Geary County Boys and Girls Club Before and After School Program is now accepting applications for the 2015/2016 school year at the Hauge Center at 1833 Elmdale Avenue.
Hugh Davis, Executive Director of Communications for USD 475, said to apply have your ID, proof of income ( check stubs for the weeks you are paid during a month ) and payment.
For questions call 785-717-4900. Applications are only available at the Boys and Girls Club location.
Since July of 2011 the Geary County Perinatal Coalition initiative Delivering Change: Healthy Moms, Healthy Babies has focused on lowering the infant mortality and morbidity rate in Geary County.
In 2011 Geary County’s infant mortality and morbidity rates registered as one of the 
highest in the state at 10.4 infant deaths per 1,000 births in the period between 2007 and 2010.
“Our goal was an infant mortality rate of 7 per 1,000 live births by 2016,” said Jill Nelson, Co-Chair of the Geary County Perinatal Coalition during a press conference Wednesday at Geary Community Hospital.
“Today we are proud to report that due to the efforts of our local initiative, Delivering Change: Healthy Moms, Healthy Babies, Geary County’s infant mortality rate has dropped to 6.6 per 1,000 live births.”
The decrease is credited directly to the Delivering Change: Healthy Moms, Healthy Babies initiative that focuses on providing at-risk women and their partners with improved access to prenatal education and care, assistance in securing health insurance, and guidance finding financial aid, among other initiatives.
Due to the success of the initiative and the Geary County Perinatal Coalition their program has now become the model other counties across the state are trying to replicate.
“You really are changing lives, and you’re transforming communities, not just here in Geary County but your model is being spread, it’s being used as the model to replicate and the standard of care in service delivery,” said Rebecca Gillam, Assistant Director & Healthy Start Principal Investigator, KU Center for Public Partnerships and Research.
Advancing from its grassroots beginnings, when funding came from the March of Dimes and the Geary Community Health Foundation, Delivering Change today is backed by a five-year, $3.5 million federal Healthy Start initiative award, secured in 2014 with assistance from the Center for Public Partnerships & Research at the University of Kansas and administered by KDHE. The project continues Geary County’s collaborative approach, with KDHE as project manager for the grant and CPPR providing evaluation services.
Even after reaching it’s goal of being under 7 infant deaths per 1,000 live births by 2016, Delivering Change has set it’s eyes on the next goal of being at or below 5 infant deaths per 1,000 live births.
All persons included in this post are innocent of crimes until proven guilty in a court of law. Courtesy Photos.
This information is not criminal history. All individuals included in this post are innocent of crimes until proven guilty in a court of law. JC Post assumes no legal liability or responsibility for the accuracy, or completeness, of this information. Any person who believes information provided is not accurate may submit a complaint to admin@salinapost.com
According to the National Weather Service of Topeka, dry conditions are anticipated by late evening. Thursday brings 
slightly warmer conditions, with hot weather returning for the weekend. There will be a few chances for thunderstorms during the weekend as well.
Today: Mostly cloudy with a 50 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Highs in the lower 80s. East winds 5 to 10 mph.
Tonight: Partly cloudy. Lows in the upper 60s. East winds up to 10 mph.
Thursday: Mostly sunny. Highs around 90. Southeast winds 5 to 10 mph.
Thursday Night: Partly cloudy with a 30 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Lows in the upper 60s. East winds up to 10 mph.
Friday: Sunny. Highs in the lower 90s. Northeast winds up to 10 mph.
Friday Night: Partly cloudy in the evening then becoming mostly cloudy. A 30 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Lows in the lower 70s.
Saturday: Partly sunny with a 30 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Highs in the lower 90s.
Saturday Night: Partly cloudy in the evening then becoming mostly cloudy. A 40 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Lows in the lower 70s.
Sunday: Partly sunny with slight chance of showers and thunderstorms. Highs in the lower 90s.
Sunday Night: Partly cloudy with slight chance of showers and thunderstorms. Lows around 70.
Monday: Mostly sunny with slight chance of showers and thunderstorms. Highs in the upper 80s.
Monday Night: Partly cloudy. Lows in the upper 60s.
Tuesday: Mostly sunny. Highs in the upper 80s.
The Junction City Police Department has reported the arrest of Jaylen Donyell Ahiwela Mason, 21, Junction City at 4:20 a.m. Wednesday at the intersection of Ash Street and U.S. 77 Highway.
They reported that Mason was arrested on suspicion of Possession of Marijuana, Possession of Drug Paraphernalia, No Drug Tax Stamp, Possession of Drug Proceeds, Possession of MDMA, and Defective Driver’s Side Mirror.
The Junction City Land Bank Board of Trustee’s passed the motion authorizing staff to begin the process to announce the sale of the first 25 lots of the Land Bank along with a proposed schedule for the sale process.
The 25 lots identified include five lots from the Doc Hargreaves Hilltop, two from
Ehlers Addition, seven from Sutter Highlands, and eleven from Sutter Woods.
“It will be a sealed bid process, with the intention to accept sealed bids up through the 10th of September. The idea would be to present them to the Land Bank (Board of Trustee’s) on September 15th, for them to make the decision whether they accept any of the bids,” said Dave Yearout, Zoning and Planning Administrator.
If the City does approve the bids on September 15th, the goal would be to have the closing of sale on October 31, or earlier if possible.
The City Commission did approve the re-structuring of the Neighborhood Revitalization Program Tuesday night to include all of the lots within the Land Bank.
“Presuming that it gets blessed by the County and the School District, yes the Land Bank lots will be added. That will be part of the disclosure that we do so that the potential buyer can also apply for NRP on their home.”
The 25 lots identified already for sale are lots they were able to receive clear title on from the Title Companies the quickest. Yearout noted that they’re also close to receiving clear title on another 70 plus lots.
The schedule for sale is also dependent upon the completion of the work by Geary County officials to remove the previous taxes, liens and other similar encumbrances statutorily required to be removed, and the completion of “abating” the past Special Assessments for public improvements as required by Ordinance No. S-3134. These actions will be necessary for the Title Company to provide a Title Commitment that does not show any taxes as being unpaid and delinquent.
The Junction City Commission moved to publish the proposed 2016 budget Tuesday night and set a public hearing for August 18th.
This years budget is calling for a very slight increase to the mill levy. 
“Our proposed budget includes a very, very slight mill increase of .048 of a mill, of course by the time your taxes in December that could actually lower, it depends on how the evaluation goes on the final evaluation. In essence we think it’s basically a zero increase,” said Allen Dinkel, City Manager.
Dinkel said that the City needs to continue to keep a close eye on it’s budget and continue moving towards the future, especially when 21 mills still goes to debt services.
Teacher contract negotiations in USD 475 have gone to impasse.
Negotiators have been unable to agree on a tentative agreement.
KASB attorney David Shriver served as the lead negotiator for the Board of Education. Following a negotiating session Tuesday Shriver talked with JC Post. “Because of some electronic communication from the Association’s membership we felt that the progress of the Board’s offer was being undermined, and we wanted some clarification at the beginning of today’s meeting to see if there was the possibility of movement toward ratification of the Board’s salary offer. ”
That salary offer included an average teacher salary increase of 6.5 percent.
Dr. Corbin Witt explained in return the Board wanted to increase the duty day to an eight-hour duty from the current seven-hours-and-50 minutes. He that latter time frame does not include the 30 or 40-minute duty free lunch for teachers. “But going to a consistent eight-hour duty day, increasing collaborative time at the elementary level, going through and removing some people….SLP’s, Pt’s, Psych, Social Workers from the salary schedule because we’re not competitive. ” Witt added to hire those personnel with advanced levels of degrees USD 475 needs to be able to pay them more, noting the district is short in those areas.”
Witt noted another condition would be to have meetings start after the duty day instead of after children are dismissed from school. “Because it was impossible for us to get a meeting when we said it started the minute kids were dismissed. We all know that we have to get the kids out of the building.”
Cathy Rankin, Junction City Education Association President, also talked with JC Post. “We’re very disappointed that the Board decided to file for unilateral impasse. We came here today ( Tuesday ) prepared to work and negotiate long into the night if needed be.” Rankin added they hope a mediator can help reach compromises which will work for both sides.
On the offer by the Board to the JCEA Rankin noted, “We were disappointed that they didn’t value the work the teachers do outside the classroom enough to offer the raise without the conditions.” And she added, “We’re very concerned about the amount of preparation time that our elementary teachers have. They have less than any other set of teachers, and although we value collaboration time and we think it’s very important the District is asking them to trade off their individual prep time to prepare for their students in exchange for that collaboration.” Rankin stated collaboration is something teachers do anyway.
Shriver made the unilateral declaration on behalf of the Board of Education to go to impasse. He indicated the next step will be to notify state officials, and they will then notify the Federal Mediation and Conciliation services who will send in a mediator. Both negotiating teams will meet with that person. If mediation is unsuccessful the process goes to fact finding where both sides present formal evidence and testimony to convince the fact finder on the accuracy of their position. Once the fact finder recommendation is issued the two teams would have seven days to meet again for another negotiating session. If that fails, at that point the Board can issue unilateral terms and conditions of employment.
For now, teachers in USD 475 will work under the contract that has existed during the past year.
POTTAWATOMIE COUNTY – Law enforcement officials in Pottawatomie County are investigating a report of a suspect impersonating a police officer. 
The Sheriff’s officer reported in a media release the female victim reported that at about 2:45 a.m. on Tuesday, she was driving East on Highway 24 when a black 4 door car that looked to have flashing lights on top of the car pulled in behind her.
The victim, believing it was law enforcement, stopped her vehicle. The driver of the black car (suspect) exited the vehicle and approached the victim. The suspect had the victim step out of her car and then started searching part of her car. The victim was allowed to leave the stop unharmed.
The victim noted that the 4 door black car had no makings, believed the emergency lights were on top of the car, and then described the suspect as being 5’6 to 6 foot tall, 35 to 40 years old, white male, clean shaven and wearing a black baseball cap, dress pants, a blue polo shirt with a clip on name tag and tinted sunglasses.
Anyone with information on the incident or information on the suspect vehicle is urged to contact Pottawatomie County Sheriff Office at 785-457-3353.
DICKINSON COUNTY- Two people were injured in an accident just before 12:30 p.m. on Tuesday in Dickinson County.
The Kansas Highway Patrol reported a 2002 Harley Davidson driven by Allen J. Campbell, 55, Dallas, GA., was westbound on Kansas 18.
The motorcycle rear-ended a 2013 Harley Davidson driven by Kathleen M. Bogucki, that had slowed to make a right hand turn to travel north on Kansas 15.
Campbell and Bogucki were transported to the hospital in Abilene.
They were not wearing helmets, according to the KHP.