Wildfires across the state have consumed more than 625 square miles. As of Tuesday afternoon, there have been reports of wildfires in over 20 Kansas counties.

In the midst of the outbreak, the Junction City Fire Department has lent it’s assistance to neighboring communities.

Terry Johnson, Fire Chief, said that two firefighters and a small fire truck (brush truck) are currently assisting efforts to contain wildfires in Hutchinson.

“We are scheduled to have them out there for 4 days at this time; what they’re going out there to do is help with the attack on the wildland fire,” said Johnson.

The firefighters will be working with other units and departments that have been sent to assist through the State Mutual Aid system.

Over 10,000 Hutchinson residents have been evacuated due to the fire.

The National Weather Service in Topeka has issued a Fire Weather Warning and a Wind Advisory for Geary County that expires at 6:00 pm Tuesday, March 7th. This warning means that a combination of strong winds, low relative humidity and warm temperatures can contribute to extreme fire behavior. Any and all outdoor burning should be avoided.

To build or not to build – Geary County residents will soon have the opportunity to vote on a new Junction City High School project.

The proposal, as laid before voters, will include a new school at a new site with a cost not to exceed $105 million and no increase to the mil levy.

State aid along with Federal Impact Aid will be used to fund the project, that District officials have stated will not increase the mil levy. State Aid is received only after a bond issue passes in a community, Federal Impact Aid is a little more certain according to Witt.

“It’s been one of the best supported programs at the Federal level for many years, and having Sen. Jerry Moran on the committee for the allocations is very exciting for our community,” said Witt.

USD 475 is one of five Districts in Kansas seeking State Aid.Dr. Corbin Witt, USD 475 Superintendent of Schools, said that officials will be financially responsible with a new school project.

“We may be able to [build it] cheaper – that is our maximum – but we our going to do our due diligence to make it a quality high school, but financially responsible,” said Witt.

If voters approve the bond issue for a new high school, the next step in the process would be to construct an official design and layout.

“About 9 months will be spent on the design concept, right now we don’t have any designs or anything – [it] is just based on average cost per foot, is what has been put out as far as cost; so we’ll start the process of designing a new high school and all of the facilities to go along with that – the practice fields, the sports complexes, things like that,” said Witt.

An ideal school according to Witt would have a lot of natural light (to help with education), wider hallways for safety, secure entrances, and a larger auditorium amongst other things.

In order to complete the project as desired, approximately 100 acres of land would need to be acquired. “Anybody that has some land in that vicinity (100 acres) that they want to sell, we want to talk to them.”

A bond issue election has been set for Tuesday, May 9th. Voters must approve the new school project in the polls that day in order for the state to provide the 48% aid necessary to complete the project.

 

ABILENE, Kan. – A new, temporary exhibit titled “Eisenhower and the Great War” is now open at the Eisenhower Presidential Library. The exhibit is located in the Library building second floor gallery and runs through March 2018.

“We are pleased to open this exhibit marking the 100th anniversary of World War I. Our goal was to tie together the actions around the world connected to U.S. involvement and more specifically where Eisenhower was during 1914-1918. While Ike was not deployed overseas as he had hoped, his training during WWI clearly set the stage for his role during WWII,” states Tim Rives, acting director of the Eisenhower Presidential Library.

War erupted in Europe in 1914 and soon involved nations around the globe. The Great War as it became known shocked the world with its massive scope and the industrial-like slaughter created by advances in military technology. The United States reluctantly joined the conflict in 1917 and began to build a large professional army from the ground up. One of the young officers who helped in this endeavor was a lieutenant by the name of Dwight Eisenhower. Eisenhower showed remarkable talent for organization and leadership during the years of American involvement in the war. Tasked with training thousands of inexperienced troops in the new and untested art of armored warfare, Eisenhower quickly built a strong and motivated group of soldiers while overcoming severe obstacles and setbacks. This exhibit tells the story of the Great War and its influence on Eisenhower’s budding leadership abilities. World War I, as it would become known later in the century, proved critical to the making of this American Icon.

Some area high school students will get to take to the skies for a free airplane ride this weekend. Flex Air, a Manhattan pilot instruction company, is sponsoring its Aviation Career Day from 9-11 a.m. Saturday at Manhattan Regional Airport.

Current high school sophomores, juniors and seniors are eligible to attend the event, which will have a career expo, control tower and fire station tours and airplanes on display.

“Aviation is a very cyclical career path that can sometimes be hard to get into,” said Charles Copeland, Chief Pilot for Flex Air. “right now and in the next 5-10 years we are in the perfect cycle to be getting into the industry. We have a major issue with baby boomers retiring out of the industry, virtually every single company is hiring. Airlines especially are hiring hundreds of pilots each month. If you student is interested in a career in aviation, now is the time to push them in that direction.”

Free airplane rides will be given to the first 100 students who sign up.

To register, visit goflexair.com/signup.