The E-Community group is moving to the Economic Development Advisory Group in Geary County.

Mickey Fornaro-Dean, Economic Development Commission (EDC) Director, said that the move is in an attempt to create more momentum for the E-Community project.

“E-Community is a division of Network Kansas, and that’s where we raise the money for the tax credit to have some funding; we actually have a pool of funding available for entrepreneurs to apply for loans if they’re a startup or a small business.”

Fornaro-Dean said that there’s been a good core group, but they have struggled to gain momentum and get more involvement. “We decided we’d pull into the Advisory Committee that way there’s a meeting that’s regularly scheduled and people are involved; so [they] will act as kind of the overseeing group for E-Community to help push that forward.”

Fornaro-Dean said there will be a more concerted effort to promote entrepreneurism in Junction City/Geary County, including two workshops for small businesses.

“Thursday, August 17th from 5:00 pm to 7:00 pm and Saturday, November 18th from 10:00 am until noon – we’ll be having two workshops on either how to start a business, or business planning and business growth.”

The EDC has been working closely with the Small Business Development Center and providing support for the needs of the community’s small businesses.

In addition, Dean will take part in a trip to the Association of the United States Army (AUSA) annual convention in Washington, D.C. and a regional economic development trip with other local officials/leaders from Riley, Pottawatomie, and Geary Counties to Ames, Iowa.

NEWS RELEASE

August 9^th, 2017, Manhattan, KS – The Center for Interactive Learning and Collaboration and the Sunset Zoo are pleased to announce the Sunset Zoo Education Department’s Interactive Distance Learning Program has won the Pinnacle Award for the 2016-2017 fiscal year.

“We are extremely proud of all the work our Education Department has done to win this award. They are all creative, passionate, and driven to provide high quality educational programs,” said Scott Shoemaker, Director of Sunset Zoo.

IDL (Interactive Distance Learning) is a virtual education program where the Education Department connects virtually with a school classroom or a group, in real-time to engage them with the Zoo’s animal ambassadors. “IDL is different than other forms of distant and virtual learning, because it is real-time it allows for direct interaction, such as questions and topical discussion,” said Jared Bixby, Curator of Education of Sunset Zoo.

Throughout the year, the Sunset Zoo’s IDL program offered Close Encounters of the Wild Kind. This 20-30 minute program that engages participants in using their observation skills to identify animal adaptations and make inferences about those adaptations. More about the program can be found on the CILC website. This specific program was awarded the CILC Pinnacle Award.

The Pinnacle Award is given annually by the CILC to organizations that receive outstanding scores on program evaluations submitted by educators and other end users. Receiving the award indicates remarkable quality of educational content and exceptional skill at program deliver, according to the CILC Pinnacle Award Announcement.

The Center for Interactive Learning and Collaboration (CILC), established in 1994, specializes in the access to applications and the utilization of videoconferencing for live interactive content and professional development, as well as web-based collaborative learning environments for lifelong learning.

RILEY COUNTY – One person was injured in an accident just after 9:30p.m. Wednesday in Riley County.

The Kansas Highway Patrol reported a 2012 Ford Focus driven by Michael Graf-Dedonder, 26, St. George, was westbound on Kansas 18 four miles west of Manhattan.

The vehicle hit a pedestrian identified as James W. Davis, Georgia, who ran across the roadway southbound in the left lane.

Davis was transported to the hospital in Manhattan and later transferred to KU Medical Center.

Graf-Dedonder was not injured.

September is National Recovery Month.

Each year countless Kansans enter programs for help with substance abuse – locally, the evidence of substance abuse is clear. Take a look at the Geary County Booking Photos over the past month and the number of drug/alcohol abuse related arrests are alarming; even more so, that only reflects those that have been arrested.

The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) uses the month to bring awareness and understanding of mental and substance abuse disorders.

Locally, the Geary County Prevention Partnership (GCPP) are working to bring awareness while encouraging family fun.

“We’re partnering with different folks to bring awareness in the community, to let folks know that there are people out there that are struggling with addiction and do need support from the local community,” said Lawrence Palmer, GCPP.

Palmer noted that the GCPP was put together to address addiction issues in the community. “We’ve done things with Junction City Police Department block part [for] National Recovery Month, we’ve done a haunted hustle – which is a 5K – and we have an event coming up next month which is another 5K called the Superhero Family Fun Run.”

The fun run will be held at Acorn’s Resort at Milford Lake on Saturday, September 9th.

“You come dressed up as your favorite superhero – whether that’s Batman, Superman, you could come dressed up as law enforcement, a firefighter – it doesn’t necessarily have to be a superhero like you portray,” said Angela Gardner, GCPP.

All ages are welcome to participate in the fun run. Registration is open now at active.com. You can also find a registration link on the GCPP Facebook page.

Registration is $10 for youth, $20 for adults.

There will also be a speaker after the race from the SAMHSA to educate those in attendance on substance abuse recovery.

The Junction City and Geary County Commissions will both sign proclamations recognizing National Recovery Month locally.

MANHATTAN — An artist with a unique global perspective and style is the focus of the newest exhibition coming to Kansas State University’s Marianna Kistler Beach Museum of Art.

“Ubiquitous: Enrico Isamu Ōyama” runs Aug. 15-Dec. 23 in the museum’s Hyle Family Gallery. The exhibition surveys how Ōyama channeled his interests in the street cultures of Tokyo and American cities, Western abstract art and Japanese calligraphy to create Quick Turn Structure, his signature expression. Quick Turn Structure comes in varied creative platforms, including painting, digital media, sound and fashion. Through this artistic expression, Ōyama gives visual form to the mixed-race, multicultural, transnational experiences of people in today’s world of fluid borders and interconnectivity.

The son of an Italian father and a Japanese mother, Ōyama was born and raised in Tokyo, but spent extended periods in Italy. In Tokyo, he immersed himself in an underground art scene infused with the street culture of the city, which was interwoven with global influences. In 2011, Ōyama came to New York for a residency sponsored by the Asian Cultural Council. He has since established his studio in Brooklyn.

This exhibition is sponsored by Anderson Bed and Breakfast and made possible in part by a grant from The Japan Foundation, New York.

Ōyama’s work won’t be limited to the walls of the Beach Museum of Art. Several special activities are planned that bring his art to the streets and other locations in different platforms:

• The north exterior wall of Little Apple Art Supply, 706 N. 11th St., in Manhattan’s Aggieville district, will become Ōyama’s mural lab from Oct. 5-28.

• Art in Motion, an arts festival in the museum’s parking lot, 17th Street and Anderson Avenue, will be from noon to 4 p.m.Saturday Oct. 7. The free festival, which is open to the public, will feature a live painting performance by Ōyama at 2 p.m.The festival is concurrent with the Harmony in the ‘Hatt festival in Aggieville’s Triangle Park.

• “Aeromural,” a sound installation by Ōyama, will be available Oct. 12-26 in the Mark A. Chapman Gallery in the university’s Willard Hall. It is hosted by the Digital and Experimental Media Lab in the university’s art department. The gallery is open 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. weekdays.

Two free film screenings will be offered in conjunction with the exhibition, both in 101 Thompson Hall on the university campus and both open to the public:

• Ōyama will present the 1977 documentary “Stations of the Elevated” at 5:30 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 12.

• “Dark Progressivism” will be presented by the film’s director/producer Rodrigo Ribera d’Ebre at 5:30 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 26.

The Beach Museum of Art, at 14th Street and Anderson Avenue, is open Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Thursday from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m.; and Saturday from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Admission is free and free parking is available adjacent to the museum.