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Category: Local

Kansas 4-H Program Fee Goes into Effect in October

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In an effort to stabilize funding and grow the 4-H youth development program, Kansas 4-H is implementing an annual K-State Research and Extension 4-H program fee of $15 per member. The new fee goes into effect in October – which is the start of the new 4-H year.

 

State 4-H leader and department head of Kansas State University’s 4-H youth development program, Wade Weber, says the fee will provide continuity to its programming.   “Meaning, there are areas that we want to invest in. There are areas that we want to grow in. There are new project areas that we want to bring to local communities, and invite volunteers to be trained on because they are essential to equipping young with the skills that they need to be successful going forward. (:18)

Weber says the program fee will be used to enhance 4-H’s volunteer infrastructure. “Which I’m hearing across the board as I talk with folks in communities across Kansas, is that we need to continue to incentivize that on ramp for volunteers to participate in all the things that they could be a part of to invest their time and energies within the 4-H youth development program. (:15)

 Nearly 80,000 young people participate in Kansas 4-H, along with 11,000 adult and youth volunteers in partnership with local extension agents who serve all 105 Kansas counties.

 

County to Propose Moving Planning and Zoning and GIS Director into Same Office.

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Geary County Commission Chairman Ben Bennett

The Geary County Commission will submit a proposal to combine the Planning and Zoning Office from the Junction City Municipal Building with the GIS Department.

County Commission Chairman Ben Bennett said the County would re-establish the interlocal agreement with some changes, “putting the GIS Director and the Planning and Zoning Director in the same office . The GIS Department would only be a County entity, and the Planning and Zoning would be a city – county organization. The office would be in the Geary County Office Building.

Bennett said he plans to move forward on that proposal starting this week.

 

Incredibly Successful Summer Picnic Parties

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Bicycles were awarded in Heritage Park on Monday to five children who participated in the Summer Picnic Parties in Junction CIty.

A coordinator for the Summer Picnic Parties, Marty Rombold, is calling the effort to feed hungry children in Junction City this summer “incredibly successful.”

Rombold noted 3,200 meals across five locations in the city were served to children during the noon hour five day a week. She added that more than 1,000 of those meals were served at the Fifth Street Playground Park. “And then next was the Library with all their reading programs. Regency Trailer Park had an amazing number of kids, thanks to Charles Martinez who was really active in getting the kids out there.”

The effort for a second consecutive year was funded through a grant from USDA and the Wichita Food Bank.

Five lucky children were the winners of bicycles donated by the local Walmart. Rombold said every day the children arrived for a meal they were allowed to put their name in for a drawing. “So the more often they came, the more opportunities they had to win. So on the last day it was just drawing a name out of the hat.” The recipients of the bicycles included Olivia Engledow, Leslie Thomas, Jayna Winans, Vanessa Nixon and Deidra Bell.

Numerous volunteers assisted with this program during the summer.

 

 

Chamber Lunch and Learn Set for Friday

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Dorothy Bramlage Public Library building

The next session in the Junction City Area Chamber of Commerce Lunch and Learn series will be Friday, August 18th from 11:45 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Dorothy Bramlage Public Library Community Room.

The workshop presented by Dale Carnegie Kansas Heartland Region, will focus on “Employee Engagement: Are Millennials Different.”

This will be free for Chamber members and $5 for future members. To RSVP call the Chamber at 785-762-2632 or email info@jcacc.org.

County to Consider Adoption of 2018 Budget on August 21st

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There was not any general public attendance at the annual Geary County budget hearing Monday afternoon.

County Commission Chairman Ben Bennett stated that the governing body will consider adoption of the spending plan Monday, August 21st at 2 p.m.  The budget includes a proposed reduction of 1.614 mills in the property tax levy.

Among the reductions in the budget for 2018 is a $60,000 cut in funding for Flint Hills Area Transportation Agency ( ATA Bus),  the public transportation service.  Bennett stated no changes would be made there, and the money would not be added back into the spending plan.

At the time the proposed reduction was first reported the director of ATA Bus, Anne Smith, noted that the proposed cut was disappointing. She stated the local funding was used to leverage federal and state funds, so it would be more in the line of over a $120,000 reduction to their Geary County budget. Commissioner Charles Stimatze noted that all County departments were asked to make reductions to help with budget preparation.

ATA Bus Board President Florence Whitebread had later urged the commission to restore the funding.

 

Jail Inmate Population Down

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The jail inmate population at the Geary County Detention Center has been down in recent weeks, to just over 100 inmates.That’s a drop from more than 160 earlier this year.

Right now Sheriff Tony Wolf said it’s on a downward cycle. “When we were up in the 160’s that was the other end of the spectrum. We were getting filled up big-time there, but now we’re on a downward cycle. We’re thankful for that. The jail staff over there, this is a big relief on them. It’s very nice to have a lower population.”

As of Monday, August 7th, the inmate population totaled 105.

The sheriff said there is still a need for jailers. “A hundred people is still a lot of folks. We need a lot of corrections officers to help take care of those folks, and maintain everything while they’re over there in the jail system.” Wolf spoke on JC Now on 1420 KJCK, The Talk of JC.

Meet and Greet with Congressman Marshall

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photo courtesy https://marshall.house.gov

Attention Young Professionals, there will be a meet and greet with 1st District Congressman Roger Marshall Thursday, August 24th at Colbert’s at 5200 Colbert Hills Drive, Manhattan. This is scheduled from 7 – 8:30 p.m.

Snacks and drinks will be provided.

This is is being hosted by the Manhattan Young Professionals and the Young Professionals of Junction City.

Victory Fest Plans

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The Victory Week Festival activities begin at Fort Riley on Wednesday ( August 16th ) with competition in sporting events and continue through August 25th with the  1st Infantry Division Review and a Victory Cup ceremony.

On Friday the Victory Park 100th Year Monument will be unveiled in a ceremony at 3 p.m.

The Victory Fest concert and firework display will be held Saturday on Marshall Army Airfield beginning at 11 a.m. with local bands on the second stage. That will be followed by headliners Lit, The Charlie Daniels Band, The All-American Rejects and Eli Young Band on the main stage.

AAA Kansas Warning: School’s Open, Drive Carefully

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TOPEKA, Kan. – Every fall, more than 55 million children across the United States head back to school. With 13 percent of those children typically walking or biking to their classes, AAA Kansas warns drivers to be especially vigilant for pedestrians before and after school hours. The afternoon hours are particularly dangerous – over the last decade, nearly one in four child pedestrian fatalities occurred between 3 p.m. and 7 p.m.

 

Launched in 1946, AAA’s School’s Open – Drive Carefully awareness campaign was created as a way to help reduce child pedestrian fatalities and injuries. Here are several recommendations from AAA Kansas regarding ways drivers can help to keep kids safe:

 

  • Slow down. Speed limits in school zones are reduced for a reason. A pedestrian struck by a vehicle traveling at 25 mph is nearly two-thirds less likely to be killed compared to a pedestrian struck by a vehicle traveling just 10 mph faster.
  • Come to a complete stop. Research shows that more than one-third of drivers roll through stop signs in school zones or neighborhoods. Always come to a complete stop, checking carefully for children on sidewalks and in crosswalks before proceeding.
  • Eliminate distractions. Research shows that taking your eyes off the road for just two seconds doubles your chances of crashing. And children can be quick, crossing the road unexpectedly or emerging suddenly between two parked cars. Reduce risk by not using your cell phone or eating while driving, for example.
  • Reverse responsibly. Every vehicle has blind spots. Check for children on the sidewalk, in the driveway and around your vehicle before slowly backing up. Teach your children to never play in, under or around vehicles.
  • Watch for bicycles. Children on bikes are often inexperienced, unsteady and unpredictable. Slow down and allow at least three feet of passing distance between your vehicle and a bicyclist. If your child rides a bicycle to school, require that he or she wear a properly fitted bicycle helmet on every ride. Find videos, expert advice and safety tips at ShareTheRoad.AAA.com.
  • Talk to your teen. Car crashes are the leading cause of death for teens in the United States, and nearly one in four fatal crashes involving teen drivers occur during the after-school hours of 3 p.m. to 7 p.m. Get evidence-based guidance and tips at TeenDriving.AAA.com

 

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