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‘No indication that anything is around the corner’ – Senator Moran Talks BRAC

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jerry moran threeUnited States Senator Jerry Moran has been named the Chair of the Senate Appropriations SubCommittee on Military Construction.

As Chair of the SubCommittee, Moran will be involved in the appropriations process for any construction, renovation, or new facilities at installations across the country and the world. Moran said that it’s a position he sought after in order to protect the military installations in Kansas – i.e. Fort Riley.

Reports out of Washington, D.C. are indicating talk of a potential BRAC – base realignment and closing.

“We know from the times that we had Fort Riley considered by the Army – most recently in the last couple of years the environmental assessment – that one of the things that has always stood out in the analysis about the value of Fort Riley and any intentions to downsize its scope within the Department of the Army has been fought back,” said Moran. “It has been in part, due to the significant investment that has been made at Fort Riley over the last decade.”

The investments to housing, healthcare and education at Fort Riley keep the installation viable.

“One of the reasons [we] spent so much time trying to get the Department of the Army to do the things necessary along with the Army Corps of Engineers to get Irwin Army Community Hospital open; the Army sees the investment that’s been made at Fort Riley into the welfare and benefit of our soldiers and their families,” said Moran. “That’s something that adds to the equation when you look at what should happen at an installation.”

Moran said that the Democrat Minority Leader of the House Armed Services Committee has or is planning to introduce legislation to begin the process of a BRAC; something Moran says he and fellow colleagues will strongly oppose.

“If there is a BRAC coming – and there’s certainly no indication that anything is around the corner – it would be 4, 5, 6 years down the road, but again it highlights the importance of making infrastructure investments in facilities in Kansas so that when and if a BRAC comes, we’re in a much better position to defend Fort Riley in that process,” said Moran.

Moran said there will be continued discussions with the Department of the Army to protect Kansas’ military installations.

KFC ‘In Compliance’ with Latest Health Inspection; Restaurant Remains Closed

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closedThe KFC Restaurant at 504 W 6th Street in Junction City is closed until further notice.

According to reports, the owner temporarily closed the business notifying employees sometime on or before Saturday, February 4th.

According to the Kansas Department of Agriculture Food Safety, the most recent inspection for the fast food restaurant was on January 19th, 2017.

There were 5 violations ranging from dead insects, general cleanliness and infrastructure concerns. Despite these infractions, the restaurant was still found to be in compliance with health and food safety guidelines.

Reports have indicated that the fast food business closed due to “personal issues” with the owner; JC Post was unable to confirm this with him.

JC Post reached out to the owner multiple times this week; no one could be reached or returned calls for comment.

Marketing Junction City/Geary County

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chamber of commerceWorkforce development and retention will be a key area for City leaders as they work toward a marketing plan for Junction City/Geary County.

Mickey Fornaro-Dean, Economic Development Director, said that spreading the word about what Junction City has to offer to areas beyond the local region is important.

“We need to be creative about where we look – besides locally – where we pull potential workforce people from, and that flows into the marketing plan – where do we market to get potential workforce,” said Dean. “We do not have the lowest unemployment rate in the state, but its low; workforce is a issue in the entire state of Kansas, so through our marketing, through our relationships with workforce development groups we need to be smarter about how we tell our story about our companies [and] about our community.”

Dennis Beson, Chamber of Commerce CEO, reported that between ACT, Footlocker and Smithfield Foods, there are approximately 500 jobs that need to be filled.

Dean said that she’s met with the three companies and is working with them and other businesses in the community to tackle the workforce issue. “I think we have a pretty skilled workforce, what we need to do is do more about getting the word out about our companies – that they’re good companies, [and] what type of work they have to offer.”

During an Economic Development Advisory Committee meeting, committee members expressed that in addition to bringing people to work in the community, they need to live in the community.

Pat Landes, City Commissioner, said that [we] have to do a better job of telling people what Junction City has to offer, specifically addressing the large quantity of available land bank lots.

“People from [here] know where the lots are, but we need to market those lots to everybody beyond Junction City’s borders, and we haven’t done a good job in setting up a website or any links to go look at lots; I think that there’s little tweaks that we need to make in the whole program regarding maybe price, what to do about the specials [and] what we can do to make Junction City more attractive,” said Landes.

Landes argued that the approach that the EDC Director (Dean) is using to “market Junction City” should include land bank – Dean agreed.

“I think Junction City/Geary County has incredible potential, there’s just assets here that I think are really positive; it’s just an issue of doing our marketing plan, looking at our websites, making sure we’re all working together – the comment about the housing lots came up, [and I think that] we need to have a clearinghouse so that if you’re looking for a house you know where to go to see that all those lots are available,” said Dean.

Dean said that the first step in economic development is building a foundation to take the community to the next level.

“I want to get Junction City/Geary County on the map,” said Dean.

Standoff in Herington Ends Peacefully

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police car with lights onHERINGTON – A police standoff in Dickinson County ended peacefully on Wednesday.

According to the Kansas Highway Patrol, at approximately 8:00 am the Herington Police Department requested assistance in performing a felony warrant arrest.

Members of the KHP Emergency Services Unit, and the Dickinson County Sheriff’s Office responded to provide assistance. Upon arrival, troopers were informed of a barricaded individual refusing to come out of a home at 201 S. 10th Street in Herington.

KHP negotiators spent several hours in communication with the male suspect before he surrendered without incident.

Two female suspects inside the home were taken into custody for felony obstruction.

There were no injuries reported.

It is unknown at this time why the suspect barricaded himself inside the home.

KANSAS! Magazine Asks Readers to Pick their Favorite Local Eats in Kansas

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kansasKANSAS! magazine, the state’s premier travel magazine, invites readers to nominate their favorite local place to eat in Kansas for the magazine’s third annual readers’ choice issue.

Only local restaurants, cafes, food trucks, bakeries, and other eateries will be will be considered. Nominations opened Monday, January 30, 2017.

Click here to nominate for favorite Abilene restaurant!

Little House on the Prairie TALK program

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ikeABILENE, Kan. – Join the “Ike Book Club” in discussing Little House on the Prairie Monday, Feb. 13 at 7 p.m. in the Visitors Center Auditorium. This Talk About Literature in Kansas (TALK) program is free and open to the public.

The TALK series is conducted through a partnership with the Kansas Humanities Council, the Abilene Public Library and the Eisenhower Presidential Library. “The Best of the West” theme celebrates the Chisholm Trail 150th and Eisenhower’s love of western novels.

All of the books in this series are available to check out from the Abilene Public Library or purchase at the Eisenhower Presidential Library Gift Shop. The complete series schedule is available at www.eisenhower.archives.gov.

Walk Your Way to Better Health – Walk Kansas 2017

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photo courtesy https://www.geary.k-state.edu/health-home-family/walk-kansas.html
photo courtesy Geary County Walk Kansas site

Walk Kansas 2017 is March 19th through May 13th.

Teams are now forming  for the health initiative presented by K-State Research and Extension designed to inspire Kansans to lead a healthier life.

In order to participate, you must form or join a team of 6 with a captain, to log minutes of activity for 8 weeks. Teams will select a challenge to collectively work toward and in order to accomplish the challenge, each person will have a personal goal. In addition to physical activity, participants will also report the amount of fruits and vegetables that they consume.

The team challenges are as follows:

  1. Each person reaches the minimum goal for physical activity – 2 1/2 hours of moderate/vigorous activity per week. Collectively, the team would walk 423 miles – the distance across the state.
  2. Take a meandering trek diagonally across the state from Troy to Elkhart. Each person logs 4 hours of activity per week which would take the team 750 miles.
  3. Walk the perimeter of Kansas – 1200 miles — with each person logging 6 hours of moderate/vigorous activity per week.

All activity that is done at a moderate and vigorous level, performed for at least 10 minutes consecutive minutes, can be logged. Minutes spent doing weight training can also be included. If you wear an activity tracker like an Apple Watch or Fitbit, you can start counting steps after you’ve reached 6000 steps in a day. Report 15 minutes for every 2000 steps taken above the 6000 minimum.

For more information or to register your team call Deb Andres, Geary County K-State Research and Extension Family & Consumer Sciences Agent at 238-4161.

Online registration will be available on February 20th at:  https://www.geary.k-state.edu/health-home-family/walk-kansas.html

Manhattan Parks and Recreation recognized by State Association

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manhattan-parks(Manhattan, Kan., Feb. 8, 2017) — Manhattan Parks and Recreation brought home three awards from the Kansas Recreation and Park Association state conference last week in Manhattan.

Kelly Cook was recognized as the aquatic professional of the year for his work with Manhattan’s waterparks. Cook has been with the City of Manhattan since 2012.

Chad Pape was recognized as one of two distinguished volunteers from across the state. Pape directs the Manhattan Youth Choir each semester and assists with the annual summer youth musical coordinated through Manhattan Parks and Recreation.

Little Apple Paddle was recognized as an innovative recreation program. The annual summer event grew from 101 participants in 2015 to 256 participants in 2016. It is organized by Special Events Supervisor Ryan McKee of Manhattan Parks and Recreation in coordination with Manhattan Convention and Visitors Bureau and Tuttle Creek State Park.

“These awards highlight just some of the outstanding work our staff, volunteers and partners are doing to provide recreation opportunities for Manhattan residents,” said Eddie Eastes, director of Manhattan Parks and Recreation.

The Kansas Recreation and Park Association is a statewide professional organization representing the parks, recreation and leisure industry.

Career Cluster Showcase and Transition Night Open to Community

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BlueJay-ENHANCEDJunction City High School will host a Career Cluster Showcase and Transition Night this Thursday, February 9th.

Eighth grade students that will start high school this Fall are invited to attend the Open House Transition Night at the Freshman Success Academy.

“We’re calling it a transition night for them to come explore the building, and meet the teachers,” said Kate Harmison, FSA Assistant Principal. “The transition to high school is a very tough transition and so getting to know the importance of high school credits and how that paves the way for your high school career is greatly important…as they transition to high school we want them to know that their footprint starts immediately when they enter these doors.”

In addition, students and parents will have the opportunity to sit down with a counselor to go over classes and pathways that are offered at the high school.

At the JCHS main campus, students, parents and community members are invited to learn about the career academy structure and pathways offered at the high school.

“We can help guide those students to choose the best career pathway for them, so when they leave the high school it will save them money in the long run…so that they’re not spending extra money in post secondary education by changing their major,” said Nancy Dettmer, Health Science Teacher at JCHS.

During the evening, there will be various scheduled sessions and open sessions for everyone to become more informed on education in today’s world.

“I think that people would be surprised at how much education has changed in the past 20 years and how hard we work to get students ready for post secondary – whether it be going right into the workforce, or post secondary education or to the military,” said Dettmer.

The event runs from 4:30 pm to 7:45 pm with various open and scheduled sessions. Tours of the building will also be given so incoming students can familiarize themselves.

—usd 475 learning for all whatever it takes

A detailed schedule is listed below:

In the Main Entrance Foyer of JCHS enjoy music from the JCHS Orchestra, and grab a snack from hospitality students.

Open Sessions are from 4:30 pm to 7:45 pm; Drop in and out any time throughout the evening:

  • Shenk Gym: Career Cluster Fair; info on 16 career clusters
  • Fiffe Gym: Internship Fair; info on job shadows and internships
  • Cafeteria: Clubs and Activities Fair
  • Shenk Foyer: Building Tours
  • Room 114: Video Game Design; try your luck at beating student-designed video games
  • Room 124: Computer Coding
  • Room 132: Tax Assistance; accounting students offering pointers
  • Rooms 287, 291, 292: Auto, Welding and Wood; learn hands-on skills students use in shop classes

Scheduled sessions are from 5:00 pm to 7:00 pm and will repeat three times at the following intervals, 5:00-5:30, 5:45-6:15, 6:30-7:00:

  • CAC Expectations and Graduation Requirements: Choir room 111/Drama Room 112; join academy principals and counselors
  • 1:1 Technology Initiative: Library; led by Mrs. Booth and the Tech Team
  • Student Panel, Scholarship Info: Room 105; what does it take to be successful, how do you pay for college; info session with Mrs. Pinaire and students
  • Shrek the Musical Rehearsal: Auditorium
  • Advanced Placement Courses: Room 123; join AP teachers from all subjects to learn more
  • Jazz Band: Band Room 118; enjoy special performance

Arraignment Hearing Continued to New Date

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Tomas Martinez-Maldonado, Rape, Arrested 10/05.
Tomas Martinez-Maldonado

The arraignment hearing in Geary County District Court for Tomas Martinez-Maldonado has been continued until March 17th. That was confirmed by the Geary County Attorney’s Office. The hearing had been scheduled for February 3rd.

Martinez-Maldonado is charged with one count of rape stemming from an alleged incident in September where he is accused of raping a 13-year old girl while on a Greyhound bus that was passing through Geary County on I-70.

During arraignment a defendant can enter a plea to a charge — guilty, not guilty or no contest.

Authorities have confirmed that Martinez-Maldonado has been deported back to Mexico ten times since 2010, and is a priority for deportation when his time in Kansas is completed.

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