![republican-party[1]](https://www.jcpost.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/republican-party1.gif)
The Geary County Republican Central Committee will meet Tuesday, November 29th at 7:00 pm.
The meeting will be at 709 N Madison in Junction City.
Call 209-1009 for more information.
Category: Local
Mass Shootings, Stabbings, Violence – Is this becoming the norm?
Whether they’re emotionally disturbed or just flat out evil – the frequency of mass shooting incidents is becoming a greater cause for concern in recent years.
The tragedy that occurred at Columbine High School in Colorado was one of the first of it’s kind – since then, the incidents of crazed, or disturbed gunmen have gone wild.
Monday, November 28th, fresh off of the Thanksgiving Holiday a suspect allegedly went on a rampage on the campus of Ohio State University injuring seven. Initial reports were that it was a gunman, later reports state that a perpetrator stabbed and injured victims with a vehicle.
Nonetheless, the fright, hysteria, the unknown fear of ‘what if that happens here’ haunts many from day to day.
Lonnie Clark, 65th District House of Representatives, said that he believes “we are going to see more and more of the same that we saw at Ohio State today.”
“I don’t really advocate everybody going out and buying a gun and trying to defend themselves and everybody else and not knowing what they’re doing; I do think that people need to be cautious and they need to take steps to prepare themselves for these type of events because I just think they’re going to keep coming,” said Clark.
Not to be misconstrued, Clark said he is a supporter of the 2nd Amendment – the right to bear arms – however, he says it may not be the right thing for everybody to do. “There’s as many bad things that can happen when you carry a gun as there are good things, so it’s not the end all to all just because you’re carrying a gun…[people] need the right training and they need to be cautious.”
Ohio State University is a gun free campus – had there been a responsible gun owner, would there be a lessened victim toll? Kansas State University will allow campus-wide concealed carry as early as July 2017.
“It’s really difficult to tell a person that they can’t protect themselves with a firearm when they’re on a college campus; it’s their right to be able to protect themselves,” said Clark. “I’m not really for students carrying guns at the high school even if they are 18 and they have the right, but I think it’s a different situation in a college campus as oppose to the other educational situations.”
Kansas State revised a draft weapons policy that was submitted to the Kansas Board of Regents on October 19, 2016 which can be accessed here.
It reads, in part…
“Beginning July 1, 2017, any individual who is 21 years of age or older and who is lawfully eligible to carry a concealed handgun in Kansas shall not be precluded from doing so on campus except in buildings and areas of buildings for which adequate security measures are provided, and except as otherwise prohibited by law…Open carry of firearms and possession of weapons other than concealed handguns shall be prohibited on campus, while concealed carry of handguns is permitted on campus, subject to the rules stated in this policy….There are no University locations that have been designated as prohibiting concealed carry with permanent adequate security measures. The University may from time to time designate a specific location as temporarily prohibiting concealed carry and use temporary adequate security measures as defined and required by law….”
***feature photo courtesy: Andy Jacobsohn/Courtesy Dallas Morning News
Geary County Democrats Reorganization Meeting
The Geary County Democratic Party will meet on Wednesday, November 30th at 6:30 pm at the Dorothy Bramlage Public Library to reorganize and elect officers.
Brittany Bodenheimer, Kansas Democratic Party Assistant Finance Director, will attend the meeting and speak about future plans of the state party.
All area Democrats are welcome to attend, however – only elected precinct men and women may vote on the election of officers, per state party guidelines.
For more information contact Shelley Hoyle-Kite at tandskite@cox.net or call 238-6222.
Open House for CiCo Improvements Thursday
Manhattan, Kan. (Nov. 28, 2016) — A public meeting and open house for possible improvements at CiCo Park will be from 4 to 6 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 1 at Pottorf Hall at CiCo Park.
Concepts for possible improvements at CiCo Park were developed as part of Manhattan Parks and Recreation’s ongoing facility feasibility study. City staff and consultants will be on hand to answer questions and discuss some of the improvements identified in preliminary concepts. Those include larger ballfields with better playability, additional tennis courts, connectivity through the park and improved parking. The effect on stormwater detention in the park and downstream is being considered with these possible improvements.
“We want to hear from both park users and from people living near CiCo Park about their preferences for park amenities and for impacts such as traffic and stormwater runoff,” said Eddie Eastes, director of parks and recreation. “Their preferences will help us narrow down our priorities as we move forward.”
The facility feasibility study began after a Strategic Facility Improvement Plan identified four areas of improvement for parks and recreation facilities in the community. The CiCo Park concepts address two of those areas: improvements to safety and playability of playing surfaces and improvements to availability and condition of parks and trails.
No cost estimates have been developed yet for the CiCo concepts. Previous improvements identified in the study include facility additions at Anthony and Eisenhower middle schools and a neighborhood recreation center in Douglass Park. The Manhattan City Commission will hear an update on the study during a work session in January.
Retirement Reception for Ken Talley
A retirement reception for Ken Talley at the Central National Bank has been scheduled Tuesday ( Nov. 29 ) from 3:30 to 5 p.m. at the Central National Bank Main Bank North Lobby at 802 North Washington.
Ken Talley is being recognized for 28 years of service to the Central National Bank.
Brief remarks are scheduled at 3:45 during the retirement reception.
JROTC to Host Pancake Feed
The Junction City High School JROTC Blue Jay Battalion will host an all you can eat pancake feed on Saturday from 7 a.m. to noon at the Fraternal Order of the Eagles, Aerie 830 at 203 East 10th Street in Junction City.
The cost is $5 per person.
Michelle Brown, Instructional Technologist for USD 475, noted this fundraising event is being sponsored by the Blue Jay Battalion Parent Support Group. There will also be a choice auction.
Flint Hills Maps Installed in 180 Schools
Over 180 schools and colleges across the Flint Hills now have a permanent new exhibit mounted on their walls: a first-of-its-kind map of the Flint Hills area and remaining tallgrass prairie, alongside related educational text and colorful illustrations in three versions: elementary, middle, and high school/college. 
The map exhibits will reach over 95,000 students, and were recently delivered to each participating school by the You Are Here: Flint Hills Map & Education Program, a project of the Flint Hills Discovery Center Foundation. The program’s purpose is “to deepen students’ knowledge, pride, and understanding of their special place in the world – the Flint Hills.”
“Each map has a custom-placed ‘You Are Here’ arrow pointing to the school’s location – to give students a strong sense of their place within this remarkable region,” explains Program Coordinator, Annie Wilson of Elmdale.
The map also features the education program’s web address for access to hundreds of learning activities customized to the Flint Hills region, giving teachers place-based education tools to connect learning to students’ own lives and environments.
“The schools received these museum-quality maps and curriculum at no cost, funded by numerous foundations, businesses and individuals who have a passion for the prairie and education,” states Program Director, Emily Hunter Connell of El Dorado.
For more information on the You Are Here: Flint Hills Map & Education Program, including list of participating schools, see www.flinthillsdiscovery.org/map or call 620-273-8301.
Deputies Work Accidents
The Geary County Sheriff’s Department has reported that Deputies responded to mile marker 178 on the K-18 bypass Saturday evening for a single vehicle injury accident.
Bobbie Jomoore, Junction City, was traveling southbound in a 2000 Pontiac Montana when the vehicle struck a deer. She and a passenger were transported to Geary Community Hospital for treatment of non-life threatening injuries.
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Deputies responded to US 77 Highway mile marker 151 for a single vehicle vs. deer accident Sunday afternoon.
Jarold Boettcher, Manhattan, was traveling north in his 2017 Porsche Macan when a deer ran east across the roadway, and Boettcher’s vehicle struck the deer. Boettcher was not injured.
New Date for Chamber of Commerce Business After Hours
The next Junction City Area Chamber of Commerce Ugly Sweater Business After Hours has been scheduled on December 8 at 5 p.m.
It will be at the Bluffs at 1810 Caroline Avenue in Junction City.
New High School Proposal Presentation Scheduled for City – County Meeting
USD 475 officials will make a presentation to City and County Commissioners Monday evening on the proposed new high school project.
A steering committee is in the midst of studying the options for the project, and are scheduled in January to make a recommendation to the Board of Education. The Board could at that point decided to put a proposal for a new school on the ballot in the spring. Approval would be necessary to allow the school district to receive the state aid needed to help finance the project.
District officials have indicated all or most of the project can be financed by heavily impacted federal aid and state aid.
The City – County meeting begins at 5 p.m. at the C. L. Hoover Opera House.
The meeting will also include a Dorothy Bramlage Public Library presentation and discussion by city commissioner Jim Sands about a Mentoring Program.