Hospice at Geary Community Hospital is hosting their second annual Spring Fling Saturday, April 25 at Junction City High School from 9 a.m.to 3 p.m. 

Local arts and crafts artisans and small business people who are looking to exhibit their products are welcome to participate.

“We hope that the bazaar will give people with home-based businesses a new venue in which to sell their goods,” said Linda Rigsby, volunteer coordinator of Hospice at GCH.

Space at the bazaar is available for a tax-deductable contribution of $40 to Hospice at GCH. These contributions will go toward special end-of-life needs of GCH hospice patients. To reserve a table or for questions, contact Rigsby at 785-762-2653.

An upper level disturbance will bring a cold front through the area today. There may be some showers and thunderstorms along the front, however the more noticeable change will be the strong northwest winds gusting to around 35 MPH bringing colder air into central and eastern Kansas. East central and northeast Kansas will probably have slowly falling temperatures this afternoon. This cold air will cause temperatures to fall into the lower and middle 30s by Friday morning. There may be some frost form early Friday morning and damage any outdoor vegetation already planted.

Today: Breezy. Partly sunny. Chance of showers and slight chance of thunderstorms in the morning. Near steady temperature in the mid 50s. Northwest winds 10 to 20 mph increasing to 20 to 25 mph in the afternoon. Gusts up to 35 mph. Chance of rain 30 percent.

Tonight: Mostly clear. Lows around 34. West winds 5 to 15 mph. Gusts up to 30 mph in the evening.

Friday: Sunny. Highs around 67. West winds 5 to 10 mph.

Friday Night: Partly cloudy. Lows in the lower 40s. Southeast winds up to 5 mph.

Saturday: Mostly sunny. Highs in the lower 70s. South winds 5 to 15 mph increasing to 15 to 20 mph in the afternoon.

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

Sunday: Partly sunny with a 40 percent chance of thunderstorms. Highs in the mid 70s.

Sunday Night: Mostly cloudy with a 20 percent chance of thunderstorms. Lows in the upper 40s.

Monday: Partly sunny with a 20 percent chance of showers. Highs around 70.

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

Tuesday: Mostly cloudy with a 50 percent chance of thunderstorms. Highs around 70.

Tuesday Night: Partly cloudy with a 20 percent chance of thunderstorms. Lows in the lower 50s.

Wednesday: Mostly sunny. Highs in the mid 70s.

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KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — An Associated Press analysis shows that fewer Kansas veterans are experiencing long waits for care at VA hospitals and clinics than their counterparts in many other states.

At the state’s 19 U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs facilities, 1.8 percent of appointments were delayed longer than 30 days from September to February. The national average was 2.8 percent.

But problems persist after a scandal led to a $16 billion law overhauling veterans’ health care. Wait times didn’t decline over the six months the AP examined. They actually increased in January and February.

Also, there were 221 Kansas appointments that were delayed longer than 90 days, including 102 at the Eastern Kansas VA-Colmery-O’Neil in Topeka and 93 at Robert J. Dole VA Medical Center.

The month of March in Geary County was warmer than normal, but there was very little rainfall.

Geary County Extension Agent Chuck Otte reported that the average daily high during the month was 58.9, 3.2 degrees above normal. The average overnight low was 32.7, 0.8 degrees above normal.

The highest temperature for the month was 87 degrees on the 16th,  and the lowest temperature was nine degrees on the fourth and sixth.

Normally following the dry winter months precipitation increases in March, but that was not the case this time. Average March precipitation is 2.34 inches but Milford Lake only received 0.35 and Junction City 0.29 inches during the month. Year to date Junction City has received 1.99 inches of precipitation and Milford Lake 1.93 inches. The normal total through the end of March is 4.11 inches.

 

The Friends of the Dorothy Bramlage Public Library is conducting their annual gift basket drawing through April 18. Winners will be announced on Monday, April 20.

Photos of the baskets and a list of their content are on the library web page at www.jclib.org. The suggested donation for drawing slips is $1 apiece or $5 for six slips. All proceeds from this activity will be used in support of the library and its programs, resources, and services.

 

 

The Junction City Commission signed a memorandum of understanding with Fort Riley Tuesday night concerning communication and future land use changes.

Mayor Mike Ryan told JCpost.com that the memorandum puts voluntary restrictions on farm ground or any ground that borders Fort Riley.

“To control what kind of structures are built, preferably nothing,” said Ryan.”To give Fort Riley the ability to use all of their ground instead of having to have buffer zone inside of the fence. It makes a whole lot more acreage available to them for training and causes a lot less grief between citizens and the post.”

The memorandum involves all of the counties and communities that boarder Fort Riley, including Junction City, Grandview Plaza, Milford, Riley, Ogden, Manhattan, Geary County, Riley County and Clay County.

It stems from state statutes that were amended in 2009 requiring military installations and surrounding governmental entities to enhance communication and information of land use development activity surrounding those military installations in order to minimize negative impacts of the mission of those installations.

Lifestar is preparing to put a modular home just north of the hangar they lease from the City of Junction City at Freeman Field.

Cheryl Beatty, Junction City Finance Director, explained the current living space for not adequate. “And basically what it is going to do is give a good living quarters, because the people that run the Lifestar ambulance service are there 24/7.  And that will give them a good living space because the living space that they have is not adequate for their growing staff.”

Beatty added Lifestar is seeking a remodel of the hangar as well, so they can put their ground ambulance in the hangar, instead of housing it at another site as they are currently doing. The ground ambulance could then be maintained along with their helicopter service at that location.

Beatty said the ground ambulance would not be in competition with the City’s ambulance service. It would be used for another purpose.

There will be a follow-up meeting to discuss plans for a producer owned beef plant in the Flint Hills region.

The Chamber of Commerce has reported that Ivan Garrett, who presented his initial plans in January, would like to share additional information about the venture at a meeting Tuesday April 21. It will begin at 6 p.m. at the Chamber of Commerce Office in Junction City.

If you are planning to attend the meeting contact the Chamber at 762-2632.

A report released by the U.S. Census Bureau recently showed 32 of the 105 Kansas counties saw it’s population grow over the last four years, and Geary County saw the greatest percentage increase.

Between 2010 and 2014 Geary County saw a gain of an estimated 2,351 residents for a 6.84 percent increase.

When asked if that growth could be related to Fort Riley and the military Allen Dinkel, Junction City City Manager said he believe’s it’s related to both the military and the region working together.

“In our region Pottawatomie County was the second fastest growing county in the state and Riley County was the third,” said Dinkel. “So I think it’s a combination of the military, I think it’s a combination of communities working together to grow this portion of the Flint Hills region.”

A further check of the information on this topic in an online report by the Wichita Business Journal also revealed another side of the story. Geary County has sustained population decreases each of the past two years.

According to that report the Geary County totals went down from 38,003 in 2012 to 36,987 in 2013, and down to 36,713 in 2014.

 

WICHITA- A Wamego man avoided injury in an accident just after 10 a.m. on Wednesday in Sedgwick County.

The Kansas Highway Patrol reported a 2001 Kenworth semi driven by Christopher W. Ridder, 40, Wamego, was southbound on Interstate 135 just north of Lincoln in the far right lane.

The truck rear-ended a 2013 Acura driven by Cheryl A. Lee, 61, Valley Center.

Lee was transported to Wesley Medical Center.

Ridder was not injured and not wearing a seat belt according to the KHP.