Accord Hospice held their second annual Camp SOAR Saturday, Sept. 28 in Junction City. Since the first one was successful, Accord partnered with the Elks Lodge #1037 to provide two additional mini camps this year. Those day camps are for children ages 5-16 suffering from some type of loss. They can range from the death of a loved one to a divorce of one’s parents.
“The focus of our camp is sharing memories, trying new things, and learning we are never alone in our grief,” said Camp Director Crystal Butler.
More than 26 children and 25 experienced community volunteers descended on the 12th Street Community Center for an entire Saturday. They participated in arts & crafts, sports, games, face painting, storytelling, martial arts instruction, and other activities aimed at providing support, healing and building memories. The campers enjoyed a demonstration by Fort Riley’s 523 Military Working Dogs Detachment and Elite Academy of Martial Arts. The Junction City J-Steppers Dance Team offered dance instruction for the campers and the D.A. R. E. program educated campers regarding drug abuse resistance. The camp is designed to give children and volunteers the opportunity to share feelings, make new friends and build trust.
Diedra Kearney, Chief Operating Officer of Accord Hospice, stated that the camp had been a long standing goal of the agency, which has been serving the community since 2014, providing Hospice care, Palliative support and Bereavement resources to more than 300 families in that time.
Research suggests grieving children are at a much greater risk than their peers for depression, suicide, poverty and substance abuse. Butler explained, “Our vision is to provide children access to grief and loss support in an environment where they are encouraged to and allowed to feel like kids. Sometimes, just knowing that they are not alone helps children cope with their grief.”
Accord Hospice thanked their sponsors for their support, including Junction City Elks Lodge #1037, Valley View Senior Life, Home of the Flint Hills, Screen Machine Sports, Johnson Funeral Home, Junction City Transportation, Schoenrock Realtors, Baskin Robbins, The Tony Nardella Family, and the city of Junction City.
K-State Athletics has announced that it will offer sales of beer and wine to all public areas of Bramlage Coliseum during men’s and women’s basketball games beginning this season.
KSU has sold beer at K-State baseball games in Tointon Family Stadium since 2013 and at soccer matches in Buser Family Park since the program began in 2016.
“We want to continue to find ways to make the experience for our fans at our events more attractive and we feel expanding our beer and wine sales to Bramlage for basketball games will do that,” Athletics Director Gene Taylor said. “This was a decision that was thoroughly vetted with our staff, campus leaders and our Sodexo Inc., partners, as well as gathering input from our donors and fan base, and we look forward to this new addition to our game day operation.
Fans must be at least 21 years of age and present a valid state ID or driver’s license to purchase alcohol. Sodexo personnel will verify age and provide a wristband to those guests of age, who will be permitted to purchase up to two drinks per transaction. Multiple points of purchase in concession stands and at portable locations will be available throughout the concourse of Bramlage Coliseum, in addition to the premium areas of the arena. Sales will begin when doors open and close at the 15-minute mark of the second half for men’s games and with five minutes remaining in the third quarter for women’ games.
Taylor also emphasized there is no imminent plan to expand beer and wine sales to Bill Snyder Family Stadium for football games.
The first ever Fields of Faith event in Junction City was held Wednesday night at Al Simpler Stadium. It was an opportunity to hear worship music and from inspirational speakers from JCHS. The Fellowship of Christian Athletes sponsored event included participation by churches. Organizers have indicated that they would like to make this an annual event.
A Republican candidate for U.S. Senate, Susan Wagle, will have a meet and greet at Stacy’s Restaurant in Grandview Plaza on Saturday from 8:30 to 9:30 a.m.
Wagle, who is the current president of the Kansas Senate, is running for the U.S. Senate seat currently held by Pat Roberts. Roberts is retiring.
Breezy. Cloudy with a 40 percent chance of rain showers and thunderstorms. Highs around 70. Temperatures falling into the mid 40s in the afternoon. South winds 15 to 20 mph shifting to the northwest 20 to 25 mph in the afternoon.
Military retirees of all services and spouses or surviving spouses can attend the annual retiree appreciation day at Riley’s Community Center on Fort Riley from 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday.
The activities will include opening remarks from Col. Thomas O’Connor, 1st Infantry Division Deputy Commanding Office for Support; Col. Stephen Shrader, Fort Riley Garrison Commander; and Col. Ted Brown, Irwin Army Community Hospital Commander.
There will also be presentations of interest to military retirees and information for retirees and immunizations provided by Irwin Army Community Hospital.
The 12th Street Community Center will serve as the location for a Geary USD 475 Board of Education and Junction City Commission candidate forum on Thursday evening.
A moderator will ask questions that have been submitted prior to the forum, which is scheduled from 7 – 8:30 p.m.
The Dick Edwards Auto Plaza dealership in Junction City is being sold by Janice Edwards to Dustin Zek of Leavenworth. Edwards said Wednesday that the deal was about 99-percent complete.
“I felt like I needed to let my employees know. He’s been approved pretty much totally by Ford, and we’re waiting on Chrysler but I don’t think that’s a problem.” Edwards said Zek has been in the automobile business for about 20 years and operated a dealership with his brother. “Now he is buying his own.”
Janice and her late husband Dick Edwards, opened their dealership at 1825 Goldenbelt Boulevard in 2013. Before that they owned dealership outlets in Manhattan and Junction City dating back to 1981 in Manhattan and 1988 in Junction City.
Janice Edwards is planning to retire. Dick Edwards passed away this past June.
MANHATTAN, Kan. (AP) — A northeast Kansas man accused of killing a 2½-month-old infant faces a second trial in January after his first trial resulted in a hung jury.
D’Khari Lyons faces charges of first-degree murder and child abuse over the November 2018 death of Michael Calvert Jr. Authorities said the infant died from head trauma after sustaining severe internal injuries.
Riley County District Judge Meryl Wilson scheduled the start of a second trial for Jan. 13. The first was in September.
Wilson also lowered Lyons’ bond to $100,000 from $500,000.
Defense attorney Cole Hawver said Lyons is not a flight risk and has no prior criminal history.
Prosecutors allege Lyons lashed out at the baby in momentary frustration at his crying while watching him for a girlfriend.
By Ron Wilson, director of the Huck Boyd National Institute for Rural Development at Kansas State University.
“If you can dream it, you can do it.” That inspirational slogan might describe the work of Chris Broeckelman and his industrial technology students at Natoma High School. They are using their classes to develop skills, not just in the shop, but in life. It’s today’s Kansas Profile.
Chris Broeckelman is the industrial technology instructor at Natoma High School in northwest Kansas. Chris grew up on a farm near Selden, one of eight children of Joe and Cathy Broeckelman.
“I always had an interest in carpentry,” Chris said. During high school, he worked at the local lumberyard. “I had a high school woodworking teacher that I thought very highly of.”
Chris studied Technology Studies and Secondary Education at Fort Hays State with a minor in business. He also worked at a cabinet shop. After graduation, he took the teaching position at Natoma. He married Megan. They now have six children.
“When I was five or six years old, I said I wanted to be a carpenter or a vegetable farmer when I grew up,” Chris said. “Now I’m teaching woodworking and have a big garden, so I’m about there.”
His industrial technology program begins with basic mechanical drafting, autocad, and woodworking classes during junior high. At the high school level, the elective classes in computer aided design and woodworking become progressively more challenging each year.
The woodworking program begins with wood processing where students learn about milling methods, identifying trees, and different drying processes. It progresses to the students imagining, designing and building a project of their own. Safety is the top emphasis throughout.
The wood is sourced locally. Farmers or power companies often donate logs which the students can cut. This year, windstorms uprooted several trees. “Ninety percent of our wood comes from salvage,” Chris said. “We resell the wood at cost to the students, which saves parents and kids thousands of dollars and supports the program.” Walnut, hackberry and white oak are popular.
The state technology competition is a motivational tool for Chris’s students. For more than 50 years, Fort Hays State University has conducted a Western Kansas Technology Fair competition open to any school in the state. Outside judges evaluate the quality of the entries. There are competitions in drafting, graphic communications, power, energy and transportation systems, plus production systems, including metalwork and woodwork, which is the largest category.
Participants receive white, red, or blue ribbons depending on the quality of the work. Superior products can be awarded a gold rosette. “It takes a lot of work to get that,” Chris said. “The kids make a big deal of it.”
More than 300 projects were entered last year. “Eleven of my 19 high school students brought home rosettes,” Chris said. Among Chris’s students, a sixth grader, eighth grader and freshman won best in class overall. Natoma has consistently been a top winner.
That’s a remarkable record for students from a school in a rural community such as Natoma, population 335 people. Now, that’s rural.
What products do students build? “The sky’s the limit,” Chris said. “I tell them, `If you can dream it up, we’ll find a way to build it.’ And they challenge me.” Projects typically include bedroom sets, dressers, dining room tables, coffee tables, and many more.
“Quality is our goal,” Chris said. “I tell them that they’re building a project that their grandkids can fight over after they’re gone.”
Not only are they building a project that will last, they are learning life skills. “To see a kid who starts with no confidence and see them grow is huge,” Chris said. “It’s about having a challenge and overcoming it, problem-solving and learning to work with others. It’s more than just wood-working, we’re teaching life.”
“If you can dream it, you can do it.” This teacher and his students are making that motto reality. We salute Chris Broeckelman and his students at Natoma High for making a difference with their creativity and skill. When a young student earns that rosette at the state competition, it can be like a dream come true.
Accord Hospice held their second annual Camp SOAR Saturday, Sept. 28 in Junction City. Since the first one was successful, Accord partnered with the Elks Lodge #1037 to provide two additional mini camps this year. Those day camps are for children ages 5-16 suffering from some type of loss. They can range from the death of a loved one to a divorce of one’s parents.
