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — A hearing has been pushed back for a 21-year-old Topeka man charged with plotting to plant a bomb at an Army post in Kansas to help the Islamic State group.

On Wednesday, a federal judge granted John T. Booker Jr.’s request for a delay. A hearing to have the status of Booker’s case reviewed was moved from Aug. 19 to Sept. 21.

Booker’s attorney asked to have the hearing postponed because of unspecified scheduling conflicts. The request also said Booker needed more time to confer with his attorneys.

According to court documents, Booker was arrested in April while trying to arm what he thought was a 1,000-pound bomb inside a van near Fort Riley, about an hour west of Topeka.

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TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — A 21-year-old man charged with plotting to plant a bomb at Fort Riley to help the Islamic State group is asking a federal judge to delay his next court hearing.

An attorney for John T. Booker Jr. of Topeka filed the request Tuesday. Booker was scheduled to appear Aug. 19 before U.S. District Judge Carlos Murguia in Kansas City, Kansas, to have the status of his case reviewed.

Booker’s attorney wants the hearing postponed until Sept. 19 because of unspecified scheduling conflicts. The request also says Booker needs more time to confer with his attorneys.

According to court documents, Booker was arrested in April while trying to arm what he thought was a 1,000-pound bomb inside a van near Fort Riley, about an hour west of Topeka.

by Pat Melgares

MANHATTAN — Scientists at Kansas State University’s Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory have modified a test that measures an animal’s immune response to the rabies virus, a change that will cost pet owners less money and may help reduce the number of yearly vaccines for pets.

The scientists say testing an animal for titers, or antibodies capable of neutralizing rabies, is a valid indication of the animal’s resistance to the rabies virus. When the titer test measures 0.5 international units per milliliter or higher, the pet would be considered protected and may only need a booster if bitten or otherwise exposed to the rabies virus, depending on local rabies regulations.

All animals should be vaccinated at an early age with what are known as core vaccines, or those considered by leading veterinary associations to provide protection against the diseases of highest risk to each species. In the past, vaccinated pets would receive a yearly booster for those core vaccines.

The test developed at Kansas State University is not yet accepted by national veterinary organizations as a standard for indicating protection against rabies, though measuring titers currently is used for determining whether cats and dogs need a vaccination for other high-risk diseases.

“In both domestic cats and dogs, there is a positive correlation between rabies neutralizing antibody titers and the level of protection,” said Rolan Davis, a researcher in the Kansas State University Rabies Laboratory, one of only two commercial labs in the U.S. that performs rabies antibody testing, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control.

But yearly vaccines can sometimes create other health concerns. In cats, for example, yearly vaccinations have been linked to feline injection site sarcomas. Kansas State University’s titer test for rabies could save a pet from one more injection at the yearly exam.

“We are certainly not against vaccinations; we are against rabies,” Davis said. “We are looking for the best ways to prevent rabies in animals and humans.”

Titer tests are commonly available at your local veterinarian’s office. At Kansas State University, a titer test for rabies costs $30; pet owners who would like titer tests for other core vaccines can pay $50 to cover rabies plus the three most common diseases for either a dog or cat.

Kansas State University veterinarians emphasize that all pets should be vaccinated at an early age. Options for pets that have never been vaccinated and that have been exposed to rabies are limited. Generally, the options for unvaccinated dogs and cats are euthanasia or a six-month quarantine in a specialized facility.

More information about rabies, core vaccines and the Kansas State University Rabies Laboratory is available at ksvdl.org/rabies-laboratory, or by contacting the lab at clientcare@ksvdl.org or 866-512-5650.