The Saint Xavier School band will perform Tuesday night at the Bradley Gym at 7 p.m.
There will also be an art show and forensics activity.
The event is open to the public.
Category: Local
KDOT Announcing Bridge Repairs
Work will begin on Thursday, May 17 to repair the surface of the bridge deck on the eastbound lanes of the Clark’s Creek Bridge on I-70 in Geary County.
Lane closures will alternate beginning with the passing lane between mile markers 303 and 304, with a width restriction of 14 feet. Speed will be reduced to 60 mph through the construction zone and motorcycle riders should be aware the bridge will have a milled surface with an asphalt taper on and off the bridge.
Wildcat Concrete Services of Topeka is the prime contractor for this $228,654 project with work expected to be completed by mid-August, weather permitting.
This location has been the site where eastbound traffic on the interstate had to be temporarily shut down recently, due to crumbling of upper levels of concrete on bridge deck. The bridge, itself, was deemed structurally sound by KDOT engineers.
Fort Hays State Online Graduates Celebrate on Campus
HAYS, Kan. – Each year on graduation weekend, students who have earned their degrees online from Fort Hays State University come from near and far to celebrate their accomplishments.
They descend on the campus – some for the first time ever, proud to walk across the stage to receive their diplomas.
Friday, nearly 60 of those graduates gathered in Hammond Hall, home of the Virtual College, for a reception recognizing them for their accomplishments before commencement ceremonies that night and Saturday morning.
The come-and-go event featured graduates from Kansas and 14 other states, from coast to coast and anywhere in-between.
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• Donald W. Wilson completed his Bachelor of General Studies with an emphasis in history.
Although he lives just a couple of hours away in Junction City, he had never stepped foot on the FHSU campus before this weekend.
A veteran of the U.S. Army, Wilson would have been just fine receiving his diploma in the mail.
But his wife, Judith, insisted he accept it in person.
“I thought if you worked that hard, you should be recognized,” she said, speaking directly to her husband.
Wilson, the first in his family to graduate from college, said he chose the Virtual College route “so I could be home with family.”
He had joined the military immediately after high school graduation in Tyler, Texas, in 1989.
After several duties overseas, Wilson was stationed at Fort Riley near Junction City and decided to make his home there after retiring from the army in 2009.
Wilson, now 56, has been so impressed with his entire FHSU experience that he is thinking about going to graduate school.
By Diane Gasper-O’Brien
University Relations and Marketing
Geary Community Hospital Auxilian Receives 50 Year Service Award
Emma Manion, Geary Community Hospital Auxiliary member, received a special award for her 50 years of dedicated service to the Geary Community Hospital Auxiliary. “Emma has been a dedicated GCH Auxiliary member for half a century and still is interactive with our organization, “said Connie Peck, GCH Auxiliary President. “We are so thankful to have such loyal and giving volunteers who are here to help our patients and families.”
Tuesday Weather Forecast
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High
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79° | Partly sunny. A 20 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms in the morning. Highs in the upper 70s. Northeast winds 5 to 10 mph. |
Kansas Turf does wonderful work at Bill Snyder Family Stadium
MANHATTAN — For brothers Jake and Bryce Farrant, owners of Kansas Turf, a turf replacement and installation company based in Meriden, Kan., it was a dream come true – the replacement of the turf at Bill Snyder Family Stadium, a place they had visited many times as kids and college students.
“We were thrilled to be chosen as the turf replacement contractor for Bill Snyder Family Stadium,” Kansas Turf CEO Jake Farrant said. “We have a lifelong connection to that place, and as a locally owned, Kansas based company, we couldn’t be more proud to finish this worthwhile project.”
The Kansas Turf Facebook page has tracked the company’s progress on “The Bill,” as its affectionately referred to by fans of Kansas State football, from turf removal, to turf installation, to the “cutting in” of hashmarks, media lines, numbers and finally, the iconic Powercats.
Kansas Turf was proud to partner with AstroTurf on the BSFS project. The inventor of synthetic turf, AstroTurf is one of the most recognized brands in American sports.
Since 1965, the AstroTurf brand has been driven by forward thinking ingenuity. Today AstroTurf continuously improves its system design to deliver playing surfaces with the most realistic, sport-specific performance, longest lasting durability, and sound player protection.
Kansas State is the first FBS program in the country to install the latest artificial turf innovation from AstroTurf – RootZone Trionic 3D.
“Kansas Turf has completed many jobs for AstroTurf in the past and are eager to continue building the relationship,” Farrant said.
Kansas State University Senior Associate Athletic Director Jeremy Neiderwerder said he enjoyed working with Kansas Turf on the installation.
“Kansas Turf has been a great partner through the entire process of replacing the surface at Bill Snyder Family Stadium,” Niederwerder said. “They remained ahead of schedule throughout the entire installation process and have provided us with a surface that will greatly enhance our student-athlete performance on the field as well as the viewing experience for our fans and television viewers across the country.”
And the field at Bill Snyder Family Stadium is just the latest project for the northeast Kansas company that also does traditional natural sod installation and cemetery turf renovation.
“We streamline all of our removal and install processes by having state of the art equipment and high character employees that have a passion for what they do and take great pride in their work,” Farrant said.
Other noteworthy projects include the Bettis Family Sports Complex north of Lake Shawnee in Topeka, Kan., Northern State University’s Swisher Field in Aberdeen, South Dakota, and the Jefferson West High School football field, where turf was removed from the Superdome in New Orleans and installed on the Jeff West field in Meriden.
“We are a big enough company to complete any job, but are small enough to take care of our customers the way they should be treated,” Farrant said. “The people you call for a bid will be the people on the job getting their hands dirty, and those same people will be available for years to come for maintenance calls and questions or new projects.”
Kansas Turf has completed over 20 fields in the last 18 months, and hopes to continue its expansion, Farrant says, noting that their prices are lower than most of their larger competitors.
To follow Kansas Turf’s progress at Bill Snyder Family Stadium, or any of their other turf installation projects, visit their Facebook page or find them on Twitter. For more information, visit their website at www.kansasturf.com.
Severe Thunderstorm Sweeps Through Portion of Geary County
A severe thunderstorm cell crossed Geary County from the south end to the northeast corner of the county on Monday afternoon.
No injuries were reported but Geary County Emergency Management confirmed that nickel-sized to golf ball size hail was reported on the John Moyer farm about three miles north of Skiddy. Two miles south of there ping pong ball size hail was reported on the Skiddy Road.
The storm crossed into far southeast Riley County, northwestern Wabaunsee County and southwest Pottawatomie County and later a severe thunderstorm warning was issued for southeast Geary County, northeastern Morris and western Wabaunsee County.
‘Dagger’ brigade set to return to Fort Riley from European deployment
FORT RILEY, Kansas – More than 3,000 Soldiers with the 2nd Armored BrigadeCombat Team, 1st Infantry Division, are set to return to Fort Riley
following a nine-month deployment to Europe in support of Atlantic Resolve.
following a nine-month deployment to Europe in support of Atlantic Resolve.
The “Dagger” brigade deployed to Europe in September 2017 as the second
iteration of heel-to-toe rotations of U.S. armored brigades in Europe,
designed to provide a continuous U.S. armored presence for the foreseeable
future. While deployed, 2nd ABCT trained closely with NATO allies to build
interoperability between their forces and strengthen their collective
defensive capabilities to deter aggression in the region.
During the deployment, the brigade sustained a high level of readiness by
conducting more than 58 combined training events across eight countries,
involving more than 140 movements by rail and line haul. The training events
included squad-based live-fire exercises, crew gunnery qualification tables
for all their major weapon systems, joint direct and indirect live-fire
exercises with NATO allies, utilizing land and air assets and multiple
multinational force-on-force exercises.
One of the special highlights from the deployment are the three deployment
readiness exercises the brigade conducted, where units moved company-size
elements from Poland and Germany into the Baltic region on a 48-hour notice.
This sent a powerful message that they could rapidly respond to crises
anywhere, at any time if called upon.
The Dagger brigade dedicated significant time and resources demonstrating
the capabilities on an armored brigade combat team, expending nearly two
million rounds of small arms ammunition, more than 4,800 tank rounds and
more than 1,800 artillery rounds while sustaining its readiness to meet any
threat.
the capabilities on an armored brigade combat team, expending nearly two
million rounds of small arms ammunition, more than 4,800 tank rounds and
more than 1,800 artillery rounds while sustaining its readiness to meet any
threat.
The brigade also sustained an impressive and robust logistical network and
line of operations, performing more than 550 logistical missions and
traveling over 100,000 miles to support the presence and operations of units
spread over several countries in central Europe, including Poland, Romania,
Bulgaria, Hungary, Germany, Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania.
Click It or Ticket is On Its Way
Beginning on Monday, May 21, and continuing through Sunday, June 3, travelers can expect increased police presence on city streets as the
Junction City Police Department joins 160 other law enforcement agencies in aggressively enforcing Kansas occupant restraint and other traffic laws as part of the 2018 Kansas Click It or Ticket campaign. This activity is supported by a grant from the Kansas Department of Transportation (KDOT). Enforcement will occur around the clock. Officers will be especially vigilant at night because seatbelt use diminishes after nightfall, meaning the likelihood of unrestrained crash injuries and deaths soars during those hours.
Drivers can expect strict enforcement of both the Kansas Safety Belt Use Act and the Kansas Child Passenger Safety Act. These statutes require that all vehicle occupants must be appropriately restrained. Law enforcement officers can stop vehicles and issue tickets when they observe front seat occupants, teens in any seat position, or children under the age of 14, riding without being properly restrained. Occupants, ages 14 and over, are cited individually. In the event that a passenger under the age of 14 is observed to be unrestrained the driver will be cited. The fine for an adult seat belt violation is $30 – a $20 increase passed overwhelmingly by the 2017 Kansas Legislature. The fine for a youth (14-17) violation is $60, while the fine for a child (0-13) restraint violation is $60 + a court cost charge of as much as $108.
Children under the age of four must be correctly secured in an approved child safety seat. Children, ages four through seven, must be securely belted into an approved booster seat unless taller than 4 feet 9 inches or heavier than 80 pounds, in which case, the booster may be removed and the child belted in without it. Children, ages eight through 13, must be safety-belted. In addition, the law prohibits persons under the age of 14 from riding in any part of a vehicle not intended for carrying passengers, such as a pickup bed. For answers to child safety restraint questions and the location of the nearest safety seat fitting station, or safety seat technician, contact the Kansas Traffic Safety Resource Office at 1-800-416-2522, or write ktsro@dccca.org.
The aim of Click It or Ticket is simple: to drastically reduce the number of preventable deaths and injuries that occur when unbelted drivers and passengers are involved in traffic crashes. According to KDOT, 92% of crash occupants who suffer no injuries of any kind are belted in. At the other end of the scale only 45% of those who suffer fatal injuries are belted in. While seat belts may not always protect from serious or fatal injury, certainly no other piece of equipment within the vehicle provides more protection.
Kansas’ overall adult seat belt compliance rate is 82% and ranges, by county, from 61% to 96%, with occupants in rural counties generally less likely to buckle up than those in urban counties. According to KDOT, this rural-urban difference in rates of buckling up is especially problematic because rural roadway conditions are, in general, less forgiving than those in urban areas, and the consequences of driver misjudgment – such as unsafe speed and failure to buckle up – are likely to be more severe. It is easy to see why fully two-thirds of Kansas’ fatality crashes occur on rural roadways even though they see only one-third of all crashes.
Kansans like to see their state as one which protects children, and it does well with its youngest ones: overall, those aged 0-4, are buckled in to child safety seats at the rate of 97%. However, only 84% of 5- to 13-year olds are properly restrained. This means that 1 out of 6 Kansas children, aged 5-13, are made especially vulnerable while traveling by the failure of their drivers to restrain them.
According to Chief Dan Breci, “I want people in Junction City to remember that when they don’t buckle up themselves, or require their passengers to buckle up, they are, in effect, promising themselves and those passengers, along with family and friends not present, that no circumstance will arise that will ultimately trigger seat belt activation, whether it be due to distraction, sleepiness, kids fighting in the back seat, etc. either in their own vehicle or in the other vehicles they meet on the road.
“I want people to know that, day or night, Junction City Police Department is committed to aggressively ticketing violators of adult seat belt and child safety laws, as well as other traffic infractions – such as speeding and texting while driving – which make the need for occupant restraint so necessary. The stop will be inconvenient, your vehicle and driver’s license numbers will likely be checked for outstanding warrants and insurance, and you’ll pay $30 to the court. So, use your belt and save yourself the trouble.”
Sheriff’s Department Responds to Accidents
The Geary County Sheriff’s Department has reported that Deputies responded to Interstate 70 east bound 303 mile marker off-ramp for a non-injury accident. Kathy Hardman, McPherson, was driving her Cadillac Escalade up the ramp and began to slow down when the vehicle was hit from behind by a Chevrolet Blazer driven by Matthew Janda, Hutchinson. There was minor damage to both vehicles. The accident occurred on Friday.
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Deputies responded to U.S. Highway 77 mile marker 147 for a non-injury accident. David Shepherd, Herington, was driving his Toyota Corolla south bound when he lost control of his vehicle and it struck a Ford F-150 driven by Teri Glessner, Woodbine. The collision caused the Ford-150 to roll over. Glessner was transported to Geary Community Hospital to be checked out for possible injuries. The accident was reported at 7:45 a.m. Saturday.
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Deputies responded to I-70 eastbound at mile marker 304 for a single vehicle non-injury accident. Gilbert Magbag, Parker, Colorado was traveling east bound riding a Victory Vison motorcycle when he struck a deer. The accident was reported at 4:52 a.m. Sunday.
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Deputies responded to the 6500 block of Old Highway 40 Saturday night for a single vehicle non-injury accident. Sean Fay, Hollyrood, was traveling west bound in a Honda Odyssey when the vehicle struck a deer. The accident was reported at 10:18 p.m. Saturday.