The monthly Milford Lake Bird Walk will be Saturday at 8 a.m. This will be the final walk of the year.
Participants will meet at the parking lot on the south end of the Milford Lake Dam just across the highway from the Corps of Engineers Office. Geary County Extension Agent Chuck Otte said the walk will focus on lingering migrants and winter residents.
The walks usually last about two to three hours. If you have binoculars or a bird book you can bring them.
The Grandview Plaza Police Department has reported the arrest of Jennifer Daymude on two outstanding Geary County District Court warrants that were issued in July of 2016.
Police reported that numerous tips had been received from the public that Daymude was still in the Grandview Plaza area and was evading arrest. An officer went to an address in Grandview Plaza for a parking complaint. While approaching the residence the officer observed Daymude inside the residence and she was arrested without incident.
Police said the arrest occurred at 3:30 p.m. on Tuesday.
The Junction City Area Chamber of Commerce used a special board meeting on Tuesday as a time to discuss a memorandum of understanding which would essentially allow three consolidated Chamber divisions to remain together through 2018. and use that time for reorganization.
Chamber Board Chairman Stan Hambright provided that information.
Earlier this year the Geary County Commission via a 2-1 decision notified the Chamber of their intent to withdraw another division, the Convention and Visitor’s Bureau, from the consolidated Chamber at the end of this year. Commissioner Ben Bennett supported leaving the CVB in the consolidated chamber.
In a separate matter Hambright said the Chamber board authorized the extension of the contract for Economic Development Director Mickey Fornaro-Dean through December 31 of 2018. She is also currently serving as the interim CEO for the Chamber of Commerce.
The Junction City Ladies Reading Club will hold its annual Fall Festival on Saturday, November 18 from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. at their clubhouse on 224 North Jefferson Street. The Festival is open to all and will include the sale of their signature pecan halves, a gift basket drawing, and homemade baked goods, many of which will be “freezable” for use during the holidays.
Sweet rolls and muffins will also be sold in the morning followed by a soup and sandwich lunch buffet from 11:30 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. The cost for the luncheon will be $5 per person. Coffee, tea or water will be provided.
According to club member Susan Moyer the Ladies Reading Club grew from an aid society that formed in the latter part of the 1800’s when a small group of women met to sew, roll bandages, etc. to assist with the crises of their day. To help pass the time and make their work more enjoyable, one of their circle was often designated to read aloud to the group as they worked.
In addition to providing entertainment, this voice also helped to bring literary offerings to women who otherwise had little access to them. Opportunities for education beyond the early grades were few and far between for most people of that era and particularly so for women. This served as motivation for the aid group to start a formal club in 1875 with the vision of providing its members with access to literature and educational programs.
As part of this a clubhouse was built in 1897 at the corner of Third and Jefferson Streets to provide a permanent meeting place for the group. With that the Junction City Ladies Reading Club holds two prominent distinctions, the oldest Kansas affiliate of the international General Federation of Women’s Clubs as well as the holder of the oldest clubhouse west of the Mississippi that is still in operation.
The club also holds the distinction of laying the foundation for several important community organizations and services. This includes the public library, the historical society and the Junction City Little Theater.
The Fall Festival is the group’s main fundraising activity and the proceeds will be used to continue the group’s commitment to community improvement by enhancing the lives of others through volunteer service. This includes support for students, families and veterans. Moneys earned from the festival will also be used for the upkeep and maintenance of the historic clubhouse.
MANHATTAN — Classes were cancelled at Kansas State University Tuesday afternoon. A large crowd of students, faculty and staff wore purple and joined together for a unity walk and rally to reject discrimination on the university campus.
Watch replay of the event here.
Student body president Jack Ayres and Darrell Reese, president of the Black Student Union, hosted the event. University President Richard Myers discussed steps to help the community move forward and unite.
The event comes after a noose and racist flyers were found on the campus in recent months. Last month, a 21-year-old black man defaced his own car with racist graffiti in what he described as a Halloween prank that got out of hand.
FORT RILEY, Kan. – A wreath-laying ceremony for former German and Italian prisoners of war takes place at the Fort Riley cemetery Nov. 16 at 10 a.m.
The annual ceremony is held in remembrance of the POWs who lived and worked at Fort Riley between 1943 and 1946, specifically the 62 Germans and 11 Italians now buried here.
German Army Col. Carsten Döding and Italian Army Lt. Col. Antonio Laudando will be guest speakers at the event. Both officers are currently stationed at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas.
In 1943, War Department officials established Fort Riley as one of 600 locations across the United States selected to house German, Italian and Japanese POWs. The camps became home for 350,000 prisoners—enough to man 35 German army divisions; approximately 4,500 were held at Fort Riley.
The POWs filled a labor void on area farms, working on roads, laundry and building maintenance projects. Prisoners earned about 80 cents a day. After the war, some of the POWs chose to stay in the local area to live and work.
The German and Italian Memorial Ceremony is open to the public.
A new face will soon grace the pediatrics clinic at Geary Community Hospital. Dr. Tessa Bandhan, Pediatrician, will join the practice Monday, November 20. The Trinidad and Tobago-native recently made the move to Kansas to begin a new chapter of her career as a pediatrician. “I am looking forward to building a life and putting some roots down where I can see myself long-term,” she said.
Dr. Bandhan grew up in Trinidad where she attended high school and medical school. During medical school she found that she enjoyed pediatrics and decided to pursue the specialty for her career. “It’s sad to see the kids sick… they can’t fake it when they feel bad,” she said. “But when they get excited when they start to feel better, it makes you feel good.”
Physician training differs from the U.S. when it comes to preparing to practice in a specialty, so she decided to seek out a residency in Florida at Jackson Memorial Hospital in Miami. In 2015 she returned home and opened a private practice in January of 2016, but she knew she wanted to come back to the U.S. and start her life. She visited a couple of locations throughout the country, but decided Junction City was the best place for her.
“They (Geary County residents) were so nice,” she said. “No one else compares.” During her visit to Geary Community Hospital she was impressed with the forward-thinking view of the hospital as well as the community.
“I’m easy-going,” said Dr. Bandhan of her practice style. “I don’t want anyone to be afraid to see me because my background is a little different. In the end it’s all about making the kids feel better.”
Survivor Day is the one day each year when people affected by suicide loss gather around the world events in their local communities to find comfort and gain understanding as they share stories of healing and hope.
This year all gatherings will include a screening of The Journey: A Story of Healing and Hope, a documentary about the suicide loss experience and the new follow-up feature, The Journey Revisited.
There will be a showing at Pawnee Mental Health Services at 2001 Claflin Road in Manhattan and at the Pawnee Mental Health Services office at 814 Caroline Avenue in Junction City on Saturday, Nov. 18 from 10 a.m. until noon.
Beginning Monday, November 20, through Sunday, November 26, the Junction City Police Department will join many other police agencies across the state, including the Kansas Highway Patrol, in the Kansas Thanksgiving Safe Arrival traffic enforcement campaign. A grant from the Kansas Department of Transportation (KDOT) will underwrite overtime enforcement efforts that specifically aim at removing impaired drivers from our roads and ticketing vehicle occupants who are unrestrained or whose child passengers are unrestrained.
According to KDOT, which tracks all crashes in the state, in comparison with other holidays, the Thanksgiving holiday period (Wednesday-Sunday) outranks all other major holidays (including the Super Bowl) in number of crashes in which driver impairment is cited as a factor. Those driving under the influence of alcohol or other drugs endanger not only themselves, but also others they share the road with – such as their passengers, other motorists, bicyclists and pedestrians. On average, across Kansas, three persons are injured every day, and one person is killed every three days in alcohol/drug-related crashes each day. And the crashes tend to be more severe. vehicle occupants in alcohol- or other drug-related crashes are over 2 ½ times more likely to be injured or killed than those involved in crashes where alcohol or other drugs were not a factor.
Each week across Kansas, over 250 drivers are arrested for DUI (Driving Under the Influence). A DUI conviction will result in jail time, the suspension or revocation of driver’s license, a fine of $500 to $2,500, participation in an alcohol or other drug treatment program and, where alcohol is cited as a contributing factor, the purchase and installation of an ignition interlock device in the offender’s vehicle. This device requires the offender to blow into a device that measures blood alcohol concentration prior to starting the car.
FORT RILEY, Kansas – Fort Riley will host a hiring and education fair at Riley’s Conference Center, 446 Seitz Ave., Thursday, Nov. 16, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.This year’s event will feature schools from around the United States, regional employers, Fort Riley Directorate of Emergency Services (security guards), Child, Youth and School Services, Veterans Affairs, Kansas Works, education counselors, financial aid advisors, Soldier For Life transition assistance counselors and many other organizations. In total, over 140 exhibitors will be on-site.
It is recommended that attendees dress for success and bring copies of their resumes, as employers may interview or hire on the spot. This event is open to all Soldiers, their family members, veterans, retirees and community members.
