POTTAWATOMIE COUNTY—Law enforcement authorities including the Kansas Bureau of Investigation continue the investigation into the homicide of 19-year-old Jacob Bouck.

The teen’s body was found on Christmas Eve approximately one mile West of Wamego on the Kansas River.

Bouck, a Wamego resident and 2017 graduate of Wamego High School was last seen in the Wamego area on December 21st, 2018 and was missing until his body was located on December 24th. Bouck was reported to be wearing a dark colored jacket, black shirt, gray thermal long-johns and black shoes, according to the The Pottawatomie County Sheriff.

On Friday, the sheriff reported that a reward of $1000 dollars is now being offered for information that leads to the arrest and conviction of the person or persons responsible for this crime.

Authorities are urging anyone with information on the case to contact the Pottawatomie County Sheriff at 785-457-3353 or 1-800-KS-CRIME. Tips can be anonymous.

The Junction City Fire Department has received a mass casualty ambulance. The unit is a Freightliner tractor that was donated by a Shell Oil Company refinery in Deep Park, Texas.

Fire Chief Terry Johnson told the city commission this week, “In our region we have a lot of natural disasters that occur, we can even have man made disasters. For our EMS system to respond it takes a lot of agencies to join in.”

Johnson said the mass casualty ambulance will allow triage and treatment of patients through a process, and to set up faster.

Johnson explained it is a 1988 ambulance that never left the refinery so the mileage use on the engine is normal. He added the ambulance could be used for any public event as a first aid station. The City Commission authorized the acceptance of the donation.

Dear Mom and Dad: Cool it

By Karissa Niehoff, Executive Director of the National Federation of State High School Associations and Bill Faflick, Executive Director of the Kansas State High School Activities Association.

If you are the mother or father of a high school athlete here in Kansas, this message is primarily for you.

When you attend an athletic event that involves your son or daughter, cheer to your heart’s content, enjoy the camaraderie that high school sports offer and have fun. But when it comes to verbally criticizing game officials or coaches, cool it.

Make no mistake about it. Your passion is admired, and your support of the hometown team is needed. But so is your self-control. Yelling, screaming and berating the officials humiliates your child, annoys those sitting around you, embarrasses your child’s school and is the primary reason Kansas has an alarming shortage of high school officials.

It’s true. According to a recent survey by the National Association of Sports Officials, more than 75 percent of all high school officials say “adult behavior” is the primary reason they quit. And 80 percent of all young officials hang up their stripes after just two years of whistle blowing. Why? They don’t need your abuse.

Plus, there’s a ripple effect. There are more officials over 60 than under 30 in many areas. And as older, experienced officials retire, there aren’t enough younger ones to replace them. If there are no officials, there are no games. The shortage of licensed high school officials is severe enough in some areas that athletic events are being postponed or cancelled—especially at the freshman and junior varsity levels.

Research confirms that participation in high school sports and activities instills a sense of pride in school and community, teaches lifelong lessons like the value of teamwork and self-discipline and facilitates the physical and emotional development of those who participate. So, if the games go away because there aren’t enough men and women to officiate them, the loss will be infinitely greater than just an “L” on the scoreboard. It will be putting a dent in your community’s future.

If you would like to be a part of the solution to the shortage of high school officials, you can sign up to become a licensed official at HighSchoolOfficials.com. Otherwise, adult role models at high school athletic events here in Kansas are always welcome.

Later this year when a roundabout project is undertaken near the McFarland Road – Eisenhower Drive intersection in Junction City there should be an increase in safety for pedestrians walking in the area, which is also near Lincoln Elementary School.

Jared Tremblay with the Flint Hills MPO told the City Commission that the roundabout will slow traffic down. “We’ve looked at roundabouts all across the region including here in Junction City. ‘ Trimbley said they see a complete reduction in injuries.

“With the project that’s about to be started in May, that project that’s currently at McFarland we’re putting in a hawk signal and a proper crossing closer to the elementary school. So hopefully most of the student traffic will be removed from that roundabout specifically.”

MANHATTAN, Kan. (AP) — A judge has found sufficient evidence for a Kansas man to stand trial in the killing of a confidential drug informant whose body was found by deer hunters.

Steven Meredith, of Junction City, was bound over for trial Wednesday on charges of first-degree murder and conspiracy to commit murder in the death of 48-year-old Carrie Jones.

During the preliminary hearing, witnesses testified that Meredith believed Jones might reveal information about him and others in a 2013 drug-related case. One witness testified that Meredith told her that he and another man drove Jones to a field, forced her to get out of the vehicle and then shot her.

He was arrested almost a year after her body was found in October 2017 in rural Riley County.

The Junction City High School JROTC chili feed scheduled on Saturday evening at the Freshman Success Academy will be postponed.

Organizers say a new date will be set.