ABILENE, Kan. – The movie Schindler’s List will play in the Visitors Center Auditorium of the Eisenhower Presidential Library on Sunday, April 22 at 2 p.m.
Schindler’s List is a Steven Spielberg film and winner of seven Academy Awards, including Best Picture and Best Director. The movie tells the story of Oskar Schindler, a member of the Nazi party and war profiteer who becomes an unlikely humanitarian and hero during the Holocaust. He saved the lives of more than 1,100 Jews. Based on a true story, this movie showcases the triumph of one man who made a difference during one of the darkest chapters in human history. This film is rated R for language, violence, and sexual content.
This free public program includes popcorn and is held in partnership with the Arts Council of Dickinson County.
The Geary County Rural Fire Department has issued notice that no outdoor burning will be allowed in the county Tuesday or Wednesday. Windy conditions are anticipated on Tuesday and extremely windy conditions on Wednesday.
One rural fire was reported about 7:15 a.m. Tuesday southeast of Junction City in the Davis Creek – Clarks Creek area. Rural Fire Chief Garry Berges said it was a rekindle of a controlled burn that occurred on Monday. Some additional property burned but no injuries were reported.
Architect Troy Hertel visiting with the USD 475 Board of Education and district staff
The new Junction City High School would cover about 350,000 square feet. The preliminary design drawings were reviewed for the USD 475 Board of Education Monday
Architect Troy Hertel explained it is being designed as a primarily two-story facility. There would one difference. “The athletic portion of it is designed as a walk-down into the gymnasium area so the public is separated from the people in the event, the students.” Hertel said it is a top loading gym. “So the public walks in from the top and the students lockers and their access to the gym floor is from the bottom.” That would be one of two gyms in the building.
There would be classroom areas for the different academies in the school including Science Engineering Technology, Fine Arts, Business Information Technology and the Freshman Success Academy, and a media center.
A football stadium would be located adjacent to the high school and there would be two softball and two football fields, a place for a soccer field, tennis courts, event throwing areas for track and field and practice fields.
Other possible projects for the building will have to receive more discussion. They could range from a lecture all to a third gymnasium.
The Junction City High School staff are reviewing the drawings and giving input Tuesday and there will be a public forum from 10 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. Saturday, April 28th, at the current Freshman Success Building. That will be an open forum, a come and go type event where the public can visit with the architects and district staff.
Right now the design drawings are only preliminary. Hertel estimated the completion time for the new school would be in 2021.
JUNCTION CITY, KAN. – For 40 months, Geary County Schools USD 475 has been implementing a rigorous energy savings program with the help of Cenergistic, a company that specializes in organizational behavior-based energy conservation.
Since the conservation program began, USD 475 has avoided more than $1.7 Million in cost, cutting energy consumption by 23.9%. According to the EPA, this decrease in energy use is the equivalent of taking 2,262 vehicles off local roads or planting 278,452 trees in the community.
Recently, USD 475 was notified that all K-12 schools in the district had earned the prestigious “ENERGY STAR Certification” from the federal government’s Environmental Protection Agency.
USD 475 buildings earning ENERGY STAR Certification include Eisenhower Elementary, Fort Riley Elementary, Franklin Elementary, Grandview Elementary, Jefferson Elementary, Lincoln Elementary, Milford Elementary, Morris Hill Elementary, Seitz Elementary, Sheridan Elementary, Spring Valley Elementary, Ware Elementary, Washington Elementary, Westwood Elementary, Junction City Middle School, Fort Riley Middle School, Freshman Success Academy, Junction City High School, and Larry Dixon Alternative Learning Center. To earn ENERGY STAR Certification, school buildings must rate in the top 25 percent nationwide for energy efficiency.
Geary County Schools USD 475 is honored by ENERGY STAR’s recognition of the conservation success and provided that efforts will continue throughout the future.
Smoke in the sky over Junction City Monday evening.
Smoke hovered in the sky over Geary County Monday evening. It marked the first time farm producers were burning grassland in large numbers.
Junction City police dispatch confirmed there were a number of controlled burns. Rural Fire Chief Garry Berges indicated there was one controlled burn that got out of control, but it was minor.
Geary County Extension Agent Chuck Otte expected the burning to continue until windier conditions arrive on Tuesday. “We’ve had a lot of wind, we’ve had precipitation, not a lot but enough to inhibit burning. Today the temperatures warmed up, the sun came out, the wind dropped so that meant we had good conditions to burn. ”
Once darkness began to arrive there was an inversion layer which was caused by cold air aloft that pressed the smoke to the ground. Until wind and sunshine arrive the smoke will remain.
It makes for difficult conditions for some who have respiratory conditions. Otte noted it’s tough. He advised staying in the house and using oxygen if you have it. “It’s tough. I feel badly for them but it’s part of the season. This is probably the only day we’re going to have this.” Farm producers burn the grass to control the growth of cedar trees and excess grass on the ground.
Otte confirmed here has been less burning this spring than in past years.
RILEY COUNTY — One person was injured in an accident just before 3p.m. Monday in Riley County.
The Kansas Highway Patrol reported a 2015 school bus driven by Laura P. Kumle, 36, Manhattan, was westbound on Walters Drive. The driver failed to yield to the right of way by driving across the intersection of Walters Drive and U.S. 24.
A northbound 2000 Peterbilt semi grain hauler driven by Delbert L. Henson, 45, Beluve, steered right and applied the breaks to avoid colliding with the bus.
The truck traveled into the ditch and the driver attempted to correct back onto the paved roadway. In the process the truck flipped onto its right side and came to rest in the East ditch.
Henson was transported to the hospital in Manhattan.
Kumle was not injured. The KHP did not report the number of students on the bus. Both drivers were properly restrained at the time of the accident, according to the KHP.
Wednesday, April 25th, is the scheduled day for the Live Well Geary County Local Walk@lunch event at the Fifth Street Playground Park.
Did you know that finding just 30 minutes to walk most days of the week can be beneficial to your well-being. Walking is one of the simplest, safest and most effective forms of exercise. A regular walking routine can help control weight, reduce stress and anxiety, lower blood pressure and be a positive influence on heart disease, diabetes and osteoporosis.
Live Well officials have announced that Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Kansas is hosting the 12th annual National Walk@Lunch Day on the 25th.
The local event will be at noon on the 25th at the Playground Park. A limited number of free event t-shirts will be available at the event location.
The Devin Center, site of the Monday Board of Education meeting
Posted by USD 475
USD 475 officials reached out and met with Sheriff Tony Wolf today regarding a series of media articles citing his proposal to place one or more law enforcement officers in each school.
The District is supportive of programs that could help maintain a safe and secure learning environment and officials felt it was time to properly shape expectations, given that Wolf recently suggested the use of Heavy Impact Aid (HIA) dollars provided by the Army as a means for paying for his initiative.
David Wild, Chief Operations Officer for the District explained that Wolf’s suggestion on funding introduces complexities to the initiative. The District HIA dollars are non-recurring monies designated to support the construction of the new high school and are not used to support ongoing or reoccurring efforts such as salaries or permanent programs.
Wild further explained that the District liability insurance provider does not recognize a District security force. Law enforcement personnel in its schools must be assigned and tasked by a properly recognized law enforcement entity such as the Junction City Police Department or the Geary County Sheriff’s Office. Assignment, training, and tasking authority must come from either of those agencies and cannot come from USD 475.
“While meeting with Tony, I offered a concern that District funding of the proposed initiative may be perceived by the insurance industry and legal system as a means of bypassing proper law enforcement channels. Education, not law enforcement, is the core competency of USD 475. We should work together to make sure the lines of effort between the District and Law Enforcement remain clear,” Wild stated.
The District expressed additional concerns regarding jurisdictional issues between the JCPD, Sherriff’s Office, and Fort Riley law enforcement. Should Wolf’s proposal be adopted, questions regarding jurisdictional primacy would require some form of a Memorandum of Understanding between law enforcement agencies with the District, as the supported entity, also as a signatory to that agreement.
Upon initial hearing of Wolf’s proposal through media outlets, the District prepared a cursory cost impact assessment reflecting an estimated annual cost approaching $1M to place an officer or more in each District school. With 19 schools the minimal cost of this effort, assuming a cost of $50,000 per officer, approaches $1M in annual expense. Wild added that at this level of cost it would require a five mill tax increase to either the county or city taxing authority.
Geary County Schools has been in the process of updating and renewing the District School Resource Officer agreement which is up for renewal at the end of the current fiscal year. The District initiated renewal discussions with JCPD late this past winter. When finalized the new agreement commencing July 1, 2018, will reflect the placement of an officer at the City Middle School, Freshman Success Academy, and Junction City High School. A fourth officer will continue to support the D.A.R.E program funded through grant monies
A new facility project for the Saint Xavier School was unveiled at the annual school auction Saturday night.
According to Principal Shawn Augustine they were trying to get the bidding to $10,000 dollars on the project, “to pay for basically an adjoining part of the building, from Building A which is right behind the stage where the doorway is coming in to Building B which is our preschool. So it’s going to go where it comes around the gym. “Augustine confirmed that means people will not have to walk across the gym stage or gym floor. “So it’s just a great expansion for us.”
More than $10,000 was raised during the auction and the Saint Xavier Foundation will be prepared to provide matching funds. Augustine anticipates the new addition will be built this summer.
The auction is traditionally the largest annual fundraiser for the Saint Xavier School.
Other popular auction items included a student tuition that went for $3,200 and the naming of the drive entering the parking lot between the school and the church for $1,500.
Augustine estimated the turnout for the auction at approximately 250 people.
The monthly Milford Lake bird walk will be Saturday, April 21st at 8 a.m.
Participants will meet at the parking lot on the south end of Milford Lake
Dam, just across the highway from the Corps of Engineers Office. This
month´s walk will focus on recently arriving migrants and newly arrived
summer residents.
The walks usually last about two to three hours and
involve moderate walking. If you have binoculars or a bird book please bring
them. The May walk is scheduled to for May 19, 2018. For more information
contact Chuck Otte at 238-4161 or 238-8800.
The Kansas Highway Patrol reported a 2015 school bus driven by Laura P. Kumle, 36, Manhattan, was westbound on Walters Drive. The driver failed to yield to the right of way by driving across the intersection of Walters Drive and U.S. 24.
