The annual Pooch Plunge at the Junction City Municipal Swimming Pool at 1001 West 5th Street is scheduled from 5-7 p.m. on Sunday.
The Pooch Plunge is free for dogs and their families.
Donations will be accepted for the Junction City / Geary County Animal Shelter and Friends of Animals.
There is a disconnect.
That’s the opinion of Geary Community Hospital CEO Dr. Joseph Stratton when it comes to federal funding being put into medical facilities in the Geary County – Fort Riley area.
It is having a negative impact on GCH. “At Geary Community Hospital we serve a number of veterans and active duty and their beneficiaries. With the buildup of the new healthcare facility at Fort Riley, the hospital and clinics out there, as well as the expansion of their primary care clinic on Highway 77 and the new VA clinic it really is just a direct competition to us. It takes those that we were serving through Tricare beneficiaries, a lot of them are starting to leave our facility and go to these other facilities that have been built up.”
Stratton said Geary Community Hospital is having to make a lot of adjustments for both this year and next year. “Try to figure where we’re going to make up the deficit with the buildup of the Medcom and VA facilities. We’re here and ready to help whatever way we can but it’s just a very difficult. The funding for the Army and the VA comes from federal funds, ours does not.”
Stratton stated there is a big difference so GCH is operating with much less money than their competitors. His comments were made during a town hall meeting discussion with Senator Jerry Moran where he noted while Geary Community sets here starving the feds keep shoving money into facilities. “I think there’s a disconnect.”
Stratton also told the Senator that a couple of false moves in the wrong direction on repeal and replace and there would be hospitals in Kansas that would crater. “You’ll see hospitals fall in the trench.” Stratton added he hopes at some point there will be some balance.
When the new Irwin Army Community Hospital was built it replaced a facility that dated back to 1955. The new facility was designed to accomodate future growth on Fort Riley. The new VA Clinic on Southwind Drive in Junction City was built to serve veterans in the Geary County and the surrounding region. It replaced an older facility that was not considered large enough.
National Recovery Month will be observed in Junction City in September. It is a national observance sponsored by SAMHSA, within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
The observance is intended to raise awareness of mental and substance use disorders, celebrates individuals in long-term recovery, and acknowledges the work of prevention, treatment and recovery support services.
On September 5th Mayor Phyllis Fitzgerald will present a proclamation signed by the city to designate September as Recovery Month for Junction City.
The Geary County Prevention Partnership will host a 5K called the Superhero Run on Saturday, September 9th at Acorn Resorts in the Farnum Creek area on the east side of Milford Lake. The early bird registration before August 15th is $20, and after August 16th $25. You can register at www.active.com.
In addition to the Geary County Prevention Partnership, the other Recovery Month collaborators include the 8th Judicial District, Restoration Center, Central Kansas Foundation, Fort Riley Department of Public Health, Geary County Health Department, Geary County Fetal Infant Mortality Review and Pawnee Mental Health.
The Kansas Department of Transportation will close the westbound passing lane between mile marker 297 and 296 on the south side of Junction City on Monday.
KDOT is continue the patching of bridge approaches and departures.
The Corps of Engineers is preparing for a big day Saturday ( August 12 ) when they celebrate the 50-year anniversary of the Milford Lake Dam.
Bill Whitworth, Project – Operations Manager for the Corps at Milford Lake, noted that Geary County Commission Chairman Ben Bennett and Junction City Mayor Phyllis Fitzgerald will be among the speakers during the ceremony at the East Rolling Hills Dedication Point area on the south side of the reservoir, “want to give people an opportunity to speak. It is a monumental occasion, so we hope to be there another 50 years.” The ceremony is scheduled for 8 a.m. Saturday.
Following that ceremony there will be activities in the Gathering Pond area below the dam which will be sponsored by the Junction City Area Chamber of Commerce – Geary County Convention & Visitor’ Bureau ranging from the seventh annual Float Your Boat competition to a bicycle race, and a 5K run / walk.
The Geary USD 475 Board of Education will hold their monthly meeting at 5 p.m. Monday at the Devin Center.
The open public session will include topics ranging from a 2017-18 school year budget preview to seeking authority to complete year-end transfers for the general and supplemental general funds.
There will be three executive sessions dealing with teacher contract negotiations, discussions on land acquisition and non-elected personnel.
The Manhattan Fire Department was dispatched at 7:58 a.m. Saturday to 2121 Meadowlark Road, Meadowlark Hills Retirement Community, for a report of a fire alarm sounding.
Upon arrival crews found moderate smoke in the hallway on the third floor. Crews immediately upgraded to a second alarm fire and began searching for the source of the smoke. A report of a possible lightning strike in the area of Meadowlark Hills Retirement Community prior to the incident. All residents sheltered in place during the incident. After a thorough search of the structure crew determined the cause to be a burned up air conditioning fan motor on the third floor.
A total of 20 firefighters responded on six fire trucks with the latest unit clearing the scene about 9 a.m. There was no fire damage and no injuries reported. All residents are safe and returned to their units.
NEWS RELEASE
by Ken Selzer, CPA, Kansas Commissioner of Insurance
With Kansas college students heading to school this month, the necessities of college life — clothing, electronic equipment, more clothing, — should include “insurance.”
But with such a broad and intensive topic, what major questions should parents and students answer? Below are five that we at the Kansas Insurance Department think are most appropriate. The questions may seem a bit negative, but knowing the answers will provide for a better positive outcome for both students and parents.
What if I have an auto accident?
Make it easier to report an accident. Installing the WreckCheck mobile smartphone application, a free application from the National Association of Insurance Commissioners, gives both students and parents an outline of what to do immediately following any vehicle accident. The free app helps you create an accident report.
But before an accident occurs, check with your local agent about the current vehicle insurance policy for the vehicle the student is driving. If you ask about the rates for the college’s city, that may help you decide whether to keep the student’s car on the family’s auto policy or place it in the student’s name.
How can I save some money on car insurance?
Make sure your insurance company is notified each semester if your student maintains good grades. Getting a good student discount on the vehicle’s premium saves money. You might also consider whether carrying liability coverage-only is an option.
What if somebody breaks into my rental apartment?
Know that your landlord doesn’t protect your personal property. You should realize that a landlord’s insurance policy doesn’t cover a renter’s personal belongings. Purchasing rental insurance is, for the most part, an affordable way to protect your belongings.
Also, make sure to take photos or video of the possessions, and store an inventory list in a secure location. Smartphone users can add the myHOMEScr.APP.book application from the NAIC.
What if my identity is stolen?
Know the limits of identity theft insurance. With constant cybersecurity concerns, identity theft coverage is certainly a consideration. Identity theft insurance is limited, however. It can’t protect parents or students from becoming victims of identity theft, and it doesn’t cover your direct financial losses. It does provide coverage for the cost of reclaiming a person’s financial identity, such as making phone calls, making copies, mailing documents, taking time off from work without pay, and hiring an attorney.
The primary policyholder of your homeowners policy should check first to see if the policy includes identity theft insurance while the student is away from the family home. If a student is renting an apartment, ask if his/her renters insurance covers identity theft, or if that could be added to the policy.
What if I get ill or have an injury accident?
Realize health insurance options. Nearly all young adults up to age 26 can now stay on their parents’ health insurance plans because of current federal health laws.
At school, students should have copies of their insurance cards and know how or where to seek medical treatment.
If a student is insured through a company with a network of medical providers, check to see if he/she will be in or out of the network service area while at school. That will make a difference in how much you or your student will have to pay for out-of-pocket charges.
Routine dental care and eye care may not be included as part of a health insurance plan. Also, health insurance plans may not cover expenses related to periodic eye examinations, glasses or contact lenses, but most will cover medical care as a result of an eye disease or injury. Check your exclusions.
For more, visit our department’s website at www.ksinsurance.org, call our Consumer Assistance Hotline at 800-432-2484, or see our informative videos on YouTube.
Federal heavy impact aid will be a key component in paying for a proposed new Junction City High School.
Due to a delay in approval of the fiscal year 2017 budget by Congress the aid did not arrive for USD 475 as early as expected this past spring, but the money was eventually released to the school district.
During a town hall meeting in Junction City on Friday, Senator Jerry Moran said the next step is to get through fiscal year 2018. “I continue to believe that impact aid, heavy impact aid and regular impact aid will be strongly supported by Congress.”
Moran added money is being appropriated at the same level as last year. “On impact aid for this school district, as I say, I think the support by members of Congress remains strong, it will happen. If there’s a continuing resolution, and it’s a short term one it may delay while we work through that budget the arrival of that impact aid.” Moran also stated, ” If there’s a long term continuing resolution, in other words we can’t get our act together and figure out how to spend money, and we’re just going to spend next year at the same level as this year, if it’s a year long continuing resolution then it would be no change, the timing would be the same and the amount of money would be the same.”
Federal heavy impact funds are one piece of the funding plan for the proposed new high school. State aid would also provide a big portion of the funding if voters approve a school bond issue on November 7th. Voter approval in that election would be necessary for the district to receive the state funding for the project. School district officials have made it clear no local property tax money would be used to pay for the new school.
Heavy rain moved through Junction City and Geary County Saturday morning.
A check with police dispatch revealed there was some flash flooding on East Street where it runs under Sixth Street, a manhole cover popped off on 14th Street but was repaired, and there was a non-injury accident on I-70 between mile markers 298 and 299 near Grandview Plaza. A vehicle went off the roadway.
