GEARY COUNTY- A Kansas man was injured in an accident just after 2a.m. on Sunday in Geary County.
The Kansas Highway Patrol reported a 2006 Ford Mustang driven by Jacob D. Wirick, 24,
Preston, was eastbound in the 600 Block of Flint Hills Boulevard.
The driver failed to negotiate a left turn. The Mustang left the roadway and struck a tree.
Wirick was transported to Geary County Community Hospital.
He was not wearing a seat belt, according to the KHP.
Geary County rural firefighters worked three fire cases on Saturday.
According to Rural Fire Chief Garry Berges about 9:30 a.m. they received a call on approximately 23 large hay bales on Garrison Road that had caught fire overnight. An investigation was conducted while the hay bales were still smoldering. The cause is still undetermined. “We believe we had somebody go down in that area, throw a cigarette out or intentionally set the area around it on fire. It wasn’t reported. Nobody lives in that area. That makes three of those type of fires we’ve had in the past 30 days, out in remote areas where somebody just drops a match and does something, leaves the area. ”
Berges said the damage estimate was over $1,100.
Saturday afternoon authorities were called to a site adjacent to Lyons Creek Road for a controlled burn that had gotten out of control. While responding that they were also notified of another controlled burn that had gotten out of control in the Clarks Creek – Hoff Road area. Both were grass fires. There was no major property damage. In the first case on Lyons Creek Road about 15 acres burned, and in the second case about 40 acres burned. In the latter case Berges noted the owner had used a tractor and disk and disked around the blaze. Firefighters just had to put out a few hot spots where there were trouble areas.
Junction City firefighters responded to 706 West 12th Street at 3:59 p.m. Saturday for what Battalion Chief Rick Rook termed a grill fire possibly impinging on a residence. “Upon arrival we actually had a working structure fire. Crews made good access to the fire in opening up the house. We were able to get the fire under control in approximately 15 to 20 minutes. There were no occupants in the residence, and there were no injuries to any firefighters on the scene.”
The cause of the blaze is still under investigation. A damage estimate is not yet available.
Earlier about 3 p.m. Junction City firefighters were called to a grass fire in the 1500 Block of West 14th Street between 14th and 15th Streets. Rook stated, “Upon arrival we had a pretty good fire going in the back yard. It was the result of an unattended recreational pit fire. Engine crew made quick work and got control of it. We did have very little property damage to a shed on an exposure, but other than that it was just all grass.”
No injuries were reported.
Kansas State University has started packaging federal and state aid for incoming 2017 fall semester freshmen — about two months earlier than in past years.
The first round of new, incoming undergraduate freshman who applied and were eligible for aid through the Free Application for Federal Student Aid, or FAFSA, received aid packages notifications via their K-State email, and any parent email listed as part of the application, on Feb. 13. Students should respond to the offers in K-State’s Student Information System, or KSIS.
“We are sending out notifications about financial assistance earlier than ever before, ” said Robert Gamez, director of student financial assistance. “This gives students and their families more time than in past years to prepare for the costs of a college degree and help them understand what financial assistance is available to them.”
According to Gamez, the federal government introduced two significant chances to the FAFSA for the 2017-18 academic year.
“The first change is that income / federal tax information can now reference an earlier calendar year, effectively removing the stress often encountered by families who struggled to complete their federal taxes to meet a school’s FAFSA priority date, “Gamez said. “The second change is the FAFSA application is available three months earlier than ever before.
The two changes allow students and families applying for aid for the 2017-18 academic year to use information from the 2015 tax year in the FAFSA application, meaning they could have completed the FAFSA as early as Oct. 1, 2016.
The Geary USD 475 Board of Education will hold their quarterly celebrations meeting at Junction City Middle School at 5 p.m. Monday.
Students and staff will be recognized with different award presentations ranging from the Superintendent’s 3Rs for students to the Shining Star Awards for staff members.
The Geary County Historical Society hosted the Antiques Showcase at the Historical Museum on Friday evening.
The event is a local version of the popular Antiques Roadshow where guests bring in their prized possessions to be appraised, and also learn a bit of history.
Some of the items included in the showcase were a pottery vase valued at $275, a leather postcard, a middle eastern pot, a POW wood carved box, and an autographed Mickey Mantle baseball cap.
Photos of some of the items are below.
Patient visitor restrictions are still in place at Geary Community Hospital.
Officials noted that the timeline for the restriction is indefinite.
Dawn Engel, Chief Nursing Officer, said that restrictions aren’t uncommon for hospitals during the flu season.
“Last year our flu season was a little milder, so we didn’t do it last year, but the year prior to that we did; in watching our positive flu swabs come back and monitoring the state and the nation, we just felt it was time to implement these safeguards for the patients and the staff as well,” said Engel.
The particular strain of flu that is going around tends to linger for several weeks.
“The symptoms are much more severe, and they’re more of a gradual process that comes on after three or four days and then it kind of hangs on for a while and that’s one thing that we have noticed this season is that this is kind of a lingering flu,” said Nikki Davies, Marketing/Public Relations Director for GCH.
According to the CDC, symptoms of the flu include, but are not limited to:
If you are sick, stay home – do not infect others at work or school.
“Stay home to avoid spreading the bug, and wash your hands with soap and warm water – that’s the key to infection control, washing your hands,” said Davies. Davies suggests singing the birthday song while washing your hands to ensure that the proper time is spent cleaning.
“That’s something that the hospital in general promotes is preventive health…and that’s something that we’re trying to work toward is having healthy lifestyles so you can prevent yourself from coming down with the common cold or the flu,” said Davies.
GCH officials said that it is not too late to get a flu shot. The flu season is still in full swing.
For more information, contact Geary Community Hospital at 238-4131.
ABILENE, FEBRUARY 17 – Great Plains Theatre is pleased to announce the opening of the Dieter Concert Hall Art Gallery within its walls. The gallery, currently featuring works from artists such as Jim Hagan, Anita Wong, and Inga Bow, hopes to encourage visitors to the theatre to make time to appreciate differing types of art. Art has many mediums, and the effect pieces can have differ from person to person.
The Dieter Concert Hall Art Gallery will be a constantly evolving gallery with an emphasis on local and regional talent, without precluding national or international artists. There are many talented artists in the region surrounding Abilene, and Great Plains Theatre hopes to develop relationships with artist from across the state to curate one of a kind exhibits.
The current exhibit is curated from a donated collection from Lorraine McClain, and presents scenes familiar to any who call rural Kansas their home, though maybe not as they’ve seen them before. With mixed styles, watercolors, oils and acrylics, and ceramics, these familiar landscapes are rendered new and unique against the ubiquitous backdrop of prairie with which Kansans are familiar.
“I greatly appreciate Lorraine and David McClain for donating these pieces to initiate the gallery. This idea has been in the works since we moved into the 401 Cottage location and we are thrilled that it has come to fruition,” said Elizabeth Weese, Executive Director of Great Plains Theatre. The Dieter Concert Hall Art Gallery was a passion project for Elizabeth, who is excited about the new experiences that the gallery provides for guests at the theatre.
When asked about the peculiar name for the gallery Elizabeth explained, “when we found the Dieter Concert Hall sign in the wreckage (the sign was originally presented in honor of GPT Patron, Ruth Dieter) after the fire we knew we had to save it. We hung it in the foyer of our new space, and daily it reminds us how far we’ve come in such a short time. What a wonderful way to honor the old while embracing the new by naming our new gallery the Dieter Concert Hall Gallery.”
All pieces, unless specifically set aside and marked, are available for purchase. Artists are encouraged to contact info@greatplainstheatre.com with any questions about exhibition within the gallery. So, when you come down to Great Plains Theatre, whether you’re coming for a movie, a play, to watch an improv show, or maybe it’s our weekly game night, peruse through the art on the walls, you may find your new favorite piece.
Phyllis Fitzgerald wants to hear your Big Red One story.
Long before becoming Mayor, Fitzgerald began work on a project to share the experiences of local Veterans that served the 1st Infantry Division and decided to make Geary County their forever home.
In anticipation of the Division’s 100th Anniversary celebrations this summer, Fitzgerald began work last year to share 100 stories.
“Back in the Fall of 2015 is when the talk really started with Fort Riley about the 100th anniversary coming up, and I thought ‘well, you know Junction City is Fort Riley’s hometown’, and there’s a lot of veterans that decided to make this their home,” said Fitzgerald. “I thought, what better way to honor veterans than to capture their stories.”
Since January 2016 Fitzgerald has been collecting stories and now has 68 toward her goal of 100.
“I have set for [this] weekend, 6 stories of veterans to get – so I’m hoping by Tuesday (February 21) to at least have 75 stories captured,” said Fitzgerald who publishes her stories with a local newspaper in addition to sharing them on her Facebook page.
Fitzgerald an avid Facebooker, receives tips on potential stories through postings on her page and just by word of mouth.
“If I kn
ow veterans that’s one way [I get stories], the second, for instance with [Retired Police] Chief Brown – he gave me that name of the fourth story that I wrote which is on Henry Martinez, they were together in the same unit here; a lot of times, it’s by word of mouth, people will share,” said Fitzgerald. “I also [will] put a note out on my Facebook just on the project that I’m working on and my need to get more stories.”
To share your story, or if you know a veteran that may be interested, contact Phyllis Fitzgerald by phone at 307-1472 or on Facebook.
The Junction City Military Affairs Council will host the next monthly breakfast on Thursday, February 23rd at 7:30 am at the Geary County Convention Center.
The deadline to register for the breakfast is Friday, February 17th at 5:00 pm.
The breakfast is $12 per person, military service members are $10. The fee is payable by check or cash at the door or online here.
To make a reservation, contact the Junction City Area Chamber of Commerce at 762-2632 or email them at info@jcacc.org.
