Little Apple Post

MANHATTAN — One person was injured in an accident on Monday at the construction site of the new KSU Foundation building and K-State Office Park in Manhattan.

Deputy Fire Chief Ryan Almes said the Manhattan Fire Department responded just after 10:30 a.m. to the construction site at 1800 Kimball.

They extricated a man who had been trapped under a piece of equipment on the top floor and assisted Riley County EMS.

An employee of the steel erection subcontractor, Ferco, was injured and transported for medical treatment. Preliminary reports indicate that the employee’s injuries are not life threatening.

Justin Cooper, vice president of GE Johnson Construction Co., said both emergency medical personnel and K-State Occupational Safety and Health representatives responded quickly to the incident, and that a full investigation is underway by GE Johnson / Hutton, A Joint Venture and its partners.

Emergency personnel responded about 6:20 a.m. Tuesday to a two-vehicle accident in the U.S. 77 – Old 77 Highway area.

The Sheriff’s Department reported that John Walleser was traveling in a Ford Escape, turning onto Old U.S. 77 when he collided with a Chevrolet van driven by Ricardo Rivera, Junction City, that was traveling northbound.

Temperatures today will rise toward 70 degrees most areas. Some locations in the far south may see a late day or evening thunderstorm, which could be strong. Overnight tonight, patchy frost is possible in the northern counties.More widespread rain chances return on Friday.

Today: Mostly sunny. Chance of sprinkles in the morning. Highs around 70. West winds up to 5 mph increasing to 10 to 15 mph with gusts to around 25 mph in the afternoon.

Tonight: Partly cloudy. Lows around 38. North winds 5 to 15 mph.

Wednesday: Cooler. Mostly sunny. Highs around 60. Northeast winds 5 to 10 mph.

Wednesday Night: Partly cloudy. Lows in the upper 30s. East winds 5 to 10 mph.

Thursday: Partly sunny. Highs in the mid 60s. Southeast winds 5 to 15 mph.

Thursday Night: Not as cool. Mostly cloudy with a 30 percent chance of thunderstorms. Lows in the upper 40s.

Friday: Thunderstorms likely. Highs in the lower 60s. Chance of rain 60 percent.

Friday Night: Mostly cloudy with chance of showers and slight chance of thunderstorms. Lows in the upper 40s. Chance of rain 50 percent.

Saturday: Partly sunny with chance of showers and slight chance of thunderstorms. Highs in the lower 60s. Chance of rain 30 percent.

Saturday Night: Partly cloudy. Lows in the lower 40s.

Sunday: Partly sunny with a 20 percent chance of showers. Highs in the mid 60s.

Sunday Night: Mostly cloudy with a 30 percent chance of showers. Lows in the upper 40s.

Monday: Mostly sunny. Highs around 70.

The Geary USD 475 honored members of the community during a celebration on Monday at Junction City Middle School.

The Exchange Bank with President Ken Mortenson received the USD 475 Good Neighbor Award for sponsoring the 475 Text Alert System since 2008.

Nominated by USD 475 for School Volunteer in the Kansas Confidence in Public Education Task Force Friends of Education Awards program were Patti Schoenrock, Buz Bruzina, Dianne Hepler, and Cecil Aska.

Those four volunteers have been volunteer readers of the Futures 2000+ Innovation Grants for the past 25 years.

The plan for a new Ace Hardware Store was a discussion topic during a Geary County Commission meeting Monday with local Planning and Zoning Administrator David Yearout.

County Commission Chairman Ben Bennett noted that Yearout reported the new store will be south of the new Walmart grocery store on Caroline Avenue, and  they ( Ace Hardware ) were trying to get things ready to go so they could be building at the same time as the Wal Mart store.

The plan is for both stores to be built this year.

Junction City High School senior Ebony Garrett is the recipient of the Kansas Boys and Girls Club of America 2015 Military Youth of the Year award.

She was honored in Junction City at the USD 475 Board of Education celebration Monday.

Ebony noted as Fort Riley Military Youth of the Year she has already traveled to Topeka. “I had to do a 15-minute interview, and give a three-minute speech. ” She was named the Kansas Military Youth of the Year recipient. She will now represent Kansas in competition in San Antonio, Texas.

Garrett is hopeful of advancing on to nationals in Washington D.C.

There will be a follow-up meeting to discuss plans for a producer owned beef plant in the region. It is scheduled at 6 p.m. Tuesday ( April 21 ) at the Junction City Area Chamber of Commerce.

Ivan Garrett presented initial plans for the facility in January, and would like to share information about the venture.

Contact the Chamber at 785-762-2632 if you are planning to attend.

The Fort Riley bomb plot suspect is expected to appear in Federal Court Tuesday morning.

John T. Booker, 20, of Topeka is expected to make his initial appearance in court Tuesday at 9:30 a.m. at the Federal Court House in Kansas City, Kansas.

According to a press release from Jim Cross, Public information officer for U.S. Attorney Barry Grissom, Booker’s appearance is expected to be brief and the purpose is to inform the defendant of the charges in the grand jury indictment returned last week.

Booker was indicted on one count of attempting to use a weapon of mass destruction (explosives), one count of attempting to damage property by means of an explosive and one count of attempting to provide material support to the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), which is a foreign terrorist organization.

Junction City police and U.S. Marshals have made an arrest in connection with a Chattanooga, Tennessee murder case.

Police Chief Tim Brown confirmed that Kyhree Donte Thompson, 20, was arrested last Thursday in Junction City after being located at a local motel. Local authorities had been notified by the Chattanooga Police Department that Thompson was in the area. 

“U.S. Marshal’s were notified, they responded. We were doing surveillance with our detectives on the motel.  Mr. Thompson came out of the motel. ” Brown added unknown to Thompson authorities were in the area. “And the officers, marshal’s then swooped in and arrested him without incident.”

The arrest occurred at the Golden Wheat Budget Host Motel at 820 South Washington. He was incarcerated as of Monday in the Geary County Detention Center with bond set at $500,000.

Thompson is accused in a case involving the February 20 shooting death of Reginald Ballard at a motel in Chattanooga.  According to an online report in the The CHATTANOOGAN.com he was arrested with charges including suspicion of Murder, Possession of a Firearm During a Felony, and Tampering With Evidence.

It did not occur in Junction City, but two other suspects have also been arrested and charged with the same allegations  in the case, Tabitha Nicole Garrison, 22,  and Verronta Sujuan Page, 19.  All three of those arrested are from Tennessee.

Dickinson County Sheriff Gareth Hoffman reports his department’s drug enforcement witnessed an alleged drug transaction of methamphetamine in the 300 block of East 4th Street in Solomon on April 14.

A traffic stop was conducted, and Melanie Jo Smith,29,  Salina, was subsequently arrested. Hoffman alleged that Smith had been observed by Drug Enforcement agents selling methamphetamine in Solomon. A search was conducted, and authorities located U.S. currently, digital scales, baggies, marijuana, and more than five grams of methamphetamine that was packed for sale and distribution.

Smith was arrested on suspicion of Conspiracy to Distribute Methemphetamine, Distribution of Methamphetamine, Possession of Methamphetamine With the Intent to Sell, Possession of Methamphetamine, Felony Possession of Drug Paraphernalia, Misdemeanor Possession of Parphernalia, Possession of Marijuana, Unlawful Use of a Telecommunications Device, Receiving Drug Proceeds, and three counts of Failure to Obtain a Kansas Drug Tax Stamp.

The case is ongoing and further arrests are possible,