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Category: Local

October is National Bullying Prevention Month

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sad girl with backpack walking away from group of students whispering.
Posted By: USD 475

Parents, educators, students, and the community can play a huge role in preventing and responding to bullying. USD 475 recognizes the importance of helping students that have fallen victim to bullying and created a list of warning signs to help members of our community be on the lookout:

  • Unexplainable injuries
  • Lost or destroyed clothing, books, electronics, or jewlrey
  • Frequent feelings of sickness or faking illness
  • Changes in eating habits (A child may come home hungry because they did not eat lunch)
  • Difficulty sleeping/nightmares
  • Loss of interest in school/schoolwork
  • Sudden loss of friends/avoiding social situations
  • Feelings of helplessness or a decreased self-esteem
  • Self-destructive behaviors (running away from home, harming themselves, or talk of suicide)

 

Statistics show that an adult was notified in less than half of bullying instances. Often times, a child will not tell an adult he or she is being bullied due to many reasons such as feeling they want to handle the situation themselves, fear of being seen as weak or a tattletale, or fear of backlash from their bully. Victims might not want adults to know what is happening to them or being said about them because they may feel humiliated. Because of this, it is important to remember to be sensitive to a child being bullied and handle the situation with care.

If you feel that your child is being bullied, make sure they know you and adults at their school are willing to listen. Encourage them to seek out an adult that they trust and report the bullying.

 

Students can also play a role in ending bullying in their community both online and in person. Witnesses to bullying should seek out a trusted adult and report the behavior.

USD 475 encourages all parents, staff, and students to do their part to stop bullying. To read more about warning signs and ways you can help stop bullying, visit www.stopbullying.gov.

 

Fall Art Walk

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The Junction City Arts Council sponsored Fall Art Walk will be Friday, October 19th on 7th and Washington streets downtown.  The hours will be 5-7 p.m.

The work of local artists will be celebrated during the event. The walk will begin at the C. L. Hoover Opera House. You can shop downtown merchants and enjoy refreshments and local art.

Morris County Man Convicted on Child Porn Charges

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A federal jury has found a Morris County man guilty of downloading child pornography from the internet, U.S. Attorney McAllister said.

Wagner -photo Shawnee Co.

Wesley Wagner, 54, White City, was convicted of one count of receiving child pornography and one count of possessing child pornography. During the trial the prosecutor presented evidence that the FBI seized a server belonging to a now-defunct website called Playpen that provided users access to child pornography. The FBI used computer forensics to identify the site’s users, including Wagner. Based on that information the FBI obtained a warrant to search the defendant’s home.

Sentencing is set for January 7th. Wagner faces a penalty of not less than five years and not more than 20 years in federal prison on the charge of receiving child pornography, and up to 10 years on the possession charge.

Saint Francis Community Services Rebrands Organization as Saint Francis Ministries

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The Salina-based Saint Francis Community Services has announced the rebranding of its organization as Saint Francis Ministries. This occurs as the Saint Francis mission to deliver healing and hope to children and families has expanded across the country and around the globe.

The new brand includes a new logomark representing a dove in flight, ringed in a circle ofinclusiveness and directing people toward Saint Francis. The colors of golden yellow and blue reflect the warmth of hope and healing and a sky of limitless possibilities.

Celebrations of the new brand were held statewide Thursday in Saint Francis’ offices including Junction City and Manhattan.

County Offices Closure

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Geary County Clerk Rebecca Nordyke has announced the closure of all County offices, except the Transfer Station, on Monday, October 8th,  in observance of Columbus Day.

Regular hours will resume on Tuesday, October 9th.

Groundbreaking Day for New Junction City High School

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The groundbreaking for the new Junction City High School is set for 2:30 p.m. on Friday. The location is near the intersection of Munson Road and K-18 Highway. The new high school will be built on the north side of K-18.

The goal is to have the new school built and in service to students by August of 2021.

A combination of federal heavy impact aid and state aid is being used to finance the project.

Fort Riley Garrison Commander Colonel Stephen Shrader will serve as the guest speaker for the groundbreaking ceremony.

 

 

Topcon Agriculture establishes research campus at Kansas State University

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MANHATTAN — Topcon Agriculture and Kansas State University announced Thursday, Oct. 4, a comprehensive partnership.

The Topcon Agriculture Research Campus in the K-State Office Park, 1880 Kimball Ave., Manhattan, will promote collaboration and engagement with students and faculty, boost the company’s research capacity as it develops new products, and solidify connections with producers through K-State Research and Extension.

“Topcon Agriculture and K-State have been working together for two years on various projects, and both entities sought a deeper, multifaceted partnership that would differentiate the typical vendor and university relationship,” said Fabio Isaia, CEO of Topcon Agriculture. “This strategic partnership will boost our R&D technology advancement to accelerate the commercialization of farmer-driven innovation.”

Topcon Agriculture recently signed a master research agreement with Kansas State University to develop tools and systems to advance precision agriculture, but the company saw larger possibilities in an expanded collaboration facilitated by the Kansas State University Institute for Commercialization. The new Topcon Agriculture Research Campus will create a precision agriculture classroom space with state-of-the-art equipment to train faculty, students and customers to incorporate technology into farming and agricultural practices. The company is also donating technology infrastructure improvements and equipment for the university’s Agronomy North Farm and will streamline access to future upgrades.

“Kansas is a unique state as it has striking variations in environmental conditions,” said Brian Sorbe, Topcon Agriculture vice president of sales and marketing, North America. “The highly variable soil and rainfall patterns across the state allow it to emulate multiple types of growing environments. This makes Kansas ideal for conducting precision agriculture research to develop products for the entire country.”

Working with K-State Research and Extension, Topcon Agriculture will have a streamlined pathway from concept, creation to on-farm use and education.

Richard Myers, Kansas State University president, said the partnership demonstrates the commitment of both the company and the university to supporting Kansas agriculture through innovation.

“The Topcon Agriculture Research Campus will help us ensure that we are preparing our students and providing producers with cutting-edge equipment and knowledge,” Myers said. “We know the Kansas economy depends on the success of agriculture, and we are proud to unveil a partnership that will help our institution support the industry.”

“Topcon Agriculture valuesKansas State University’s comprehensive, research and land-grant mission to provide practical information to help change the lives of its students, the people of Kansas, the nation and the world,” said Michael Gomes, Topcon Agriculture vice president of business development, IoT. “Part of Topcon’s overarching mission is to enrich human life by solving societal challenges in agriculture.”

“When dynamic companies like Topcon choose to locate adjacent to K-State’s campus, partnerships develop among leading researchers and industry to drive innovation, which benefits the university, the companies, the community and Kansas,” said Greg Lohrentz, senior vice president of operations and finance at the KSU Foundation.

“The K-State Office Park is an essential element in providing world-class facilities for corporate leaders who want to collaborate with the best-in-field K-State researchers and students, and meet the needs of the global community to advance industry,” he said.

Co-location with the university helps Topcon Agriculture recruit students and graduates to work for the company in the U.S. or abroad. It also demonstrates the success of area efforts to bring knowledge-based jobs and growth to the local economy.

“Topcon Agriculture is a global company that sees value in what we have here in Manhattan,” said Lyle Butler, president of the Manhattan Area Chamber of Commerce. “Our shared university-community economic development vision has helped us provide incredible facilities and promote Manhattan as an optimal location for a growing business.”

Beyond Manhattan, partnership with Kansas State University Polytechnic Campus and K-State Research and Extension will help Topcon Agriculture conduct on-farm research around the state. As a leader in both fundamental and applied agricultural research, the university and K-State Research and Extension offer facilities and access to producers and collaboration at all phases of the product development process — from the drawing board to in-field deployment of precision agriculture technologies.

 

K-State News and Communications Services
Division of Communications and Marketing

Great Plains Theatre “November” by David Mamet

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Great Plains Theatre is presenting November, by David Mamet, the next production in their After Dark Reader’s Theatre Season on Thursday October 18th at 7:00pm at Great Plains Theatre in Abilene, KS.
The After Dark Reader’s Theatre series features more adult contemporary pieces than the traditional season and produces them for one evening only. November will be performed October 18th, at 7:00 p.m. Admission is $5 for the public, FREE for Season Ticket holders.
November is billed as a comedy and has a cast of 4 males and 1 female and is directed by Mark Warner. David Mamet’s Oval Office satire depicts one day in the life of a beleaguered American commander-in-chief. It’s November in a Presidential election year, and incumbent Charles Smith’s chances for re-election are looking grim. Approval ratings are down, his money’s running out, and nuclear war might be imminent. Though his staff has thrown in the towel and his wife has begun to prepare for her post-White House life, Chuck isn’t ready to give up just yet. Amidst the biggest fight of his political career, the President has to find time to pardon a couple of turkeys — saving them from the slaughter before Thanksgiving — and this simple PR event inspires Smith to risk it all in attempt to win back public support.

JCHS Marching Band to Participate in the Central States Marching Festival Saturday

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MANHATTAN — The Wildcats may be on the road Saturday, Oct. 6, but Bill Family Snyder Stadium will still be full of action with Kansas State University’s annual Central States Marching Festival.

Known as one of the premier marching band festivals in the region, this year’s event will include 40 high school marching bands from Kansas, Iowa, Missouri and Nebraska.

Participating bands have the opportunity to take part in clinics with members of the Kansas State University Marching Band staff and present a field performance that will be judged by a panel of nationally recognized marching band authorities. The bands then receive individual clinics with members of the video critique panel after their field performances and obtain a rating of superior, excellent or good by class with accompanying awards. The critiques emphasize the positive aspects of each band’s show. The categories used in judging include repertoire, performance, coordination, auxiliaries and music.

General admission to the Central States Marching Festival is $10, or $5 with a student ID.

Band clinics will begin at 9 a.m. at the indoor football facility and Memorial Stadium. Field performances start at 11:45 a.m. at Bill Snyder Family Stadium and will run throughout the day and evening, capped off with a performance by the Kansas State University Marching Band, the Pride of Wildcat Land.

Special guest at this year’s festival will be BandDirector.com with Dave Knox. Judges include David Betancourt, director of bands at Cerritos College; Larry Blocher, director of the School of Music at Troy University; David Montgomery, associate professor of music education at Baylor University; and James Oliver, retired band director from Kansas City. Judges from Kansas State University include Phil Payne, chair of the music education division for the School of Music, Theatre, and Dance; Brandon Adams, percussion graduate assistant with the Kansas State University Marching Band; and Spencer Smith, color guard instructor and designer with the Kansas State University Marching Band.

The following schools are taking part in this year’s Central States Marching Band Festival. For a for a full schedule on clinic and performance times, visit k-state.edu/band/festivals/csmf.html.

 

Northern Heights High School, Allen; Andover High School, Andover; Arkansas City High School, Arkansas City; Basehor-Linwood High School, Basehor; De Soto High School, De Soto; Dighton High School, Dighton; Dodge City High School, Dodge City; Garden City High School, Garden City.

From Greater Kansas City: Olathe West High School, Olathe; Blue Valley North High School, Blue Valley Northwest High School, Shawnee Mission East High School, Shawnee Mission West High School and St. Thomas Aquinas High School, all in Overland Park; and Mill Valley High School, Shawnee.

Hiawatha High School, Hiawatha; Holton High School, Holton; Hutchinson High School, Hutchinson; Independence High School, Independence; Junction City High School, Junction City; Turner Higher School, Kansas City; Lansing High School, Lansing; Leavenworth High School, Leavenworth; Liberal High School, Liberal; Louisburg High School, Louisburg; Maize High School, Maize;Manhattan High School, Manhattan; McPherson High School, McPherson; Rose Hill High School, Rose Hill; Salina South High School, Salina; Shawnee Heights High School, Tecumseh; Seaman High School, Topeka; and Wichita East High School and Wichita North High School, both in Wichita.

From out of state: Thomas Jefferson High School, Council Bluffs, Iowa; Center High School, Kansas City, Missouri; Raytown South High School, Raytown, Missouri; West Platte High School,Weston, Missouri; and Lincoln Southwest High School, Lincoln, Nebraska.

K-State News and Communications Services
Division of Communications and Marketing

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