The annual Saint Xavier School auction last Saturday night ( April 14 )  raised more than $91,500 for the school. The information was released from the school on Wednesday.

The evening’s action included both silent and live auctions plus a buffet dinner for those who attended. The auction is the biggest fundraiser for the school each year.

 

 

Manhattan, Kan., April 18, 2018 — At 8:58 a.m. on Wednesday morning, the Manhattan Fire Department was dispatched to 1010 Garden Way for a report of a structure fire. Upon arrival, crews found a three-story apartment building with smoke showing from Apartment A. The fire was quickly contained in less than 10 minutes. There was no one inside the apartment that had the fire and all other occupants exited prior to fire department arrival.  Crews were able to remove two dogs and were able to resuscitate them.  A total of 19 firefighters responded on 5 fire apparatus with the last units still on scene at the time of this release. The building is a three-story, six-unit apartment building.  All occupants were able to return to their apartments, other than Apartment A where the fire occurred. Loss is estimated at $5,000 to contents and $25,000 to the structure. The owner is listed as 3SC Venture I LLC of Liberty, Missouri. The fire cause is under investigation, but preliminary investigation appears to indicate it was accidental. Riley County Police Department, Riley County Emergency Medical Service, and City of Manhattan Animal Control assisted at the scene. Ryan Almes, Manhattan Fire Department

The Junction City Area Chamber of Commerce has announced via social media that the legislative coffee that was scheduled Saturday, April 28th has been cancelled due to scheduling conflicts.

Those sessions have been held periodically during the legislative session at the C.L . Hoover Opera House.

MANHATTAN — The children of Joyce and H.D. “Joe” Hale have donated $500,000 to the Hale Library first-floor renovation project at Kansas State University. In recognition of their gift, the café in the new space will be named in honor of the Hale family.

The Hale children are John Hale, Dana Nelson, Karen Young, Alan Hale, Lisa Hale and Mollie Carter.

The renovation project will create a more accessible first-floor entrance. It also will include group study spaces, instruction rooms, satellite meeting spaces for student services, exhibit space for special collections, a café and flexible event space. In addition, the project will provide a home for the Center for the Advancement of Digital Scholarship and the Open/Alternative Textbook Initiative.

“When Hale Library was built in the late ’90s, students used libraries in a more solitary way,” said Lori Goetsch, dean of K-State Libraries. “Students accessed physical copies of books and journals to complete research projects in isolation. Today, online research, collaboration and group assignments are integral parts of college courses. This renovation will help the K-State Libraries enhance our role by supporting collaboration and multidisciplinary studies, which are vital to the continued academic success of K-Staters and in reaching K-State’s goal of being nationally recognized as a Top 50 public research university.”

Nearly three decades ago, Joyce and Joe Hale gave the lead gift to build the Hale Library addition to Farrell Library, providing vital space for resources and studying. When Hale family members learned about the current need to renovate the first floor of the library, they chose to invest in Kansas State University again by supporting this project.

“Our family has deep roots in Kansas and a long connection with K-State,” Alan Hale said. “We believe strongly in education, so efforts like the library renovation speak to the values we hold. We’re proud of our family’s association with the library and K-State’s academic achievements. Supporting the library renovation seemed like a natural thing for us to do.”

The $6.5 million renovation will be completely funded by private gifts; no state money and no student tuition or fees will be used on the project. When completed, this will be the first capital improvement effort in K-State Libraries’ history funded entirely through philanthropic gifts.

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.

Geary County Emergency Management Director Garry Berges that his department along with the Kansas Division of Emergency Management will be conducting training for elected officials on Wednesday ( April 18 ).   The training will be held at the Emergency Management Office starting at 5:15 p.m.

Elected officials that have been invited to the session include the Geary County Commissioners, Junction City Commissioners, Grandview Plaza City Council members and Milford City Council members.

The training will cover their roles and responsibilities during and after a major event that impacts their jurisdiction. It will also go over the role of the local, state and federal agencies during the incident.

The annual Earth Day clean up, Operation Clean Sweep, is Saturday in Junction City. Volunteers are needed.

Report to Spin City at 915 South Washington Street at 8 a.m. Saturday. Bring gloves and drinking water and wear comfortable shoes. At the conclusion of the clean up, lunch will be provided for the volunteers by Papa Murphy’s and the City of Junction City.

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On a separate point, during the Tuesday night Junction City Commission meeting, Commissioner Tim Brown noted it is spring. He urged the public to keep lawns mowed, boats and abandoned vehicles off the streets, and for the public to help make the community look nice.

 

 

The longtime executive director of the Geary Community Healthcare Foundation, Jolana Montgomery – Matney has announced that she will retire from that position on April 1, 2019.

Montgomery made the announcement this week to the Healthcare Foundation Board of Directors. She has served as executive director for 22 years.

In her role she has overseen assistance for numerous projects ranging from the recent Children’s Mercy Pediatric Clinics that were established at Geary Community Hospital, to the location of defibrillators at numerous locations in schools and the community to help provide emergency assistance in the event of heart attacks. There were many other projects with total fundraising running into the millions.

Healthcare Foundation events have been annual staples in the community including the Holiday Glitz in December, the Fall Classic Golf Tournament in September, Boots, Chaps & Cowboy Hats in June, and the Holiday Tree of Memories in November.

 

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59°

Breezy, cooler. Mostly sunny. Highs in the upper 50s. Northwest winds 20 to 25 mph.