The City of Grandview Plaza is seeking volunteers are for the second annual roadside clean-up in Grandview Plaza on Saturday, May 20th. The cleanup will run from 10 a.m. to noon.

Drinks and snacks will be provided.

You can city hall at 238-6673 or stop at City Hall to have your name added to the volunteer list. You can also just attend on the 20th.

Commencement attendees entering Manhattan from the west and north this weekend may want to allow extra time to drive to Friday’s and Saturday’s ceremonies.

There is construction on Anderson Avenue from the intersection with Scenic Drive and Kimball Avenue to the entrance to Anneberg Park. Drivers can expect lane shifts and speeds reduced to 20 mph throughout the project area.

There also is construction at the interchange of K-113 and K-18. The project extends onto Seth Child Road from Fort Riley Boulevard to Claflin Road.

On the north side of Manhattan, three major maintenance projects are scheduled at Tuttle Creek Dam. The projects will slow traffic into and around Tuttle Creek State Park.

For more information, visit the city of Manhattan’s construction projects webpage.

WAMEGO, Kan. (AP) — Another Kansas school district has announced plans to randomly drug test students who participate in athletics and activities such as debate.

The policy takes effect this fall at Wamego Public Schools. The school board voted 6-1 Monday to approve an amended random drug testing policy.

The policy will affect students involved in Kansas State High School Activities Association events.

The amended policy lowered penalties for first-time violations from a 90-day suspension for KSHSAA participants to 45 days, second- time violation penalties from a 180-day suspension to a 90-day suspension, and a third-time violation from a 365-day ban to a 180-day ban.

Suspended students can still practice, but they aren’t allowed to participate in games or competitions. Banned students won’t be allowed to practice.

Careless smoking is one of the leading causes of structure fires, according to Junction City Fire Investigator Nick Nutter.

In 2014, approximately 27 percent of all fires in the United States were related to unintentional carelessness or careless smoking.

Despite that fact, the number of fires related to careless smoking has decreased significantly in the last ten years.

“In 2014 there were 325 deaths in the United States that are directly linked to smoking fires, so some of the numbers in years prior were a lot higher,” said Nutter.

Most of the fire calls that firefighters in Junction City respond to are due to improperly discarded smoking materials.

“On the prevention side, we always recommend smoking outside, and doing it on a surface that is non combustible,” said Nutter. “For instance, I know the Bluffs have some rules about smoking, and still do it all the time time; the decking on the Bluffs is combustible and it only takes one little time to have a massive incident.”

Nutter noted that most of the fires in Junction City due to careless smoking do not result in high dollar amount losses like the $3.8 million to the Bluffs apartment complex in early April.

The U.S. Fire Administration has released the following tips for “smoking fire safety”:

• Smoke outside.
• Put cigarettes out all the way. Don’t walk away from lit cigarettes and other smoking materials.
• Be alert. Do not smoke after taking medicine that makes you tired.
• Never smoke around medical oxygen.
• Never smoke in bed.
• Put your cigarette out in an ashtray or bucket with sand. Use an approved metal container for an ashtray.