Anne Smith receiving the award from Robert “Bob” Nugent of Lawrence Transit System
The director of the Flint Hills Area Transportation Agency, Anne Smith, has received the Willie M. Murry Award at the annual Kansas Public Transit Association meeting. The award is presented to an individual who has distinguished themself in serving public transit in Kansas.
Smith has 13 years of experience writing federal, state and local transportation grants and budget requests, including a $2 million American Recovery Reinvestment Act grant for the construction of a regional transit facility. She has experience in all aspects of transit operations and has progressed from a driver to the director position over the past 15 years with the agency.
In her current position Smith is responsible for all budget preparation and management. She serves as liason with city, county, state and federal agencies, plans, directs and coordinates the transportation operations, is responsible for general administration and office management.
Smith has worked in collaboration with others to develop and implement fixed route public bus transportation within Manhattan, and the Riley, Geary and Pottawatomie County areas including Junction City and Grandview Plaza.
Work by two researchers at Kansas State University’s College of Veterinary Medicine is showing promise in stopping a deadly cat disease.
Feline infectious peritonitis, also known as FIP, is a viral infection of cats that is nearly 100 percent fatal. But in a study that was funded in part with a grant from the Morris Animal Foundation, the Kansas State University researchers and researchers at two other universities successfully blocked progression of the disease.
Kansas State University’s Yunjeong Kim, associate professor, and Kyeong-Ok Chang, professor, both of diagnostic medicine and pathobiology, and William Groutas, a distinguished professor of chemistry at Wichita State University, developed the antiviral compounds used in the study. In a collaboration and demonstration with Niels Pedersen, professor emeritus of medicine and epidemiology at the University of California, Davis, one of the research compounds stopped progression of FIP and led to clinical recovery to cats with the disease.
“These findings showed that inhibiting growth of the virus is the critical component of treatment for FIP,” Kim said. “This will help us and other researchers find a way to effectively manage or treat FIP in the future. Also, these findings have broader implications for other important coronavirus infections, since no antiviral drugs exist for human or animal coronaviruses.”
The Matrix Design Group ruffled some feathers after releasing their research on the Economic Impact to the Flint Hills Region of Force Reductions on Fort Riley.
Geary County Commissioner Ben Bennett
Ben Bennett, Geary County Commissioner, was not pleased.
“As I listened last week and as I’ve looked at the report, they didn’t tell us anything we didn’t already know – they just confirmed the things that we know,” said Bennett.
Bennett says in his 10 years as County Commissioner that studies like these have been done before.
“When I came in to office 10 years ago, we were right in the middle of doing this very same thing; we were looking at what changes could be made and would be made and how that would affect our situation here in Geary county, and Junction and the region,” said Bennett. “We were endaunted with the fact that we needed to work together on this because we were all going to be under the same process.”
That process once again is upon the residents of the Flint Hills Region and Bennett doesn’t think the Matrix Design Group provided the mystery reveal that members of the public hoped for.
“The only people who were really getting fat off of this whole study were the consultants,” said Bennett.
Remaining adamant that the study did little in awareness, but moreso brought issues to light, Bennett disagrees with the Matrix Design Group’s assesment that this area lacks regionalism and that specifically Manhattan and Junction City do not get along – and it shows.
“It depends on who you listen to; those of us that have worked with the regionalization and the cooperation feel like we’ve made some huge steps but it can be damaged real quickly by some individuals who don’t feel like that’s necessary…I call it the greed of ownership,” said Bennett. “You’ve got these things and you need to continue to make it grow, and as it grows it looks good, but you also bring a lot of huge problems in to the area when you grow and those are things that we also are continuing to fight because we need to make sure that all those families that area here are secure and safe in all areas of security and safety.”
Bennett discussed this and other topics as a guest on 1420 AM – The Talk of JC’s show ‘JC Now’.
Tell us what you think: Did the growth in Manhattan bring more crime? Looking at the current state of Geary county – the high crime rate, and soaring jail population – what does this say about the future and economic growth?
We’d love to hear from you; respond in the comments.
It’s almost that time of the year again – time to cast your vote for elected officials.
Prior to the August primary races, the Junction City Area Chamber of Commerce held a Candidate Forum for the community to meet those running for office, and for the candidates to introduce or solidify their platforms to the public.
Chamber of Commerce CEO Dennis Beson has announced that the next Candidate or Legislative Forum, as it’s called this time, will be held on Monday, October 24th.
Again, this event will be open to the public.
Stay in touch on JC Post for updates as the October 24th forum approaches.
The Junction City Area Chamber of Commerce has a new logo (pictured to the right) and a slew of new members to celebrate it with.
Dennis Beson, Chamber of Commerce CEO says that Chamber of Commerce membership totals have steadily increased since last August.
“When I got here there was 298 members, and now we’re sitting at 342 members,” said Beson.
Beson, having been CEO for a little over a year, credits the growth to the work that has gone in to maintaining and improving the quality of life and business partnerships in Junction City.
“What we hope is that we’re creating an environment where people realize that there is an entity and an organization out there working to try to improve growth and economic development,” said Beson.
Dennis Beson, CEO Chamber of Commerce
And that work to improve “growth and economic development” doesn’t end with the increase in Chamber of Commerce members.
“We’re continuing to work on economic growth in all areas that we can; and trying to bring businesses and contact any people that come to town to welcome them as a business community,” said Beson.
Part of that welcoming for local business owners is knowing that your voice is heard.
The 6.1 property tax mil levy increase adopted in the 2017 Geary county budget didn’t garner the warmest reception but Beson says that he will always have an open door to discuss possibilities and concerns.
“It’s always going to be my position as a Chamber Director to make sure that the voice of the businesses is being heard; so of course, any business members that would like to come in and talk with me and work on some strategies that we can to collectively, and in a partnership way work with the county and city on any issues, I’m always open to that,” said Beson.
The Junction City Area Chamber of Commerce is located at 222 W. 6th Street and can be reached by phone at 762-2632.
Changes are coming for US Army MWR at installations.
Fort Riley Garrison Public Affairs has released a video from Installation Management Command Commanding General Lt. Gen. Kenneth Dahl. It was recorded on Tuesday.
Dr. Tom Craig shows Medical Explorer students the proper way to don surgical gloves. ( L-R ) Dr. Tom Craig, Alisha Wilson, Taylor Rich, Kiona Freeman
The Geary Community Hospital Medical Explorer program is gearing up for its second round of classes beginning Wednesday, September 14. The bi-weekly program gives area high school students the opportunity to learn more about careers in the medical field ranging from surgery, cardiology, pediatrics, radiology and more.
In January 2016, twenty local high school students participated in the grassroots Medical Explorer program at Geary Community Hospital. The practical, hands-on activities provided the program are a natural extension of the students’ Health Sciences coursework at Junction City High School.
Registration is now open for the next Medical Explorers class. Participants must enroll by September 2 for the six-week fall session. Bi-weekly classes begin on September 14 at 7 p.m. in the Fegan Dining Room at Geary Community Hospital. Interested students should contact Nancy Dettmer ( nancydettmer@usd475 ) orNikki Davies ( ndavies@gchks.org ) to receive an application packet.
JC Post has confirmed there is an ongoing review of Morale Welfare & Recreation activities and facilities at Fort Riley.
It comes as the Post has to deal with Army budget constraints.
Fort Riley Garrison Public Affairs confirmed they hope to release details about upcoming actions in the near future. Specifics are not yet being released.
A recent state audit found that some law enforcement agencies were taking advantage of vague state forfeiture laws in Kansas.
The audit alleges that proceeds were used to pay for salaries and other operating expenses.
Tony Wolf, Geary County Sheriff was not thrilled with the state’s findings.
Geary County Sheriff Tony Wolf
“I think it’s one of [the state’s] attempts to start trying to take away that money from the local entities,” said Wolf.
Wolf argues that with many of the “lucrative” crimes, the best way to hit them is financially – and he said that this is something practiced at a local, state and federal level.
“When we were all children and we got in trouble, what did our parents do – they took something from us; and that’s exactly what this basically is,” said Wolf. “If you’re involved in crimes – a lucrative crime, such as drug dealing – we take away what hits them most – their money.”
Wolf said that we hear about these practices everyday in the federal government.
“The federal government talks about trying to stop ISIS and things like that; what is the first thing that they want to do – they want to go after their money and their funding,” said Wolf.
Wolf argues that “this is kind of a domestic situation of a terrorist entity with drug dealing, and drug trafficking; what do you do – you go after their money, you hit them where it hurts them, you go after their funds.”
The state forfeiture laws as they are support law enforcement at all levels being able to deter crime by taking the illegally acquired assets.
“When we make that stop, we determine that the money that individual has or the items that they have are being used to further their criminality, that’s what we do – we seize it,” said Wolf.
Note: This article does not intend to insinuate that Geary County was cited in the audit. This is the Geary County Sheriff’s response to the information released.
