Fire caused extensive damage to the William Strauss residence on South Spring Valley Road in Junction City on  Sunday Night.

There were no injuries. Junction City Fire Department officials believe the cause of the fire may have been a possible gas grill explosion.

Dennis Wetklow, Fire Department Battalion Chief, explained there was an explosion and the back of the house caught on fire. He said the residents had been grilling hamburgers. At the time of the explosion  authorities learned the residents were in their house, and had finished eating dinner when there was a big boom.” Everything came through the windows, obviously the fire was there, and they got out of the house. ”

Wetklow reported that Junction City Mayor Mick McCallister, who lives nearby, heard the boom, and alerted authorities about the fire. “He heard the boom from his house and called it in. ” The Battalion Chief said if there had been a delayed response where the victims had to walk across the street to have someone call for them the fire would have been worse, with another  2-3 minutes in response time by firefighters.

There was major damage to the back of the house, kitchen, and attic area  of the residence.

Wetklow estimated damage at $80,000 to $90,000 to the structure, and another $40,000 to $60,000 to the contents.  The home was  insured, and after the fire the Strauss’s are staying with relatives.

Skies will gradually become mostly sunny today, after morning clouds and patchy fog. Highs today will range from the upper 60s to lower 70s. There is a slight chance of thunderstorms after midnight and into Monday morningacross north central Kansas, as well as Monday night. Thunderstorm chances will increase toward the end of the week.

Today: Mostly sunny. Highs around 71. East winds 5 to 10 mph.

Tonight: Partly cloudy. Lows around 52. East winds 5 to 10 mph.

Monday: Partly sunny. Highs around 73. Southeast winds 5 to 15 mph.

Monday Night: Partly cloudy. Lows in the upper 50s. Southeast winds 5 to 10 mph.

Tuesday: Partly sunny. Highs in the upper 70s. Southeast winds 5 to 15 mph. Gusts up to 25 mph in the afternoon.

Tuesday Night: Partly cloudy in the evening then becoming mostly cloudy. A 20 percent chance of thunderstorms. Lows in the lower 60s.

Wednesday Through Thursday: Mostly cloudy with a 30 percent chance of thunderstorms. Highs in the lower 80s. Lows in the mid 60s.

Thursday Night: Mostly cloudy in the evening then becoming partly cloudy. A 40 percent chance of thunderstorms. Lows in the mid 60s.

Friday: Partly sunny with a 30 percent chance of thunderstorms. Highs in the mid 80s.

Friday Night: Mostly cloudy with a 40 percent chance of thunderstorms. Lows in the mid 60s.

Saturday: Partly sunny with a 30 percent chance of thunderstorms. Highs in the lower 80s.

One pound and two ounces was all that separated the winners of the 2015 Cabelas National Team Walleye Championships Saturday at Milford Lake.

Going into the day Saturday Ed Klepacki of Wonder Lake, IL and Jim Miller of Angle Side, IL had a near eight pound lead over the second place team, but by the time they were up to weigh in they had lost their lead and needed six pounds 12 ounces to regain it.

They had caught two fish Saturday and Klepacki said he didn’t know if they would have enough.

“I looked in the live well and I went ‘Oh god, I don’t know.’ Then they weighed what we needed and I still can’t really believe it. When we were out there I didn’t think we had enough,” said Klepacki.

The weather played a different roll each day of the tournament, with lightning delaying the start on Thursday, a sunny and warm day on Friday and then a cold windy day on Saturday.

Miller said that the cold front that moved in Friday night into Saturday morning had them nervous.

“When we woke up this morning with that north wind howling we knew it was going to be hard, long, tough and it was,” said Miller. “We probably only had three bites today for sure and we lost a big fish.”

Both Klepacki and Miller fished this same tournament when it was at Milford Lake in 2003 and they explained they fished the same area on the north end of the lake that they did back then.

“We were fishing over in the catfish flats, fishing the old railroad bed. Pulling cranks in nine, eight foot of water. Sometimes the fish would push shallow and we’d slide up in there and try and get one here and there,” said Klepacki.

Klepacki and Miller won $30,000 cash plus a $68,000 Evinrude E-Tec powered 620 Ranger Boat.

When asked if they will be coming back to Milford Lake in the future Klepacki said,”Oh yeah for sure, I love this place.”

The 2015 Cabelas National Team Walleye Championship was held at Milford Lake this past Thursday through Saturday.

A total of 180 two man teams competed the first two days of the tournament before it was narrowed down to the top 25 teams for Saturdays championship round. Here are a few pictures from Saturday. (Photos courtesy of Rick Dykstra)

The Geary Community Hospital Farmers Market will return for a second season starting Thursday, June 4th.

It will be open from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. each Thursday throughout the summer and into early fall. Nikki Davies, Marketing and Public Relations Specialist with GCH explained that the market will offer a variety of products again this year.

“Obviously things depend on the time of the season for the fresh produce, but right now we’ll be having a couple of vendors that will have tomatoes and different types of lettuces and things like that,” said Davies. “We will also have jams, jelly’s, salsa’s, beef, honey, all different kinds of things, and of course baked goods too.”

The market will open every Thursday in the front parking lot of the hospital as a part of the hospital’s healthy living initiative.

After Morning sprinkles, expect clouds to gradually decrease from west to east into the evening hours as high pressure builds in and an upper level system departs. Mostly sunny skies are expected Sunday, but a slight chance of thunderstorms will return for north central Kansas late Sunday night and Monday morning. Temperatures will gradually warm through Monday. There is a chance of scattered thunderstorms for much of next week, but chances for severe weather is low.

Today: Cloudy in the morning then becoming partly sunny. Highs around 68. North winds 10 to 15 mph with gusts to around 25 mph.

Tonight: Partly cloudy. Lows around 48. Northeast winds 5 to 10 mph.

Sunday: Mostly sunny. Highs around 71. East winds 5 to 10 mph.

Sunday Night: Partly cloudy. A 20 percent chance of thunderstorms after midnight. Lows in the lower 50s. Southeast winds 5 to 10 mph.

Monday: Mostly sunny. Highs in the mid 70s. Southeast winds 5 to 15 mph.

Monday Night: Partly cloudy in the evening then becoming mostly cloudy. Lows around 60.

Tuesday: Mostly sunny with a 20 percent chance of thunderstorms. Highs in the lower 80s.

Tuesday Night: Partly cloudy in the evening then becoming mostly cloudy. A 30 percent chance of thunderstorms. Lows in the mid 60s.

Wednesday: Mostly sunny with a 20 percent chance of thunderstorms. Highs in the lower 80s.

Wednesday Night And Thursday: Partly cloudy. A 30 percent chance of thunderstorms. Lows in the upper 60s. Highs in the lower 80s.

Thursday Night: Partly cloudy with a 20 percent chance of thunderstorms. Lows in the mid 60s.

Friday: Partly sunny with a 30 percent chance of thunderstorms. Highs in the lower 80s.

After turning in just three walleyes weighing in at just over 11 lbs on Thursday two Illinois men took over the top spot on the leaders board Friday by turning in five walleyes weighing in at over 24 lbs, for a two day total of 35.11 lbs.

Ed Klapecki of Wonder Lake, Illinois and Jim Miller of Angle Side, Illinois are the new leaders going into Saturdays final round. You can check out the leader board by following this link.

Klapecki explained that they have been using crank baits and shallow break lines,”anywhere from eight to four foot of water. Sometimes out to 11 when the fish would push out. We would just kind of watch the graph and pay attention. Wherever the fish would move that’s where we went.”

The final day of fishing Saturday kicks off at 7 a.m. with the leaders heading out on the water first followed by the rest of the now top 25 team field. They will have until 2:45 p.m. to fish, that’s when they will report back to the dock for the 3 p.m. weigh in.

The bottom place team going into the day will weigh in first and the weigh in will go in order from bottom to top.

Each team is competing for the top prize of $30,000 in cash plus a $68,000 Evinrude E-Tec Powered 620 Ranger Boat.

Junction City, KS – Greg Lumb, current Morris Hill Elementary Principal, has been chosen as the USD 475 Director of Instructional Innovations & Technology. Greg will take over for Carol Arjona, who is retiring at the end of June.

Greg received his Bachelor of Science degree in Elementary Education in 1989 and his Masters in Educational Administration in 1994, both from Kansas State University. Greg has been the principal at Morris Hill Elementary since 1994. Prior to that he was an elementary teacher at Custer Hill Elementary for 5 years.

The restructured position was formerly titled “Director of Secondary Education”. As the Director of Instructional Innovations & Technology, Greg will provide leadership and direction for developing programs and procedures to improve implementation of the curriculum through technology, as well as evaluate current school programs for effectiveness.

“Greg has always been an innovator, designing and leading projects and ideas both in his building and at the district level,” states Dr. Beth Hudson, Associate Superintendent of Schools. “He offers a vision that always nudges others in a forward direction. Although Mr. Lumb comes from an elementary background, he has assumed leadership responsibilities across levels. We are excited about the role he will play in strengthening links between curriculum and technology.”

Greg will begin his new duties August 1st

The Morris Hill Elementary Principal position is now being advertised.

Topeka-Today Kansas Governor Sam Brownback signed into law HB 2154, which includes authorization for all veterans eligible for federal education benefits, along with all current members of the armed forces, to be eligible for in-state tuition rates at all 32 public postsecondary colleges and universities in Kansas, effective July 1, 2015, regardless of time spent in the state.

In a media release, the State Board of Regents Chair Kenny Wilk said, “The board appreciates the efforts being made nationally and now here in Kansas to better serve our nation’s veterans and all current members of the armed forces. I am confident all our public postsecondary institutions will continue to do their best to serve these students and their families.”

Federal legislation passed last year, known as the “Veterans’ Access to Care through Choice, Accountability, and Transparency Act of 2014,” requires all public colleges and universities to offer in-state tuition rates to veterans making use of Post-9/11 GI Bill benefits, who live in the state where the institution they intend to enroll at is located, and who file a letter of intent to establish residence in that state. Eligible veterans’ spouses and dependent children also qualify for in-state tuition rates.

In addition to extending this benefit to veterans, Kansas has declared all current members of the armed forces to be residents of the state for tuition and fee purposes (including army, navy, marine corps, air force, coast guard, Kansas army or air national guard, or any branch of the military reserves of the United States), along with current members’ spouses and dependent children, who are enrolled or have been accepted for admission at a Kansas postsecondary educational institution.

The Association of the United States Army, headquartered in Washington, D.C., brings their traveling Military Family Forum series to Fort Riley June 3.  The forum is titled “Military Spouse Employment: What You Need to Know.”

During the event, military spouses will hear from experts about employment issues unique to finding a job and pursuing a career while part of a military family.  Frequent moves, regular deployments and other factors have an impact on spouse career paths.  Attendees will also learn about volunteer options, how to turn a hobby/interest into a career, work from home opportunities and more.

The forum includes opening remarks by Patty Barron, AUSA Family Readiness director; a keynote speech by Eddy Mentzer, program manager of the Military Spouse Employment Program; a discussion panel with state and local representatives from Kansas Works, KSBDC, Kansas State University, Military One Source and the Spouse Education Career Opportunities Program; a networking lunch; and exhibit booths presented by local and national partners.

The AUSA Military Family Forum is held in partnership with AUSA Central Kansas, the Fort Riley AUSA chapter and the Fort Riley Armed Forces Community Service.

The event runs from 9:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. at Riley’s Conference Center.