The Geary County Commission was informed on Monday that aTa Bus rider numbers for the county in December were up.
Ben Bennett, County Commission Chair, reported that there were 463 demand response riders, 1,565 fixed route riders and 500 intercity riders.
aTa Bus is a public bus transportation service that also serves Riley and Pottawatomie counties.
The Geary USD 475 Board of Education will interview four applicants for a vacancy on the board.
Board member Kim Milleson recently resigned, and four people have written letters of interest seeking to fill the seat. Their names were announced at the school board meeting on Monday. They include Heinrich Biggs, William Brooks, Matthew Holloway and Diana Dean.
The BOE will interview the candidates on Feb. 20 at Junction City Middle School and then make a decision on the appointment of one of the applicants to the board.
WABAUNSEE COUNTY – A Kansas man died in an accident just after 11:30 p.m. on Monday in Wabaunsee County.
The Kansas Highway Patrol reported a 2014 Harley Davidson Trike driven by Frank Narvaez III, 64, Topeka, was traveling on Strowigs Mill Road at Snokomo Road a mile east of Paxico.
The driver was attempting a 90-degree curve and lost control of the motorcycle.
It veered approximately 40 feet off the roadway. The rear end of the motorcycle got hung up on the railroad tracks as a BNSF train was approaching.
Narvaez III was still on the motorcycle when it was hit by the train.
Narvaez III was pronounced dead at the scene and transported to Shawnee County Corner.
A passenger Henry, Jamie L. Henry, 35, Topeka, was transported to Stormont Vail.
They were not wearing helmets, according to the KHP.
Sundown Salute is a huge project – too much for one person.
That’s the sentiment heard earlier today on JC Now on the Talk of JC from Sundown Salute Board President Nikki Londene.
“There definitely needs to be more than one person that can be not only accountable for dispersing the work load – but basically, instead of just putting it all on one person’s shoulders like we have in the past, we’ve kind of set up a plan to divvy up the work load…we feel like it’s going to make the organization work more effectively and we’re going to get a lot more accomplished,” said Londene.
Not only will one person no longer have the sole responsibility of everything Sundown Salute, but there will be group efforts in all aspects of the decision making process. There are several subcommittees that were formed for that reason.
“We have a fundraising committee, we have somebody who is working on just the musical talent and the entertainment, we do have somebody who is over the parade – well, we’re looking for somebody to be over the parade, we have one subcommittee that is just dedicated to vendors and handling that, we have somebody who is dedicated to advertising, we have somebody who is over the Veteran’s ceremony; so we’ve basically taken all of the events of that weekend and broken them down into committees,” said Londene. “So a few people can go and do the leg work on that and bring it back to the Board and we can all make decisions together.”
Gathering people to volunteer their time and efforts wasn’t difficult for the newly reorganized committee.
“[We’re] members of the community, obviously we love Junction City, we love the event itself – it does bring a lot of people into Junction City…so we didn’t want to see that die, and a lot of people have put a lot of work into this over the past 30 years so we wanted to continue the tradition,” said Londene.
Sundown Salute 2017 will run from June 30th through July 4th. Ottaway Amusements Carnival and park vendors will be present all five days; there is still uncertainty on entertainment and musical performers.
The Sundown Salute Board of Directors and committees will continue to work on fundraising as a long term effort.
The K-18 overpass bridge at US Highway 77 implosion was on Friday, January 20th. Video footage from that night, taken on Facebook live has since garnered over 11,ooo views.
The overpass bridge was demolished as part of a KDOT US 77/K-18 Corridor Management Plan toward long-term comprehensive land use, transportation, and access management strategy for US 77 and K-18.
The primary reasons, as assessed by KDOT, for the plan include:
For a city of roughly 23 – 25,ooo people, eleven thousand Facebook views isn’t too shabby.
Check out the video (below), if you haven’t already!
The Dickinson County Historical Society will celebrate the birthday of Kansas on Saturday, January 28th.
The 22nd Annual Statehood Ball on Saturday will be at Sterl Hall in Abilene from 7:00 pm to 10:00 pm.
The cost is $6 for adults and $2 for those aged 3 to 12.
This year’s Statehood Ball will feature the Kansas Brigade band playing an array of music for dances such as the Virginia Reel, the Jenny Lind Polka, and the Hat Dance.
Attendees are free to dress in “period” clothing – reflective of their favorite time period in Kansas.
Refreshments will be served.
For more information contact the Dickinson County Historical Society at 263-2681.
The Geary USD 475 Board of Education will hold a special meeting today at 5:00 pm.
Board members will receive an update on the JCHS Way Forward Steering Committee efforts toward a new or renovated high school.
Other agenda items include a closed door executive session to have preliminary discussions about the acquisition of what is termed ‘real property’ and discussion about a vacancy on the Board.
Board member Kim Milleson recently resigned. She and her husband, Michael, are relocating to Florida.
The Board is expected to select a new member in February. The person who is appointed will fill that seat until the November election.
![united-way[1]](https://www.jcpost.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/07/united-way1.jpg)
The annual United Way Fundraising Campaign in Junction City and Geary County raised just over $97,000 – while a considerable effort, it’s short of the $140,000 goal.
Nicole Mader, United Way Executive Director, said a ‘second wind campaign’ is being considered.
“Our initial campaign has closed…at this time we are debating on doing a second wind campaign as well as possible reductions to the agencies – not something that we were really thrilled about doing – but unfortunately, if that’s what you have [then] that’s what you work with the best you can,” said Mader.
Mader added that [they] are also considering more fundraisers such as ‘Restaurant Days’.
“One thing we are debating on is the second wind campaign and with that there will also be an educational spin to it as well to remind that community that United Way is more than just fundraising; we are a community organization, we do events such as ‘Stuff the Bus’, ‘Day of Caring’…” said Mader.
One thing is for certain: “One way or another, we are not giving up; we are not ready to wave the white flag or admit defeat, we still would like to do as much as we can because we know those agencies depend on us so much,” said Mader.
The United Way of Junction City/Geary County supports over a dozen agencies in the community.
For more information, or to help the United Way efforts visit https://www.unitedwayjcgc.org/ or call 238-2117.
Update:
A K-State student was transported on Sunday to an area hospital for injuries from an accidental, self-inflicted gunshot wound.
The Kansas State University Police Department was called to a student’s room in Goodnow Hall at 8:10 p.m. Jan. 22 for a report of a medical situation. On arrival, police determined the injury was related to a firearm discharge. Police are also investigating criminal charges for the 19-year-old male students involved in the incident. University policy prohibits the possession of firearms in residence halls.
The name of the student has not been released, and his last known condition was stable. There is no ongoing threat to the university community.
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MANHATTAN — Law enforcement authorities in Riley County are investigating a report of an accidental self-inflicted gunshot wound of a K-State student on Sunday evening in a residence hall on the Manhattan campus, according to a media release.
The Kansas State University Police Department responded to the dorm. The name of the student has not been released.
The student was transported for medical treatment and is in stable condition.
The Kansas State University Office of Student Life and Counseling Services is offering counseling and assistance to students and employees.
Firearms aren’t currently allowed in campus buildings or residence halls, although that’s on track to change. Starting in July, a Kansas law will allow concealed guns on state college campuses unless a legislative effort to undo the law is successful.
Faculty and student organizations generally have been strongly opposed to concealed guns on campus, as have administrators.
Patricia Allen, RN is the first Employee of the Quarter recipient for 2017 at Geary Community Hospital! Allen works in the Intensive Care Unit at GCH.
Although Pat is relatively new to GCH – joining the ICU team in June 2016 – she came to GCH with many years of experience from multiple nursing units and varied care systems. According to her colleagues, Pat goes above and beyond to share her knowledge with co-workers to help better them in their work. Pat is very engaged in identifying opportunities to enhance our care in the ICU and has been a valued resource during high acuity times. She quickly identifies gaps in current policy and has been a change agent within the unit.
Shannon Rosauer
Marketing and Public Relations Specialist
