Operation Sweet Treat is this Saturday, February 25th at Manhattan Town Center.
Local Girl Scouts will be in the mall’s center court from 10:00 am until 9:00 pm selling cookies to be distributed to Fort Riley soldiers.
The cookies will be distributed to the USO and delivered to Fort Riley soldiers deployed overseas.
There will be a pancake supper on Tuesday, February 28th hosted by the Church of the Covenant Episcopal Church.
The Shrove Tuesday Pancake Supper will be from 5:00 pm to 7:00 pm.
There is a suggested donation of $5 for adults and $3 for children; funds will support summer camp programs.
LEMOORE, Calif. – A Riley County High School graduate and Manhattan, Kansas native is serving in the U.S. Navy with Commander Strike Fighter Wing, U.S. Pacific Fleet (CSFWP).
Lt. Kevin Brighton works as a Naval Aerospace/ Operational Physiologist and operates out of Naval Air Station (NAS) Lemoore, California.
Brighton is responsible for the air medical specialty for the wing, Command Strike Fighter Wing Pacific.
“I like to keep pilots and aircrew safe while getting the opportunity to fly,” said Brighton.
“Lemoore has been home to the Navy’s west coast strike fighter community since 1980, when strike fighter squadron VFA-125 was the first squadron established to train Navy and Marine Corps aviators in the F/A-18 Hornet,” said Vice Adm. Mike Shoemaker, Commander, Naval Air Forces.
The strike fighter wing, headquartered at NAS Lemoore, ensures that each squadron is fully combat-ready to conduct carrier-based, all-weather, attack, fighter and support missions for the Pacific Fleet.
“My command provides me the freedom to make the most out of the program,” said Brighton.
With the CSFWP consisting of more than 20 squadrons, highly specialized jobs range from training new aviators to maintaining airframes and engines, to handling and flying aircraft.
“If you take the opportunities provided, you can see and do things that you couldn’t do anywhere else in the world,” said Brighton.
Junction City police have reported the arrest of a 55-year old Indiana man, Jeffrey Ray Hurst, on Tuesday on Interstate 70 at mile marker 308 on drug related allegations.
According to police a traffic stop resulted in the arrest of Hurst on suspicion of Transporting Drug Proceeds, Possession of Marijuana, Possession of Drug Paraphernalia, No Drug Tax Stamp and Speeding. A substantial amount of cash was recovered by authorities.
January 27th through March 4th has been declared America Saves Week in Junction City.
Mayor Phyllis Fitzgerald made the proclamation during the City Commission meeting on February 21st.
“I hereby call upon all citizens to set a personal savings goal, debt reduction goal, and make a savings plan, or take another wealth building action during America Saves Week and pledge to sustain that action during the following year,” said Fitzgerald.
William Brooks, Fort Riley Armed Forces Bank Manager, was the witness to the declaration of the Mayor.
Topeka, Kan., Feb. 21, 2017 — Westar Energy invites eligible youths to its spring turkey hunt, April 1-11, 2017, at Jeffrey Energy Center, located seven miles north of St. Marys. The event is open to 12 to 17 year olds who have not harvested a turkey. The project is supported by Westar Energy Green Team volunteers who are veteran hunters available to assist the youths and their mentors.
Youths must be accompanied by an adult mentor, preferably one who does not have turkey hunting experience. These hunts will take place in enclosed blinds around small crop fields scattered through the plant’s property, where turkeys are abundant.
A shotgun, but no special clothing, calls or decoys, is needed. Hunters 15 years and younger will need to purchase a youth spring turkey permit. Hunters 16 years and older will need to purchase a unit three turkey permit and have a hunting license, and a hunter’s safety certificate or an apprentice hunting license.
Hunts will take place primarily in the mornings and on weekends, but weekdays and afternoons are possible based on volunteer guide availability. Registration will be open through Friday, March 17, or until all slots are filled. Applications will be accepted on a first-come, first- served basis with preference for inexperienced mentors. Please contact Barb Cornelius at 785- 575-8125 to apply or for more information.
The Westar Energy Green Team is a group of employees and retiree volunteers that takes on environmental projects across Kansas. The group completes between 50 and 70 projects per year on weekends and evenings. The Green Team also collaborates with conservation groups, agencies and schools in enhancing and fostering an understanding of the Kansas environment.
The 3rd annual Blue and Gold market at Saint Xavier’s Catholic School will be Saturday, March 11th.
Rebecca Cronander, Counselor, said that the event is a great way to bring the community into the school.
“Anytime that we get a chance to have community members in our school it’s really special; and one of my favorite parts about this is that our kids are still super involved…so people get to see how great our kids are, but they also get to have a good shopping experience at the same time,” said Cronander.
The event will feature a variety of vendors inside the school’s Bradley gym.
“We have some vendors that are very popular that we have not had before – we have two LuLaRoe vendors coming because they have so many different items that you can purchase; and also new this year that we haven’t had before is Britt’s Farm coming from Manhattan with plants and starter plants for your garden and thing like that,” said Cronander.
In addition to the new vendors for this year’s event there will be several direct sales vendors which are favorites among attendees.
“We do love direct sales vendors – which are anyone like Tupperware, Mary Kay, Scentsy – and we have all of those great companies being represented; we also have ‘crafters’ coming, [and] we have some woodworking coming our way,” said Cronander.
The market is from 9:00 am until 4:00 pm on Saturday, March 11th at Saint Xavier’s Bradley gym.
Geary County USD 475 officials will take another step in the process toward obtaining the 48% state aid approval for a possible new Junction City High School.
The Board of Education approved the measure to pursue a new school and move forward with a scheduled May 9th bond election for the possible new construction.
“Our District officials will travel to Topeka to present our plan to KSDE (Kansas Deparment of Education) officials and ask for the funding for the project, and we should likely hear back from them around the first part of March,” said Hudson.
If the approval is obtained, officials would them submit the proposal to the State Board of Education. The State Board must then say yes or no to paying 48% of the cost of a new school – if they say yes, the issue will go before voters as scheduled on May 9th.
Bond issue approval would be necessary in order for the District to receive the 48% State aid needed; without it – the project is put to rest.
Connecting Geary, Riley and Pottawatomie counties, the ATA Bus services are a poster for regionalism in the Flint Hills.
Anne Smith, ATA Bus Director, said the progress toward inter-city and regional transportation began almost ten years ago.
“KDOT (Kansas Department of Transportation) started looking at regional transit connections and trying to build things regionally; [they] sponsored a pilot for us back in 2011 to expand into western Pottawatomie county and into Junction City and Geary county and on Fort Riley as well,” said Smith.
ATA Bus services began as a non-profit organization in 1976 in Riley county.
“Our services in Manhattan include a mix of on-demand where folks call in a day ahead of time and we have the fixed routes also, and we will transport anywhere here in Geary county – we have the on-demand, we have the fixed routes; and then we have what we call the intercity shuttle, which is a really great program that provides access across the three counties – you can travel from Junction City to anywhere in Geary county, Fort Riley, Ogden or over into Manhattan,” said Smith.
The fixed route services have been especially well received in Junction City.
“I am on the Geary County Health Counsel and every meeting that we would have every month I would get a report from the social worker at the hospital [about] how badly she needed transportation [for patients],” said Florence Whitebread, ATA Bus Board member. “When KDOT started those meetings ten years ago, I was at all of those meetings [and] I saw the need in Junction City.”
Junction City’s income per capita is $21,987 and the median household income is $45,106; needless to say, many may not have access to reliable transportation without ATA bus services. (Income per capita may vary two to three thousand depending on site)
“We have a town of a lot of one car families – if [you] expect both spouses to be working, somebody has got to have transportation if there’s only one car; in fact, there’s some families with no cars and we want to develop economic development, but if these people don’t have a way to work – you’re short changing them,” said Whitebread.
For more information on ATA bus services, click here.
RILEY COUNTY – Law enforcement authorities in Riley County are investigating a reported attempted rape and aggravated burglary at a home in Manhattan.
Two 22-year-old women reported an unknown suspect entered their house in northeast Manhattan February 19 according to a media release.
The alleged victims fought off the suspect who then left the home, according to police.
Officers listed a third 22-year-old woman and a 22-year-old man as victims of aggravated burglary as a result of the incident. They were in the residence at the time the alleged incident. The suspect took an iPhone 5.
Police ask that anyone with information contact Riley County Police Department or the Manhattan Riley County Crime Stoppers.
