The U.S. Army received input from approximately 22,000 people during their community listening tour across the nation earlier this year.  That’s where information and input was gathered from communities and states about military installations during the sequestration mandated Army downsizing process that will result in the reduction of 40,000 troops from the total Army force.

Col. Andrew Cole, Garrison Commander, Fort Riley, pointed out to a Military Affairs Council Breakfast audience in Junction City on Thursday that the 22,000 total means a substantial percentage of that turnout occurred at the listening session held here. “And I looked at that number and I said, you know, nearly 25 percent of that was at Fort Riley. ”

More than 4,250 people attended the community listening session for Fort Riley, which was held at the convention center in Junction City back in February of this year.

As a result of the downsizing it has been revealed that Fort Riley will lose 615 troop positions. Cole indicated that number will be, “resourced from a combination of looking at some of the overhead spaces within the staff…both at the two-star level at the division level, looking also at the brigade level, how can we do some reorganization, gain some efficiencies, and that’s where some of those authorizations will come from.”

Cole was the keynote speaker for the MAC breakfast at the convention center in Junction City on Thursday.

The Jammin’ in JC Barbecue contest has received a proclamation from Governor Brownback declaring the contest a “state championship.” That means the winner of the Jammin’ in JC barbecue contest qualifies for the American Royal and the Jack Daniels World Championship in the spring.

State Representative Lonnie Clark and Rick Dykstra with the Jammin’ in JC Committee provided the information on the proclamation signing Thursday.

Lance Custer, Ken Dillon and Kenny Ziegler are heading the barbecue contest effort with the assistance of the Jammin’ in JC committee. Entries are still being accepted. For more information go to www.jammininjc.com.

Jammin’ in JC is scheduled September 25-26 in downtown Junction City.

Rebekah Thomas had both the grand champion and reserve grand champion lambs in the 4-H Sheep Show at the Geary County Free Fair.

“It feels pretty good. All my hard work from day one since I bought the lambs, I’ve been working them, I’ve been jumping them, I’ve been setting them up all the time.” Thomas added, “I’m pretty excited. I feel great about myself because getting grand and reserve has no words to describe right now.” The 16-year old Thomas is also the 4-h queen at the fair this year.

Nine-year old Westin Langvardt had the grand champion market hog. That accomplishment goes along with his grand champion market steer purple ribbon that he won earlier in the fair. On raising his hog, Westin stated she was fed and watered daily. “We dumped out her feed tanks, we sprayed them off. ” Langvardt agreed it was a lot of work.

After he won both grand champion market steer and market hog at the fair, JC Post asked Westin why he is so good at this? “Just my gut.”

According to the National Weather Service of Topeka, the hot and humid weather will return Friday and will last into early next week. Highs will warm into the mid to upper 90s with some 100 degree readings possible across central Kansas. The relative humidity will remain high, therefore heat indices will be near or above 105 degrees across most of the area Friday through Monday. Some areas across northeast and east central Kansas may reach heat indices around 110 degrees both Friday and Saturday afternoon. A heat advisory will need to be issued for much of the area both Friday and Saturday afternoons. There may also be isolated to widely scattered showers and thunderstorms during the early morning hours of Friday through Sunday.

Hazardous Weather Outlook

Today: Mostly sunny. Highs in the lower 90s. Southeast winds up to 10 mph.

Tonight: Partly cloudy in the evening then becoming mostly cloudy. A 20 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Lows in the mid 70s. Southeast winds 5 to 10 mph.

Friday: Mostly sunny. Slight chance of showers and thunderstorms in the morning. Highs in the upper 90s. South winds 5 to 10 mph. Highest heat index readings around 110 in the afternoon.

Friday Night: Partly cloudy in the evening then becoming mostly cloudy. A 30 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Lows in the mid 70s. South winds 5 to 10 mph. Highest heat index readings 108 to 109 in the evening.

Saturday: Mostly sunny with a 30 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Highs in the mid 90s. South winds 5 to 10 mph.

Saturday Night: Mostly cloudy with a 40 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Lows in the mid 70s.

Sunday: Mostly sunny with slight chance of showers and thunderstorms. Highs in the mid 90s.

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

Monday: Mostly sunny. Highs in the mid 90s.

Monday Night: Partly cloudy with a 30 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Lows in the mid 70s.

Tuesday: Mostly sunny with a 30 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Highs in the lower 90s.

Tuesday Night: Mostly cloudy with a 50 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Lows in the lower 70s.

Wednesday: Partly sunny with a 50 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Highs in the upper 80s.

CLAY CENTER – Two people died and two others were injured in an accident just before 10:30 a.m. on Wednesday in Clay County.

The Kansas Highway Patrol reported a 1998 Ford Explorer driven by Eldon Hartley, 61, Miltonvale, was eastbound on U.S. 24 three miles west of Clay Center.

The SUV went off the road, entered the south ditch, came back onto the roadway, entered the south ditch again and rolled multiple times

A passenger Kattie Hartley, 30, Miltonvale, was pronounced dead at the scene and transported to Neill-Schwensen-Rook Funeral Home,   Eldon Hartley was transported to Salina Regional Medical Center where he died.

A passenger Gloria J. Hartley, 69, Miltonvale, and a child were transported to Salina Regional Medical Center.

The 3-year-old was the only occupant properly restrained at the time of the accident according to the KHP.

This is a sampling of some of the projects and entries for the 2015 Geary County Free Fair.

The fair continues Thursday with the 4-H Barbecue and Watermelon Feed from 4:30 – 6:30 p.m. and the 4-H Project & Livestock Auction at 7 p.m.

The Geary County Historical Society will have a special exhibit on Civic Groups in Geary County Thursday at the Geary County Fairgrounds.

The exhibit will be up from 4-7 p.m.

Also, on Saturday from 10 a.m. until 1 p.m. at the Spring Valley Historic Site there will be National Day of the Cowboy activities. You will be able to explore the site near the intersection of K-18 Highway and Spring Valley Road and watch the Old Abilene Town Gunfighters perform. Admission will be free.

The chief of staff of the Army has announced that Col. ( Promotable ) Patrick Frank, is being assigned todeputy commander of the 1st Infantry Division at Fort Riley.

Frank is currently the executive officer to the commander, Resolute Support Mission / U.S. Forces – Afghanistan, Operation Freedom’s Sentinel, Afghanistan.

Junction City does not have funding in the proposed 2016 budget for Highland Cemetery.

In year’s past Junction City has funded the private cemetery…this year to a total of $60,000.

Casey Gorham, Cemetery Spokesman did not submit a budget request for next year, but told the City Commission Tuesday night that he was not asked to. Gorham say sthis past year the Cemetery lost approximately $37,000, partly due to depreciation and they did purchase a new mower. They had to use funds from their road maintenance fund to pay the bills.

“Since then the Board has gone up on the prices of our lots out there. But we’re pretty much limited on how we can raise funds,” said Gorham. “We can sell barial lots, we can do opening and closings and we do some miscelanious income in that we take care of St. Mary’s mowing and the opening and closing of those graves, which gives us some additional income.”

Gorham added if they can’t continue to run the cemetery it could go into a cemetery district which leaves only Junction City, because the rest of the county is covered by different cemetery districts.

“The other thing was is that, and I’m not a lawyer, but by statute if we can’t run it then the City would probably end up having to take it over and I think that that would be more expensive than helping fund us as we presently are.”

Cheryl Beatty, City Finance Director noted that she does not believe the private cemetery is a City function.

Allen Dinkel, City Manager said he would make the argument with State Statute it would be the County’s responsibility, but Gorham disagreed.

City Attorney Katie Logan noted she didn’t know those State Statutes.

Mayor Mick McCallister told City Staff he would like them to continue to communicate with the Cemetery group on this issue.