The Volunteer of the Year and Distinguished Auxilian awards were announced this week at Geary Community Hospital.

The two 2014 Volunteer of the Year recipients were Antje Meyer and Lori Post. The Distinguished Auxilian award winner was Dottie Letellier. Fifty-four volunteers were recognized for 11,709 hours of service in 2014.

Post has dedicated hundreds of hours to the pediatric office at GCH. She performed all of the duties of an office employee by filing, pulling charts and answering phones. Meyer volunteered for the Auxiliary in several capacities and does several things for the hospital as well.

Letellier has been an Auxilian for six years, and contributed to the Auxiliary and GCH both locally and at the state level. Dottie spent hours in 2014 ensuring the GCH Auxiliary’s compliance to receive state level awards. She also filled the void of the scrapbook position and also works the hospital information desks. Distinguished Auxiliary recipients are recognized for their contributions to the GCH Auxiliary and their willingness to remain active.

The Junction City Police Department has reported the arrest Tuesday, of Ruben Christmas, 24, Junction City in connection with an alleged incident March 25th in the 900 block of  Golden Belt Boulevard.

Police Detective Lieutenant Jeff Childs said the victim reported that she had been kidnapped and assaulted with a gun. Childs noted it was allegedly “a drug deal gone bad.”

Ruben Christmas was arrested on suspicion of Aggravated Battery, Aggravated Assault, Aggravated Kidnapping, and Conspiracy to Commit Aggravated Robbery.

Childs confirmed the victim suffered minor injuries, and was treated and released.

A traffic stop of a vehicle in the 500 block of West 12th Street in Junction City by the City – County Drug Operations Group Tuesday afternoon led to the arrest of a 32-year old Junction City man.

Police Chief Tim Brown reported the driver was allegedly talking on his cell phone in violation of a Junction City ordinance, his Kansas driver’s license was suspended, and there was also a Geary County District Court warrant for his arrest. An odor of marijuana was emitting from the vehicle, and a subsequent search of the vehicle revealed suspected marijuana packaged for sale inside. The location of the traffic stop was within 1,000 feet of a school zone. A search warrant was then obtained and executed at 630 Golden Belt Boulevard in Junction City, where two firearms, drug paraphernalia, and additional marijuana packaged for sale.

Brown reported Mark Viloria, 32, Junction City, was arrested in the case on suspicion of Possession of Marijuana with Intent to Sell within 1,000 Feet of a School, Felony Possession of Drug Paraphernalia, No Kansas Drug Tax Stamp, Driving while License is Suspended, Criminal Acquisition of Drug Proceeds, Convicted Felon in Possession of Firearm, and Possession of Drug Paraphernalia.

The Drug Operations Group  seized suspected marijuana, drug paraphernalia, U.S. currency, a vehicle, and two firearms during the investigation.

The JC Breakfast Optimist Club will hold a fundraiser at Ike’s Place on Golden Belt Boulevard in Junction City on Saturday, April 18.

During the hours of 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. and again from 5:30 – 8 :30 p.m. the club will receive 10 percent of the proceeds from customer purchases of food items, and 100 percent of the donations that are made.

The money collected will be used to support youth activities in the Geary County area, which includes a scholarship for a selected JCHS senior who will graduate this year, and attends a vocational or technical school.

JUNCTION CITY – Law enforcement authorities in Riley County arrested a suspect on Junction City’s most wanted list.

Police reported they arrested Robert Burks, 25, of Junction City, Kansas on April 14, 2015 at approximately 10:50 a.m.

Burks was taken into custody while in the 200 block of 10th Street in Ogden, Kansas for two counts of failure to appear and motion to revoke probation.

These offenses listed on three warrants from the Junction City and Geary County area carried a total bond of $12,000.00.

Burks was originally arrested on December 24, 2014 for the sale/distribution of hallucinogenic drugs and felony possession of drug paraphernalia

By Julee Cobb

SALINA -Kansas State University will enhance its support of St. John’s Military School after signing a partnership agreement with the institution on April 14 to assist the school’s students in preparing for higher education.

At a ceremony on the St. John’s campus, Kansas State University President Kirk Schulz and St. John’s Military School President Andrew England sealed the collaboration with their signatures in front of community members, St. John’s alumni, staff from both institutions and the school’s cadets.

“Salina is very important to the K-State family because we have one of our campuses here and we are thrilled to be working very closely with St. John’s Military School, creating great opportunities for its students,” Schulz said. “We are looking forward to a lasting relationship that will benefit the state of Kansas, St. John’s and certainly the community.”

The partnership between the university and St. John’s Military School is designed to provide collegiate academic orientation, preparation and career advisement for cadets in the second semester of their junior year and their senior year. Approximately 92 percent of all of St. John’s graduates advance to higher-learning opportunities and this collaboration will allow the cadets to slowly begin the evolution from high school to an independent collegiate life.

“We, as a school, recognized years ago that a lot of our boys were ready to go to college, but that college was a big world for them when they left the support that St. John’s offers,” England said. “We now have the ability to provide a transitional step for them with this partnership, and our boys are going to gain immensely from their exposure to the K-State programs.”

The academic offerings between Kansas State University and St. John’s Military School, such as concurrent college credit courses and professional development, will begin in fall 2015.

Today will be mostly cloudy with a slight chance for showers across east central and northeast Kansas. Highs will only reach the lower to mid 60s. Temperatures will warm on Thursday into the upper 60s to mid 70s, with a betterchances for showers and thunderstorms across north central Kansas. The chances for showers and thunderstorms will increase Friday and Saturday as an upper level disturbance moves east across the plains. At this time, the thunderstorm should remain below severe limits Friday and Saturday. A cold front will move across the area late Saturday night, causing Sunday’s highs to drop back into the mid 60s with scattered showers possible.

Today: Mostly cloudy. Highs around 65. Southeast winds 10 to 15 mph with gusts to around 25 mph.

Tonight: Mostly cloudy. A 30 percent chance of thunderstorms after midnight. Lows around 51. Southeast winds 5 to 15 mph.

Thursday: Mostly cloudy with a 40 percent chance of thunderstorms. Highs around 73. Southeast winds 5 to 15 mph.

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

Friday: Mostly cloudy with a 50 percent chance of thunderstorms. Highs around 70. Southeast winds 5 to 10 mph.

Friday Night: Mostly cloudy with a 50 percent chance of thunderstorms. Lows in the lower 50s.

Saturday: Partly sunny with thunderstorms likely. Highs in the upper 60s. Chance of rain 60 percent.

Saturday Night And Sunday: Mostly cloudy with a 50 percent chance of showers. Lows in the upper 40s. Highs in the mid 60s.

Sunday Night: Mostly cloudy in the evening then becoming partly cloudy. A 20 percent chance of showers. Lows in the lower 40s.

Monday And Monday Night: Partly cloudy. Highs in the lower 60s. Lows around 40.

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

Next weekend, April 25th and 26th, will be a busy one for the Geary County Historical Society and Museum as they Celebrate Past Times at three of their locations.

On Saturday, April 25th, they will have activities taking place at the St. Joseph’s Church and Spring Valley Historic Site.

Heather Martin, Museum Curator will be providing tours of the St. Joseph’s Church and Cemetery and will be sharing stories of some of the people buried in the cemetery and their impact on the McDowell Creek community.

At the same time they will have a Civil War encampment set up at the Spring Valley Historic Site along with hands on activities, prairie games and races. The buildings will also be open for people to go in and check out.

Both sites will be open from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. that day.

On Sunday, April 26th, the Museum will be hosting their first ever Car Show on the Museum grounds located at 530 N Adams Street in Junction City. The Car Show begins at 1 p.m.. .

While at the car show guests are also invited inside to check out the latest exhibits, including “He Didn’t Wear a Top Hat: Life in the 1950s.”

The Geary County Democrats will meet on Wednesday ( April 15 ) at 6:30 p.m. at the Dorothy Bramlage Public Library.

Shelly Kite has announced the agenda items include plans for the annual Democratic dinner with Senate Minority Leader Anthony Hensley on May 28, a legislative update, and reports from state and regional meetings. All area Democrats are welcome to attend.

The Geary County Commission has been working with the Senior Citizens Center Building Committee to come up with the right option for a new sign at the building located off Spring Valley Road.

About three weeks ago staff at the Senior Citizens Building approached the commission about adding a more clarified sign citing that people didn’t know that the building was the Senior Citizens Center because the sign only says Geary County Fairgrounds.

There solution at the time was to add another board to the existing sign that read Geary County 4-H/Sr. Citizens Building.

Commissioner Ben Bennett explained that the commission is looking into replacing the entire sign.

“If we’re going to put one up, we’re going to put up something better if we’re going to make a change there,” said Bennett.

The Commission has come up with a proposed design that reads in large letters “Geary County 4-H/Sr. Citizens Center” along with the address and Fairgrounds, Horse Arena, and Girls Softball in smaller letters along the bottom.

Bennett did add that they don’t know what the cost of the new sign would be at this time and that they are looking into it.

No decisions have been made at this time.