The annual meeting of the Geary County Historical Society is Monday, November 13th at 6:30 p.m.

There will be a pot roast dinner prepared by the Pilot Club, followed by a brief meeting. After that there will be a presentation by Diane Eickhoff from the Kansas Humanities Council Speakers Bureau. Her presentation is “Women in the Civil War.”

Dinner tickets are $15, and the presentation is free to the public.

Tickets are on sale at the Historical Museum or you can call 785-238-1666 to reserve a seat.

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January 6, 2018 is the day the traveling Smithsonian exhibit Water  / Ways opens at the museum and continues until February 18.

Junction City is one of seven towns in Kansas to host this traveling exhibit. There will be a grand opening and ribbon cutting for the exhibit at the Museum on January 6 at 1:30 p.m.

RILEY COUNTY — Law enforcement authorities have arrested a suspect for allegedly stealing a police vehicle.

Just after 6:30p.m. Friday officers were conducting a traffic stop near the intersection of 5th and Yuma in Manhattan, according to Riley County Police spokesperson Hali Rowland.

During the stop involving several suspect one of them drove off in a police vehicle.

Officers recovered the vehicle a short time later, according to Rowland.

Just after 2:30 a.m. Saturday, police arrested Anthony Johnson, 32, Junction City, in connection with the incident. He is being held on multiple charges and a $32,000 Bond.  He has previous convictions for Aggravated Battery and Burglary, according to the Kansas Department of Corrections.

RILEY COUNTY — Law enforcement authorities continue to investigate the October 25 battery of students involved with the high school football team in Manhattan.

Police reported multiple teenage suspects kicked and hit two victims including a 15-year-old and 16-year-old boy.

On Friday, the Riley County Police Department reported they want to ensure the public that every reasonable effort is being made to conclude the investigation in a timely but thorough manner. The duration of the investigation, however, is being driven by the number of people to be interviewed. There are approximately 70 students listed on the MHS varsity/junior varsity football roster, and we want to make sure everyone is given a chance to provide investigators with information relevant to the case.

USD 383 is fully cooperating with the police investigation. The initial investigation by the school did not provide a clear picture of the events, thus more expertise was necessary and appropriate. This investigation involves multiple people and will take time to complete properly.

In a media release, the school district said, “the safety and security of all our students remains a priority for USD 383 as is providing appropriate discipline based on facts. We trust that the investigative process of the Riley County Police Department will provide us the facts needed to make proper decisions.”

Junction City and Manhattan High School students and officials gathered for a summit this past week at the Devin Center in Junction City. According to USD 475 connectED they focused on the importance of sportsmanship on both sides of the field.

JCHS Athletic Director Matt Westerhaus told JC Post that they believe the Manhattan – Junction City rivalry is one of the best in the state. “And we want to enhance and grow that rivalry as much as we possibly can. We think there’s been some kind of outliers that unfortunately that has drawn a lot of attention and taken away from the ( football ) game itself.”

Westerhaus noted administrators, coaches, and most importantly the students from the two schools met. They discussed the meaning of the rivalry and where to go in the future to correct some of the issues detracting from the rivalry. “Some of the things that we talked about were what can we potentially do to enhance, be a little bit more positive.”

Westerhaus said he thought the students attending the summit were curious about what would happen. “Little curious because some of these students obviously didn’t know each other. And it was good for them to get an opportunity to talk to opposing school kids, and understand that they’re the same people, they’re the same. I think one of the things that we took out of this is down the road an opportunity for maybe our student section leaders or organizations to get together to provide some outreach, some positive messages in regard to the rivalry.  Westerhaus added he thought the student councils from the two schools would do a swap where they would visit the other school for a couple of days to get know the members.

Westerhaus said, “It’s got to be our students that want to do something. I think we have some great leaders, they have some great leaders. Hopefully we can enhance the rivalry and not talk about the negative stuff.”

USD 475 has announced that on Monday from 2 – 3:30 p.m. students at Junction City High School will be hosting a college fair for junior and senior students in Shenk Gymnasium. There will be 50 colleges in attendance as well as vocational and technical schools from across the state. Students will also be able to meet with military branches who are in attendance.

Students must register prior to attending the event. Registration should be done online at www.gotocollegefairs.com.

Parents can attend along with their students, although parents do not need to register.

The production of “Letters Home” is scheduled Thursday, Nov. 9th at 7:30 p.m. at the C.L. Hoover Opera House.

This will be a free show for active duty and veterans. For others the cost will be $22 for adults, $22 seniors 65+ and $10 for 18 and under. Tickets are on sale at the Opera House.

Actors will bring to life the words of soldiers and their families as written during the difficult circumstances of training, deployment and combat. Letters Home reveals the humanity that lies within war as seen through the eyes of the men and women fighting those wars today.

WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — Kansas State University is stepping up police patrols and taking other safety measures following a spate of racial incidents that culminated this week when a black man’s car parked near campus was scrawled with racist graffiti.

The president of the Black Student Union says minority students generally don’t feel safe on campus. But he says the school is taking steps toward more inclusion.

Kansas State says it is reviewing the need for additional cameras across campus. The school is also making progress on a multicultural student center and hiring two top leadership positions tasked with diversity issues on its campus in Manhattan, a city about 50 miles (81 kilometers) west of Topeka

The FBI has opened a civil rights investigation into Wednesday’s graffiti incident as a possible hate crime.

Members of the Chamber of Commerce and community participated in Junction Function Thursday evening at the Courtyard by Marriott Convention Center.

The activities ranged from dinner and games to silent and live auctions.

The Interim CEO for the Chamber, Mickey Fornaro-Dean, enjoyed the camaraderie, “just socializing and I’ve seen an awful lot of that. That’s what I love. I love to see the community come together and talk and visit.”

A new business in the community, Junction City Tattoo at 7th and Washington, was represented. Co-owner Drew Delafuente said they’re published artists throughout the nation. “We’re here to bring education and entrepreneurship to the city of Junction City. ” On their decision to locate in the downtown area Delafuente stated, ” We went downtown because it needs revival, and us being millennials and having a lot of energy we wanted to bring the revival to the city.”

( Photos from Junction Function ).