There will be a Red Cross blood drive at the Junction City Municipal Building on Wednesday, Sept. 19th and Thursday, Sept. 20th.
The hours on the 19th will be 11:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. and on the 20th 8 a.m. to 1 p.m.
Call 1-800-RED Cross ( 1-800-733-2767 ) or visit RedCrossBlood. org and enter: Junction City to schedule an appointment. Walk-in’s are welcome.
Welcome to Better Kansas. Where every Thursday we shed light on events, resources and other information designed to make your life, businesses, communities and state better. Share on social media and don’t forget to hit subscribe! – Mary Lou Peter mlpeter@ksu.edu
DO YOU THINK MEDICARE IS CONFUSING? It can be! It’s nice to have choices but not so easy to know Plan A from Plan D much less which plan to sign up for. And oh, the seemingly endless changes every year! Many extension offices offer Senior Health Insurance Counseling for Kansas, or SHICK. During open enrollment in 2017, K-State Research and Extension SHICK counselors educated almost 8,000 Kansans on Medicare plan comparisons and available benefits, saving them a total of $6.1 million. Outside open enrollment, SHICK counselors had contact with another 8,316 people through classes and plan comparisons. Remember, Medicare open enrollment is Oct. 15-Dec. 7.
FRESH TOMATOES, PEPPERS AND ONIONS are plentiful right now, and that means one thing: It’s salsa time! Whether it’s a game-day gathering or a birthday party, salsa has become a must-have condiment for many of us, and everyone’s recipe is a little different. Whether you’re a novice or an experienced cook, check out tips to keep your salsa safe in Sassy Safe Salsa at Home. It’s also available in Spanish, Atrevida Salsa Casera Segura. Among the factoids: Salsa flavors tend to mellow during storage; and there’s an optimal way to roast peppers. There’s even information about whom to contact if you’re interested in selling your own special salsa.
THEY CHEW THROUGH WIRING AND CONTAMINATE FOOD AND FEED and as the days grow colder, house mice will be looking for warmer digs, like our homes and businesses. They’re among the most common and economically destructive rodents in the United States, but their tiny size makes them so hard to keep out. Plus, forget rabbits – house mice reproduce like crazy. One pair can make more than 100,000 babies a year. Their scientific name, Mus musculus, makes me think of the muscle-bound cartoon character Mighty Mouse, but that was all in fun. It’s no fun though to find they’ve chewed through food packages in the pantry or left not-so-delightful droppings ANYWHERE. A new fact sheet Controlling House Mice provides all kinds of information, including ways to keep your space look less inviting to the little critters.
A NUMBER OF PINE TREES IN MY NORTHEAST KANSAS NEIGHBORHOOD ARE DYING. It’s tough because they provide an evergreen wind break and serve as a visual barrier from people driving by, so it has me wondering what kinds of trees might be good options to replace them. The publication Conifer Trees for Kansas is a comprehensive guide to conifers (you know, the cone-bearing trees like pine, spruce and fir :). It tells which do well in different parts of the state, what their primary pests and diseases are – plus it has pictures. It even gives an idea if they’re slow-, medium- or fast-growing. Questions still? Check with your local K-State Research and Extension office. By the way, we’re proud to say that conifer publication won the 2018 American Society of Horticulture Science Extension Materials Award.
IF WEBER AND CALL HALLS WERE YOUR HOME AWAY FROM HOME for a few years in college or if you’re in or want to be in the livestock business in Kansas, come together with family and friends at the 5TH Annual Animal Sciences and Industry Family and Friends Reunion from 5:30-9:30 p.m. on Friday, Oct. 4, at the Stanley Stout Center, 2200 Denison Ave. in Manhattan. The evening offers great food, entertainment and activities for the kids. This year, the Don L. Good Impact Award will be presented to the Kansas Livestock Association. More than 1,000 attended last year’s event. We hope to see you there!
APPARENTLY, ALFALFA, WHEAT SEEDLINGS AND OTHER CROPS HAVE BEEN ON GRASSHOPPERS’ MENU lately, and most are full grown by this time of year, which makes controlling them tricky, according to Grasshoppers – Eating their way through Kansas in a recent Agronomy eUpdate. The article has great photos and the nitty gritty on when and if to treat them in several crops. Plus, you’ll see that entomologist sense of humor I mentioned in a previous post.
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For more resources and activities, contact the K-State Research and Extension office in your area.
A three-member staff from the Geary County Convention and Visitor’s Bureau will be at the State Fair in Hutchinson for the entire nine-day run of that event.
CVB Director Michelle Stimatze said they’ll be manning booths and promoting everything Geary County and Fort Riley have to offer. They’ll be located in the Pride of Kansas building. “Many, many groups that are CVB’s and tourism and that kind of thing are in there. Also there’s some associations as well.”
Stimatze said they will put in 12-hour days at the fair. “It’s really exciting to promote your community and all the great things they have to say about Junction City and Geary County.” Stimatze said you meet many people from across the state. “It’s just an opportune time to put us out there.
The CVB staff will promote Milford Lake, historical monuments and that Junction City is Fort Riley’s hometown among other things.
The trip to the fair has been an effort for the CVB in recent years.
The Urban Search and Rescue Team comprised of members from multiple agencies in Kansas, including Junction City firefighters Jason Lankas and Adam Powers, is now traveling to North Carolina to continue assisting in Hurricane Dorian response efforts. The team has been released from their deployment in Florida.
Kansas Task 1 is a team of 42 first responders sent to assist initially with operations in Florida as Hurricane Dorian made it’s way to the east coast. But after the storm turned north and continues to head to the Carolinas they have been requested for deployment in North Carolina. They will travel to Raleigh, North Carolina where they will await assignment.
The Acting Secretary of the Army, Ryan McCarthy, was part of the effort in 2010 to obtain the federal funding used to build Seitz Elementary School at Fort Riley. At the time he was serving as a Special Assistant to then-Secretary of Defense Robert Gates.
McCarthy returned to the post on Thursday with Seitz Elementary being one of his stops. He remembered being in attendance the day Gates committed to obtaining funding for the school. “I was riding with him in the truck on the way over here and I was on the phone most of the time because we were in the final touches talking to lawyers and the finance organizations within the Department of Defense. We talked right before he went out on stage to talk to the ( military ) families where he going to make that commitment.”
McCarthy added that Gates’ pledge was accomplished. ” He had said there will be a shovel in the ground before the summer of 2011, and sure enough nine months later it got done.”
McCarthy toured the school on Thursday where he met with students, teachers and administrators. He was accompanied by U.S> Senator Jerry Moran, USD 475 leaders and other local military and civilian leaders.
During discussions with the students McCarthy visited classrooms, the library and the lunchroom as well as the commons area. He learned about topics ranging from the fact that Seitz Elementary School is a green school where a rain water study is under way now to the focus on quality learning and development of social skills. And the Acting Secretary of the Army learned from one student that the lunches served at the school were a highlight as well.
The groundbreaking for Seitz Elementary School was held on May 19, 2011. The school opened with 680 students on Aug. 15, 2012 and the formal ribbon cutting was held on September 14, 2012. The school is named after the late ( Lt. Gen. ) RIchard Seitz. He was an active supporter of Geary County schools following his 35-year military career.
Today the current capacity of the school is 675 students.
McCarthy’s schedule at Fort Riley also included visits with 1st Infantry Division and Fort Riley leaders and troops.
MANHATTAN — Kansas State University is again being recognized as the top university value in Kansas by Money magazine.
It’s the fourth year in a row that K-State is the highest-ranking Kansas school on Money’s list, which was developed to find schools that successfully combine quality and affordability. The magazine rates schools on factors dealing with quality of education, affordability and student outcomes.
K-State’s average starting salary of $51,600 for new graduates leads all Kansas schools on Money’s list. In fact, per the university’s latest post-graduation survey, 96% of new K-State graduates are employed or continuing their education six months after their graduation.
The Money rankings come on the heels of the survey by SmartAsset, a financial technology company, that also found K-State as the state’s top educational value. And a third national survey, The Princeton Review’s recently released “America’s Best 385 Colleges,” finds K-State is one of the best in the nation for student-centered services. According to the survey, K-State is No. 2 in the nation for best quality of life, town-gown relations and health services. The university is No. 3 nationally for happiest students and for students who love their college, and No. 7 for best-run colleges and for athletic facilities.
Beth Bohn, K-State News and Communications Services
Division of Communications and Marketing
The Geary USD 475 Board of Education approved a series of pay raises for school district employees this week.
The Executive Director of Personnel Services, Dawn Toomey, said classified staff received a five percent increase plus a forward step on the salary schedule, salaried employees except for administrators and occupational therapists,4.25% plus the forward step while administrators and occupational therapists 3.25% plus the forward step.
The Board of Education took the action during their meeting on Tuesday at the Devin Center.
The Kansas Prince Hall Masonic Foundation along with several other sponsors hosted its first Kansas Prince Hall Golf Tournament at Rolling Meadows Golf Course near Junction City. The chairman of the event Grand Orator Cleveland Tolbert, worked tirelessly to coordinate the event.Several people tested their skill out on the gold course’s driving range while others went the entire length of the course. Additionally the event included a meal with grilled T-Bone steaks catered by “Fine as Wine Catering.” According to the chairman, Brother Cleveland Tolbert, this is the beginning of an annual tournament. He along with the Kansas Prince Hall Masonic Foundation would like to thank all that participated and sponsored the event to ensure that it was successful.
Work continues on the north parking lot at the Geary County Office Building.
County Commissioner Keith Ascher said the work will be done in three phases, with phase one under way now. He said what is found under the subgrade, and the weather conditions will determine the length of the project being undertaken by Bayer Construction.
The governing body also received a report this week from Rural Fire Chief Garry Berges about the number of rural fire calls year to date. The total was 70 compared to 130 one year ago at this time.
Nearly 70 vendors were represented during the Junction City Area Chamber of Commerce Business Expo Wednesday evening in Heritage Park.
The Member Relations Director for the Chamber, Amy Garner, said organizers want the community to see what is available in Junction City. “What businesses are here, we have a lot of home businesses in the area. ” She added that those attending could also learn about opportunities to serve with nonprofits.
Garner said there was a good grouping of retail vendors, professional services and nonprofit service organizations represented in the Expo.
City Manager Allen Dinkel enjoyed the event. “It’s fun. Even though I’ve been here four and a half years I see new businesses and things that are offered in this community to buy and enjoy.” Dinkel also enjoyed visiting with members of the community.
