MANHATTAN — Kansas State University will host a special on-campus ceremony to commemorate Memorial Day and the 50th anniversary of the Vietnam War.

The ceremony starts at 2 p.m. Monday, May 25, in front of the university’s Vietnam Veterans Memorial. Media and members of the community are invited to attend the ceremony, which will include motorcycle riders and remarks from campus and community veterans.

The university is among the academic institutions selected to partner with the U.S. Department of Defense to commemorate the Vietnam War’s 50th anniversary with events from 2015 to 2017.

“We are bound by duty and humbled by our responsibility to remember the 42 fallen Kansas State University students who committed their lives to serving our nation during the Vietnam War,” said retired Army Lt. Col. Art DeGroat, the university’s executive director of military and veterans affairs. “While our K-State Vietnam Memorial stands in honor to these fallen students every day on our campus, we as a grateful people need to assemble to hear their names be spoken in memorial so that we shall never forget them.”

For the Memorial Day ceremony, motorcycle riders will leave the Manhattan Town Center parking lot at 1:30 p.m. and arrive by 2 p.m. in the parking lot adjacent to the university’s Vietnam Veteran’s Memorial.

The ceremony will include an introduction from retired Col. Mike McDermott, the university’s Vietnam commemoration chairman, and remarks from Ron Trewyn, the university’s NBAF liaison and a Vietnam veteran.

The 5th squadron 4th cavalry regiment will post the colors. Vietnam veteran Tom Fryer will read the names of the 42 Vietnam veterans inscribed on the university’s memorial and Vietnam veteran Chuck Tannehill will play taps.

KTWU’s “Sunflower Journeys” will film the ceremony and air an episode about the event.

 

Jennifer Tidball — k-state.edu

“Accidental growth never happens,” was part of the commencement address delivered by Elder Steve Schwing, Lafayette, LA on Friday night when Apostolic Academy in Junction City graduated their High School class of 2015.

Using the lives of Jacob, David and Paul as illustrations he admonished everyone to keep their eyes open and be honest with self.  Seek to meet the needs of others.

Melisa Placide was class Valedictorian, and Chante’ Fontenot, Salutatorian. The rest of the graduating class included Ithamar Allamby, Krenda Batista, Elizabeth Harper, Calvin ( AC ) Ince II, and Aurelia Sheared.  After months of fundraising the graduates are spending a week in Branson, Missouri to celebrate.

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Also, Apolostic Academy held a Kindergarten graduation on Thursday evening, and honored High School teacher Cynthia Young for her 25 years of service in the school.

The damage to a 36-unit Geary Estates apartment complex building in Grandview Plaza has been placed at more than $1 million dollars.  The building located at 1103-1111 Cannon View is considered a total loss.  It is one of several buildings in that complex, but none of the others were damaged.

There were no injuries in the Saturday night fire which  has been listed by authorities as a natural causes fire caused by a lightning strike earlier in the day.

At 5:23 p.m. Saturday firefighters responded to a lightning strike at the apartment  complex in Grandview Plaza. Firefighters checked the roof of the structure for damage and located four spots where lightning had struck, but no fire or flames were located. The interior of the building was also checked for smoke and fire. The Red Cross worked with the apartment complex staff to arrange housing for the displaced residents.

Gerry Berges, Geary County Rural Fire Chief, reported at approximately 8:30 p.m., Grandview Plaza firefighters who were still on scene smelled something burning. They located a small fire on the east side of the complex in the area of the roof eaves. Fire extinguishers were used to try to put the fire out from inside the building. Both Junction City and Fort Riley Fire Departments again responded with ladder trucks, and Geary County Rural Fire also responded with an engine to assist.

Thirty mile-per-hour plus easterly winds and water pressure in the area hampered the firefighters. Fire personnel were sent inside to help expose a fire wall to help prevent the fire from spreading to the north into the other apartments and attic areas.

The fire was considered under control by 11 p.m.

An investigator from the State Fire Marshal’s Office arrived on scene Sunday morning. A drone from Dickinson County Fire District 1 arrived and did aerial video and photography for investigators.   More than 40 firefighters from the different agencies combined including Grandview Plaza Fire and Police, Junction City Fire / EMS, Ft. Riley Fire, Geary County Sheriff, Geary County Fire, and Geary County Emergency Management worked at the scene of the blaze.

 

MANHATTAN- A Kansas teen died in an accident just before 3:30 p.m. on Saturday in Riley County.

The Riley County Police Department reported Cheyanne Olivia Higgins, 18, Junction City, died in a one-vehicle rollover accident with entrapment in the 3200 Block of Stagg Hill Road in Manhattan.

Responding officers reported that the vehicle had three occupants at the time of the accident. Huggins was pronounced dead at the scene.

A male passenger was transported to Stormont Vail in Topeka,

The driver of the vehicle is in stable condition at Via Christi Hospital in Manhattan.

The preliminary investigation indicates all occupants were wearing seatbelts. The exact cause of the accident remains under investigation.

UPDATE AS OF 10:21 PM

Fire Crews continue to battle a fire at one of the apartment buildings of Geary Estates in Grandview Plaza.

Both the Junction City Fire Department and the Fort Riley Fire Department have responded and are fighting the blaze with their aerial trucks.

Berges updated JCPost and explained that crews have been able to isolate the fire to 1/3 of the top floor of the building. Battling the blaze remains to be difficult due to estimated winds of 30 mph. The fire started in the attic space of the building.

No injuries have been reported.

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Fire crews are responding to the Geary Estates Apartment Complex in Grandview Plaza where one of the apartment buildings was hit by lightning earlier Saturday evening. 

Garry Berges, Geary County Emergency Management Director told JCPost.com that wind was creating a problem for fire crews as they battled the blaze.

Check back with JCPost.com as we will be updating the story as more information becomes available.

 

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Lightning struck the Geary Estates Apartments in Grandview Plaza Saturday evening causing damage to the roof of one of the buildings.

Garry Berges, Geary County Emergency Management Director explained that 911 received multiple calls just after 5:25 p.m. Saturday with reports of a lightning strike at Geary Estates. The Junction City Fire Department along with the Fort Riley Fire Department responded with their aerial trucks. Crews discovered two holes in the roof of one of the apartment buildings, one hole approximately two feet square according to Berges. Minor Damage was also reported to the roof line.

Power was shut off to the building and the residents have been evacuated. The Red Cross is working with Geary Estates Management to assist the displaced residents.

No injuries were reported. Other Emergency Agencies responding included Grandview Fire, Grandview Police, Geary County Sheriff’s Office and Geary County Emergency Management.

The National Weather Service in Topeka has expanded the flash flood watch to include portions of east central Kansas and northeast Kansas, including the following areas – in east central Kansas…Geary. In northeast Kansas, Nemaha, Pottawatomie and Riley. This includes Manhattan and Junction City.

* Through Monday morning

* Periods of moderate to heavy rain will pass through the area this evening through Sunday afternoon. Rainfall amounts of one to two inches are expected to be common, with local amounts mover three inches possible. With wet ground conditions and elevated river levels from recent rainfall, flash flooding and river flooding may result.

Precautionary/preparedness actions…

A flash flood watch means that flash flooding is possible but not imminent in the watch area. Persons in the watch area are advised to check preparedness requirements…Keep informed, and be ready for quick action if flooding threatens.

 

MANHATTAN-On Friday, the Riley County Police Department arrested Quinn Michael Estabrook, age 19, of Hutchinson for three counts of aggravated criminal sodomy of a child under 14 and one charge of indecent liberties with a child, According to the RCPD Media Arrest Report.

Estabrook was apprehended shortly after 6 p.m. in Hutchinson on a custody probable cause arrest.

Estabrook’s bond was set at $500,000, and at this time he was still confined at the Riley County Jail. The Riley County Police Department did not immediately respond to inquiries regarding this arrest.

Check the Post for additional details as they become available.

There is concern about parking, drop off and unloading zone traffic congestion around Westwood and Franklin Elementary Schools, but the Planning Board in Junction City is still recommending approval on site plans for proposed expansion of those schools.

As part of their recommendation for approval the Board, meeting in special session Friday at the Municipal Building,  included a requirement that there be no increase in staffing at the schools  since that could tie in to the traffic congestion issues. The recommendation goes to the Junction City Commission for consideration.

But the Planning Board’s concern about the parking will also be included in the report to the City. Board member Mike Watson said he saw no waste of money with the proposed projects, but pointed to the parking and traffic congestion at the two school sites. “Storm shelters, and if you’ve got nine classes sharing two classrooms, I’ve seen that. They just put partitions and you can hear each other, and it’s really disruptive.” But he also added, “It looks like it’s the right stuff, but the truth of the matter is they really need to do these other things. And if we do that I think we need to put in there that they really need to take a hard look at that ( parking and congestion issues ) because we have some concerns, and we’re really afraid it sets up a situation for problems.

The Junction City Commission gets the recommendation from the MPC on June 2.

WASHINGTON–Today, the U.S. Senate passed the Access to Community Care for Veterans Act (S.1463), legislation authored by U.S. Senator Jerry Moran (R-Kan.) – a member of the Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee – that amends the Veterans Access, Choice, and Accountability Act of 2014 (Choice Act) to give veterans access to community health care when the nearest VA medical facility within 40 miles driving distance from a veteran’s home is incapable of offering care the veteran needs. S.1463 now heads to the U.S. House of Representatives for a vote.

Sen. Moran’s legislation is cosponsored by Sens. Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), Ron Wyden (D-Ore.), Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio), Angus King (I-Maine) and Susan Collins (R-Maine).

“Today, the U.S. Senate put veterans first and voted to make certain veterans are not dismissed or forgotten just because of where they live,” Sen. Moran said. “The VA continues to use a narrow interpretation of the 40-mile rule, choosing to take into account only the distance of a VA medical facility from a veteran’s home and not whether the VA facility can actually provide the services the veteran needs. The legislation passed unanimously by the Senate today aims to help thousands of veterans who are currently being forced to choose between traveling hours to a VA medical facility, paying out of pocket, or going without care altogether.”

“I wholeheartedly endorse everything the Senator from Kansas said,” Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee Chairman Johnny Isakson (R-Ga.) said on the Senate Floor.

This effort to fix the 40-mile criteria in the Choice Act has previously been supported by endorsed by numerous organizations including the American Legion, Veterans of Foreign Wars, AMVETS, Vietnam Veterans of America, Concerned Veterans of America and the National Guard Association of the United States. It is also supported by health care organizations including the National Rural Health Association, the National Association of Rural Mental Health, the National Council for Behavioral Health Association of Community Mental Health Centers of Kansas, and the National Association of County Behavioral Health & Developmental Disability Directors.

On Feb. 25, 2015, 42 senators joined together in calling on VA Secretary Bob McDonald to ease the burden of travel and access to care for millions of veterans who deserve such access through the Choice Act. The group of senators pointed to two concerns with the way the Choice Program was being implemented. First, the VA is not considering whether the VA facility available within 40 miles of where a veteran lives offers the care a veteran needs. Secondly, VA was calculating the 40-mile distance “as the crow flies” and not by driving distance.

Although the VA made the decision on March 24, 2015, to change the calculation used to determine 40-mile distance to driving distance through regulatory action, they have not taken action on the issue of a VA facility being incapable of offering the care sought by the veteran. Sen. Moran’s legislation provides a solution and would allow veterans to utilize their Choice Cards to access non-VA care if the VA facility within 40 miles driving distance to their home does not offer the medical service they need.

As a member of the Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee, Sen. Moran has questioned VA Secretary Bob McDonald and other VA officials for months in hearings, personal meetings, phone calls and correspondence about the VA’s flawed interpretation of the 40-mile rule and what can be done to fix the problem.

MANHATTAN- Law enforcement authorities in Riley County have located a Manhattan teenager. Kyle Nevels, 16, was reported missing on March 10.

His runaway status was ultimately forwarded to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children.

Just before 2 a.m. on Friday police officers were dispatched to the area of the 2500 block of Candlecrest Circle in Manhattan for a citizen report of two individuals observed breaking into vehicles.

Officers pursued the individuals and ultimately apprehended them after a brief foot pursuit. The suspects were identified as Kyle A. Nevels, 16, and Christopher Snyder, 14, both of Manhattan.

After taking custody of Nevels and Snyder an investigation ensued in reference to multiple vehicle burglaries that had occurred in the 2500 block of Candlecrest Circle.

As a result of the investigation Nevels was arrested for the following offenses: burglary (vehicle), interference with law enforcement, unlawful discharge of a firearm and minor in consumption of alcohol. Snyder was arrested for the offenses of burglary (vehicle), interference with law enforcement, possession of marijuana, possession of drug paraphernalia, and minor in consumption of alcohol. Both

Nevels and Snyder are currently confined in the Geary County Detention Center located in Junction City.

Police say Nevels had been in communication with family via cell phone and reported that he was fine, was staying with friends, and would not be returning home.