The Thursday forecast from Weathertap Radar calls for a high temperature of 79 degrees.

It will be windy, warmer and mostly cloudy. Expect patchy drizzle in the morning. with daytime highs in the upper 70s. There will be south winds of 15-25 mph increasing to 25-30 mph in the afternoon. The chance of precipitation is 20 percent.

MANHATTAN -Casting for the popular CBS reality show Big Brother is officially underway and fans of the show here in Kansas will have a chance to make an appearance! 

Two casting events will be held next month in Manhattan and Pittsburg.

The event in Manhattan will be held on Tuesday, April 11th from 4PM-7PM at Kite’s Bar & Grill. The Pittsburg event will take place eleven days later on Saturday, April 22nd from 2PM-5PM at Pittsburg State University Plaster Center.

You may also apply online here. The deadline for the online applications will be May 5.

The Broken Spoke Band will perform at the Great Plains Theatre in Abilene on Saturday.

Broken Spoke, which played at the recent Trails, Rails and Tails event, will perform their mix of Blues, Country and Classic Rock.  Featuring traditional guitar, bass and drums they like to add fiddle and steel guitar to their sound.

Tickets for the concert are $15 general admission and $80 per table. To purchase tickets call the box office at 785-263-4574 or go online to greeatplainstheatre.com.

The Kansas State University Foundation is expanding the Kansas State University Office Park to add 59,000 square feet of on-campus, finished, leased office space along the university’s north corridor.

This phase will include the second of four office buildings planned for the Office Park that will total 240,000 square feet, part of the combined 56-acre world-class ecosystem of innovative research and academic growth adjacent to Kansas State University in the Office and Research Parks. With this phase, the KSU Foundation board of directors has committed $30 million over the last three years toward the university-focused staged progress.

“The board is committed to K-State’s vision of becoming a nationally recognized Top 50 public research university,” said Rand Berney, chairman of the KSU Foundation board of directors. “This strategic expansion tees the university up to capture the unique partnership opportunities made possible by leveraging K-State’s proximity to the National Bio and Agro-defense Facility to strengthen the university.”

“The time is now to develop K-State’s Office Park as a substantial campus innovation to attract corporate partners who desire to work and conduct research in the K-State academic ecosystem with our students and faculty,” said Richard Myers, Kansas State University president. “As we advance toward national recognition as a Top 50 public research university, these cooperative relationships strengthen the K-State and Manhattan communities.”

 

This expansion will include flexible move-in ready lease space to accommodate up to 35 tenants, intentional co-working areas and a locally-owned restaurant/grill. The foundation currently has lease commitments for 19 percent of the Office Park space, including for the restaurant.

“We are excited to bring Bluestem’s signature flavors to the north side of campus,” said Jenny Glenn, Bluestem Bistro co-owner. “The Bluestem Grill will be a place where anyone can swing by and enjoy from-scratch baked treats and the best of Bluestem entrees.”

Construction on the next phase of the $15.8 million K-State Office Park will begin on July 5, and be occupant ready by August 2018. Local general contractor McCownGordon Construction will lead the project. In addition to the KSU Foundation investment and federal New Markets Tax Credits, the Manhattan City Commission has also committed to the ecosystem by approving $800,000 in economic development loans and incentives toward the project.

“We are confident in the city staff’s economic development modeling numbers, which show this investment will add $93 million in economic benefit over the next 20 years to the region,” said Greg Lohrentz, KSU Foundation senior vice president of operations and finance. “We would like to thank the Manhattan City Commission and Manhattan Area Chamber of Commerce for their support of this important project.”

 

By Mass Communication Specialist Seaman Lucas T. Hans, USS Lake Erie (CG 70) Public Affairs

PACIFIC OCEAN (NNS) — Ticonderoga-class guided-missile cruiser USS Lake Erie (CG 70) provided assistance to 25 mariners in the early hours of March 19, after receiving a distress call from a civilian ship taking on water.

Lake Erie deployed a rescue and assistance team aboard its rigid hull inflatable boat (RHIB), and after embarking the distressed vessel, the eight-member team began dewatering the ship and searching for the source of the flooding.

“After making sure everyone was alright, we noticed water was coming in at about 1,200 gallons a minute,” said Lt. Ruben Maldonado, Lake Erie’s damage control assistant, of Junction City, Kansas. “We estimated 24 inches of water to be flooding the deck.”

The team found two cracks in the hull of the wooden vessel and used wooden shoring to reduce the flow of water.

“We wanted to ensure the seaworthiness of the vessel,” said Maldonado. “Over time, with wooden ships, something like this is bound to happen.”

The Lake Erie team turned over the operation to the U.S. Coast Guard once the flooding was under control and the water level dropped.

“We train every day for these types of situations,” said Damage Controlman 2nd Class Mark C. Grizer of Pataskala, Ohio. “Every situation is unique, so we have to have a creative mind to fix any problems we find. This was a great opportunity to help our fellow Americans in need.”

Lake Erie is currently underway conducting Composite Training Unit Exercise (COMPTUEX) with the Nimitz Carrier Strike Group in preparation for an upcoming deployment. COMPTUEX tests the mission readiness of the strike group’s assets through simulated real-world scenarios and their ability to perform as an integrated unit.