Problems with the VA healthcare system and budget issues topics for discussion during a Town Hall meeting conducted by 1st District Congressman Tim Huelskamp in Junction City on Thursday.

Huelskamp heard from a number of veterans about the problems they have been experiencing accessing health care services, with some of those occurring at the VA medical facility in Topeka. The Congressman had those making complaints provide his staff with telephone numbers for followup support on their problems.

Huelskamp addressed the federal budget deficit. “And ladies and gentlemen, no matter what they say in Washington that continues to go up.  And I think it’s wrong to spend money today and expect our children and grandchildren to pay that back.”  Huelskamp was critical of Congress on that issue.

A substantial turnout greeted the Congressman during his visit to the American Legion Post 45 in Junction City. His visit also included a stop at Godfrey’s Indoor and Archery Shooting Ranges, and an earlier stop at the inactivation ceremony for the 4th Infantry Brigade Combat Team at Fort Riley.

Early This Morning: Breezy…thunderstorms. Near steady temperature in the mid 50s. North winds 10 to 25 mph with gusts to around 35 mph.  

Today: Cooler. Partly sunny. Highs around 70. Northeast winds 10 to 15 mph.

Tonight: Colder…breezy. Mostly cloudy with a 50 percent chance of showers. Lows around 41. Northeast winds 10 to 15 mph shifting to the north 15 to 25 mph after midnight.

Friday: Cooler. Mostly cloudy with a 20 percent chance of showers in the morning…then sunny in the afternoon. Highs around 55. North winds 15 to 20 mph with gusts to around 30 mph.

Friday Night: Colder…clear. Lows in the lower 30s. Northwest winds up to 5 mph shifting to the southwest after midnight.

Saturday: Warmer…sunny. Highs in the upper 60s. Southwest winds 5 to 15 mph with gusts to around 25 mph.

Saturday Night: Not as cool. Mostly clear. Lows in the mid 40s.

Sunday: Mostly sunny. Highs in the upper 60s.

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

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

Tuesday And Tuesday Night: Partly cloudy. Highs around 70. Lows around 40.

Wednesday: Cooler. Partly sunny with a 30 percent chance of thunderstorms. Highs in the upper 50s.

It appears that a proposed bill that would move local and school board elections to the fall of even numbered years will be going to back to both legislative chambers for final votes in the near future.

Legislators from both chambers settled their differences on the bill Tuesday and reached an agreement on the final version of the election bill. Both chambers will need to approve the measure and send it to Gov. Sam Brownback.

The bill has not gained much support from local leaders. Allen Dinkel, Junction City’s City Manager explained that he’s concerned that local elections would get lost among larger elections held at the same time.

“I think the concern is that this will fall when gubernatorial elections are, or senate or federal races like President will fall, and we’ll maybe lose the chance to have local discussion on the local issues,” said Dinkel. “And maybe that our races will be may be overshadowed by  all the press going on, all the campaigning and we’ll lose all the local discussion like we’re having right now on local races.”

The city commission did sign a resolution in opposition to the bill shortly after it was introduced early in the legislative session.

It is unknown when the bill will go back in front of both chambers and a final vote will be made.

Junction City Commission candidates James Sands and David Alexander discussed the topic of bringing more retail business to the community.

Sands noted the city is continuing to grow. He stated companies look at demographics, noting they won’t support a Red Lobster Restaurant or Olive Garden in this community, and that Manhattan just barely got in on the numbers Olive Garden looks for.

“We have to stay positive about bringing people to this community. ”

Alexander stated the only way, for instance, to get a Red Lobster is to shop and eat locally.

“That’s how the companies see that they need to be here. They see the demand.”

Alexander and Sands are two candidates in the race for Junction City Commission. The others include George Marcus, Phyllis Fitzgerald, Tyler Dupy, Heinrich Biggs, and Pat Landes.

Sands and Alexander participated in a candidate forum hosted by KJCK AM, The Talk of JC on Wednesday. Tyler Dupy, Heinrich Biggs, and George Marcus will be guests on a similar forum Thursday from 8:30 – 9:30 a.m., and Pat Landes and Phyllis Fitzgerald will be guests on a forum during the same time frame Friday on The Talk of JC.

Starting today (Wednesday) biologists at Milford Lake are tagging 500 walleye as a part of an exploitation study to help them get a better handle on the walleye population in the lake and determine how many are being harvested.

John Reinke, Milford Lake District Biologist explained that the tags look like price tags you may find on clothes in a store.

“We’re wanting folks that catch a tagged fish to remove the tag and send in the tag to us. If they want to release the fish that’s fine, if they can just cut the tag off with a pair of scissors or nail clippers,” said Reinke.

This is an opportune time to conduct the study as Milford Lake is expected to have as many as 500 walleye anglers on the lake at the end of May for the Cabelas National Team Walleye Championship.

“The tournament folks are working with us on a tournament angler diary program. They’re actually going to be keeping a daily diary, not only fishing during the tournament but also pre-fishing.”

Anglers who catch a tagged fish are asked to return the tag along with a completed tag reporting card, which can be obtained from the Milford State Park office, local businesses, and ksoutdoors.com.

Those who return a tag will receive a limited-edition Kansas Department of Wildlife, Parks and Tourism “Walleye Research Team” hat. Awards will be mailed to anglers after staff receives the completed tag reporting card.

 

Rchelle Karl, RN, Chapman, is the April Employee of the Month at Geary Community Hospital.

Karl works in the medical / Surgical Department at GCH.

Geary County Commissioners have received a recommendation to consider refinancing Public Building Commission bonds for the county jail.

Ben Bennett, Geary County Commission Chair, said they have begun to review this, to see if they can save money for the county. The total amount of outstanding bonds has been calculated at $3,495,000.

“He also asked if we’d like to look in the future at refinancing the general obligation bond for the hospital. Of course that’s a pretty large one, and there may be a chance starting with next year that we may be looking at that also.”

The Commission met this week with Kevin Cown of Gilmore and Bell.

Geary County Sheriff’s deputies responded to U.S. 77 Highway Tuesday morning to a single vehicle versus deer accident.

Jeremy Eberle, Milford, was traveling southbound on U.S. 77 when a deer ran west across the highway and into the side of his 2015 Jeep Patriot. There were no injuries reported.

The Geary County Sheriff’s Department received a 911 call Tuesday morning about an unresponsive individual at the east bound rest area at mile marker 310 on Interstate 70. Deputies, Junction City Fire and EMS responded to the scene where they found the subject, unresponsive, lying in the parking area next to a moving van.

The Geary County Coroner responded and pronounced the subject, identified as Keith S. Morrison, 47, Aurora, Colorado, dead at the scene.

The investigation revealed Morrison had been moving from Aurora, Colorado to Florida and was traveling alone. He stopped at the rest area and collapsed in the parking lot of what is suspected as natural causes. Sheriff Tony Wolf said no foul play is suspected. An autopsy was scheduled.

JUNCTION CITY – Samuel Pasqual Edmondson of Junction City is one of 22 inmates that President Obama reduced jail
sentences for on Tuesday.

Edmondson was serving a lifetime sentence after being arrested in Sherman, Texas in 1996.

Edmondson original charges were for conspiracy to possess methamphetamine with intent to distribute and possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine.

He was sent to prison on September 24, 1997.

Due to the President’s commutation grant, Edmondson’s prison sentence will expire on July 28, 2015.

The White House says that many of these individuals commuted would have already served their time and paid their debt to society had they been sentenced under current laws and policies.

Because many were convicted under now-outdated sentencing guidelines, the White House says they served years longer than individuals convicted of the same crimes today.

-The Associated Press contributed to this story