The new improvements to the Fifth Street Playground Park have been well received, including by members of the Junction City Commission. It’s common to see the new playground equipment in full usage by children, accompanied by parents.
Speaking during a Tuesday night commission meeting, Mayor Pat Landes said, “I’ve never seen that many kids at a city park anywhere ever!
Landes said city officials look at things to try and attract residents to the community. “It’s things like that.”
The mayor pointed to the busy turnout in the park, and added that it makes him think more things like that are needed if they really want to attract people to the area. “We can say we got 22 parks, but we got 22 parks that have equipment that’s 40 years old. So I think that’s something we really need to start looking at in future budgets, to try to gear things towards improvements at the park facilities, sprinkled throughout town not just at one park.”
The mayor also noted that the accomplishment by the Quality Play for All Committee in the 5th Street Park is tremendous and they still have more plans going forward into the future. “But I think we need to consider that kind of stuff going forward as we plan for the future.”
The Junction City Commission has approved an ordinance authorizing eminent domain proceedings on a small piece of property at 1219 McFarland Road near Homer’s Pond.
City Manager Allen Dinkel said it means the Junction City Commission, “will move forward and make a court action, and get the land appraised at nine-tenths of an acre we need for the Homer’s Pond project.”
The action is part of the work to upgrade the dam for Homer’s Pond. The work is being required by the Kansas Department of Agriculture.
The city has been given permission to use two other small pieces of property for the project.
An earlier Geary County Children’s choir performing at an event.
The Geary County Children’s Choir is just $1,300 shy of their $26,000 fundraising goal for a performance trip to St. Louis. Missouri.
The Choir will be hosting a fundraiser breakfast Saturday from 7-10 a.m. at American Legion Post 45 in Junction City. Donation tickets are$7 for adults and $4 for children ( under 10 years old ). The menu will include biscuits and gravy, eggs, sausage, tater tots, orange juice and coffee.
For tickets contact Cristiana at 785-307-4666 or Theresa at 954-895-8358 or stop by the Post home after 3 p.m.
All donations will go to support the Choir’s expenses for the performances in St. Louis.
Steven Copp, assistant professor of exercise physiology; Jessica Nelson, instructor of special education, counseling and student affairs; Marcella Reekie, instructor of technical writing; and Elizabeth Yeager, associate professor of agriculture economics, will receive the award and a $2,500 honorarium from the Commerce Bancshares Foundation and the W.T. Kemper Foundation. They will be recognized at the All-University Awards Ceremony at 3 p.m. Tuesday, May 7, in the Alumni Center Ballroom.
“Commerce Bank and the William T. Kemper Foundation are proud to continue our tradition of partnering with K-State to honor four exceptional educators,” said Shawn Drew, market president and CEO of Commerce Bank. “The partnership began over 20 years ago and continues as a wonderful way to recognize teaching excellence. Our heartfelt thanks andcongratulations go out to this year’s recipients.”
Copp teaches the undergraduate courses Physiology of Exercise and Neurological Exercise Physiology. He also is co-director of research in the Cardio-Oncology and Autonomic Physiology Laboratory in the kinesiology department. He is the recipient of a National Institutes of Health grant to research blood pressure control in cardiovascular disease. Copp’s philosophy is that his classroom is an extension of his research laboratory, and he makes it a point to bring new and cutting-edge information to his students. He also is a member of the American Physiological Society and the American Heart Association.
Jessica Nelson-photo KSU
Nelson teaches Exceptional Student in the Secondary School, Exceptional Child in the Regular Classroom and High Incidence Practicum. She also is co-advisor for the university’s Council for Exceptional Children group and is a member of the College of Education’s Student Affairs Committee. She serves as co-chair and planning committee member for the Midwest Symposium for Leadership in Behavioral Disorders’ master teacher group and is a planning committee member for the Richard L. Simpson Conference on Autism. She also is a reviewer for ReThinking Behavior magazine and member of the American Association on Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities.
Reekie teaches Written Communication for Engineers, which prepares upper-level engineering students to gather, use and present technical information in a professional setting. She received an Open/Alternative Textbook grant to develop a free textbook for the course. In addition to her teaching, she serves on technical writing and award committees, participates in national writing conferences and aids in reviewing accreditation standards for the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology. She also is a recipient of the English department’s faculty award for excellence in undergraduate teaching.
Elizabeth Yeager-Photo KSU
Yeager teaches Farm and Ranch Management, Commodity Futures, Introduction to Computer Decision Tools for Agribusiness and Optimization Techniques for Agriculture Economics. She also advises about 30 undergraduate students each semester. In the College of Agriculture, she is co-advisor for the Student Council, co-chair of the Academic Standards Committee and serves on the Alumni Board. She is the recipient of a Gold Quill Award from the American Society of Farm Managers and Rural Appraisers, and a Teaching for Tomorrow Fellowship Award from Purdue University. She is a member of the Agricultural and Applied Economics Association, serving on the leadership of the Teaching, Learning and Communication Section and the Agricultural Finance and Management Section, and was named an Outstanding Young Scholar by the Agriculture Finance and Management Section of the association.
Capuchins Joseph Mary Elder and Christopher Popravak, Ellis Co. Attorney Tom Drees, and Bishop Jerry Vincke listen in Hays Tuesday night to public comments about sexual abuse of minors by clergy of the Salina Diocese.
By BECKY KISER
The pews in Hays’ St. Nicholas of Myra Catholic Church were nearly filled Tuesday evening as people gathered for a public listening session about substantiated allegations of clergy abuse of minor children in the Salina diocese.
Salina Bishop Jerry Vincke opened and closed the 90-minute session with prayers.
“We (the Catholic Church) messed up,” he said after the first remarks were made by an attendee.
Joining Vincke were Fr. Christopher Popravak, Provincial of the Denver Province of Capuchins, and Fr. Joseph Mary Elder, O.F.M.Cap., Director of Communications, Denver.
The Capuchins are a Catholic religious order with a strong presence within the Salina Diocese, particularly in the Hays and Victoria area.
Popravak opened with an apology.
Capuchins Elder and Popravak, Denver. Popravak previously taught at TMP Catholic School and served the St. Joseph parish in Hays.
“I’d like to offer my deepest apologies to everyone here for the harm some of our brothers have inflicted on the community. We Capuchins have always treasured people here in Ellis County.”
Popravak said he served in Hays at the-then-Thomas More Prep Catholic high school for boys and the St. Joseph parish “many, many years ago.”
“This is very distressing for all of us about the abuse that occurred,” Popravak continued, “and I’m here to publicly ask for your forgiveness, and for your prayers, especially for those that suffered the abuse and the after-effects of the abuse.”
Late last week the Capuchins and the Salina Diocese released separate lists of clergy who have been investigated for “substantial” or “credible allegations” of sexual abuse of a minor.
Thirteen Capuchin friars are listed. Of the 13, two are deceased and five have since left the order. None are in active ministry. Twelve of the 13 suspects had ties to Hays or Victoria.
The 13 listed clergy from the Salina Diocese served in more than 16 other northwest Kansas towns in various capacities.
Eleven of the clergy are deceased; two have been laicized – removed from the status of being a clergy member. The alleged abuses took place between 1907 and 2002, with most occurring in the 1960s and 1970s.
Bishop Vincke listens as Elmer tells his story of abuse by a Salina Diocese clergy member.
More than 20 people talked about the abuse allegations, including one gray-haired man who identified himself as Elmer saying he had been molested many years ago by one of the named clergy.
Elmer’s family did not believe it happened.
“I was told I was stupid, that I didn’t know what I was talking about, by my own mother,” Elmer recalled. The bishop at the time wrote a letter to Elmer saying “it was none of my business.”
“People are going through suicides. It’s tough,” Elmer said. He asked Bishop Vincke “how to forgive somebody.”
“It’s just incredibly tragic,” Vincke responded. “You’ll never forget.” After a long pause with his eyes cast down, Vincke looked up and thanked Elmer for sharing his story.
“I appreciate your courage for coming forward. I really admire you.” Vincke then offered a prayer for Elmer about his mistreatment. “Lord, fill him with your peace.”
Vincke said he has often heard from victims that they are not believed. “They and their parents are often also so embarrassed about what happened.”
Ellis Co. Attorney Tom Drees
Encouraging children to report abuse and helping families to believe them is paramount to stopping sexual child abuse, Ellis County Attorney Tom Drees told the crowd.
Many times the crimes are reported years after the abuse and the Kansas statute of limitations has changed over time.
“Today, if you have a rape or if you have a aggravated criminal sodomy, that would be unlimited. So that’s within a lifetime, if you find that out, you can prosecute it,” explained Drees.
But that’s a fairly recent change in state law. Previously, the statute of limitations was 10 years.
Other sexual violent crimes against children can be prosecuted until the victim turns age 18, or 28 if a suspect is identified through DNA. There are some exceptions, Drees noted.
Rev. Ron Gilardi, who taught at Thomas More Prep-Marian High School in Hays, was charged in 2001 with criminal sodomy, indecent liberties with a child, and other sexual offenses of a male student who left the school in 1994.
A five-year statute of limitations existed at that time.
Although the charges were made beyond the five-year statute of limitations, “we were able to prosecute Gilardi because it was a repressed memory recall situation made with the victim’s psychologist.” The victim recalled the abuse during a counseling session in 1999.
Again, the state of limitations has changed since then, and charges can only be filed in a repressed memory recall case until the victim turns 28.
Gilardi was subsequently removed from the ministry and is currently under supervision, according to the abuse report.
Bishop Vincke reads a statement from a Victoria man who said his female cousin was raped in the mid-1970s by one of the Capuchin friars on the abuse list.
Two audience members identified themselves as they talked about sexual abuse of the relatives by men on the list.
One man wanted to know why the identified priests and friars have not apologized for their sexual abuse of children.
“We have tried to contact them but got no response,” Bishop Vincke said. Gilardi is one of the two accused Diocesan clergy still living.
“They have not accepted responsibility for what they’ve done, I’m sorry to say,” added Fr. Popravak about the Capuchins.
“I think people are feeling there’s still a cover-up right now,” Vincke said in an interview after the meeting.
Bishop Vincke hugs a woman after Tuesday’s meeting in Hays’ St. Nicholas of Myra Church.
“There was a major cover-up many years ago,” Vincke acknowledged, “but I think we’ve corrected that and we’re not trying to cover up anything anymore.
“We’re trying to be open about everything that’s happened. All of our sins, we’re laying out for the people.”
Vincke also thinks the Catholic Church needs to do a better job of relating to the public what abuse has happened in the Church, when it happened, and what is now being done about it.
The bishop liked the suggestion from a man in the audience that the laity – people of faith distinct from the church – get more involved in the church.
“We’re doing that but I think we could use more of their incredible resources for the good of our church as well,” Vincke smiled.
One young woman at the meeting talked about the good memories of priests she has from attending Catholic schools.
“We have some great priests,” Vincke agreed, “doing incredible work and service for the people. And we have some great seminarians. They’re excited to get started. They know what happened in the Church but they want to be part of the solution. They really want to help.”
SHAWNEE COUNTY — One person was injured in an accident just before 2p.m. Tuesday in Shawnee County.
The Kansas Turnpike Authority reported a 2002 Jeep Liberty driven by Mary Martinez, 71, Junction City, was westbound on Interstate 70 and rear-ended a 2019 Buick Encore driven by Jill Christine Halstead, 55, Concordia, that had stopped to pay at the toll plaza.
Halstead and a passenger Summer C. Champlin, 30, Concordia, complained of pain. The KTA did not report if they were transported to a hospital for treatment. Martinez was not injured.
All three were properly restrained at the time of the accident, according to the KTA.
The Junction City Parks and Recreation Department has announced three upcoming events this spring.
They include a spring dance for 6th through 8th grade students on April 26th from 7-10:30 p.m. at the 12th Street Community Center. The cost to attend is $3. A student I.D. is required.
There will be a Land Navigation event Saturday, may 18th from 9-11:30 a.m. where you can experience an outdoors opportunity for orienteering at the 90 acre B & G Farm. This is for 10-14 year old youth. Twelve participants are being sought to learn how to determine your pace correctly, identify an object at a given azimuth, five five orienteering points and learn about dependability, strength, adaptability, perseverance and purpose. To register contact the 12th Street Community Center at 785-238-7529. Registration runs until May 10th. Those attending should wear long pants, tennis shoes or hiking boots and long sleeves.
And there will be a School’s Out Family Bash on May 24th. This will be a summer party for k-8th graders at the 12th Street Community Center from 4-8 p.m. for family, food and fun. There will be a lot of games both inside and outside. It will be a free event.
Junction City police have released information on a Monday afternoon incident in the 200 block of East Chestnut Street where Patrol Officers responded at 4:45 p.m. for a check welfare on a subject laying near the railroad tracks.
Upon arrival Officers located Charles M. Jones, 53, Junction City, deceased. No foul play is suspected.
Anyone with information surrounding this incident is encouraged to call 785-762-5912.
The new improvements to the Fifth Street Playground Park have been well received, including by members of the Junction City Commission. It’s common to see the new playground equipment in full usage by children, accompanied by parents.
