ATA Bus, the public bus transportation service, is working on an effort to try and upgrade their bus stops in Junction City and Manhattan.
The President of ATA Bus said they want continuity in the bus stops in both cities. “We don’t want to have bus stops shelters or benches that look completely different in one community or the other. We want that continuity.” Smith added in either city they want the bus stops to be recognizable. “I don’t want people to feel like it’s too separate systems. There’s a connectivity that we want to encourage. ”
ATA Bus has enlisted Architecture, Planning and Design College students at K-State to help prepare some design matrix and standards for amenities such as benches and bicycle racks.
Smith feels there will be some designs to consider in the spring semester, and they want city staff from Manhattan and Junction City to also provide input. “Realistically it’ll probably be the late summer into the fall of next year before we start getting anything implemented in terms of what the consumer will see out on the street.”
Junction City Mayor Phyllis Fitzgerald will head a Sixth Street Clean Up project on Saturday morning. Volunteers will be welcome.
Fitzgerald said volunteers can meet in the parking lot outside the Chamber of Commerce, with the clean up running from 8 a.m. until about 10 a.m. “I’ve driven up and down Sixth Street the last several days, and it really looks terrible. ” Fitzgerzald added she just wants to clean up and ensure that the City looks good “Because Christmas is on Monday, and we’re going to have a lot of friends and family come to town, and we want our community to looking sharp for when visitors visit Junction City.”
Fitzgerald has led many other successful street clean up effort in Junction City during her time on the Junction City Commission.
RILEY COUNTY— A Kansas Highway Patrol Trooper was injured during a chase Thursday evening in Manhattan.
Just before 8:30 p.m., a Kansas Highway Patrol Trooper stopped to check on an abandoned vehicle near 3rd and Poyntz in Manhattan, according to Lt. Adam Winters of the Kansas Highway Patrol.
A woman approached the trooper and he returned to his vehicle to check her identification. The trooper was unable to get the information he needed and returned to the woman who was now in the vehicle. She drove away with the trooper hanging onto the front of the vehicle, according to Winters. The trooper eventually was able to return to his vehicle and started a chase that continued down Kansas 177 to Interstate 70. The chase ended at Wabaunsee Road.
The Trooper arrested Micheale Ketra Bennett, 36, Raytown, Mo., for alleged aggravated battery of a law enforcement officer; Fleeing and Attempt to Elude Law enforcement in commission of a felony. She is being held on a $20,000 bond, according to the Riley County Police arrest report.
The trooper was transported to a Topeka hospital for treatment of an injury to his arm, according to Winters. He was released a short time later.
Bennett has a previous conviction for receiving stolen property, according to the Missouri Department of Corrections.
She has a conviction in Johnson County Kansas for theft in 2007, according to the Kansas Department of Corrections.
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RILEY COUNTY-Law enforcement authorities are investigating a suspect on felony charges.
Just before 8:30p.m. Thursday police arrested Micheale Ketra Bennett, 36, Raytown, MO., near Humboldt and 4th Street in Manhattan for alleged aggravated battery of a law enforcement officer; Fleeing and Attempt to Elude Law enforcement in commission of a felony. She is being held on a $20,000 bond, according to the Riley County Police arrest report. The Kansas Highway Patrol made the arrest.
Bennett has a previous conviction for receiving stolen property, according to the Missouri Department of Corrections.
She has a conviction in Johnson County Kansas for theft in 2007, according to the Kansas Department of Corrections.
Authorities did not release additional details on her arrest early Friday.
In the healthcare industry, particularly at Geary Community Hospital, it is our call of duty to take care of patients and families to promote their well-being. From the friendly face greeting you at the front door to the nurse taking your vitals or the radiologist tech conducting an exam, our giving and nurturing nature is a major part of what we do. Throughout the holiday season at Geary Community Hospital, we proudly go above and beyond that call of duty and give back to those in need within Junction City and Geary County.
Every fall GCH participates in the United Way’s annual fundraising campaign with dozens of hospital employees purchasing a United Way t-shirt to wear on Mondays to show their support. Funds donated to the United Way directly impact local agencies whose work supports the community with education, health, income stability and safety net services.
Closer to the holidays, GCH conducts its own holiday program, “Operation Care,” a food and warm clothing drive, and also takes part in the Salvation Army’s “Angel Tree – Christmas is for Kids” gift program. Both programs ran through mid-December and they benefit families in need in our community. We were delighted to have the Flint Hills Chapter Harley Owners Group take part this year with major contributions to both programs.
This was the 19th year for “Operation Care” at GCH. Once again, we teamed up with Wheels of HOPE (Helping Other People Eat), a local organization that fights hunger in our community. Throughout the holiday season we collected canned and non-perishable food as well as new and gently used warm clothing. Many GCH employees also choose to donate their own holiday gift from the hospital – a fresh turkey – to help other families have a holiday meal. All of these donations were distributed to the community’s most needy families on Thursday, December 21.
GCH also supported the Salvation Army’s “Angel Tree – Christmas Is For Kids” project. For several weeks, the GCH lobby hosted a Christmas tree decorated with many ornaments – each representing a child in need for Christmas. Employees selected ornaments from the tree and shopped for the child’s requested clothes and gifts. The GCH Patient Access team took the gifts to the Salvation Army who will deliver them to each child’s home prior to Christmas Day. This year our GCH employees and the Flint Hills Chapter Harley Owners Group graciously adopted 50 kids making their holiday even brighter.
This year the Angel Tree program at GCH met children’s wishes with gifts and Operation Care brought barrels of food items which helped create 80 holiday turkey meals to feed hungry families in our community. We hope to grow donations over the years and continue the strong tradition of giving back to help our neighbors in need during the holidays.
Nikki Davies, Director, Marketing and Public Relations
South Kiwanis Club members undertook a project to fund the city’s installation of new benches in Junction City’s Coronado Park this year.
Club spokesman Jim Germann stated the club itself did not purchase all of the benches. Individual members were able to donate funds, and as a way of thanking them they were allowed to put a placard on the benches.
Germann said there are five benches, and in the future a few more will probably be installed.
(from L to R): Brad Simonsson, Manhattan Town Center; Terry Resseguie, Navy Federal Credit Union; Aidia (15); Loni Kite; Lili (12); and Brian Kite.
Manhattan, Kan. – One Fort Riley family now has an extra $500 to spend at Manhattan Town Center in time for Christmas.
Brian Kite, a staff sergeant who is a section chief in aviation maintenance stationed at Camp Humphries in Korea, came home on leave last week.
The first activity their family planned to do together after being apart 16 months was visit Manhattan Town Center to do some shopping and see the new Star Wars movie on IMAX during the mall’s Military Appreciation Weekend event.
At the military appreciation event, Brian’s wife Loni registered at presenting sponsor Navy Federal Credit Union’s table and was selected as the grand prize winner of a $500 Manhattan Town Center shopping spree.
Manhattan Town Center, in partnership with Navy Federal Credit Union, holds the annual Military Appreciation Weekend before Christmas to offer military families an opportunity to shop with additional markdowns. During the two-day event most stores and restaurants offer a discount in addition to their standard military discount.
Brian and Loni are native Kansans, growing up near Wichita and now live on post at Fort Riley.
Andrew Jackson, Fort Riley, was also awarded the $100 Manhattan Town Center gift card as part of the prizes given away during the event.
The Manhattan Fire Department was dispatched to 3006 Anderson Avenue at 11:27 a.m. on Thursday. Upon arrival, crews found smoke showing from an HVAC unit on the roof of Wendy’s Restaurant. The fire was contained within 20 minutes, with firefighters remaining on the scene for several hours overhauling the blaze.
The Fire Department reported that a total of 17 firefighters responded on six fire trucks with the last units clearing the scene about 3:30 p.m. All customers and employees evacuated prior to the arrival of the Fire Department. One westbound lane of Anderson Avenue had to be closed for about one hour.
The building is a one-story fast food restaurant that was open for business when the fire began. The building sustained considerable damage and will be closed for an unknown amount of time. The loss is estimated at $75,000 to the structure and $75,000 to the equipment, contents and food. The owner is listed as Tigerlily Properties LLC of Rancho Santa Margarita, California.
The cause of the fire appears to be accidental in nature, starting in the HVAC unit on the roof.
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Manhattan firefighters responded to a blaze at the Wendy’s Restaurant at 3006 Anderson Avenue at 11:27 a.m. Thursday.
Assistant Fire Chief Mike Kaus confirmed there were no injuries, and the cause and damage estimate are still under investigation. The blaze was extinguished.
Kaus indicated where the fire is pictured, it is coming out of a vent by the HVAC unit on the roof of the structure. ( Photos courtesy of Manhattan Fire Department Facebook page )
The Dorothy Bramlage Public Library will be closed from Sunday, December 24 through Tuesday December 26 and from Sunday, December 31 through Monday, January 1 for the Christmas and New Year’s holidays.
The outdoor book drop located on the building wall at the north entrance will be open and monitored during that time so all items can still be returned.
RILEY COUNTY — Law enforcement authorities are investigating an alleged attempted murder and have a suspect in custody.
Just after 7 a.m. on Thursday, police filed a report for attempted murder in the 2nd degree, aggravated endangering a child and criminal use of weapons in the 1900 block of Lincoln Dr. in Manhattan, according to the RCPD activity report.
A 27-year-old Manhattan man is listed as the victim, according to police.
Police arrested Curtis Norman, 57, of Manhattan on charges of attempted murder in the 2nd degree and criminal use of weapons.
Norman remains jailed on a bond of $100,000.00. He has a previous aggravated battery conviction in 2001, according to the Kansas Department of Corrections.
ATA Bus, the public bus transportation service, is working on an effort to try and upgrade their bus stops in Junction City and Manhattan.
