State Representative Lonnie Clark is a member of four committees in the Kansas House. He chairs the Veterans and Military Committee.

The legislative session began on Monday in Topeka. On Wednesday Clark reported to the JC Breakfast Optimist Club that he is also a member of the Agriculture Budget, Elections and Local Government Committees. At this point it is too early for bills to be considered.

According to club member Dr. Ferrell Miller Clark informed them that there are 27 new members in the Legislature this year, with the Representative noting, “There has been a lot of turnover since the most recent election.” Getting new members informed will be a priority in the short term.

Clark also said KDOT funding, and efforts to try and catch up will be addressed by the Legislature. ” Revenues are higher than they were and will help get us back on track to support KDOT’s work.”

The efforts continue to raise funds for the Geary County Children’s Choir to travel to a 4-day performance tour in St. Louis. A total of $30,000 will be needed to fund the trip.

This Thursday, Fat Toad Billiards at 741 West 6th Street will host an 8-ball pool tournament and if enough people sign up they will make it a two-day event into Friday.  The cost will be $20 per person with 2-man teams. The winner receives a 50/50 split between the winner and the Geary County Children’s Choir. Registration begins at 4:30 p.m. Practicing can begin at 5 p.m. BCA rules will apply and there will be double elimination.

There will be a couple of silent auction raffle items where you can purchase $1 tickets for the item of your choosing. Winners will be drawn at the conclusion of the tournament.

Also, on Thursday, the clothing drive to support the trip will conclude in the parking lot of Fat Toads. Donations can be clothing of all different sizes, shoes, purse, linens, towels and items of that type. No household furniture will be accepted.

Junction City officials work with the regional Metropolitan Planning Organization for traffic in a the three-county region of Geary, Riley and Pottawatomie.

Junction City Manager Allen Dinkel said the City is revising their Safe Routes to School program. “And then we’ll hopefully apply for some grants to build more sidewalks and pathways for children to be able to walk to school.”

Dinkel feels improvements such as sidewalks and curb cuts will be important to the community.

The topic is on the Junction City Commission agenda Tuesday evening.

Two Junction City men accused of Capital Murder appeared in Geary County District Court briefly Tuesday afternoon for a status check in their case. Dion Green and Mashaun Baker, both 33, are accused in connection with the December death of Jenna Schafer, 31, Junction City.

Per the request of attorneys the court scheduled new status check dates of February 26th in both cases in order to allow the work involving the discovery of evidence to continue.

Dion Green faces two counts of Capital Murder in connection with the shooting death of Schafer and her unborn child, and Mashaun Baker with one count of Capital Murder stemming from the allegation that he hired Green to kill Schafer.

Bond for Green was set in an earlier court appearance at $2 million cash or surety . In court Tuesday a request to set a bond for Baker at $1 million was denied.

No decision was announced in court on whether the death penalty will be pursued in either case.

By Dewey Terrill

JC Post

Fort RIley is one of the topics on the Regional Leaders Retreat agenda scheduled this Friday and Saturday.

During a JC Now program visit on 107.9 FM and 1420 KJCK, Junction City Manager Allen Dinkel noted said Fort Riley is important to all three counties. ( Geary, Riley and Pottawatomie ). “Maybe more us than the rest. This week right now there are a lot of deployments starting to happen.”

Dinkel added quite a few Soldiers are leaving, and it’s always a concern to the community. “You’re going to have Soldiers being deployed, what’s that going to do the local economy, what will it do to our sales tax numbers, so it’s always important to know what the Army is going to do and specifically what Fort Riley is going to do.” Dinkel noted that Major General John Kolasheski will be at the retreat to provide an update on what is occurring so the region is informed.

On sales tax numbers Dinkel felt Junction City would be fine with sales tax revenue up in 2018, well ahead of the budget. “So I think we’ll get through it budget-wise. Hopefully they’re going bring some other stuff to Fort Riley, other training this year that will offset it some and hopefully we won’t feel as major impact.”

The Chambers of Commerce in Junction City, Manhattan and Wamego host the retreat. It is scheduled at the Embassy Suites – Olathe Hotel & Conference Center in Olathe.

By Jeff Wichman

A number of significant weather events occurred in Kansas last year. April set a new record as the coldest since 1895 with a statewide average temperature of 46-point-7 degrees. May ranked as the second warmest on record with a statewide average temperature of 70-point-6 degrees. And, October ended up being the second wettest on record with a statewide average that month of 5-point-88 inches…259% above normal.

Kansas State University climatologist Mary Knapp (nap) says one of the unusual things about 2018 was the fact that typically dry areas were wetter-than-normal and traditionally wet areas were drier-than-normal.   

“The southwest won the sweepstakes for the wettest departure from normal. They averaged 26-point-4 inches…which is 132% of normal, and is 6-and-a-half inches more than they would normally see in a year. (:15)

On the dry side, Knapp says east-central Kansas fell well short of its normal precipitation for the year.

East-central averaged 32-point-34 inches and their deficit was just over 5-and-a-half inches…and they were at 84% of normal. Overall, the state averaged 32.17 inches – 112% of normal – and that will rank as the 21st wettest year from 1894 to the present. (:22)

On the temperature side it was cooler than normal statewide. However, Knapp said it was only by two-tenths of a degree.

If you’ll soon be getting Medicare you have an opportunity to get answers to your questions from unbiased experts and learn what you need to know to navigate the Medicare maze.

Answers for Older Kansans “New to Medicare” workshop, sponsored by the North Central Flint Hills Area Agency on Aging, provide information that can help Kansans who will turn 65. The workshop is also geared to those Kansans who are helping their older parents or relatives with their insurance and finances.

The workshop will be held Tuesday, January 22 from 5:50 p.m. 7:30 p.m. at the Flint Hills Center at 401 Houston Street. There is no cost to attend, but advance registration is required.

Aaren Sunderman, Senior Health Insurance Counseling for Kansas Program Coordinator will present information.

To register, call the Area Agency on Aging toll-free at 800-432-2703 or 785-776-9294 or send an email to asunderman@ncfhaaa.com.

Kansas Attorney General Derek Schmidt will serve as the guest speaker for the fifth annual Law Enforcement Officer of the Year Banquet for 2018. It is scheduled on Friday, March 8th at the Courtyard by Marriott Convention Center in Junction city.

Derek Schmidt was elected the 44th attorney general of Kansas in 2010 and was reelected in 2018.

The banquet honors selected officers and employees who have performed exemplary service beyond their normal duties in 2018. Up to 14 award recipients will be recognized including one each from the Junction City Police Department, Geary County Sheriff’s Office, county detention center, Kansas Highway Patrol. Grandview Plaza Police Department, Fort Riley Police Department, Fort Riley game wardens, Fort RIley CID, Milford State Park and / Army Corps of Engineers rangers, 8th Judicial District Community Corrections, 8th Judicial District Court Services, county dispatchers and North Central Kansas Regional Juvenile Detention Facility.

The purpose of the banquet is to demonstrate citizen support for the law enforcement agencies that serve Geary County and surrounding counties and agencies.

Table sponsorship opportunities for a table of eight are available for $300 that includes two event tickets and a placard on the table stating my sponsorship.

For more information contact Rick Roberts at ( 785 ) 307-5976 or at rrick1984@hotmail.com