Cloud County Community College, based in Concordia, has been named the number one community college in the nation by SmartAsset.com. There is also a major Cloud County Community College campus in Junction City.
SmartAsset said the college offers more than 335 courses each semester and has the highest graduation and transfer rate of any college in the study.
The Geary County Sheriff’s Department received a call at 12:59 p.m. Sunday about a boat with two occupants who appeared to be in distress on Milford Lake at the mouth of Madison Creek.
The Sheriff’s Department had a marine unit already on the water and responded to the location. They reported that upon arrival Deputies located Armando Matute Jr., Fort RIley, and his 14-year old son floating in the water. Deputies pulled both out of the water and transported them to Milford State Park where they met with Kansas Wildlife and Parks officials to work a boating accident.
Armando Matute Jr. said they were going along in their boat when they heard a loud pop and their boat started taking on water. He believed they struck something in the water.
The Sheriff’s Department said they were grateful both the father and son were using safe boating practices and were wearing their personal flotation devices ( life jackets ), or the incident could have had a tragic ending.
No injuries were reported.
MANHATTAN, Kan. (AP) — Kansas State researchers have received a three-year, $2.8 million federal grant for a project to enhance utility operators’ awareness of and resilience to cyberattacks.
The award from the U.S. Department of Energy Solar Energy Technologies Office was announced Thursday.
The Manhattan Mercury reports that as more solar and other distributed energy resources are added to the electrical grid, utility operators need new tools to provide stronger protection against physical and cyber risks.
This project is led by engineering professor Bala Natarajan.
The project is among the largest to date in the electrical and computer engineering department at the university. It is the first project from the solar office to be awarded to a university in Kansas.
By DEWEY TERRILL
JC Post
There was a big catch during the third annual Brandon Stroda Kid’s Fishing Derby at Homer’s Pond in Junction City Saturday. Zach, Jacob and Craig Bender pulled in a huge catfish. Tournament participants estimated the size of the big fish was in the 20 to 22 pound range.
Nine-year old Jacob told JC Post that his sister, Logan, first saw that their fishing line was being pulled and told her dad who then saw that the line was being pulled down. Jacob said at first that they thought they had snagged a turtle so it was a surprise when it was pulled out of the water. “Yeah. And then it got snapped when it just came up on the shore.”
Twelve-year old Zach said it took about two minutes to reel the fish in to shore. “Then we finally brought it in and it snapped and somebody helped us pull the huge catfish in. It was probably the biggest fish we’ve ever caught.” They were using one-third ( the middle part ) of a bluegill for bait.
There were a lot of kids who participated in the tournament. Coordinator Alex Tyson with the host organization, Geared Up Dads, said the event was an opportunity to give back to the community. Tyson explained that Homer’s Pond is a good location. “Homer’s Pond is centrally located in our community where we can have all forms of people in our community come out and participate.”
The fishing derby is named after the late Brandon Stroda. His father, Bob Stroda, called it a great event. “It’s a good time for the kids to get with their parents and come out and experience some fishing, and just good family time.” He stated his son would have liked the event. “This was his idea when he wanted to get the tournament started.”
As for the big catfish, it was released back into the water at Homer’s Pond.
MANHATTAN — Law enforcement authorities are investigating a suspect for alleged sex crimes.
On Friday, detectives with the Riley County Police Department made a probable cause arrest of Robert Iacobellis, 60, Manhattan, for the offenses of Rape and Aggravated Indecent Liberties with a Child. He is being held on a $500,000 bond, according to the police department arrest report.
Due to the nature of the alleged crimes and the ongoing investigation, police released no additional information.
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Junction City Chamber of Commerce officials recently traveled to Clarksville, Tennessee where they learned about the growth in that community adjacent to Fort Campbell, and the retention rate of Soldiers who remain there after leaving the military.
For those non-career Soldiers leaving the Army the rate is 47-49% compared to 16-20% five years ago. The percentage of career Soldiers who retire from the military and remain in the Clarksville area is currently in the 67-69% range compared to 45-50% five years ago.
Chamber President Mickey Fornaro-Dean and Military Affairs Council Director Craig Bender reported on their trip this week during a meeting with the Chamber board in Junction City.
Fornaro-Dean noted that they were informed in Clarksville that they do what’s best for their community, not the easiest. The population of that Tennessee city has grown during the last 15 years.
Approximately 27,000 troops are stationed at Fort Campbell. Also, 80% of the active duty Soldiers at Fort Campbell live in Clarksville and not on post, and the City recently received an $8 million grant for use with their workforce.
Fornaro-Dean noted that Clarksville is a bigger place than Junction City, but they do a lot that Junction City can leverage. There are some ideas that can be implemented quickly and others long term. She commented in the short term one example could be a Spouse’s Day where military spouses would be hosted with activities and be presented with educational information.
The report from USD 475 Superinendent of Schools Dr. Reginald Eggleston on the hiring of teachers for the upcoming 2019-2020 school year was positive this week.
Eggleston noted that final preparations are being made for the upcoming school year. “We’re ensuring that we have all of our teachers in place”. On Thursday he stated, At this present moment we may have just a couple of positions to fill. The goal is to try to have a certified teacher in all of our classrooms. and not to have any long-term subs.”
Eggleston said he was proud of the district’s current status and situation. “So we’ve made a lot of headway there. My staff, HR and the principals have done an exceptional job recruiting and getting good people in place.”
The first day back at work for teachers in the district will be August 6th.
Hoo Haw is back by popular demand for a second consecutive year at the C. L. Hoover Opera House in Junction City. It is scheduled on Saturday, August 10 at 7:30 p.m.
Performed by actors from the Columbian Theater in Wamego, this show is a tribute to the ‘Hee Haw’ television series. There will be live music and comedy delivered by actors and actresses. Prior to the show from 6-7 p.m. there will be free dinner and live music with your ticket purchase. Food is being provided by Smithfield Foods, Freddy’s, Junction City Little Theater, Dillons and Walmart. The live music including bluegrass and folk music will be provided by the Haymakers.
You can purchase tickets by calling 238-3906, online at jcoperahouse.org or at the Opera House.
A number of different topics were covered by staff during a report to the Junction City Area Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors this week.
Some of the topics included:
–The fact that there has been a slight membership increase with the total going up by four to 336.
–The Chamber Business After Hours will be August 15th at Champions Car Wash
–The annual Community Game Night fundraiser for the Chamber will be Thursday, November 7th.
–Efforts are under way to prepare a workforce talent survey.
–The Chamber will host a reception for businesses again this year at the AUSA convention in Washington D.C. That is scheduled in October. The purpose is to hopefully attract some interest in Geary County from businesses and industry in the nation’s capitol.
–The new economic development commission web site is expected to be up and live September 1st, but information will still be placed on the web site after that date. There will be a formal kickoff for the web site in mid-October.
–The next military affairs council breakfast will be on Tuesday, August 20th at the convention center. It will feature former Under Secretary of the Army Patrick Murphy as the guest speaker.
Heavy rains swept through Dickinson County Friday morning and resulted in some rural road closures due to high water south of Abilene and runnng to the west toward Solomon.
One man had to be rescued from his vehicle after it was swept off the road by the water, said Emergency Management Director Chancy Smith. The site was south of Abilene between Eden and Fair Roads. “Just had some high water across the road, person drove through it and it floated their car off into the ditch. He was sitting on top of it until rescue could get there and get him off.”
There were no injuries.
