WASHINGTON (AP) — The Supreme Court on Tuesday allowed the Trump administration to go ahead with its plan to restrict military service by transgender people while court challenges continue.

The high court split 5-4 in allowing the plan to take effect, with the court’s five conservatives greenlighting it and its four liberal members saying they would not have.

The Trump administration had urged the justices to take up cases about the plan directly, but the court declined for now. Those cases will continue to move through lower courts.

Until a few years ago service members could be discharged from the military for being transgender. That changed under President Barack Obama. The military announced in 2016 that transgender individuals already serving in the military would be allowed to serve openly. And the military set July 1, 2017 as the date when transgender individuals would be allowed to enlist.

But after President Donald Trump took office, the administration delayed the enlistment date, saying the issue needed further study. While that study was ongoing, the president tweeted in late July 2017 that the government would not allow “Transgender individuals to serve in any capacity in the U.S. Military.” He later directed the military to return to its policy before the Obama administration changes.

Groups representing transgender individuals sued, and the Trump administration lost early rounds in those cases, with courts issuing nationwide injunctions barring the administration from altering course. The Supreme Court on Tuesday lifted those preliminary injunctions.

In March 2018, the Trump administration announced that after studying the issue it was revising its policy. The new policy generally bars transgender individuals from serving unless they serve “in their biological sex” and do not seek to undergo a gender transition.

The policy has an exception for transgender troops who relied on the Obama-era rules to begin the process of changing their gender, allowing them to continue to serve. The military said last year that over 900 men and women have done so.

WABAUNSEE COUNTY — One person was injured in an accident just after 3:30p.m. Monday in Wabaunsee County.

The Kansas Highway Patrol reported a 1999 Acura driven by John K. Mwithiga, 24, Lawrence, was westbound on Intestate 70 just west of Spring Creek Road.

The driver lost control of the vehicle after partially entering the snow covered median.

The vehicle slid across the westbound lanes of I-70, entered the ditch, went up an embankment, crashed through a KDOT fence, rolled and the driver was ejected.

Mwithiga was transported to the hospital in Topeka. He was not wearing a seat belt, according to the KHP

Dewey Terrill

JC Post

Community and Chamber of Commerce leaders from Geary, RIley and Pottawatomie Counties gathered in Olathe late last week for the 2019 Regional Leaders Retreat. One important topic involved workforce issues and development.

Geary County Commissioner Ben Bennett told JC Post on the subject with awareness that will be a key to bringing business and industry to the three-county region. “Well the biggest thing will be working through education and that’s something we’ve tried to do is getting vocational classes to provide a work-ready force for those kids that aren’t going to go to college, and for those that are to provide them hopefully, the types of jobs and bring in the types of businesses that will be effective. We’ll be needing those types of individuals.”

Bennett stated “Keeping kids at home and keeping them working, and providing the jobs is the big issue, and now we’re going to have to sit down and hopefully map out some things that will allow that to happen.”

Other topics covered in the retreat ranged from Fort Riley to Region Reimagined.

Students in USD 475 return to the classroom on Tuesday following the three-day holiday weekend.

Junction City and Geary County offices will be open on Tuesday, and the Geary County Commission will meet from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. that day as well at the County Office Building.

MANHATTAN, Kan. (January 21, 2019) – The Manhattan Area Chamber of Commerce has announced Jason Smith as their new president and chief executive officer. Smith joins the Manhattan Area Chamber after an extensive national search conducted through executive consultant firm Waverly Partners and the chamber’s own 13-person search committee. Smith is expected to start in the position in March.

Smith most recently had worked since August 2015 at Norman (Okla.) Economic Development Coalition. NEDC is a joint effort of Oklahoma University, City of Norman, Moore Norman Technology Center and Norman Chamber of Commerce.

 

Smith was president/CEO for NEDC. His extensive economic development and Chamber experience extends to Abilene, Texas, Lincoln, Neb., and McAlester, Okla. He spent nearly 10 years with the Lincoln Chamber as VP Economic Development and cooperated jointly with a 14-member oversight committee to Lincoln Partnership for ED as well as President of the Abilene Chamber of Commerce where he oversaw economic development, tourism and military affairs.

 

Smith has led award winning programs including in 2012 when Business Facilities named Lincoln the top economic development program in the country and ACCE, Association of Chamber of Commerce Executives, named Lincoln as a national finalist for Chamber of the Year. He has served in a variety of leadership roles including President of the Nebraska Economic Developers Council and on the board of the Oklahoma Economic Development Council.

“I am incredibly excited about the opportunity to be a part of Manhattan,” Smith said. “Both the community and the Chamber have stellar reputations among professionals in the Midwest.  I want to thank the board and Chamber leadership for trusting me to follow in the footsteps of a great executive to lead the organization.”

“We are very excited to have someone of Jason’s caliber to lead the Manhattan Area Chamber of Commerce. His economic development experience and work with institutions of higher learning and the military will be a good fit for our community,” Wayne Sloan, BHS Construction and Manhattan Area Chamber of Commerce Board Chair.

 

Smith replaces longtime President/CEO Lyle Butler, who announced his retirement last May which had marked an 18-year run of significant successes with the Chamber. Butler came to Manhattan in 2000 and made in immediate impact with economic development fundraising. Four such campaigns have netted $11 million for the retention and attraction of business development to Manhattan.

 

Additional project victories and Manhattan economic advances would be attraction for National Bio and Agro Defense Facility (NBAF), Knowledge Based Economic Development program (KBED), Kansas Highway 18 project and Manhattan Regional Airport expansion.

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Dena Huff

Director of Communications

Manhattan Area Chamber of Commerce

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Eagle Day Program at Milford Lake will be Saturday, January 26th.

This annual event allows those who attend to observe the Eagles that make Milford Lake their home in a natural environment. The event is based at the Milford Nature Center in the outflow area below the Milford Dam and is free for those who attend.

Eagle buses will be departing from the Milford Nature Center from 9 a.m. until 2 p.m. taking spectators to Eagle viewing sites around the lake area. There will also be a number of special events between 9:15 a.m. and 3:15 p.m. with programs on Raptors, Owls, Nesting Eagles in Kansas and Birds of Prey. Three times on Saturday there will be a live Eagle program.

The Junction City Commission has granted easements for construction of a 10-foot pedestrian / bike trail along West 8th Street.

Junction City Public Works Director Ray Ibarra reported that in October of 2017 the city commission approved a grant from KDOT to construct a 10-foot wide trail from the intersection of West 8th Street and Rucker Road along West 8th to Eisenhower Drive, and from Eisenhower Drive to Homer’s Pond.

Ibarra noted that the city needed to acquire eight permanent and temporary construction easements for the project. “The city has acquired those eight easements and needs to get the eight easements recorded in the Register of Deeds Office prior to KDOT letting the trail project. ” With commission approval of the easements KDOT will set a bid letting date of May 22nd for the project.

Westar Energy customer advisors are assisting Low Income Energy Assistance Program applicants over the upcoming weeks in communities served by Westar. Applications are being accepted through March 29th.

Applicants will need utility account numbers, proof of income and Social Security numbers for all members of their household.  The schedule to obtain assistance includes February 5th in Junction City from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Workforce Center at 1012 West 6th Street A.

LIEAP is a federally funded program that helps eligible households pay a portion of their home energy costs by providing a one-time per year benefit,