Law enforcement authorities at the scene of the fatal crash in Manhattan
MANHATTAN, Kan. (AP) — A Kansas man has been sentenced to more than 17 years in prison for a drunken driving crash that killed his 6-year-old daughter.
The Manhattan Mercury reports that 39-year-old Joshua Mall, of Riley, was sentenced Monday for second-degree murder in the October death of Madilyn Mall. His criminal history includes a guilty plea in a 2001 vehicular homicide in Colorado in which prosecutors dropped two driving under the influence counts.
Authorities say that before Madilyn’s death, he consumed more than a half-liter of whiskey, lost control of his speeding pickup truck and crashed into a tree. His blood alcohol level measured .13; the legal limit in Kansas is .08.
Mall said he felt he let Madilyn down and that keeping her safe was his “one job as a father.”
Junction City Police Dan Breci has been accepted into the prestigous FBI National Academy. He will participate in an 11-week leadership program.
Breci noted it’s rated the most prestigous law enforcement class in the world. So to be a part of it, to be networking with administrators from all over the world. It’s a college type atmosphere where I have to take five college type classes. ” Breci said participants wear uniforms every day, there is physical training Monday through Friday, and there is a 6.1 mile obstacle course in week nine.
Breci said on the first week the participants will be taken lights and sirens sounding to the law enforcement national memorial in downtown Washington D. C. There will be three bus loads of students. “The people tell me it’s sort of like the President getting escorted, you’ve got a motorcade that escorts you there…lights and sirens, 50 miles there and 50 miles back. And then its’ tours, like back door tours of the White House , back door tours of NYPD in New York City.
Only eight Kansas officers get to participate in the leadership program each year.
Until Breci returns to the Junction City Police Department, Police Captain Keith Fitzgerald will serve as the Acting Chief for the JCPD until Breci returns. Fitzgerald currently heads the patrol division for the police department.
FORT RILEY, Kan. – Fiscal year 2017 resource constraints and reductions
across the Department of Defense and the Department of the Army will have
implications on the services provided by Fort Riley’s Directorate of Family,
Morale, Welfare and Recreation to 1st Infantry Division Soldiers and
families. The Fort Riley garrison, in conjunction with the 1st Inf. Div.,
has conducted an internal review on the restructuring and reductions of
DFMWR to account for imposed reductions.
“We are faced with challenging decisions, as selected services will likely
be eliminated, others will be restructured, some services will be reduced in
hours and several may now incur a patron fee,” said Maj. Gen. Wayne W.
Grigsby Jr., 1st Infantry Division and Fort Riley commanding general. “This
transformation is an Army-wide initiative to rebalance assets, focused on
building and maintaining readiness within the force. At Fort Riley, we will
implement these changes to DFMWR services during the first quarter of fiscal
year 2017.”
Some of the changes include:
– Custer Hill Golf Course will close; the driving range and snack bar
will remain open
– Riley Ride will be discontinued
– Eyster Pool lap swim will now incur a charge after PT hours; hours
will change
– Hours will change at the Fort Riley Marina and Warrior Zone
– Trap and Skeet range will be by reservation only
– Woodworking Shop will continue operations with the help of certified
volunteers
There will be minimal or no impact to the post’s fitness centers, Riley’s
Conference Center, library, mission swimming, parks, auto crafts and the
Better Opportunities for Single Soldiers program.
“Personnel and budget challenges will continue for the foreseeable future,”
Grigsby said. “We can’t do it all; these are tough prioritizing decisions
and we will continue to do what’s best for the readiness of our Army. Be
assured, too, that we will continue to inform Soldiers, their families,
civilian employees, retirees and community members about any future changes
here at Fort Riley.”
Fifty-two units of blood were received on the first day of the Red Cross blood drive at the Junction City Municipal Building. That was short of the goal of 76 units.
The blood drive continues Wednesday from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Municipal Building.
You can call 1-800- Red Cross or go to redcrossblood.org to make an appointment. Walk-ins are welcome.
“79% of our troops that come in to the military, come from military families…service has become a family tradition, a family business,” said Patrick J. Murphy, Under Secretary of the Army.
L to R: CSM Joseph Cornelison, 1st Infantry Division Commanding General Major General Wayne W. Grigsby Jr., SPC Brendon Anstine, Under Secretary of the Army Patrick J. Murphy
Murphy spent the day on Fort Riley emphasizing the Soldier for Life initiative.
When Murphy entered the civilian world, he said there were no programs to assist in transitioning out of the army. Now, the Soldier for Life program helps veterans and retirees when they decide to leave service.
“Twelve to eighteen months before they leave, they want to make sure that our soldiers are transition ready, that they have a resume…it saves the American taxpayers money, because if our soldiers don’t have jobs when they leave the army, we have to pay them unemployment,” said Murphy.
Murphy said that in the last five years the Department of Defense has spent $4.6 billion paying unemployment, but the Soldier for Life program is cutting a lot of that expense.
“When you look at even this past year for the first six months of our fiscal year, we saved tens of millions of dollars for our army because we have been very focused in making soldier for life a top priority,” said Murphy.
Veterans are more likely to serve active roles in the community, like little league coaches, pastors, and small business owners, and are more likely to be successful than non-Veterans according to Murphy.
“What really is important is the fact that you say you are a soldier for life, you are a leader of character for a lifetime of service; so whether you do three years or thirty years, you need to make sure that the expectation is that you will continue to serve,” said Murphy.
One area of the Flint Hills region that Murphy commended on their care for soldiers and veterans was Manhattan.
“The partnership with the Military Innovation Center at Kansas State and the partnership with the Big Red One is second to none in this nation – this really is the benchmark for how to take care of soldiers and their families so that transition can be as smooth as possible,” said Murphy.
Murphy added that both indirectly and directly, soldiers and veterans in the region make up for approximately $3 billion in the economy, making the relationships and positive partnerships with the local military that much more significant.
“We have about 155,000 American soldiers, veterans who live in the [Fort Riley] metro area, and those soldiers and their families are civic assets for our nation; they want to give back, they love our country, they leave our army with the love of country stamped on their heart, they want to keep continuing to give back and that’s what we’re seeing in places like Manhattan, KS which is pretty terrific,” said Murphy.
During his visit to Fort Riley, Murphy was able to view some live fire training exercises as well as take part in a ceremony for a soldier being awarded the Soldier’s Medal for active heroism while not in uniform.
A third generation Veteran, Murphy wanted to truly connect with the soldiers and leaders on Fort Riley and listen to their needs and concerns – his faith in the 1st Infantry Division is strong.
“This November they will have about 8900 of our soldiers who are deployed overseas; they are the tip of the sphere of our nation to keep our families safe here at home and they have great leadership, both NCOs and officers,” said Murphy.
No additional deployments have been announced for Fort Riley.
Murphy spent time today connecting with soldiers transitioning out of the army.
SPC Anstine, Under Secretary of the Army Patrick Murphy
Those were the words of the 32nd Under Secretary of the Army, Patrick J. Murphy during his visit to Fort Riley Tuesday where he attended a Soldier’s Medal award ceremony.
The Soldier’s Medal is awarded to a soldier exemplifying active heroism out of uniform – an award befitting of the young Anstine.
During the Fourth of July weekend in 2014, SPC Brendon Anstine was vacationing on the Sandy River in Oregon with family when he noticed a small boat had overturned.
“The first thing that made me jump in was the baby…a little kid can’t fend for himself so you kind of have to step in and try to do the right thing,” said Anstine.
From there Anstine made several trips back and forth in to the water where 10 to 15 people were in need of assistance.
During one trip in to the river, a woman’s leg was caught in some brush and she needed to be cut free; after racing ashore to get a knife and then losing it in the river Anstine began to wonder if he could make it another time to shore and back.
With perseverance, strength and some assistance from someone who could get an extra cutting tool out to him, he was able to save the woman.
Anstine says that being awarded the Soldier’s Medal is surreal.
“I didn’t really think it was that big of a deal…I got told it was a big deal [the award] but honestly I just feel like anybody would do the right thing in that kind of situation and I feel that I was just in the right place at the right time,” said Anstine.
In regard to Anstine’s heroism: “That’s what our soldiers do; our soldiers are ready to fight, are ready to step up on behalf of our nation to make sure we protect our families here at home.” – Patrick Murphy, Under Secretary of the Army
SPC Brendon Anstine, a calvary scout, is with the 5th Squadron 4th Cavalry Regiment, 2nd Armored Brigade Combat Team, 1st Infantry Division.
The Junction City Planning and Zoning Office has notified JC Post that due to a lack of agenda items the October meeting of the Metropolitan Planning Commission / Board of Zoning Appeals has been cancelled. It had been scheduled for October 13.
On September 23, 2016 at 9 a.m. Lincoln Elementary will hold a small ceremony to dedicate the American War Mothers to Geary County World War I Veterans Monument in Heritage Park. The students and staff have been raising funds to restore the monument for 2 years and now all their hard work has finally paid off and they want the community to celebrate with them.
Over the past couple of years the students and staff held a Money for the Monument Coin War, School Dance, Color Run, and local businesses such as Brain Freeze donated all the proceeds from snow cone sales to the effort. U.S. Stone and Bayer Construction also made significant contributions. U.S. Stone created the monument at a significantly discounted price. Bayer and Baril Construction donated time and materials. The restored monument weights approximately 800 pounds.
Every Veteran’s Day and Memorial Day the students of Lincoln elementary plan to pay tribute to the American War Mothers by placing flowers on the monument.
Flu shots are available now for all enrolled veterans of the VA Eastern Kansas Health Care System. No appointment is needed to receive this yearly vaccine but you must bring your VA ID card.
Community Based Outpatient Clinics, including the facility in Junction City on Southwind Drive, will offer flu vaccines now through March 31. No appointment is necessary. The vaccines are available on a walk-in basis.
The flu vaccine is also available at the Topeka and Leavenworth VA Medical Centers, all Primary Care Clinics, Behavioral Health Clinics, and Women’s Health Centers operated through the VA Eastern Kansas Health Care System.
