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Category: Local

Sheriff’s Department encouraging the public not to travel Monday

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Please do not travel today unless necessary. Give our road crews a chance to clear the roads. We will remain under emergency accident reporting until further notice.

The Geary County Sheriff’s Office is under Emergency Accident Reporting Procedures until further notice  “During weather conditions where numerous accidents occur, the sheriff’s department can be overwhelmed by calls for service involving minor accidents.”

Emergency reporting procedures: 
• The Geary County Sheriff’s Department will not respond to non-injury accidents when the vehicles are operable.
• Drivers should move to a place of safety and exchange personal and insurance information and report the accident to their insurance company as soon as possible. File a report when there is property damage over $1000.00 with the appropriate Law Enforcement agency within forty eight hours.
• All injury accidents and accidents that block the street due to disabled vehicles should be reported to Law Enforcement. Law Enforcement and needed Emergency personnel will respond.
• As soon as conditions permit, the Sheriff’s Department will go back to normal report taking.

VA clinic closed on Monday

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The VA Eastern Kansas Health Care system has announced that they will close the Lt. Gen. Richard J. Seitz VA Outpatient Clinic in Junction City today ( Monday ). They will also close the Lawrence Community Based Outpatient Clinic in Lawrence for the day.

The Leavenworth and VA Medical Centers are open and have contacted patients to inform them of the individual clinic operations. If you are unsure of your appointment status contact your provider or the operator and ask to be transferred to the clinic in question for further information.

The contact numbers per each outpatient clinic can be found at the www.topeka.va.gov and click the directions and locations link. The Topeka VA phone number is 1-800-574-8387.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Weather can be unpredictable

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Photo courtesy of Garry Berges

Geary County has already received more snow now than all of last winter.

Geary County Extension Agent Chuck Otte, who keeps the weather records in the county, talked Monday about what we can expect the rest of this winter. ” I went on the Climate Prediction Center with NOAA. They’re still showing three month forecast of above average temperatures and equal chances on precipitation. They’re not showing anything that it will be drier than normal or wetter than normal which means it could be anything.”

Otte stated there isn’t any strong pattern. “We may have already seen all the snow we’re going to have this year. I think we’ll still see some more snow. I think we’re going to end the year above average. It may be distributed out in two and three inch increments but I think we’re going to be above average snowfall this year.”

He noted November will be below normal when it comes temperatures.

The storm on Sunday resulted in a three-inch snowfall for Junction City.

Fire Chief recaps Sunday work load

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Junction City Fire Chief Terry Johnson said his emergency crews were busy on Sunday. “We had 15 runs in a 24-hour period. Only one serious motor vehicle collision where we had to transport someone. Then we had two fire alarms.”

Neither of the fire calls involved an injury or damage.

Major donation for new pet health, nutrition center at K-State

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MANHATTAN — Primary care for pets has a bright future at Kansas State University’s College of Veterinary Medicine thanks to a record sponsorship by Hill’s Pet Nutrition.

With Hill’s sponsorship — the largest corporate gift in the college’s history — three strategic areas in the college’s Mosier Hall will be renovated to provide approximately 16,000 square feet of new space dedicated to clinical training, classroom teaching and research. The Pet Health & Nutrition Center will be named in honor of Hill’s Pet Nutrition.

“This public-private partnership will enhance our educational capacity in small animal nutrition and client communication, strengthening the preparation of our graduates for success in private practice,” said Bonnie Rush, interim dean of the college. “We are grateful to Hill’s for its tremendous generosity and investment in our students. This integrative partnership enhances the educational experience for K-State veterinary students through shared resources and expertise. The new experiential learning environment will strengthen our training program in nutrition and primary care, and will attract student externs from colleges of veterinary medicine across North America.”

“Kansas State is an important partner for Hill’s Pet Nutrition as it harbors one of the most important veterinary schools in the Midwest of the U.S., said Jesper Nordengaard, vice president and general manager, Hill’s US. “We are proud to support the Pet Health & Nutrition Center as we believe that it fits seamlessly in our vision to help enrich and lengthen the special relationship between people and their pets.”

By renovating the space and expanding resources, students will have the opportunity to care for their clients in a private practice environment. While pet health faculty will have the capability to operate with more autonomy, specialty services remain available when clients’ needs arise, Rush said.

The renovation includes the deconstruction of Frick Auditorium to create 3,400 square feet of space on the first floor of Mosier Hall for the new Hill’s Pet Health & Nutrition Center. This project also will allow the addition of a 5,000-square-foot research suite on the second floor.

“We are truly excited and grateful to Hill’s for partnering with us to provide this opportunity to teach primary care skills in a facility more representative of a true companion animal practice,” said Susan Nelson, clinical professor in the College of Veterinary Medicine. “The new facility will allow us to be more feline friendly and enhance student training in all areas of primary care, especially in the areas of nutrition, communication, business management, diagnostics and routine surgical procedures.”

“We are honored to support this great initiative, which will put K-State’s College of Veterinary Medicine at the forefront of primary care and nutrition education,” said Jolle Kirpensteijn, chief professional veterinary officer, Hill’s US. “We look forward to a continued partnership to create a future generation of veterinarians, fully knowledgeable and confident in making nutritional recommendations, every pet, every time.”

A 270-seat contemporary auditorium will be constructed in a new area of the veterinary medicine complex. Rush said additional benefits from the renovations include provision of a comprehensive educational experience in small animal nutrition and communication with pet owners; expansion of wellness training opportunities for students; additional space for routine procedures; better capabilities to serve the wellness needs of small animal clients; dedicated space for communication training and rounds; and dedicated space for nutritional displays and nutrition consultation.

Founded more than 75 years ago with an unwavering commitment to pet nutrition, Hill’s mission is to help enrich and lengthen the special relationships between people and their pets. For more information about Hill’s, its products and our nutritional philosophy, visit HillsPet.com or HillsVet.com, or find Hill’s on Facebook using the keywords “Hill’s Pet Nutrition.”

Two Hour Delay at Fort Riley on Monday due to inclement weather

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.       Fort Riley will operate on a two-hour delay; contact your supervisor for details.
.       1st Infantry Division Soldiers will hold formations no earlier than 8:30 a.m.; contact your supervisor for questions concerning physical fitness training or morning formations.
.       Morning appointments prior to 9 a.m. at Irwin Army Community Hospital, including at medical and dental clinics, are canceled;
.       Child & Youth Services child development centers and School Age Center will open at 7 a.m.;
.       Other Directorate of Family, Morale, Welfare and Recreation locations, including Fitness centers and Teen Center, will open at 9 a.m.
.       Exchange and Commissary will open at normal hours.If soldiers, families or civilian employees have questions or concerns, they are encouraged to visit https://www.facebook.com/FortRiley or the Fort Riley website at https://home.army.mil/riley/, click on “advisories” for updated information.  Additionally all employees of Fort Riley are urged to maintain contact with their chain of command and/or supervisors for the most updated information.Steve Elstrom
Director, Public Affairs
Fort Riley Public Affairs Office

School Closures, Other Cancellations – Postponements

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Schools:

–Cloud County Community college campuses in Junction City and Concordia are both closed today. There will be no classes.

–Geary USD 475 Junction City, Fort Riley, Milford and Grandview Plaza schools are cancelled on Monday.

—St. Xavier Catholic School is closed Monday.

–USD 473 Chapman schools are closed on Monday.

–USD 383 Manhattan – Ogden schools will be closed on Monday.

—USD 481 Rural Vista no school on Monday

–-K-State cancelled classes on the Manhattan and Salina campuses until noon Monday, and all day Monday on the university’s Olathe campus.

—Wamego USD 320 has cancelled classes on Monday

–USD 378 Riley County cancelled. All activities will be postponed.

–USD 417 Morris County ( Council Grove ) has cancelled on Monday.

–USD 379 Clay Center – Wakefield

 

Other cancellations and postponements:

–THe Lt. Gen. Richard J. Seitz VA Outpatient Clinic in Junction City is closed on Monday

—Fort Riley was on a two-hour delay on Monday

–The Geary County Senior Center will be closed on Monday.

–House of Hope is closed Monday.

–The Angel Tree program sign up scheduled Monday at the 12th Street Community Center has been postponed until Tuesday at the same location. The hours for the sign up will be 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.

–The Junction City Blue Jay wrestling scrimmage scheduled Monday night has been cancelled.

–The Delivering Change Becoming A Mom Prenatal Education class for Monday at Geary Community Hospital at 10 a.m. has been cancelled. They will continue to have the 6 p.m. class until further notice.

 

 

Storm Impacted Geary County

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Photo courtesy of Garry Berges

The blizzard warning on Sunday brought a storm with snow, blowing snow, drifts and it closed roads in multiple counties including Geary County.

I-70 had to be closed from the U.S. 77 intersection westbound due to a six-vehicle accident approximately three to four miles from the intersection. No one was injured, but a semi jackknifed in the accident. That stretch of interstate reopened Sunday afternoon.

I-70 eastbound from K-177 to Topeka had to be closed but reopened Sunday night.

One person was injured in a multi-vehicle accident on K-18 Highway approximately 3-4 miles west of Junction City.

Geary County Emergency Management Director Garry Berges said at mid-afternoon after the snow had stopped the roads were treacherous. He noted there was a lot of wet snow with a little bit of icing underneath. “But it’s making for slow growing. We had numerous slide-offs even though we stressed to people not to be out.” Berges stated there were a lot of motorists driving during the height of white-out conditions. City, county and state crews were working on the roads but it would take awhile to get them in working conditions.

Gusty winds were a problem and caused drifting.

Berges said during the story you did not know what was going to happen. “Whiteout conditions. At points some of  the deputies were working accidents. They said they couldn’t see 15-feet in front of them which is bad for them, and also they had to worry about cars coming up that didn’t know exactly where they were so it was dangerous for all of our responders out there.” Berges added one of the county public works vehicles slid off the roadway east of Junction City but he didn’t know about any type of damage.

 

 

 

K-State Class Cancellations for Monday

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Kansas State University officials have confirmed that all K-State campuses were affected by significant winter weather on Sunday. Classes before noon on the Manhattan and Salina Polytechnic campuses are canceled for Monday, Nov. 26.  The Olathe campus is closed and classes are canceled for Monday.
Students should contact professors or instructors if unable to travel safely to campus and employees should communicate with supervisors.
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