The main stage lineup for Country Stampede on Saturday includes Jake Rose at 2:30 p.m., Morgan Evans at 4, Randy Rogers Band at 5:30, Kane Brown 7:30 and Florida Georgia Line at 10 p.m.
Saturday is the final day of the country music festival at Tuttle Creek State Park near Manhattan. Gates to the festival grounds will open at 1 p.m.
The Junction City Area Chamber of Commerce has scheduled their new teachers breakfast on Thursday, August 2nd from 7:30 – 9 a.m. at the Courtyard By Marriott Convention Center.
You can register at https://junctioncitychamber.chambermaster.comeventregistration/register/12727
The Chamber hosts a breakfast every August for new teachers in USD 475 and Saint Xavier schools.
The Junction City street maintenance program for 2019 includes a plan for a new roundabout at McFarland and Eisenhower Drive.
That information was provided by the City’s Public Works Director, Ray Ibarra during a visit on the JC Now program on 1420 KJCK AM. “In addition to the roundabout we will do a mill and overlay on McFarland from the roundabout all the way to 77 ( U.S. Highway 77). ”
Ibarra stated other projects will include mill and overlay work on Eisenhower Drive from Ash Street to 6th Street, and Miller Drive from McFarland to McFarland.
Sundown Salute is seeking volunteers to work in the beer tent during the event.
According to coordinator Charles Stimatze, four volunteers are needed on June 29th from 5-8 p.m. and seven from 8-11 p.m.
On July second three are wanted for the 3-5 p.m. shift, three from 5-8 p.m. and six from 8-11 p.m.
On July fourth from 1-5 p.m. volunteers are sought, four from 5-8 p.m. and eight from 8 – 11 p.m.
If you are interested in helping contact Charles at 785-770-2535.
A group of unhappy former Head Start employees in Junction City have been making their concerns known. Officials have responded.
Former employee, Cheri Milam, stated she contacted the federal Region Seven Administration and Families in February to express her concerns about what she was seeing in the operation of the local Head Start program. That program served preschool aged children. “Spent two hours discussing with a gal my concerns with the facility and things going on behind the scene with personnel as well as finances, inventory, a lot of different issues. Consequently three weeks later I was terminated on February 8th.”
Milam said later that month ACS did an unannounced review of the program.
One of the employees in the kitchen at the Head Start operation, Mary Lowe, noted that the executive director LaFarris Risby has her own daycare center and they were allegedly fixing food for the daycare children. “I was like I don’t know we should be doing that, but she’s the executor and the grantee so we did what we were told to do. And then when the reports and stuff all came back and came down we were told then that we shouldn’t have been doing that.”
A teacher at the former Head Start facility Destany Pope, noted they would always need supplies but couldn’t get them. She said they were told there was no money in the budget. “We were supposed to get a Cola raise back in November of 2017, teachers didn’t get that. From November to May of 2018 we just received that two weeks ago. Didn’t find that out until Region Seven came down and told us we were supposed to get a Cola raise so that’s one reason we knew funds were being mismanaged.” Pope added they received two days notice near the end of May that they would be losing their jobs.
Pope said the employees wanted to stress that Head Start is still needed in the local community. “Head start is still a good program. We just want somebody to take it over.” Milam said somebody needs to be found that has a background in Head Start or child care and can devote their time and energy to the youth of the community.
The Other Side of the Story
On the other side of this issue, the executive director of the former Head Start program. LaFarris Risby said they were a new program that had been inherited from an earlier grantee, and problems existed from the beginning, ranging from the day to day running and learning how to operate the program. “As a management from myself and all the managers there was no one that we could really pull together to be honest. I think a part of that was part of the failing of the organization, but there has been no misuse of funds, no mismanagement of funds. We did get written up on a few things and we have also replied to those deficiencies and compliance areas.” Risby added the deficiencies included not having all the procedures in place by the Board and managers, there was a misunderstanding of all the regulations, and that was overwhelming.
Risby also stated she was not sure that the former employees had seen the answers to the report. She confirmed all funds had been accounted for and were not mixed with the private daycare. “That’s correct. No funds were mixed and mingled.” She also stated on that subject, “We didn’t use any Head Start funds!
JC Post recently interviewed the chair of the Board of Directors for the program. Pat Hunter, who reported that the Head Start program recently relinquished its administrative services back to the Region Seven Office of Head Start in Kansas, ending their service in Geary County. The Administration for Children and Families reviewed the program and found multiple areas where the program was deficient or non-compliant.
Hunter said they looked at the deficiencies which were serious because they involved processes. They also looked at the noncompliance issues and talked with region seven personnel that were overseeing the program. “They told us what our options were, we could go through the process of responding and then either we would be terminated or we could relinquish the program.”
Hunter said the Board did its due diligence in looking at the options. “The relinquishing meant that if we relinquish, Region Seven would bring in CDI, which was the previous organization running Head Start and there would be a seamless transition. ” She said based on that advice the Board relinquished the program, but they learned later that CDI was over extended and couldn’t pick up the program in Geary County.
Talks then began with USD 475 to try and obtain help from their early childhood program in accommodating the children that were in Head Start. Hunter said the mutual agreement was that could be done where space is available. “We were not guaranteed spots but they would accept as many children as space was available.” While there is a waiting list that the Head Start children would have to be placed on, officials were optimistic at the time that many of them could be included in the district’s program.
Hunter also has indicated that the deficiencies and noncompliance issues with the Head Start program were all procedural in nature. Based on information provided by Risby one deficiency that was corrected involved a requirement to obtain criminal record checks for all individuals prior to their hiring. Policies and procedures in that area were updated and implemented.
MANHATTAN — Robert E. Campbell, Wichita, has invested $1 million in the College of Business Administration at Kansas State University.
Campbell’s investment names the dean’s suite in the new College of Business Administration building, and his gift helps complete the immediate funding needs for the new business building, allowing the college to focus efforts to raise money for a sustaining endowment for future building needs.
Campbell earned his degree in business administration from Kansas State University in 1950. He attended the university on the GI Bill after serving in the Air Force during World War II. After graduation, he worked for Union National Bank and Garvey Drilling Company before starting his own company, Robert E. Campbell Oil and Gas Operations. In 2016, Campbell was recognized with the college’s Distinguished Business Leader award.
“Kansas State University is where I grew intellectually and as a person,” Campbell said. “My goals became a reality, and my friends became lifelong. It was a time and place that will remain in my heart forever. I encourage young people — apply yourself, believe in yourself, nurture your ideas and follow your dreams. You are your greatest asset.”
“Bob Campbell is among the College of Business Administration’s most successful alumni,” said Kevin Gwinner, Edgerley family dean of the College of Business Administration. “He has generously supported K-State endeavors for many years, leveraging his success to invest in the success of future business leaders. It is his gift that put the college over the top in fully funding the new business building. I am humbled to have the Dean’s Office Suite named in honor of such a great K-Stater who believes in encouraging and supporting K-State business students.”
As Kansas State University’s strategic partner for philanthropy, the KSU Foundation inspires and guides philanthropy toward university priorities to boldly advance K-State family. The foundation is leading Innovation and Inspiration: The Campaign for Kansas State University to raise $1.4 billion for student success, faculty development, facility enhancement and programmatic success. Visit www.ksufoundation.org for more information.
RILEY COUNTY — One person was injured in an accident just before 6p.m. Thursday in Riley County.
The Kansas Highway Patrol reported a 2005 Toyota Matrix driven by Angelise Caitlyn Ro Siebenaler, 17, Manhattan, was attempting to travel from Barnes Road and turn left onto U.S 24.
The driver failed to yield to oncoming traffic. A westbound 2015 Ford pickup driven by Karen Gail Thompson, 68, St. Augustine, FL., struck the Toyota.
Siebenaler was transported to Via Christi. Thompson and a passenger in the Ford were not injured. All three were properly restrained at the time of the accident, according to the KHP.
JUNCTION CITY, KAN. – Geary County Schools USD 475 announced this week that, Gennifer Booth has accepted the position of Assistant Principal at the Freshman Success Academy, which became open following former assistant principal, Kate Harmison moved to a Special Education Coordinator position at the Junction City High School.
Booth, the former Library Media Specialist for JCHS, will begin her new assignment next month.
She has served as a Library Media Specialist for both elementary and secondary schools in USD 475 and was a third-grade classroom teacher prior from 2011 to 2012. Booth is a graduate of Fort Hays State University where she majored in Education. She also attended Kansas State University where she was an Education Student of the Month.
Gennifer Booth is a former USD 475 Shining Star and Tech Innovator winner and was awarded the Horizon Award in 2011.
JUNCTION CITY, KAN. – Geary County Schools USD 475 announced this week that, Mrs. Shannon Molt has accepted the position of Principal at Fort Riley Middle School, which became open following former principal, Heather Oentrich’s move to Junction City Middle School.
Shannon Molt received her Bachelor’s Degree from Kansas State University in Secondary Education (2001) and her Master’s Degree in Educational Leadership from KSU (2007). Molt began her career in 2002 as a seventh and eighth-grade Math Teacher at Fort Riley Middle School. She then moved to the position of Instructional Coach at Fort Riley Middle School from 2008-2017. Mrs. Molt was then named the Assistant Principal at FRMS in 2017.
Mrs. Molt was a member of the USD 475 Professional Leadership Academy (PELA) from 2005-2007. She has presented at many local, regional and national conferences, and is a member of a variety of district-level committees and task forces. She is a leader in math education and instructional pedagogy at the district, state, and national levels.
Molt loves Fort Riley Middle School, her home for the last 15 years, and looks forward to the many more years ahead as the building principal.
Posted by USD 475
ABILENE, Kan. – The June Lunch & Learn program is Thursday, June 28 at noon in the Eisenhower Presidential Library Visitors Center Auditorium, 200 SE 4th, Abilene. David Vail will explore the elaborate relationship between farmers, aerial sprayers, agriculturalists, crop pests, chemicals and the environment. Free and open to the public, a light lunch is included on a first come, first serve basis.
Vail is the Assistant Professor, Environmental and Agricultural History, Science & Technology, and Great Plains at University of Nebraska at Kearney. He holds a BA from Southern Oregon University, an MA from Utah State University, and a PhD from Kansas State University. Vail’s recently published book, Chemical Lands: A History of Pesticides, Aerial Spraying, and Health in North America’s Grasslands since 1945, is an environmental-agricultural-
