The 1st Infantry Division will welcome a new deputy commanding general and bid farewell to three deputy commanding generals during a July 30 Victory with Honors ceremony in Victory Park.

Brig. Gen. John S. Kolasheski will serve as the “Big Red One’s” deputy commanding general for maneuver. Before coming to Fort Riley, the armor officer served as deputy chief of staff for strategic communications in  for Headquarters, Resolute Support / Operation Freedom’s Sentinel and the International Security Assistance Force / Operation Enduring Freedom with duty in Kabul, Afghanistan.

Kolasheski previously served with the 1st Infantry Division as executive officer for the 1st Squadron, 4th Cavalry Regiment; brigade operations officer for the 2nd Armored Brigade Combat Team including duty in Iraq; and later as deputy division operations officer.

Departing Fort Riley for other assignments are Brig. Gen. Eric Wesley, deputy commanding general for support. He’ll become deputy director of program analysis and evaluation for the Office of the Deputy Chief of Staff, financial management, in Washington D.C. During his time at Fort Riley while the division headquarters served recently in Iraq, he took on duties as acting senior mission commander at Fort Riley.

Brig. Gen. Thomas C. Graves, deputy commanding general for operations, is departing the 1st Infantry Division to serve as deputy commanding general for operations with Eight U.S. Army in the Republic of Korea.

Brigadier, UK, Christopher Ghika, deputy commanding general for readiness, is leaving to serve as head of Personnel Strategy for the British Army.

Also, during the July 30 ceremony, Col. Peter G. Minalga will be welcomed as the division’s new chief of staff, replacing Col. ( promotable ) Kenneth L. Kamper. Minalga commanded the 4th Infantry Brigade Combat team of the 1st Infantry Division from July 2013 to May 2015. Kamper will take command of U.S. Army Operational Test Command at Fort Hood, Texas, in August.

The ceremony on the 30th will begin at 10 a.m.

 

The Miller Chemotherapy Unit at Geary Community Hospital will be spruced up in the near future. It will be funded through the Miller Family trust which is handled by the Geary Community Healthcare Foundation.

Jolana Montgomery-matney, Foundation Executive Director, explained some walls need to be moved because of accessibility. “The chairs need to be replaced. It just needs to be spruced up. And we have the trust that we hold for the family and for chemotherapy, and so those funds will be used to continue improving our patient care here at Geary Community Hospital.”

The cost of the improvements has been estimated between $15,000 and $18,000.

The Geary Community Healthcare Foundation will be busy over the next several months as they prepare for two of their larger fundraising events for Geary Community Hospital.

Coming up in September is the annual Fall Classic golf tournament at Rolling Meadows Golf Course. Funds from the popular golf tournament will be given to the Hospital to continue to support its operations.

Following the Fall Classic on September 11th the annual Glitz fundraiser will be held December 12th. This years Glitz will be a celebration of its 25 year history and will take a look back on those years, according to Jolana Montgomery-Matney, Executive Director of the Healthcare Foundation.

“We’re going to celebrate the 25 years, the different events, where they were, the centerpieces, just kind of reflect back on where they started with raising maybe $3,000 and now were sometimes in the $50,000,” said Montgomery-Matney.

The money raised goes back to benefit GCH. Montgomery-Matney did say that she believes they have identified some needs they would like to put the money towards, from both the Fall Classic and Glitz, but they are not ready to release that at this point.

Save the date cards for the Glitz will be going out in August and invitations will be mailed in November.

 

A community-based string ensemble called the “Flint Hills Community Orchestra” has been formed in Junction City.

The orchestra is open to any and all interested current and former string players provided a couple years of experience.  David Bernard Stevens said members in this first year include community members from all walks of life, teachers, Little Theatre members, legal professionals, stay-at-home moms, and soldiers from Ft. Riley, as well as current and former USD 475 orchestra students.

The first performance will be Thursday, Aug. 6 at 6 p.m. at the C.L. Hoover Opera House in Junction City. Admission will be free, with a free-will donation to the Opera House to thank officials there for hosting the orchestra. Families of students who are joining orchestra in the schools next year are invited to attend. Yearly parents meetings will immediately follow the concert.

USd 475 has a large and growing orchestra program of its own of approximately 300 students. That program has been offered in the school district since 2006.

Junction City Police have reported a 21-year old Junction City man was robbed in the parking lot outside Casey’s General Store at 624 South Washington Street.

The victim, whose name has not been released, sustained minor injuries, was transported by ambulance to Geary Community Hospital, treated and released. The robbery was reported at 11:03 p.m. Monday.

Police confirmed the victim reported that 10-15 people jumped him, took personal property such as money and his wallet, and made him take off his clothing.

There have been no arrests in the case.

Negotiators do not believe final ratification can occur on USD 475 teaching contracts before teachers report to work on Aug. 11, but there is optimism that can eventually be achieved.

Following a negotiating session on Monday there was confirmation the teachers have been offered an average six-and-a half percent salary increase.  Still unresolved are issues involving benefits, professional day and meetings issues,  and definition of the contract year. One proposal by the Board of Education calls for an eight hour duty day instead of a seven-hour-50 minute day.

Junction City Education Association President Cathy Rankin noted, “JCEA is worried about a loss of individual plan time for elementary teachers.  We’re worried about an increase in the teacher work day, and we’re worried about the loss of flex-time benefit for teachers.”  Flex-time allows teachers to work the same amount of time, but if necessary due to a development in their personal life can arrive at work 15 minutes later or leave a little bit later than they normally would. “It can only be used if there is nothing else at the school going on. So if there’s any duty that they have to do at the school or any meeting, that has to come first. Rankin added the Board of Education wants to eliminate that flex-time.

Negotiators have reached agreement on teacher discipline policy and teacher appraisal process. The Board of Education is also offering an increase in funding for the supplemental salary schedule for employees who handle extra duty, such as coaches.

Negotiations continue Aug. 4 and Aug. 6,  but a final ratified agreement is not expected to be completed by the time teachers return to work on Aug. 10 for the new school year, but Associate Superintendent for Teaching and Learning, Dr. Beth Hudson, observed they do think it will be within a couple of weeks after the teachers return. In that scenario teachers would continue working under the contract in effect during the past year, but any improvements in a new contract would be retroactive to the first day of that contract.

 

Twelve soldiers enrolled in Fort Riley’s Career Skills Program will receive Class-A commercial driver’s licenses during a graduation ceremony on post at 11:30 a.m. Friday.

Fort Riley officials said the CDL certification program enables soldiers to operate tractor-trailer semi-trucks for commercial use. The training program is sponsored by ABF Freight and the International Brotherhood of Teamsters.

Kansas Secretary of State Kris Kobach will be in attendance and the guest speaker is Brig. Gen. John Kolasheski, 1st Infantry Division deputy commanding general.

The CDL program is part of Fort Riley’s continuing commitment to the Army’s Soldier for Life program.

 

The Riley County District Court jury trial for Anthony Nichols, Kansas City, Missouri, opens today in Manhattan.

Nichols is charged with first degree murder in the September 2013 death of John Burroughs of Manhattan.

Four days have been scheduled for the trial, which will begin with jury selection and could possibly proceed to opening arguments and some witness testimony later this afternoon.

Nichols has already been convicted in Geary County of Voluntary Manslaughter and Aggravated Robbery in the September 2013 shooting death of Anthony Nixon, Junction City at a street intersection, Tenth and Webster.

In the Geary County case Nichols was sentenced to 302 months in prison.

According to the National Weather Service of Topeka, today will be hot with heat indices around 100-107. A cold front will bring chances for thunderstorms late this afternoon and into the overnight. A few storms may be severe with damaging wind gusts, large hail, and localized heavy rain as the main threats.

Today: Mostly sunny. A 20 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms in the afternoon. Highs in the upper 90s. South winds 10 to 15 mph.

Tonight: Showers and thunderstorms likely. Lows in the upper 60s. Southeast winds 5 to 15 mph shifting to the north 5 to 10 mph after midnight. Chance of precipitation 60 percent.

Wednesday: Not as warm. Partly sunny. Slight chance of showers and thunderstorms in the morning. Highs in the mid 80s. Northeast winds 5 to 10 mph.

Wednesday Night: Partly cloudy. Lows in the mid 60s. Northeast winds up to 10 mph shifting to the east after midnight.

Thursday: Mostly sunny. Highs in the upper 80s. Southwest winds up to 5 mph shifting to the southeast in the afternoon.

Thursday Night: Partly cloudy. Lows in the mid 60s.

Friday: Mostly sunny. Highs in the upper 80s.

Friday Night: Partly cloudy. Lows in the upper 60s.

Saturday: Sunny. Highs in the lower 90s.

Saturday Night: Mostly clear with slight chance of showers and thunderstorms. Lows around 70.

Sunday: Mostly sunny. 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 lower 90s.

 

TOPEKA – The body of a missing Manhattan man was found on Monday evening.

Authorities in Topeka reported just after 9 p.m. that Black Cadillac Escalade with Riley County tags was located in the parking lot of a grocery story in the 800 Block of Northwest 25th Street.

The vehicle, belonging to Robert Griffith, 54, Manhattan, was reported missing last week.

Just before midnight on Monday, his family reported on his missing person page that they had been informed that a preliminary investigation indicated the man found inside the Escalade was identified as Griffith.

Police continue to investigate and say the vehicle had been parked there over the weekend.

Griffith was last seen at his home on July 20.

He reportedly left home without telling family and friends where he was going.

Police are expected to release additional details on Tuesday.