On any given school day the weight room at Junction City High School is a beehive of activity. Hundreds of students work out and train in the facility under the watchful eye of JCHS teachers and coaches including Randall Zimmerman.
Zimmerman estimated that more than 500 students use the weight room every two-day period. “Over one-third of our student population goes through the weight room in a two-day period. ”
Some of the equipment in the facility ranges from ten power racks and ten platforms to leg curl machines. “We’re all about free weights. Really our philosophy is we want ground based, mobile joint explosive type lifting. We lift to be better athletes.” Zimmerman added there are also a couple of recreational strength classes for non-athletes as well. “That’s just to learn how to lift correctly as a lifetime activity.”
The current weight room is a big step forward from the facility that existed when Zimmerman arrived at JCHS in 1994. Then it was upstairs at the high school in Room 202, which is now a health classroom. “We had two classes with less than 20 kids per class. We didn’t have a lot of interest there. Two years later we were outside in the mobile, which was the old wood shop. ” At that time there were six periods per day and every one of the classes filled up. ”
Zimmerman said former superintendent, Dr. Mary Devin, recognized the interest in strength and conditioning, and the numbers were growing tremendously. “We ran out of room out there and that’s when she built on.” The current weight room is located on the site of what used to be a driveway on the west end of the high school building.
Photos have been provided by Javon George of JCHS.
Kansans took out $267 million in payday loans in 2018. Some community and religious groups want to change the rules for those loans. Nomin Ujiyediin / Kansas News Service
Maria Galvan used to make about $25,000 a year. She didn’t qualify for welfare, but she still had trouble meeting her basic needs.
“I would just be working just to be poor and broke,” she said. “It would be so frustrating.”
When things got bad, the single mother and Topeka resident took out a payday loan. That meant borrowing a small amount of money at a high interest rate, to be paid off as soon as she got her next check.
A few years later, Galvan found herself strapped for cash again. She was in debt, and garnishments were eating up a big chunk of her paychecks. She remembered how easy it was to get that earlier loan: walking into the store, being greeted with a friendly smile, getting money with no judgment about what she might use it for.
So she went back to payday loans. Again and again. It began to feel like a cycle she would never escape.
“All you’re doing is paying on interest,” Galvan said. “It’s a really sick feeling to have, especially when you’re already strapped for cash to begin with.”
Like thousands of other Kansans, Galvan relied on payday loans to afford basic needs, pay off debt and cover unexpected expenses. In 2018, there were 685,000 of those loans, worth $267 million, according to the Office of the State Bank Commissioner.
But while the payday loan industry says it offers much-needed credit to people who have trouble getting it elsewhere, others disagree.
A group of nonprofits in Kansas argues the loans prey on people who can least afford triple-digit interest rates. Those people come from lower-income families, have maxed out their credit cards or don’t qualify for traditional bank loans. And those groups say that not only could Kansas do more to regulate the loans — it’s fallen behind other states who’ve taken action.
Payday Loan Alternatives
Last year, Galvan finally finished paying back her loans. She got help from the Kansas Loan Pool Project, a program run by Catholic Charities of Northeast Kansas.
Once Galvan applied and was accepted to the program, a local bank agreed to pay off about $1,300 that she owed to payday lenders. In return, she took out a loan from the bank worth the same amount. The interest was only 7%.
Now that she’s out, Galvan said, she’ll never go back.
She doesn’t have to. Making payments on that bank loan helped build her credit score until, for the first time, she could borrow money for a car.
“That was a very big accomplishment,” she said, “to know I have this need, and I can meet that need on my own.”
The project has paid off $245,000 in predatory loan debt for more than 200 families so far.
Claudette Humphrey runs the original version of the project for Catholic Charities of Northern Kansas in Salina. She says her program has been able to help about 200 people by paying off more than $212,000 in debt. But it hasn’t been able to help everyone.
“The Number One reason, still, that we have to turn people away,” she said, “is just because we have a limit.”
People only qualify for the Kansas Loan Pool Project if they have less than $2,500 in payday loan debt and the means to pay back a new, low-interest loan from the bank. The program doesn’t want to put people further in the hole if they also struggle with debt from other sources, Humphrey said.
“Sometimes, even if we paid that off, they would still be upside-down in so many other areas,” she said. “I wouldn’t want to put an additional burden on someone.”
Humphrey doesn’t think her program is the only solution. In her opinion, it should be lawmakers’ responsibility to protect payday loan customers the same way they protect all consumers — through regulating payday loans like traditional bank loans.
“Why are these companies not held to that same standard?” she said. “Why, then, are payday and title loan lenders allowed to punish them at such an astronomical interest rate for not being a good risk?”
Potential Changes
Catholic Charities is just one of the nonprofits pushing for tighter rules. The members of the coalition include churches and community organizations, said Shanae’ Holman, an organizer with Topeka JUMP, the group that is leading the push.
“There are other states who’ve implemented guidelines that sell you how much income… what percentage of your check can go to a payment,” Holman said. “Those are the types of regulations that we would like to see,”
She wants Kansas to require longer loan periods so borrowers aren’t hit with penalties when they can’t meet short payment deadlines.
Currently, the maximum period for a payday loan in the state is 30 days. In comparison, borrowers of small loans in Colorado must have at least six months to pay them back, with no maximum loan period. In Ohio, borrowers have between 91 and 365 days to pay back a loan. If the period of the loan is less than 91 days, the repayment must be less than 7% of the borrower’s net income.
Both states set annual interest rates near 30%. Some states regulate payday loans the same way they do other consumer loans. But Kansas is like most other states, allowing annual interest rates of 391%. That means a two-week loan of $500 at 15% interest can cost a customer almost $2,000 over the course of a year.
The group plans to work with legislators during next year’s session in Topeka.
It’s the first time that such a large group has organized around the cause, said Jeanette Pryor, a lobbyist for the Kansas Catholic Conference. Payday loan reform is a perennial topic at the Statehouse, she said, but it’s hard to convince lawmakers to increase regulations.
“That was something that I heard in the beginning. ‘Why can’t an adult make a rational decision on their own? Why do we have to legislate this?’” she said. “The larger the coalition, the more opportunities to educate legislators.”
Nick Bourke is the director of consumer finance at Pew Charitable Trusts. It pushes for reform of payday loan laws. He said reform is long overdue in Kansas, which hasn’t updated its payday loan laws since 2005.
“It’s possible to provide small-dollar credit, even to people with damaged credit histories, for much less money than what Kansans are paying now,” he said. “But Kansas laws are outdated.”
In 2014, Pew Charitable Trusts conducted research on payday loan usage in each state. The organization found that 8% of Kansas residents had used payday loans in recent years, higher than the national average of 5.5%. The typical income for a borrower was $30,000.
The Office of the State Bank Commissioner, David Herndon, which regulates loans and penalizes lenders for breaking the rules, refused to be interviewed in person or over the phone, but did answer questions through email. Deputy Bank Commissioner Tim Kemp said the agency only enforces existing law and doesn’t weigh in on proposed changes.
Attorney General Derek Schmidt’s office, which takes consumer complaints about payday loans, declined multiple requests for interviews and information.
An Option For Credit
Payday lenders say they offer affordable credit to the large proportion of Americans who don’t have enough cash to cover an emergency expense. The Community Financial Services Association of America, an industry group for small-dollar lenders, declined an interview due to scheduling conflicts, but sent a statement through email.
“Small-dollar loans are often the least expensive option for consumers,” said CFSA chairman D. Lynn DeVault in the statement. “Particularly compared to bank fees — including overdraft protection and bounced checks — or unregulated offshore internet loans and penalties for late bill payments.”
Some Kansas customers, like Keri Strahler of Topeka, say the loans are helpful.
Strahler doesn’t work, and most of her income comes from Social Security Disability Insurance. This year, she took out three payday loans to cover medical debt, and said she hasn’t had trouble paying them back.
She knows many people perceive the loans as predatory. But for Strahler, borrowing has alleviated more stress than it’s caused. Her credit cards were already maxed out, and the loans helped her avoid being taken to court or having to sell her furniture to cover her debt.
“I chose the payday loans because I wanted them immediately addressed,” she said. “It’s been very helpful.”
Humphrey, of Catholic Charities, acknowledges the loans can be helpful for some customers. The question is whether the state can keep others from being exploited.
“I’m not saying there’s not a place for them,” Humphrey said. “(But) is there a better way to do what they do so that it’s not devastating families?”
Nomin Ujiyediin reports on criminal justice and social welfare for the Kansas News Service. Follow her on Twitter @NominUJ or email nomin@kcur.org.
Geary County Clerk Rebecca Nordyke has announced that In-Person advanced voting began at noon on Tuesday and will be held the following days and hours:
–Oct. 22 noon to 5 p.m.
–Oct. 23 – 25 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.
–Oct. 28 8:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m.
–Oct. 29 8:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m.
–Oct. 30 8:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m.
–Oct. 31 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.
–Nov. 1 8:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m.
–Nov. 4 8:30 a.m. to noon.
Voters should bring their photo ID with them. The county clerk’s office is located at 200 East 8th Street in Junction City. Call 238-3912 if you have questions.
USD 383 officials have issued a statement following action by the Board of Education in Junction City to condemn recent alleged racial comments at the Junction City – Manhattan football game on Oct. 11.
“USD 383 and Manhattan High School are working with USD 475 and Junction City High School administration and local law enforcement to investigate events that allegedly occurred at the JC vs. MHS football game on Oct. 11. USD 383 holds our players, students and fans accountable for demonstrating good sportsmanship in all situations. USD 383 respects all ethnicities and backgrounds and opposes racism in any form.
“Healthy competition and mutual respect are cornerstones of the longstanding rivalry between Manhattan High and Junction City High. We are committed to taking whatever action is necessary to ensure Indians and Blue Jays can continue enjoying our rivalry well into the future” said USD 383 Superintendent Dr. Marvin Wade. “
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Racial concerns worked their way into the Geary USD 475 Board of Education work session Monday evening. Board members are angry at what was characterized as race based behavior toward Junction City High School students. They have approved a motion condemning the actions, while USD 475 administrators are conducting an investigation and having conversations with administrators in USD 383.
The topic was first brought to light at the school board meeting by Board member Jim Schmidt. “Both during and after the Junction City – Manhattan football game there were some very unfortunate events that some of our students had to endure. I know that it would behoove us as a board and a district to condemn those activities so that our students know that we support them.”
Schmidt continued by saying, “I know we’re not innocent of this within our own community because there have been some things in the past that have occurred. But if we can’t get our act together then I just think it’s time that Junction City and Manhattan take a break. This is absolutely ridiculous. Those things should not occur in this day and age, and apparently it also occurred on the playing field.”
Schmidt said he talked to staff and community members on this subject. ” When they feel that they have to cover up their JC Blue Jay emblem so that they can get through the parking lot….really? That’ s the day we live in, that’s where we are right now. And the things that were being chanted in the parking lot to our fans and to our cheerleaders and to our staff members, I condemn it, publicly I condemn it. And I hope Manhattan steps up and does the same thing. Shame on them if they don’t.”
Superintendent of Schools Dr. Reginald Eggleston said at the end of the game when people were leaving the field “there was a space between the fence where they were walking through and getting to the bus where our cheerleaders had some inappropriate comments made to them. Same thing happened from my understanding in the crowd as individuals were leaving, some comments were made that were inappropriate as well. ” Eggleston added those were by individuals, community and maybe even students.
Eggleston noted that administrators at Junction City High School have been in contact with their counterparts at Manhattan High School and have been working and talking with them about steps to mitigate this type of behavior as they move forward in the future. “Additionally there were some comments that were made, alleged, that a referee may have stated to a student. That has also been reported.
Eggleston confirmed this is what USD 475 leaders have been told and has been brought to their attention by students but it was not heard by district administrators. Schmidt commented however that the cheerleading coaching staff did all ” they could to get our cheerleaders onto the bus and out of the environment.”
USD 475 Board of Education President Rina Neal said it’s alleged. “The thing is we condemn those type of acts. We don’t tolerate that type of behavior, those conversations, those negative racist comments. So yes they’re doing an investigation but we still condemn it. Hopefully Manhattan will come forth and say they condemn it as well. but it is not appropriate for us as a Board to just ignore that it happened because it did happen and we were made aware of it. ” Neal noted this was race-based. “There’s ways to curtail some of this, and come to the table, and come up with solutions. But it needs to be condemned.
Neal noted, “Times have changed and these things are more prevalent than they have ever been before. There’s a comfort level and I don’t want to get into politics, but there’s a comfort level for people doing things like that, and it just needs to be condemned, and it shouldn’t be tolerated and our students shouldn’t be subjected to that, our fans shouldn’t be subjected to that, and our players shouldn’t be subjected to that either.”
Eggleston suggested that the next time the school board meets they can go into executive session where there can be more details and the issue can be discussed. “Of course we don’t want to throw our good name and character, throw anybody, especially when everything’s alleged at this present moment and I would prefer us to have that conversation then.” Eggleston added he would be talking to his counterpart in Manhattan this week.
The Board of Education then voted via voice vote to condemn the alleged actions that occurred at the Junction City – Manhattan football game on October 11th.
JC Post will contact Manhattan USD 383 officials for their response.
The Geary County Fish & Game Association has scheduled a meeting for 6:30 p.m. on Thursday, Oct. 24 to explore the level of interest in forming a school trap shooting team in Junction City. The meeting will be held at Sportsman’s Acres, the Geary County Fish & Game range facility on K-244 Spur near Milford Lake.
According to Association Board Member Larry George the initial meeting is informal and will simply start the discussion to see if there is sufficient support for the effort to move forward in approaching the local schools about the possibility.
The Fish & Game Association has hosted the Chapman High School Clays Trap Team for the last two years, and provides coaches and the shooting facility. Now they are interested in expanding the opportunity to other area schools. Active parent and community support would be needed to expand the program.
The Kansas State High School Clay Target League grew to 74 school teams with more than 1,800 participants in 2019, Over 40 states now participate in the USA Clay Target League and almost 2,000 students competed in the national tournament this year.
The League emphasizes safety, fun and marksmanship in that order. Scores are posted online during the spring and fall competitions to provide a ranking of team, and teams compete in conferences based on team size rather than school size. No travel from the home range is required unless the student goes to the state tournament at the end of the spring season.
If you are interested in supporting a Junction City High School Trap Team but can’t attend the initial meeting contact the Fish and Game Association and convey your thoughts on the subject.
New members of the management team were introduced at the monthly Geary Community Hospital Board of Trustees meeting on Tuesday. They work for the company called Community Hospital Corporation, brought in to help deal with the financial challenges facing GCH.
Along with Interim CEO Don Smithburg, they include Interim Chief Financial Officer Mike Johns and Interim Chief Nursing Officer Frank Corcoran. Corcoran will replace the longtime Chief Nursing Officer at Geary Community, Dawn Engel.
Smithburg said Engel recently announced her retirement. ” Dawn announced her retirement a couple of weeks ago and we expect that she’ll be able to stay here until about 1 Nov.” Corcoran is currently from the New Orleans area and Johns is from Nashville.
From Oct. 28 through Nov. 1 the Junction City Police Department will join other Kansas law enforcement agencies to stop what has been likened to an epidemic in Kansas. In 2016, 44 children age infant to 19 lost their lives due to car crashes in Kansas. Sadly, almost half of those children were not wearing their seat belts.
According to the 2017 Kansas observational seat belt survey, children are much more likely to be buckled up if the driver is wearing their seat belt. If the driver is buckled, about 98% of the children are restrained. If the driver is not buckled, only about 29% of the observed children were buckled.
Starting on Oct. 28 and continuing through Nov. 1, law enforcement across Kansas will be extra vigilant when patrolling around schools. officers will issue citations to anyone who does not obey Kansas law.
Geary County officials have honored two Deputies, James Garcia and Cayla Da Giau, for their life saving efforts at Milford Lake in the early morning hours of June 8th.
The Sheriff’s Department said the Deputies were dispatched to Auld Road and Brinkley Road for a man and woman who had driven their car into the water. The man and woman were standing on top of their vehicle as it was sinking into flood waters.
Garcia stated the two subjects were hanging onto some trees when the officers arrived on the scene. “We advised them to stand by, we had a boat enroute to pick them up. But they ignored our request and started swimming towards us. While swimming towards us they started sinking. The male had trouble swimming
Deputy Cayla Da Giau
so he was hanging onto the female and dragging her under. So we entered the water. I grabbed ahold of the female and swam ashore with her.”
Da Giau stated that once authorities found the individuals and made contact they began to swim toward the Deputies, “at which time the female individual was getting pulled under water a little bit just by the male individual, possibly by panic, we weren’t too sure of the situation. Upon that Deputy Garcia and I dropped our gear and went into the water to remove the individuals out of the water.”
The Sheriff’s Department noted that the Deputies courage and professionalism reflected great credit upon themselves and were in keeping with the highest traditions of the law enforcement profession.
