Cub Scout Pack 64 from the First United Methodist Church in Junction City want to spread a little love this holiday season, and they need your help.

Diahnca Quigley, Cub Scout Leader, said that they want to give back to local law enforcement.

“Cub Scout Pack 64 at the Methodist Church is wanting to donate a meal to the officers on Friday, November 25th as a thank you for all their hard work during the holiday season, and really throughout the year – but he holiday season is really rough on them because they have to take so much extra time away from their families,” said Quigley.

The local scouts are hoping some of the restaurants in town will get involved and donate to the cause.

“If we could get local businesses like Subway, and Marco’s Pizza or Domino’s or even McDonald’s, Pizza Hut – to donate food or drinks to that, that would be great,” said Quigley.

In addition any one else that would like to donate, can call Diahnca at 223-7923 for more information.

It’s the Year of the Cowboy at the Geary County Historical Society, and this year will wrap up with a cowboy themed annual meeting on November 14th.

Geary County Historical Society Executive Director Katie Goerl said that the annual meeting is all about transparency for the community.

“It’s kind of an opportunity for members of our historical society and also the public to get to come in and see how our meetings run, how our board works, and it’s kind of about transparency,” said Goerl.

Keeping with the cowboy theme, this year’s meeting will feature a special cowboy presentation and dinner.

“We’re also having a program from Jim Hoye, who is a professor over at Emporia State University, and he’ll talk to us about cowboy legends and folklore/cowboy poetry – that kind of thing…the program is free to attend, and we’re having also a nice meal of roast beef, baked beans, potatoes, cornbread – a real cowboy affair,” said Goerl.

The annual meeting and the program from the ESU professor are free to attend, the dinner however is $14.

The meeting is Monday, November 14th.

For more information contact the Historical Society at 238-1666.

All Treats Day is Thursday, October 27th and local merchants will be handing out candy to trick-or-treaters from 5:15 until 7:00 pm.

Get a jump start on the candy Thursday by joining the Geary County Historical Society from 1:00 pm – 4:00 pm and then a special Unhuggables Program presented by Milford Nature Center.

“We’re going to learn about animals like bats, spiders, owls, vultures – that kind of thing – and how even though those animals are kind of scary to us sometimes, they have an important role in the natural world,” said Geary County Historical Society Executive Director Katie Goerl.

The Unhuggables Program will be from 4:00 pm – 4:45 pm so trick-or-treaters have time to make it to the All Treats Day Parade at 5:30 pm.

For more information, contact the Historical Society at 238-1666.

The Geary County Sheriff’s Department worked two non-injury accidents early Thursday morning.

In one case Deputies responded to Flinthills Boulevard and JHill Road for a two vehicle accident. Savannah Lapierre, Junction City, was eastbound on Flinthills Boulevard in a Nissan Sentra when she was struck by a Dodge van, driven by James Bassingthwaite, Windsor, Missouri. The accident was reported at 6:13 a.m.

In the second case Deputies responded to US 77 for a single vehicle accident. Gregory Vlasak III, Wakefield, was traveling southbound in a Ford Mustang when his vehicle struck a deer.  This accident was reported at 6:42 a.m.

Also, Wednesday night Deputies responded to Interstate 70 about 11 miles east of Junction City for a non-injury accident. Joseph Kirira, Topeka, was traveling westbound in a Toyota Tundra when he struck a deer.

 

Kansas State University has received a $2.5 million award from the U.S. Agency for International Development to boost agricultural innovation and growth in Cambodia, a country where 80 percent of the population is directly or indirectly involved in agriculture.

USAID’s Cambodia mission made the award through the university’s Feed the Future Innovation Lab for Collaborative Research on Sustainable Intensification, which was funded by USAID in 2014 to improve global food security by developing technologies that help farmers produce more food and nutrition on the same land base while protecting natural resources.

Vara Prasad, university distinguished professor of agronomy and the lab’s director, said the award will be used to establish the Center of Excellence on Sustainable Agricultural Intensification and Nutrition at the Royal University of Agriculture, known as RUA, in Phnom Penh.

RUA is considered Cambodia’s top agricultural university and is a key player for innovation and engagement with the public and private sector, as well as farmers.

“This award showcases Kansas State University’s leadership in sustainable food production, both domestically and internationally,” said John Floros, dean of the College of Agriculture, and director of K-State Research and Extension.

Manny Reyes, a Kansas State University research professor and agroecological engineer, will be the center’s coordinator and work with RUA scientists.

“This center will tap into intellectual capital from scientists around the globe, especially the United States, to research, teach and extend science-based innovative technologies to poor farmers, especially women and youth,” Reyes said.

“Cambodian rural communities suffering from hunger and malnutrition will intensify the growing, consuming, sharing and selling of vegetables, rice, fruits, bamboo, wood, fish, frogs, ducks, eggs, chickens, pigs and cows in a diverse, nutritional, ‘little-of-everything’ production system,” he said.

Other U.S. universities and Feed the Future innovation labs will work together to develop technologies that improve Cambodian horticulture, integrated pest management, livestock systems and aquaculture.

“No single university can address future challenges by itself,” said Ngo Bunthan, rector of RUA. “In this era of globalization and interdependence, cooperative partnerships with other institutions of academic excellence around the world are not an option, but a necessity.”

At a ceremony to launch the center, William Heidt, the U.S. ambassador to Cambodia, said there is room for Cambodia’s agricultural sector to grow further and become more competitive in the region and the world.

“Cambodia has the potential to be an engine for economic growth, rural development and to strengthen global food security,” Heidt said.

As the U.S. government’s global hunger and food security initiative, USAID’s Feed the Future initiative works with its partners and 19 countries to develop agricultural innovations to improve hunger, poverty and undernutrition around the world. As a Feed the Future project, the Center of Excellence on Sustainable Agricultural Intensification and Nutrition in Cambodia will include international exchange programs with Kansas State University; the University of California, Davis; Virginia Tech; University of Florida; University of Illinois; Penn State University; Michigan State University; and North Carolina A&T.

The project also includes establishing five technology parks in agro-ecological zones of Cambodia. The techno-parks will showcase promising strategies and innovations that could benefit smallholder farm production and encourage interaction between the private sector, researchers and farmers.