The Geary County Sheriff’s Department has reported that Deputies arrested Lyle L. Smith, Grandview Plaza, in the 100 block of East 16th Street in Junction City on suspicion of DUI, Possession of Methamphetamines, Possession of Marijuana, Possession of a Controlled Substance With Intent to Sell, and Felony Possession of Drug Paraphernalia.
Smith was also arrested on a Dickinson County District Court warrant alleging Failure to Appear.
The Junction City Area Chamber of Commerce has named Dennis Beson as its new CEO.
“The opportunity to come to Junction City and Geary County as CEO of the Chamber is a dream come true. I am looking forward to assisting the growth of the Chamber business community, and the economic growth of the region.”
Beson comes to Junction City from the Saginaw area of Michigan where he provided leadership training for Merrill Technologies Group. Previous experience also includes working as a consultant with Thumb Works and Great Lakes Bay Michigan Works as a consultant with skills in training and work force development programs. he is a 1992 graduate of Michigan State University, holding a Bachelor of Arts degree in Interdisciplinary Humanities. Beson has been an active member of three Bay Are Chambers of Commerce for more than 15 years.
“We are excited to have Mr. Beson lead our Junction City Area Chamber of Commerce,” according to Mark Ediger, CHairperson of the Junction City Area Chamber of Commerce. Ediger added, “He brings experience in leadership training which will be valuable as we continue to grow our consolidated Chamber. With the addition of our new Economic Development Director, Greg Miller, we are excited for the future of Junction City and Geary County.”
Beson will begin work in Junction City on August 3.
According to the National Weather Service of Topeka, scattered showers and a few thunderstorms will be possible today and tomorrow. A strong storm cannot be ruled out today however we do not expect organized severe weather. Daytime highs 
should stay below average through the 4th of July with temperatures in the 80s. The 4th of July should be dry for most of us with only a slight chance for an afternoon storm.
Today: Mostly cloudy with a 30 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Highs in the lower 80s. Northeast winds around 5 mph.
Tonight: Mostly cloudy with a 40 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Lows in the mid 60s. Southeast winds up to 5 mph.
Friday: Partly sunny with a 30 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Highs in the lower 80s. Northeast winds up to 5 mph.
Friday Night: Mostly cloudy in the evening then becoming partly cloudy. Lows in the mid 60s. Southeast winds up to 5 mph.
Independence Day: Mostly sunny with slight chance of showers and thunderstorms. Highs in the mid 80s. Southeast winds up to 10 mph.
Saturday Night: Partly cloudy with slight chance of showers and thunderstorms. Lows in the upper 60s.
Sunday: Mostly sunny with a 30 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Highs in the upper 80s.
Sunday Night: Mostly cloudy with a 40 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Lows in the lower 70s.
Monday: Mostly cloudy with a 50 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Highs in the mid 80s.
Monday Night: Mostly cloudy with a 50 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Lows in the mid 60s.
Tuesday: Partly sunny with a 50 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Highs in the lower 80s.
Tuesday Night: Mostly cloudy with a 50 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Lows in the mid 60s.
Wednesday: Partly sunny with a 40 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Highs in the mid 80s.
An estimated crowd of 1,000 plus were on hand for the opening night of Sundown Salute in downtown Junction City Wednesday.
Christian bands Run With It and Unspoken kicked off the four-day 
celebration.
It was a homecoming for Run With It frontman Miguel Caraballo, who grew up in Junction City but moved to Kansas City about nine years ago. He said he jumped at the opportunity to come back to his hometown.
“I was just excited, because I remember coming to Sundown Salute all the time, even my family and I we’ve moved out the Kansas City and we’ve been out there for a long time now, but we would still come back for the 4th of July just to come to Sundown Salute because it was a lot of fun,” said Caraballo. “I was like “We get to play this? This is awesome!” So it was a blast.”
Wednesday night also featured the free hot dog feed put on by the Junction City Fire Department. This year the JCFD grilled up 1,000 hot dogs and handed them out to the first 500 people. It took just 40 minutes for them to hand out every hot dog.
Day two of Sundown Salute kicks off Thursday at 11 a.m. with the All Star Stunt Dogs Challenge along 5th Street next to Heritage Park. At noon Brian Wendling – Juggler will perform in the Heritage Park Bandstand. Also at noon will be the Russ Leno Master Watermelon Carver along 5th Street and the Kids Zone at 5th and Jefferson open up.
The Ottaway Carnival opens at 6 p.m. Thursday and the concerts on the main stage feature country bands State Line Drive at 7 p.m. and Shawn Gerhard-Tribute to Garth Brooks at 8:30 p.m..
Update:
The Geary County Sheriff’s Department has reported the one of the drivers in the accident was tom Richard, Concordia. He was traveling north on U.S. 77 in a Chevrolet Silverado 2500 when a Milford teen failed to yield and pulled out in front of him in a Dodge Ram 2500. The teen and a passenger in the vehicle were transported to Geary Community Hospital. Richard and a passenger were treated on scene by Junction City Fire / EMS for cuts and bruises and released.
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Two pickup trucks collided at the intersection of U.S. 77 and Cedar Road about five miles north of Junction City Wednesday evening.
The Junction Fire Department confirmed two people were transported to Geary Community Hospital for treatment of non-life threatening injuries, complaining of neck and back pain. Two others were treated at the scene and released. The names of the people in the accident are not yet available from the Geary County Sheriff’s Department. The two pickup trucks were totaled.
One of those involved in the accident was trapped inside one of the vehicles. Fire Department Battalion Chief Bill Kausler said it was a high-speed T-Bone type accident, and when firefighters / EMS arrived on the scene both vehicles were on their side. “Three individuals were out of their vehicles and one was entrapped.”
To remove the person entrapped the vehicle had to be stabilized. “My guests performed an extrication and got the gentleman out of the passenger door.”
While they were on scene one of the pickup truck’s engine compartments caught on fire and had to be put out. That was not the vehicle where the victim was trapped inside.
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — The largest electric utility in Kansas has agreed to refund $10 million to its customers and decrease its rates slightly to settle a complaint filed by state regulators with the federal government.
Topeka-based Westar Energy and the Kansas Corporation Commission announced the settlement Wednesday. It would a resolve a complaint filed by the KCC last year with the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission.
The Kansas commission had alleged that Westar was charging unjustly high transmission rates. The federal commission must approve the settlement.
Under the settlement, Westar will make the refunds and decrease its rates by about $8 million a year. The company estimates that most residential customers would save 40 cents a month.
But Westar is also asking the Kansas commission to boost other rates by $152 million.
Kansas residents are now legally allowed to concealed carry a firearm without a concealed carry permit.
On May 25, the Kansas Senate introduced the ‘constitutional carry bill,’ which passed 
through the Chamber and House and was signed into law by Governor Brownback.
This bill, Senate Bill 45, changes the regulations for concealed-carry, where concealing a gun would no longer require a permit. Gun owners could still obtain a state concealed-carry permit if they wanted to carry their weapon in other states that honor Kansas permits.
Junction City Police Chief, Tim Brown expressed his thoughts on the new law Wednesday.
“I’d like to say in full confidence it’s going to make the city safer,” said Brown. “I’m just not so sure that that’s the truth. My concern is that a number of persons unfamiliar with the laws of when you have the right to use force and when you don’t, that people that don’t have a good idea how to use a firearm may be inclined to carry them, and based on that I think is a recipe for disaster. Untrained and unknowledgeable individuals carrying firearms could cause serious harm to themselves or other person’s, but you know thats the police officer in me.”
When asked if the new law changes how Junction City Police Officer’s will approach individuals he confirmed that he believes it will.
“We’ll have to approach things differently. We have to assume, now based on the firearm laws in Kansas, that everybody’s armed. Unfortunately thats to bad. It doesn’t meen that we’re going to come at you and point our guns at you, or anything like that it’s just that we may be more cognizant to our safety.”
Different movements may also elicit a differnt type of reaction from officers according to Brown.
There is no way of telling how many people will elect to carry a concealed weapon now that it is legal in the state. Brown did say that they did have a few issues when open carry became legal this time last year, including a couple of arrests, most of them dealing with individuals under the influence of alcohol and in possession of a firearm.
Greg Riat, Pottawatomie County Sheriff, released the following information on Wednesday pertaining to the four day period of Country Stampede. 
The following agencies combined in a joint law enforcement effort at the 2015 Country Stampede; Kansas Department of Wildlife, Parks and Tourism, State of Kansas Alcohol Beverage Control and the Pottawatomie County Sheriffs Department.
The following incidents / actions were reported or taken by the above agencies:
| Charge | # of Incidents |
| Minor in Possession | 161 |
| Transporting open Container | 7 |
| Obstruction | 18 |
| Unlawful use of Drivers License | 7 |
| Furnishing Alcohol to minor | 2 |
| Aggravated Assault | 1 |
| Battery | 4 |
| Domestic Battery | 3 |
| Criminal Trespass | 6 |
| Disorderly Conduct | 3 |
| Possession of Illegal Drugs | 5 |
| Distribution of Marijuana | 1 |
| Possession of Drug Paraphernalia | 1 |
| Rape | 3 |
| Theft | 4 |
A total of 27 persons were booked into the Pottawatomie Jail from the reported incidents. These stats do not include the efforts of the Riley County Police Department or the Kansas Highway Patrol that the Little Apple Post reported over the four day period.
Kansas State University has named Ralph Richardson as the interim dean and CEO of K-State Olathe, effective Aug. 2.
Richardson has served as dean of the College of Veterinary Medicine at Kansas State University since 1998 and will be succeeded by Tammy Beckham, currently director of the Institute for Infectious Animal Diseases in College Station, Texas.
Under Richardson’s leadership, the College of Veterinary Medicine established a microbiology lab at K-State Olathe. He has served in leadership positions for several Greater Kansas City programs, including the board of directors of the Kansas City Animal Health Corridor, the American Royal, and many governmental, civic and biomedical programs.
The Junction City Fire Department confirmed a motorist hit the gas meters on the south side of the Washington Square building near Fifth and Washington Streets in downtown Junction City Wednesday morning, resulting in a gas leak.
The accident was reported at 9:44 a.m. Businesses in the building were temporarily evacuated with personnel going to Heritage Park across the street. They were back inside, and the businesses had reopened by 10:15 a.m.
No injuries were reported.
The Junction City Fire Department responded to the scene, and Kansas Gas Service sent units responded to make repairs.