According to the 10-day forecast for the surrounding area temperatures are expected to reach the mid 90’s but don’t expect that to last.

Mary Knapp, Kansas State Climatologist explained that temperatures are expected to be below normal in the month of July.

“When we look at the 8-14 day outlook it goes back to more normal temperatures, and if we look at the latest outlook that was just released by the Climate Prediction Center for July they are calling for an increased chance for below normal temperatures in July for all of Kansas,” said Knapp.

Average temperature for July in the Geary/Riley County area is around 78 and 79 degrees fahrenheit. That average also averages in the low temperatures.

Knapp added that the July outlook is also calling for above average moisture across all of Kansas and most of the midwest. The average rainfall in Geary/Riley County is around 4 and 4 1/2 inches in July. Even the normal rainfall could cause some issues for the surrounding area concerning flooding.

“The soils are so saturated that it could take some time to dry out even if we do get an extended period of dry weather.”

Rain in Nebraska is also a factor for high water at the area reservoirs including Milford Lake and Tuttle Creek Lake.

“There have been quite a bit of heavy rains to our north in Nebraska and that’s going to continue to result in high water levels on the Republican River and the Big Blue River and that will of course create problems on those reservoirs.”

JCPost will continue to watch any possible flooding concerns at both Milford Lake and Tuttle Creek Lake. As of Thursday afternoon Tuttle Creek Lake was 35 ft. above normal and making releases of 15,000 cfs, and Milford Lake was sitting about 9 ft. high releasing just 25 cfs.

Delivering Change: Healthy Moms, Healthy Babies, in partnership with the Kansas Infant Death and SIDS ( KIDS ) Network, will host Luke’s Community Baby SHower at 10 a.m. Saturday, June 20 in the Larry Dixon Center, 920 West 6th Street, Junction City.

All local expecting mothers are invited to attend this free event.

The baby shower — named for local SIDS baby Luke Nelson — is an opportunity to educate pregnant women and their support systems on safe sleep and other community resources available to them in Geary County. This community baby shower will provide based upon availability, a free Graco Pack ‘n’ Play portable playard, a free Halo Sleep Sack, and other free items to pregnant women who complete the safe sleep training at the baby shower. There will also be a number of outdoor prizes including car seats and breast pumps.  Child care will be available.

The local resources featured at the baby shower are: Breastfeeding Coalition, Geary County WIC, Parents as Teachers, OB Navigator, New Parent Support, Infant & Toddlers, Pawnee Mental Health, Geary County Health Department Mother & Infant/Home Visits, Geary Community Hospital Social Work, KanCare, and Geary Rehabilitation and Fitness.

Luke’s Community Baby Shower is funded as a part of the Healthy Start Grant that Delivering Change received last year.

Delivering Change: Healthy Moms, Healthy Babies is a local collaborative established in 2011 to address health issues faced by infants and the women of chil-bearing age in order to reduce infant mortality and morbidity in Geary County.

The proposed 2016 Junction City budge draft by city management to the City Commission contains a slight increase in the property tax levy of .397 of one mill.

That is a starting point as the City Commission begins budget deliberations, and is not final.

Cheryl Beatty, Finance Director, said there would be an eight percent increase in dental insurance but no increase in health insurance. “That is phenomenal. And that’s because of low usage by the group.”

Other features include a proposal for an additional $100,000 for street improvements bringing the total suggested for 2016 up to $1.1 million, the City contracting with Opera House Inc. to manage the C. L. Hoover Opera House, and no grant funds, and no increase for the EDC budget. “Capital Outlay assumes no new project, fire reserve remains at two mills.”

Officials noted the annual property valuation numbers for the city will not be available until after July 1.

The Commission has the management recommendations and this week began a series of three budget work sessions where they are hearing from City department heads on their needs, and recommendations for 2016.

No final action will be taken on the budget until later in the summer.

DEB RIECHMANN, Associated Press

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Senate has passed a $612 billion defense policy bill that President Barack Obama has threatened to veto.

The vote was 71 to 25.

The bill includes a 2.3 percent pay increase for U.S. servicemen and -women. It also calls for arming Ukraine forces fighting Russian-backed separatists, prevents another round of base closures and makes it harder for Obama to close the U.S. military prison at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.

The White House opposes the way the bill skirts congressional spending limits and increases money for defense by padding an emergency war-fighting account that is exempt from the caps. The Obama administration argues that if Republicans want to break through spending caps on defense, they should do so for nondefense spending, too.

Little Apple Post

MANHATTAN -The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers at Tuttle Creek Lake have decided to close two campgrounds due to high water.

The Stockdale Campground and Tuttle Creek Cove Campground will be closed until the end of June.

These are not the campgrounds located immediately next to the Country Stampede Festival.

The National Recreation and Reservation Sysem will contact and issue refunds to those with a reservation at these parks.

Earlier this week, the Corps of Engineers declared an emergency throughout its Kansas City District because of high river levels and a rainy forecast in northwest Missouri.

On Tuesday, the Corps delivered sandbags for use in Manhattan and in the Blue River Basin.

The Veteran’s Administration is planning to expand the Junction City Community Based Outpatient Clinic within the next 12 to 18 months.

The Director of the VA Eastern Kansas Healthcare System, Rudy Klopfer, explained that there is a need to expand the Junction City clinic. “Two teams that each handle around a thousand patients is not large enough. And so, we have plans to secure another space or another location, and to provide extra space, tripling the size of our clinic from about 33-hundred to close to ten thousand square feet to house our staff.”

The new facility would be large enough to allow the VA to add another team at the clinic to focus on primary care and mental health needs as well as other staff to focus on other needs.

HOPE YEN, Associated Press

WASHINGTON (AP) — In a turn-around, the government has agreed to provide millions of dollars in disability benefits to as many as 2,100 Air Force reservists and active-duty forces exposed to Agent Orange residue on planes that had been used in the Vietnam War.

The new federal rule, approved by the White House budget office, takes effect Friday.

It adds to an Agent Orange-related caseload that already makes up 1 out of 6 disability checks issued by the Department of Veterans Affairs.

The expected cost to the government over 10 years is $47.5 million. Separate health care coverage will add to the price tag.

The VA says the rule covers military personnel who worked on C-123 planes from 1969 to 1986. Those planes were used to spray Agent Orange during the Vietnam War.

Junction City police reported a case of criminal damage property at 701 South Eisenhower Drive.

At 5:16 a.m. Thursday police received information that a vehicle had been keyed and the tires slashed.

No arrests have been reported.

According to the National Weather Service of Topeka, partly sunny this afternoon with scattered storms possible for areas mainly along and north of Interstate 70. Most areas should remain dry through the first half of the weekend. The summertime heat has quickly approached northeast Kansas as highs quickly warm from the 80s tomorrow to just under 100 degrees on Saturday. The extreme humidity will make it feel between 100 and 108 degrees. Perhaps a few scattered storms associated with a weak storm system will bring some heat relief Saturday eve.-Sunday eve. Highs remain in the upper 80s/lower 90s through mid-next week.

Hazardous Weather Outlook

Today: Partly sunny with a 30 percent chance of thunderstorms. Highs around 85. East winds up to 10 mph.

Tonight: Mostly cloudy. A 20 percent chance of thunderstorms in the evening. Lows around 65. Northeast winds 5 to 10 mph.

Friday: Mostly sunny. Highs around 85. East winds 5 to 10 mph.

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

Saturday: Hot and humid. Mostly sunny. Highs in the mid 90s. South winds 10 to 15 mph. Heat index readings around 106.

Saturday Night: Partly cloudy with a 20 percent chance of thunderstorms. Lows in the lower 70s.

Sunday: Mostly sunny with a 40 percent chance of thunderstorms. Highs around 90.

Sunday Night: Partly cloudy with a 30 percent chance of thunderstorms. Lows around 70.

Monday Through Wednesday: Mostly clear. Highs in the lower 90s. Lows in the lower 70s.

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The VA Eastern Kansas Health Care System is visiting it’s local clinics and holding Town Hall meetings in order to hear from local veterans about how things are going and where they can improve. They held their first Town Hall in Junction City Wednesday evening at the Junction City Middle School.

A number of concerns were expressed during the town hall meeting including some involving how Veterans can access VA care. 

“It’s our resolve to look at the systems and the processes of entrance into the VA, the eligibility side of it and look at ways to be able to help them and make it easier for them,” said Rudy Klopfer, the Director of the VA Eastern Kansas Health Care System. “We’ve hired two Patient Navigators, one for Topeka, one for Leavenworth. Those Patient Navigators will then help those Veterans coming into the system, access and understand it.”

Klopfer also explained that a National Program will also be starting July 1st where newly enrolled Veterans will be receiving a personal phone call from a person within the VA to discuss all the benefits available to them. The person conducting the phone call will then be able to link the Veteran to a local hospital or clinic in order to schedule initial appointments.

It also came up during the Town Hall that not all of the local Veterans are aware of what the local clinic in Junction City can offer. Klopfer explained that it offers primary care and mental health care,”for certain. But we also have a Telehealth Coordinator that will work with our Physicians and Providers back in Topeka for Telehealth services. So Teleretinal, that’s for the eye, we’re looking at starting Teledermatology, we do Telemove which is weight management to help our Veterans who maybe a little heavier and want to decrease some of that weight.”

The Junction City Clinic also has Social Work staff on site. The Junction City Clinic is located at 715 Southwind Drive, on Junction City’s west side just off Hwy 77.