MANHATTAN – Nothing says winter holidays like a colorful poinsettia. A Kansas State University specialist says it’s not hard to keep them looking healthy and bright through the season.

“Modern poinsettia varieties stay attractive for a long time if given proper care,” said Ward Upham, Master Gardener coordinator with K-State Research and Extension. He says:

• Place your poinsettia in a sunny window or the brightest area of the room, but don’t let it touch cold window panes. The day temperature should be 65 to 75 degrees Fahrenheit and 60 to 65 degrees at night. Temperatures above 75 will shorten bloom life, and below 60 may cause root rot.
• Move plants away from drafty windows at night or draw drapes between them to avoid damage from the cold.
• Poinsettias are somewhat finicky in regard to soil moisture. Avoid overwatering because poinsettias do not like “wet feet.” On the other hand, if the plant is allowed to wilt, it will drop some leaves.
• Maintain proper moisture by checking the potting soil daily. Stick your finger about one-half inch deep into the soil. If it is dry to this depth, the plant needs water. When it becomes dry to the touch, water the plant with lukewarm water until some water runs out of the drainage hole, then discard the drainage water.

Riley County police have reported at about 10:10 p.m. Thursday that they received a call saying a person had been shot in the 700 block of Allen Road in Manhattan.

When officers arrived on scene they found an 18 year-old man had been shot in what appears to be an attempted aggravated robbery. He was transported to Via Christi Hospital for treatment of non-life threatening injuries.

There are two unknown suspects. This is an ongoing investigation.

If you information on this crime contact the RCPD at 785-537-2112 or Crime Stoppers at 785-539-7777.

The Kansas Highway Patrol has confirmed that a two-vehicle collision on U.S. Highway 24 Thanksgiving morning claimed the life of a 54-year old Riley, Kansas woman, Jamie L. Franch. The accident was reported at 5:41 a.m.

KHP said the Mazda 5 driven by Franch was southbound on U.S. 24 and a Chevrolet Malibu driven by Mersades Wisner, 18, Holdredge, Nebraska was northbound.  Franch’s vehicle crossed the center line and collided head on with the car driven by Wisner. The Mazda 5 came to rest on its side in the west ditch and the Malibu came to rest in the driving lanes.

Wisner was injured and was transported to the KU Medical Center.

The Junction City Commission has given their approval for the Fire Department to seek a $5,000 public education grant for use in the community. It is a 100% non-matching grant meaning the City will not have to contribute any local matching funds.

Fire Chief Terry Johnson said it’s an annual grant program offered by the Kansas Department of Health & Environment. “It allows us to purchase educational materials for the public in a wide range of areas from smoke alarms to cpr to all the programs that we try to do. This will give us an edge on getting our information out to the public, and having more to put out there.” If the grant is received Johnson added it will not tax the budget.

MANHATTAN, Kan. (AP) — The Manhattan City Commission has approved a plan to convert half of its energy use to wind power.

The Mercury reports that the commission Tuesday backed a 20-year agreement with Westar Energy for the 300-megawatt Soldier Creek Wind Farm in northeast Kansas, a project that will be complete in the fourth quarter of 2020.

The city has paid Westar about $2.6 million a year for the past five years. Officials say the agreement with Westar will save the city $50,000 a year for the next 20 years.

Kansas State University has entered the same agreementwith Westar.

All Geary County offices will be closed on Thursday and Friday in observance of the Thanksgiving Holiday, except for the County Transfer Station. It will be open for regular hours on Friday and Saturday.

County Clerk Rebecca Nordyke has announced that regular hours for all offices will resume Monday.

The Junction City Ladies Club has reported that they still have a limited quantity of pecans still available for sale. That follows their recent Fall Festival where pecans were sold.

Each one pound of pecan halves sells at $13 per bag.

The pecans are signature item sold by the club each year and good for holiday baking and gifts. Interested buyers can contact Paula Dinkel at 620-791-8782 or ewm__mom@hotmail.com or Charlotte Grelk at 785-238-5523 or tcgrelk@cox.net.

Funds raised help support Ladies Reading Club operations.