The Geary County Republican Central Committee will be meeting on Monday, April 20.

The location is 131 West 7th Street, with the meeting beginning at 7 p.m.

 

The damage estimate from a Wednesday night house fire at 1617 North Eisenhower Drive has been placed at $40,000 by the Junction City Fire Department.

Fire Department Battalion Chief Rick Rook reported that 17 firefighters responded to battle the blaze, which was reported at 9:21 p.m. Wednesday.  All of the occupants of the house, members of the Bradley Ducat family, escaped unharmed.

The cause of the fire has been listed as improperly discarded smoking materials.

Periods of rain and thunderstorms expected today through the weekend. A few of these storms may become strong to severe especially in central KS. Hail will be the main threat with any severe storms, but there is also a low-endpotential for damaging wind. Sunday will be windy with strong storms possible in east central KS. Low temps in the 30’s Monday and Tuesday morning.

Early This Morning: Mostly cloudy with a 30 percent chance of thunderstorms. Near steady temperature in the upper 50s. East winds around 5 mph.

Today: Mostly cloudy. Chance of thunderstorms in the morning… Then thunderstorms likely in the afternoon. Highs around 74. Southeast winds 5 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 60 percent.

Tonight: Thunderstorms likely. Lows around 57. Southeast winds 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 70 percent.

Saturday: Mostly cloudy. Thunderstorms likely in the morning… Then chance of thunderstorms in the afternoon. Highs around 72. Southeast winds 5 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 60 percent.

Saturday Night: Mostly cloudy with a 50 percent chance of thunderstorms. Lows in the lower 50s. Southeast winds 5 to 10 mph.

Sunday: Thunderstorms likely. Highs in the mid 60s. Northeast winds 5 to 10 mph with gusts to around 20 mph becoming northwest 15 to 20 mph with gusts to around 30 mph in the afternoon. Chance of rain 60 percent.

Sunday Night Through Tuesday: Partly cloudy. Lows in the upper 30s. Highs in the lower 60s.

Tuesday Night And Wednesday: Partly cloudy. A 20 percent chance of thunderstorms. Lows in the lower 40s. Highs in the upper 60s.

Wednesday Night: Mostly cloudy with a 50 percent chance of thunderstorms. Lows in the mid 40s.

Thursday: Partly sunny with a 40 percent chance of thunderstorms. Highs in the mid 60s.

 

TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) – A Topeka man charged as an accomplice in an alleged Fort Riley suicide bombing plot will be released to his parents’ custody.

A judge decided Thursday to release Alexander Blair. That is expected to happen by Monday. Blair’s attorney Christopher Joseph had argued that his client was not a flight risk because he had little money and no car, and said he had fully cooperated with the investigation.

John T. Booker Jr. was arrested in an FBI sting operation Friday as he attempted to arm what he thought was a 1,000 pound bomb outside Fort Riley.

Blair was arrested shortly thereafter and is charged with allegedly lending money to Booker as a part of a plan. Prosecutors allege he had full knowledge of the plot and didn’t inform the authorities.

The Geary Community Hospital Board of Trustee’s met Thursday morning for several hours discussing the upcoming budget that begins May 1st.

Due to increased financial and regulatory pressures Hospitals across the state and nation are looking to tighten up their budgets and find cuts anywhere possible, GCH is no different.

Dr. Joe Stratton, GCH CEO explained that they are looking into a one to two percent cut to all general expenses in the upcoming budget.

“We think it’s just like anybody if you try a little harder you can squeeze your budget down and maybe not spend money in quite a free of a way and be a little more cognizant about how the money is spent and where it is spent,” Stratton said.

The hospital is also installing a new phone system this summer, thanks to a 50/50 split with the Geary Community Healthcare Foundation, which Stratton said will save as much as $43,000 a year in maintenance costs.

Stratton also mentioned that they are looking to budget for increases to their revenue’s, but he doesn’t expect patient costs to go up. The hospital is focusing more on out-patient care and is hoping to increase the volume of patients there to see the revenue increase.

“It’s more of a volume issue, and driving the out-patient services as much as we can to enhance the revenue.”

GCH did take a $50,000 cut to it’s funding from Geary County last year and the Hospital has budgeted for that and is not expecting to gain any of that back this year.

Pay raises are also still on the table at this time for GCH employee’s but how much of a raise has not yet been determined.

“We know that the cost of living goes up for everybody on this campus, regardless of where you are here at GCH in our system as a worker, either clinical or non-clinical. We want to try and do something to help employee’s this year, and I think we will be able to do that, but that has yet to be decided on a percentage.”

As of right now the budget is expected to fall around $43 million. The Board of Trustee’s is expected to take a final look at the budget and possibly adopt it during their April 28th board meeting at the hospital.

 

MANHATTAN –Three schools in USD 383- Manhattan-Ogden district were temporarily on lockout Thursday. Police were investigating a report of three men in an SUV brandishing a weapon near Osage Street and Juliette Avenue.

Michele Jones, USD-383 Communications and Safety Director, said three elementary schools were in lockout for about an hour because of suspicious activity around the school. All schools were back to their regular schedules late in the day.

“A school lockout means that staff double checked that all exterior doors were locked and no one is on the playground,” Jones said. “Learning continues as normal inside the building.”

According to Riley County Police Officer Matthew Droge, “There was no evidence to support a crime was being committed at the time, but the claims made initiated an investigation,” he said.

“At this time we still can’t substantiate that a crime had occurred. What we do know is that we, as well as our area schools, take the safety of our community’s children very seriously and those who noticed that several schools in the area decided to place themselves into lock-out out of an abundance of caution are witness to that,” Droge said.

Deb Nauerth, Principal of Woodrow Wilson school confirmed her school was in the lockout today. “This was prompted after two of our lunch-playground supervisors notified me of suspicious activity in a vehicle driving on Osage by the school. I immediately notified RCPD of the situation. RCPD officers responded promptly to the call and are continuing to investigate this situation.”

The Junction City Little Theater is now enrolling students in grades 2-12 for their 2015 Summer Theater Works in June.

An informational meeting will be held Monday, April 20, at 6:30 p.m. in the C. L. Hoover Opera House Rehearsal Hall in Junction City.   Anyone interested is encouraged to attend.

Youth in grades 2-12 from the Flint Hills region are invited to enroll in the JCLT Summer Theater Workshops.

The month-long camp will introduce youth to the art of live theater — from auditions, stage craft, and rehearsals — to two full-length musical performances on the historic C. L. Hoover Opera House Stage. Jennifer and Michael Brown will be the directors.

Registration forms are available in the JCLT office or can be downloaded from the JCLT website, www.jclt.info.

Musicville performances are June 19 & 20. Little Mermaid, Jr. performances are June 26 & 27. General admission tickets are $7 each, and are available now by visiting the website or calling the box office at 785-238-3906.

The 11th annual Pet Fair & Walk for Life is Saturday, April 18, at the Geary County 4-H / Senior Citizens’ Center on South Spring Valley Road.

Activities at the Pet Fair will include:

–Low cost vaccination clinic ( 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. )

–Walk for Life on Rescue Road ( 9-10:30 a.m. )

–Vendor booths ( 9 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. )

–Silent auction ( 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. )

–Photo booth ( 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. )

–Raffles ( 9 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. )

–Games ( 9 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. )

–Caricature artist ( 10 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. )

–Horse drawn carriage rides ( 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.

–Pet Memorial Balloon Release ( 11 a.m. )

–Kentucky Derby Friends of Animals Style ( 11:30 a.m. )

–Pooch pie eating contest ( 12: 00 p.m. )

The Pet Fair & Walk for Life is sponored by Friends of Animals, Inc.

Admission is $2 ( includes lunch ). Children 5 and under are admitted free.

 

The Dickinson County Sheriff has reported the arrest of a 30-year-old Herington man on three drug related counts on April 3.

Sheriff Gareth Hoffman said Dickinson County Sheriff Drug Enforcement, and Dickinson County Sheriff Deputies executed a search warrant at 410 North Broadway in Herington.

During the execution of the search warrant law enforcement seized methamphetamine, marijuana, and numerous items of drug paraphernalia. Russell S. Pitts, 30, Herington was arrested on suspicion of Possession of Methamphetamine, Possession of Marijuana, and Possession of Drug Paraphernalia.

The investigation is ongoing and additional arrests are possible.