The 20th annual assisted deer hunt was held this past Friday through Sunday at Milford Lake. The Corps of Engineers said 13 physically challenged hunters participated in the outing and harvested one antlerless and two antlered deer.
The hunters began Friday afternoon with an orientation meeting and were assigned volunteer guides. The hunt began each morning at five a.m. with breakfast served by the Geary County Fish & Game Association.
The Corps reported that the hunt was made by the support of volunteers and sponsors including the Geary County Fish & Game Association, Milford State Park, Grandpa Boones Cabin and the Clay Center Locker Plant for free processing of each deer.
The City of Grandview is collecting items for the Open Door Emergency Shelter. That includes non-perishable food items and cleaning supplies.
Bring the items to Grandview Plaza City Hall. It is open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday. If you need more information call City Hall at 238-6673.
The National Weather Service has issued a red flag warning from 10 a.m. until 6 p.m. Monday for strong northwest winds and low relative humidities.
Geary, Dickinson, Clay, Riley, Morris, Pottawatomie, Jackson, Ottaway, Wabaunsee, Shawnee, Lyon, Osage and Coffey Counties are included in the warning area.
Winds will shift to the northwest and strengthen by the early afternoon. Sustained speeds are expected to be between 20 and 25 mph with gusts near 40 mph through the afternoon.
Fires could begin quickly, spread furiously and burn intensely.
The service for former Milford Mayor Morris “Mo” Greenwood will be Saturday. According to Penwell – Gabel in Junction City other arrangements are pending. Greenwood died this past Sunday at the Good Shepherd Hospice House in Manhattan.
Greenwood served multiple terms as mayor in Milford.
Former Junction City police chief Jerry Smith died this past Friday. Funeral arrangements are pending at the Londeen Funeral Chapel in Chapman.
Geary County Rural firefighters responded to a grass fire about seven miles southeast of Junction City Sunday afternoon.
According to Rural Fire Chief Garry Berges the site was near Red Road between Clarks Creek and Skiddy Roads. The fire burned about 50 acres of grassland on property being rented by John Moyer. Berges indicated officials believe exhaust from a pickup may have caused the blaze. No one was injured. About 20 large round hay bales were lost.
The site is owned by Harold Erichsen.
The Rural Fire Department responded to the scene with multiple trucks and also sought assistance from the White City Fire Department to put out the blaze.
Firefighters were on scene from about 3:30 p.m. to 6 p.m.
The Devin Center, site of the Monday Board of Education meeting
There is one agenda item for the Geary USD 475 Board of Education when they meet in a public special session at 5 p.m. Monday at the Devin Center. The Board will consider acquisition of land for a new Junction City High School.
The Chief Operations Officer for the school district, David Wild, will present the pros and cons for each of the four parcels of land under consideration. Troy Hertel, Vice President at Schaefer Johnson Cox and Frey, Leon Osbourn, President of Kaw Valley Engineering and Bill Wilson, a local appraiser, have been asked to be present to answer any questions.
The Board could make a motion on the specific parcel of land to purchase for the new high school, but that would be up to the BOE at their meeting on Monday.
According to agenda support information released on the school district’s website the four areas considered as a potential option for the location of a new school include:
–The Gfellar site, which is bounded on the north by Rucker Road. There could be access to this location by way of US 77 and Rucker Road or by K-18 and Munson Road
–The Horizon site, which has Strauss Boulevard running through it and on the south end the property runs near I-70. There would be access from US 77 or Lacy Drive to Spring Valley Road to Strauss Boulevard
–The North Munson site which is across K-18 northwest of the current City Middle School. There would be access to a new high school at that location via K-18.
–The South Munson site which is south of K-18 and west of the City Middle School. There would be access from K-18.
For both the North and South Munson sites one of the site access considerations would involve discussions about a roundabout at K-18 at Karns Road. For the South Munson location another consideration would be to extend Karns Road to the south.
All four of the potential locations would have numerous other considerations to be reviewed including site utilities, proximity, drainage / flood plain, grading, topography, visibility and site limitations.
Voters approved a bond issue for the new high school on November 7th. The entire project would be funded through a combination of state aid and federal heavy impact aid received by USD 475. District officials have made it clear there would be no increase in the local property tax levy.
Three members of the Geary USD 475 Board of Education were honored this past week for their service on the school board.
William Brooks, who has been a member of the BOE since February, has served to fill an unexpired term on the Board that was created when former member Kim Milleson relocated to another community in Florida. Carolyn Gaston and Brian Field did not seek reelection. Gaston has served on the Board for more than nine years, while Field is finishing up his fourth year on the BOE. All three will step down from the Board in early January.
USD 475 ConnectED reported that Gaston, Field and Brooks were each presented with a gavel that commemorated the time that they devoted to Geary County Schools.
The new McDonald’s Restaurant on West 6th Street is open for business. The former McDonald’s near that location was torn down and a new restaurant was built just to the west of the former site.
Junction City firefighters responded to 129 Sunset at 9:56 a.m. Saturday. Upon arrival they found leaves and grass had burned outside of the house, and had melted away a gas meter. That in turn resulted in a gas fed fire which rapidly spread along the siding of the house and into an attic.
There were no injuries, but the Fire Department confirmed the damage was major. The blaze occurred on the back corner of the residence, which had been occupied by one woman and her two small children. Their names have not been released.
The Fire Department responded with one engine, a ladder truck, a rescue truck, two ambulances and 13 personnel. They departed the scene at 11:28 a.m.
The cause of the blaze is being listed as undetermined for an exterior fire to the structure.
The 20th annual assisted deer hunt was held this past Friday through Sunday at Milford Lake. The Corps of Engineers said 13 physically challenged hunters participated in the outing and harvested one antlerless and two antlered deer.
