The Geary County Sheriff’s Department has reported that Deputies responded Monday afternoon to 400 South Ritter Road for a single vehicle accident.

Alexis Butts, Junction City, was traveling westbound on K-18 Highway in a Nissan Pathfinder when she lost control of her vehicle while attempting to turn south onto Ritter Road, causing minor damage to the vehicle and damage to a fence. No injuries were reported.

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The Sheriff’s Department responded Monday evening to K-177 Highway near mile marker 86 for a single vehicle accident. Elizabeth Ash, Emporia, was traveling south in a Chevrolet Cobalt when she struck a deer in the roadway. Ash was not injured.

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Deputies responded at 4:30 a.m. on Tuesday to the 7000 block of Davis Creek Road for a single vehicle accident.

Colton Enfield, Junction City, was traveling southbound in a Hyundai Sonata, when he struck a coyote in the roadway. Enfield was not injured.

 

aTa Bus is sending out surveys to learn more about what Geary County residents want in the way of fixed route public bus service.

Florence Whitebread, Geary County Commissioner, noted there is a believe that fixed bus routes would cover about 65-percent of the people in Junction City. “Which is really good coverage with four routes. So they would add four buses, which they’ve already ordered the buses.”

Whitebread is hopeful the fixed route service can begin by the end of this year, or early in 2016.

by Lindsey Elliott

MANHATTAN — Mosquito season is arriving early thanks to recent weather patterns, which means it’s time to start prevention measures a little sooner — not only for humans, but also for susceptible pets.

“Our weather patterns have been quite abrupt and with the moisture that we’ve had, coupled with the really warm temperatures, mosquitoes are really taking off,” said Elizabeth Davis, professor and section head of equine medicine and surgery at Kansas State University. “The Kansas Department of Health and Environment mosquito surveillance in the state of Kansas has found that the levels of Culex mosquitoes, which effectively transmit West Nile virus, are already higher than they were in all of 2014.”

The levels now are even greater than the levels observed in June 2013 when the state of Kansas had 92 human West Nile cases. The Kansas Department of Health and Environment has already confirmed one positive case this year.

Reducing the risk of West Nile virus in humans, horses and other animals is about taking precautions early, Davis says. For certain animals like horses, vaccines are an option.

“Right now is the ideal time to vaccinate your horse if you have not done so already,” Davis said. “Working with your veterinarian to design an ideal protocol is a great way to know that you are protecting your horse against all possible disease threats. Once the vaccine has been administered, it usually takes about two weeks to get a good booster reaction and that protection is going to last at least six months. If you vaccinate now, you’re going to have horses that are very well protected through the warm weather, which in this area is going to extend through early October.”

While West Nile virus does not cause disease in small animals like dogs and cats, Davis said that mosquitoes can transmit various infectious diseases as well as a parasite that can cause heartworm disease in dogs and cats. Therefore, for many reasons it is beneficial to minimize mosquito populations.

Minimizing mosquito populations at this time of year can have several benefits, according to Davis.

“Ways that we can do that are to identify areas that mosquito breeding might be taking place, such as standing water in old tires, a water trough or even a birdbath. Empty those as soon as possible,” Davis said. “If you need to leave water out for your animals, clean those areas at least once a week, if not more frequently, and that will really diminish the number of mosquito populations that are breeding and potentially harboring this virus.”

Symptoms of West Nile vary in humans and animals, but the virus is potentially deadly to both. For humans, symptoms can range from a headache and fever to swelling of the brain and death. For horses, symptoms range from mild — fever or change of appetite — to severe, such as neurologic disorders.

For questions about how to protect your animals, contact your local veterinarian or the Kansas State University Veterinary Health Center at 785-532-5700.

Recent rains have led to the collapse of a portion of a stone wall on Franklin Street near the Geary County Detention Center.

County Commissioner Florence Whitebread said Monday there is stone wall lying out in the sidewalk. She noted due to the substantial amount of rain that has been received the wall collapsed. “We gave our Public Works Director Dennis Cox authorization to proceed to get that wall placed back in position where it was. ”

Whitebread added Public Works was directed to put holes in the wall where water can come through in order to avoid the same problem in the future. “Because this could create the whole bank coming down, with the amount of moisture that we have.”

The stone wall runs in front of the Geary County Courthouse on Eighth Street and circles around north down Franklin past the county jail. The collapsed area is on the Franklin Street side where the wall comes to the detention center.

According to the National Weather Service of Topeka, summer-like weather is forecast through the weekend. Warmer temperatures are expected each day through Saturday with a gradual warming trend. It will be humid throughout the period with small thunderstorm chances Tuesday through Thursday and again Saturday night. The remnants of Tropical Storm Bill should remain southeast of northeast Kansas and it will produce heavy rainfall across the Ozarks and far southeast Kansas this week. Severe weather chances appear low through the period.

Hazardous Weather Outlook

Today: Partly sunny. Highs around 80. East winds 10 to 15 mph.

Tonight: Mostly cloudy. A 20 percent chance of thunderstorms in the evening. Lows around 66. South winds up to 10 mph.

Wednesday: Partly sunny. Highs around 84. South winds 5 to 10 mph.

Wednesday Night: Partly cloudy in the evening then becoming mostly cloudy. A 20 percent chance of thunderstorms. Lows in the upper 60s. Southeast winds up to 10 mph.

Thursday: Partly sunny with a 20 percent chance of thunderstorms. Highs in the mid 80s. East winds up to 10 mph.

Thursday Night Through Friday Night: Partly cloudy. Lows in the upper 60s. Highs in the mid 80s.

Saturday: Mostly sunny with a 20 percent chance of thunderstorms. Highs in the lower 90s.

Saturday Night: Mostly cloudy with a 50 percent chance of thunderstorms. Lows in the upper 60s.

Sunday And Sunday Night: Partly cloudy. A 20 percent chance of thunderstorms. Highs in the upper 80s. Lows in the mid 60s.

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

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The Junction City Land Bank Ad Hoc Committee has established it’s first set of recomendations to send to the Board of Trustee’s.

The Ad Hoc Committee met Monday night at the Municipal Building and decided to make the recommendation to take 25 available lots that the Land Bank Board of Trustee’s can get clear title to and put them up for sale.

“That’s what we have right now, I think there will be more pending,” said Pat Landes, who serves as the Chairman of the Ad Hoc Committee and sits on the Land Bank Board of Trustee’s.

The committee did look into lots in the Olivia Farms addition, but they requested City Staff take another look at how they’re plotted and whether or not it would be better to re-plot them in order to make them more attractive to buyers.

Dave Yearout, Junction City’s Planning and Zoning Administrator explained the 25 lots are spread out through different subdivisions.

“There’s seven lots in Sutter Highlands, another 11 lots in Sutter Woods, and then some lots up in Doc Hargraves addition, others in Ehlers addition so they’re kind of scattered,” said Yearout. “In most cases there are other homes built around them, so they’re not isolated by themselves. A buyer, if they go to buy them will be building around other homes.”

The other recommendations submitted by the Ad Hoc Committee included that each lot sell for a minimum price of $5,000, be sold to the highest bidder through a sealed bid process, and that the lots be eligible for NRP and the reamortization of the remaining specials.

The Land Bank Board of Trustee’s, made up of the City Commissioners, will meet Tuesday evening at 6 p.m. at the Municipal Building prior to the City Commission meeting to discuss the recommendations. The Board of Trustee’s have final approval over the sale of the lots.

Geary County Commissioners have given their approval to a state of Local Disaster Emergency Declaration for the county.

Garry Berges, Geary County Emergency Management Director, said Monday there are no flooding problems in the county right now, but with the amount of rainfall coming in and potential for roads to have problems county officials detemined it was necessary, and the State requested an emergency declaration as a precaution. ” If we get our roads in bad shape, or any type of weather related that we can request state assistance, which in turn will allow us if it’s a FEMA declaration and presidential declaration to recover up to 75-percent of the cost of what we need to do.”

According to a news release issued to the media at the weekly commission meeting, Geary County Public Works Director Dennis Cox informed the commission that many of the gravel roads in the county are in fair condition, but it wouldn’t take much more rain or a runoff to cause damage to the roads.

Public is also monitoring two Geary County owned roads near Milford Lake that could be affected as the lake level rises. They are Houston Road, which is the back road to the city of Milford, and Auld Road which is on the wet side of Milford Lake.

The Junction City Community Band will present a free double concert at 7 p.m. on Sunday, June 21 at the C. L. Hoover Opera House.

The community band will begin with a 30-minute concert.  That will be followed by the Kansas Army National Guard, 35th Infantry Division Band, “The Governor’s Own,” under the direction of Chief Warrant Officer Stephen J. Patterson.

Both bands will present a variety of marches. popular music, and show tunes.

 

The Geary County Prevention Partnership is selling Krispy Kreme donuts in an effort to raise funds for their efforts.

Pre-order sales are over, but they will be ordering extras for first-come first-served selling.

According to Meredith Butler they will be available from noon until 2 p.m. on Saturday, June 20. Original glazed donuts are $8 for a dozen, and specialty cream filled are $9 for a dozen.

They will be selling the donuts at the Adolescent Resource Center at 805 North Washington Street.

The Junction City Area Chamber of Commerce is reminding members about the New Teachers’ Breakfast Monday, August 3 at 7 a.m. at the Geary County Convention Center.

You can join USD 475 and fellow Chamber of Commerce members in welcoming new teachers to the community and schools.