Advanced Call Center Technologies in Junction City is looking to expand it’s workforce and will be holding an on-site job fair May 20th.

The job fair will be held at ACCT located at 2031 South Spring Valley Road in Junction City from 11:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. Wednesday, May 20th.

If you’re interested in a job with ACCT you can visit their website and apply at www.acttoday.com.

The Junction City Police Department is reporting the arrest of two men from Virginia on drug related offenses following a traffic stop on I-70 near mile marker 295.

Just after noon Wednesday Police arrested Stephen Cuffee, 22, and Gino Blackwell, 38, both of Virginia on suspicion of possession w/intent, no drug tax stamp, possession of drug paraphernalia, possession of marijuana, speeding.

—

Police are also reporting the arrest of a 41 year old Junction City woman on multiple drug charges.

Police arrested Shelby Armstrong, 41, of Junction City Wednesday at 8:42 a.m. on charges of suspicion of unlawful distribution of marijuana, felony and misdemeanor possession of drug paraphernalia, felony and misdemeanor possession of marijuana, and distributing narcotics.

—

JCPD listed a third drug related arrest Wednesday. According to the report Officers arrested Tremell Payton, 51, Junction City on suspicion of unlawful distribution of marijuana, felony and misdemeanor possession of drug paraphernalia, felony possession of marijuana.

 

SCANDIA- Officials from the National Weather Service are assessing damage from the Wednesday storms that rolled across the state.

Officials reported hail, funnel clouds, strong winds and numerous tornadoes.

Several Kansas counties report property damage from severe storms which swept through the state from south to north Wednesday. .

The Kansas Division of Emergency Management has received damage reports from six counties: Harvey, Sedgwick, Jewell, Lincoln and Republic Counties.

Only one injury has been reported so far, in Jewell County.

Republic County Emergency Management reports damage to five homes and an ethanol plant near Scandia. In addition, a feedlot operation was struck by an apparent tornado, and as many as 150 head of cattle were killed.

In Jewell County, one home was destroyed west of Mankato and another home damaged east of Mankato. Harvey County emergency officials report that a hog barn was destroyed southeast of Burrton.

Two homes were damaged near Wichita in Sedgwick County.

In Lincoln County, officials report damage to an outbuilding at an electric company on the east edge of the town of Lincoln, as well as damage to trees in a cemetery.

Additionally, these counties and others report numerous power lines down and damaged and uprooted trees

Additional strong storms are in the forecast over the next two days.

Check the post for rainfall totals as they become available.

Scattered non-severe showers and storms will continue through the morning hours. Additional strong to severe storms are possible this afternoon into the evening hours for mainly west of a line from Marysville to Manhattan and Abilene (shaded yellow). Damaging winds, Flooding, and Large hail are the main hazards. An isolated tornado cannot be ruled out, however better chances are over Nebraska near a cold front. This cold front will track into the area on Friday with severe storms possible once again during the afternoon. More severe storms are likely for Saturday across all of northeast Kansas. Please stay weather aware through the weekend!

Today: Mostly cloudy. Chance of thunderstorms. Some thunderstorms may produce heavy rainfall in the afternoon. Highs around 78. South winds 15 to 20 mph with gusts to around 30 mph. Chance of rain 50 percent.

Tonight: Thunderstorms likely. Some thunderstorms may produce heavy rainfall. Lows around 59. West winds 5 to 10 mph shifting to the northeast after midnight. Chance of rain 70 percent.

Friday: Mostly cloudy with thunderstorms likely. Highs around 72. Northeast winds 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 60 percent.

Friday Night: Thunderstorms likely. Lows in the upper 50s. Northeast winds 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 70 percent.

Saturday: Mostly cloudy with a 50 percent chance of thunderstorms. Highs in the lower 70s. East winds 10 to 15 mph with gusts to around 25 mph.

Saturday Night: Thunderstorms likely. Lows in the upper 50s. Chance of rain 70 percent.

Sunday And Sunday Night: Partly cloudy. A 20 percent chance of thunderstorms. Highs in the mid 70s. Lows in the mid 40s.

Monday: Cooler. Mostly sunny. Highs in the lower 60s.

Monday Night: Mostly clear. Lows in the lower 40s.

Tuesday And Tuesday Night: Partly cloudy. Highs in the upper 60s. Lows in the upper 40s.

Wednesday: Partly sunny. Highs in the lower 70s.

Junction City, KS – Four seniors from Junction City High School were honored recently at an event in Topeka coordinated by the Confidence in Kansas Public Education Task Force. Neil Glaser, Katharine Kellogg, Daniel Sul, and Antonio Carter were the top 1% in the class of 2015 after 7 semesters.

The Governor’s Scholars program honors the top academic one percent of Kansas high school seniors. Scholars are selected from accredited public and private schools in the state.

This program is coordinated for the Governor by the Confidence in Kansas Public Education Task Force. It is funded by donations from private sector businesses in Kansas. The Confidence in Kansas Public Education Task Force was formed 30 years ago to strengthen public confidence in education.

“Junction City High School is very fortunate to have four academic ambassadors of this caliber represent us at the state level. These students not only model the characteristics of academic excellence within our diverse student population, they model the standards of great character as well,” states JCHS Principal Melissa Sharp.

The following organizations are members of the Task Force: American Association of University Women, Kansas State Board of Education, Kansas Association of School Boards, Kansas Congress of Parents and Teachers, Kansas State Department of Education, Kansas-National Education Association, Kansas School Public Relations Association, Kansas State High School Activities Association, Kansas League of Women Voters, and United School Administrators of Kansas.

TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — A line of severe storms rumbled through Kansas late Wednesday afternoon, producing at least nine confirmed tornadoes but no reported injuries as of 7 p.m.

The National Weather Service said the strongest tornadoes were in the sparsely populated north-central part of the state. That includes a large and extremely dangerous tornado that was spotted near the tiny town of Republic just south of the Nebraska state line, moving northeast at 35 mph.

A dispatcher with the Republic County Sheriff’s Office said reports of damage to some rural homes were starting to come in Wednesday evening, but there had been no reports of injuries.

Farther south, a tornado in Harvey County north of Wichita at 5:06 p.m. destroyed a hog barn and damaged trees, the weather service said.

—————-

LINCOLN COUNTY -A severe thunderstorm spawned a tornado that caused damage between 2:30 and 3:00 p.m. Wednesday in Lincoln County.

There were several reports via the National Weather Service in Wichita of multi-vortex tornadoes near Kansas 14 south of Lincoln.

Residents reported tree damage and outbuilding damage on the east side of the community of Lincoln.

No injuries were reported.

Matt Unruh with the Kansas Water Office took pictures of the tornado looking north from Ellsworth County.

The picture is via the twitter feed from the Kansas Water Office.

Fort Riley soldier Sean Wedgwood appeared in Riley County Court on Tuesday and Wednesday with Judge Stutzman presiding for a jury trial for the charge of felony rape.

Wedgwood was arrested on November 5, 2014 in the 200 block of Custer on Fort Riley on a $20,000 bond.

According to the victim’s testimony on Wednesday, Wedgwood and the victim first started communicating through phone apps ‘Hot or Not’ where they exchanged personal information. Eventually phone numbers were exchanged and the two agreed to meet at Carmike Seth Childs 12 in Manhattan for a date in August of 2014.

Following the movie, the victim stated she and Wedgewood talked at his vehicle where they consensualy hugged and kissed, and then moved to her vehicle where she was sitting in the drivers seat. The victim then stated that she was pushed back by force and her pants were unbuttoned. She slapped and kicked him away from the vehicle and drove back to her residence in Junction City. She contacted police the next day.

Wedgwood’s testimony is that while at her vehicle there was no penetration, and that everything was consensual during their date.

After lengthy deliberation by Judge Stutzman, the defense and the prosecuting attorney Wes Garrison, closing arguments and jury deliberation were continued until Thursday morning at 8:30 a.m.

We will continue to update this story when the case is continued on Thursday.

TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — A federal magistrate has entered a not guilty plea on behalf of a Topeka man charged with conspiracy in a plot to bomb the Fort Riley military base.

Alexander E. Blair stood silent at his arraignment Wednesday on a criminal information accusing him of conspiring with John T. Booker, Jr., in the planned attack. The court then entered the plea for him.

Previously Blair had initially been charged with failing to report the plot to authorities, but the conspiracy charge unsealed Tuesday is more serious.

A status conference was set for June 8.

U.S. Magistrate Judge Gary Sebelius ordered the prosecutor and defense attorney to meet before then and discuss in good faith whether the case can be resolved with a plea change or whether it will require a trial.

The risk for severe storms in and around Geary County has been increasing as we get later into the day.

The National Weather Service has issued a Tornado Watch in effect until 9 p.m. for areas to the west of Geary County/Junction City. The risk for severe storms, including a risk for tornadoes, is increasing mainly for those areas along and west of a Abilene to Clay Center to Washington line after 4 p.m. today.

A risk for severe storms also extends east of the Tornado Watch area to an area from Council Grove to Manhattan to Marysville.

We will be monitoring the weather closely throughout the afternoon and evening hours and will bring you the latest information as it becomes available.

 

Kansas State Department of Education

TOPEKA — Fifty-one Kansas schools and school districts will be honored during a special ceremony on May 7 at the Brown v. Board of Education National Historic Site for their work in character education, which focuses on students’ social, emotional and character development.

School representatives across Kansas will be recognized for their efforts to positively affect academic achievement, student behavior and school climate. The awards are given through the Kansas Schools of Character Recognition Program, sponsored by the Topeka City of Character, Character.org, the Kansas State Department of Education, and the Brown v. Board of Education National Historic Site.

Character education is an educational movement that supports the social, emotional and ethical development of students. It is the proactive effort by schools, districts, and communities to help students develop important core ethical (recognizing what’s right) and performance (doing what’s right) values such as caring, honesty, diligence, fairness, fortitude, responsibility, grit, creativity, critical thinking, and respect for self and others. Character education provides long-term solutions to moral, ethical, and academic issues that are of growing concern in our society and our schools. Through character education, students learn how to be their best selves and how to do their best work while making school a place where students and educators feel comfortable and able to work.

Kansas Character Development Initiative Coordinator Sue Kidd said the Kansas Standards for Social, Emotional and Character Development give structure to the process of character education.

“Kansas school leaders understand that building a culture that focuses on student success academically, ethically and socially is built by developing character as well as life skills needed for good citizenship, employability and leadership,” Kidd said. “The 2015 Kansas Schools of Character put that belief into action in a highly effective way.”

State and National Schools of Character serve as models and mentors, helping other educators transform their school cultures and improve academics and student behavior.

National School of Character
Circle High School, Towanda, USD 375
 
Kansas Schools of Character
Pittsburg High School, Pittsburg 250
Complete High School, Maize USD 266
McEachron Elementary School, Topeka, USD 501
 
Honorable Mention Kansas School of Character
Kiowa County Elementary and Jr. High School, Greensburg, USD 422

Spotlight Award for Social, Emotional, and Character Development Standards
Abilene High School, Abilene, USD 435
Amanda Arnold Elementary School, Manhattan-Ogden, USD 383
Andover Central Middle School, Andover, USD 385
Baldwin Jr. High School, Baldwin City, USD 348
Beloit Jr.-Sr. High School, Beloit, USD 273
Bonner Springs High School, Bonner Springs-Edwardsville, USD 204
Complete High School Maize, Maize, USD 266
David Brewer Elementary School, Leavenworth, USD 453
Douglass School District, Douglass, USD 396
Great Bend High School, Great Bend, USD 428
Hill City Grade School, Graham County, USD 281
Indian Valley Elementary School, Blue Valley, USD 229
Iola High School, Iola, USD 257
John F. Kennedy Elementary School, Kansas City, Kansas, USD 500
Liberty View Elementary School, Blue Valley, USD 229
Lincoln Elementary School, Augusta, USD 402
Lincoln Elementary School, Clay Center, USD 379
Logan Avenue Elementary School, Emporia, USD 253
McDermott Elementary School, Liberal, USD 480
Merriam Park Elementary School, Shawnee Mission, USD 512
Morgan Elementary School, Hutchinson, USD 308
New Chelsea Elementary School, Kansas City, Kansas, USD 500
Nickerson Elementary School, Hutchinson, USD 309
Neiman Elementary School, Shawnee Mission, USD 512
Plum Creek Elementary School, Buhler, USD 313
Sabetha High School, Prairie Hills, USD 113
Santa Fe Trail Elementary School, Shawnee Mission, USD 512
Thomas More Prep-Marian, Hays, Salina Diocese
Valley Center Middle School, Valley Center, USD 262
Village Elementary School, Emporia, USD 253
Whittier Elementary School, Winfield, USD 465
Winfield Middle School, Winfield, USD 465

Promising Practice in Character Education
Anderson County Jr./Sr. High School, Garnett, USD 365
Cimarron Elementary School, Cimarron-Ensign, USD 102
Complete High School Maize, Maize, USD 266
Cheney District Schools, Cheney, USD 268
David Brewer Elementary School, Leavenworth, USD 453
Hill City Grade School, Graham County, USD 281
Hoisington High School, Hoisington, USD 431
Hoisington Middle School, Hoisington, USD 431
Iola High School, Iola, USD 257
Lincoln Elementary School, Augusta, USD 402
Maize South Elementary School, Maize, USD 266
Thomas More Prep-Marian, Hays, KS
Valley Center Intermediate School, Valley Center, USD 262
Winfield Middle School, USD 465