WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — The proposed $12.2 billion merger of Kansas-based Westar Energy with Missouri-based Kansas City Power & Light could be at the mercy of Missouri utility regulators whose staff has recommended the deal be rejected.

Great Plains Energy, parent company of KCP&L, says it doesn’t need Missouri’s permission for the purchase, which would combine operations to serve 1.5 million customers on both sides of the state line.

The Wichita Eagle reports that the Missouri Public Service Commission’s staff is concerned that the merger would lead to layoffs and harm Great Plains’ credit rating, leading to higher costs for customers.

James Owen, acting director of Missouri’s Office of Public Counsel, believes the commission staff will file a challenge against the deal. If not, his office will.

IACH crosses milestone toward October opening

By Jorge Gomez
IACH Public Affairs Office

Digital technologies have changed every aspect of our lives, a hospital becomes obsolete if it can’t support the technological demands of today’s
modern healthcare. On the weekend of July 23-24, a team of information technology specialists animated the new Irwin Army Community Hospital after transplanting the digital heart from the old hospital into the new one.

Several months of collaborative efforts by IT specialists from IACH, Health Facility Planning Agency, Regional Health Command – Central (Provisional), Defense Health Agency, General Dynamics Information Technology and the Healthcare Relocation Team culminated in standing up the data center at the new hospital on 650 Huebner Road.

During the first 10 hours the team relocated and installed about 60 hardware units into new enclosures. Experts could be seen consulting system documentation to ensure specific cables were connecting to specific ports. When feasible they consulted images from their smartphones to visually guide the cabling.”It’s not business as usual if you see an expert consulting documentation,” said Dave Dougherty, IACH’s Information Management Division chief.

“In the 15 years I have worked in IT, I have never experienced (data center) relocation on this scale. Bringing together all this hardware to make a new hospital work requires subject matter experts for each of the distinct systems we use in patient care.”

To control the confusion that comes from handling hundreds of cables, two IMD specialists took about six weeks labeling cables and diagramming the hardware in the new environment. They documented with exactness not only the physical but the logical (or internal) relations that make various systems communicate with each other.
“Nothing was taken for granted,” said Dougherty. “We couldn’t just assume the systems would work as usual in a new environment.”

Installing the hardware components turned out to be the easy part.
Troubleshooting systems with multiple processes led members of the team to continuously work overnight.

Shaun O’Leary, an IACH network manager, compared the troubleshooting experience to a mechanic who first tries to locate and understand a problem.

“It was critical to make one (troubleshoot) change at a time. We couldn’t
have everyone trying to make changes on their own,” O’Leary said.
Communication between all involved sustained a thorough approach to what could have become uncontrolled chaos.

“We had excellent communication,” O’Leary said.  “When we encountered a problem that was not well understood, we all stayed together.” The team was resolute in activating the data center before the start of outpatient care on Monday morning.

“There was a sensitivity to the hospital’s mission,” O’Leary said. “We are
not clinical (staff), but we know what our systems do and how they support the mission.” Lt. Col. Robert Schultz, Health Facility Program Office-Central, who has overseen relocation projects for Army hospitals, said that it’s normal for issues to arise in a project of this magnitude.

“But the teamwork and complimentary efforts amongst the group, working nonstop throughout the night and early morning hours resulted in the relocation of 11 systems, including multiple patient care applications,” said Schultz. “Most importantly, it resulted in very little impact to patient care. The collaborative and persistent efforts of the relocation team were phenomenal.”

Now that patient care applications are supported from 650 Huebner Road, hospital staff are launching the final sequence to occupy the new hospital and deliver care in October.

“The operational rates for our network systems are around 99 percent. There is so much happening behind scenes that we take for granted.  I am very proud of our team for what they have done and what they will continue to do,” Col. John Melton, IACH Commander said.

In the meantime, patients who call to fill a prescription or cancel an
appointment won’t detect a difference. And that’s precisely what the IT team worked to achieve – resuming patient care services as if nothing happened.

You can help the Geary County Historical Society at Marco’s Pizza, 211 West 6th Street,  Monday and Tuesday.

The Historical Society is holding a fundraiser there that will coincide with the beginning of the new school year in Junction City.

You can obtain a fun and easy dinner while supporting the Historical Society for no extra charge. All you have to do is just mention the Geary County Historical Museum to your server to participate.

The Historical Society will have volunteers there to greet people at the door. The event will run from 4 p.m. to 9 p.m. Monday and Tuesday.

The Junction City Little Theater presents the musical “Nunsense” on August 25, 26, 27,  at 7:30 p.m. and on August 28 at 2 p.m. at the C. L. Hoover Opera House.

This is a funny story about the Little Sisters of Hoboken, and what happens when Sister Julia ( the cook ) accidentally poisons 52 sisters and they desperately need burial funds, so they decide to put on a variety show.

The show will include star turns, tap and ballet dancing, an audience quiz and comic surprises.

Some of the actors in the show include Sarah Jane Boyer, Christine DiMattia, Marie Gazelle, Miranda Saldana-Rodney and Lynn Wright.

Tickets are $18 for adults, $16 for military, and $11 for students. You can get tickets by calling the Opera House at 238-3906 or you can buy online at jclittletheater.org.

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Archery Deer Hunting Program will continue for the 2016 hunting season. A drawing for 32 permits will be held on Saturday, August 27 at the Milford Project Office.

Registration for the drawing will begin at 8:30 a.m. and the drawing will start at 9:30 a.m. Each person wanting to draw for a permit must be present, show a valid hunting license and photo identification ( driver’s license, military ID, etc. ). Individuals can register for any Corps of Engineer parks in which they may want to archery deer hunt as long as permits are still available for that park.

There will be 10 permits each for School Creek and Curtis Creek, five permits for West Rolling Hills and two permits each for East Rolling Hills, Farnum Creek and Timber Creek, and one permit for the Kansas Department of Wildlife Parks and Tourism Fish Hatchery area for a total of 32 permits.

Archery season dates will be October 1 – November 29, and December 12 – 31.  Archery hunting in the park will not be allowed during the regular firearms season or any extended season. Regular firearm season is November 30 – December 11.

If you have questions or would like more details call the Corps of Engineers office at 238-5714 and dial “0” or assistance.

The annual Puppy Plunge is Sunday at the Junction City Municipal Swimming Pool from 5-9 p.m.

It’s free for the public.

The Junction City Area Chamber of Commerce has announced that this year’s event is working with the Geary County Animal Shelter. You can bring an item to donate to the shelter and help find forever homes.

The Animal Shelter donation wish list includes laundry detergent, paper towels, heavy-duty trash bag ( 13 & 30 gallon ), pill pockets, wet canned dog & cat food, cat litter, and bully sticks / long lasting dog chews.

 

“If you want to go forward it has to be impossible to go back.”

That was one of the points by Tricia McKale Skyles, the keynote speaker at the USD 475 General Staff Session, who  said that’s true for any change in your life.

Skyles talked about building emotional connections with students and positive relationships. “What I want people to realize is that our jobs are hard, we have a lot of content to cover, and sometimes we forget that we’re teaching students instead of just science or just social studies. So in order to keep students in the forefront we have to have really easy ways to make those quick connections.”

Skyles began her education career as a middle school teacher in Delphos, Kansas. Today she is an instruction coach with Pathways to Success, A Gear Up Project that partnered with the University of Kansas Center for Research on Learning, and Topeka public schools.

She also a tie to the local area. Skyles, formerly Tricia Britt, is a 1992 graduate of Wakefield High School. Her father, Todd Britt of Wakefield, was a longtime broadcaster for KJCK Radio in Junction City. He served as KJCK AM Program Director and host of the Swap Shop program. Tricia remembers those days as a young child. She visited the radio station. “I’d watch him spin records. I think when I was five years old he made me do a commercial.”

On Friday she helped guide USD 475 employees into a new school year.

 

 

 

 

 

 

You Drink. You Drive. You Lose.

During the period, August 18 through Labor Day, September 5,  the Junction City Police Department will join almost 150 other local and state police agencies across the state in a crackdown aimed at removing drunk, drugged, and other dangerous drivers from the roadways.

Billed as You Drink. You Drive. You Lose., the enforcement is underwritten by a grant from the Kansas Department of Transportation (KDOT).

 

Kansas averages four persons injured every day, and one person killedevery three days, in crashes where at least one of the drivers involved is impaired by alcohol and/or another drug.  According to KDOT, crashes involving impaired drivers are likely to be much more severe than other crashes.  This is why persons involved in such a crash – in any capacity – are more thantwice as likely to be injured, and 12 times more likely to die from their crash injuries, than if the crash does not involve impairment.

Another way to think of this is to compare ratios of death-to-injury.  There is one death for every 13 injuries among crashes in which a driver is impaired as compared with one death for every 60 injuries among crashes where impairment is not a factor.

 

According to Interim Chief Dan Breci, “I want the You Drink. You Drive. You Lose. campaign to remind drivers of several things: “First, if you’re going to drink while away from home, do it responsibly by planning ahead and lining up someone who is not going to be drinking to get you back.  Don’t make the mistake of waiting until it’s time to go home to start asking around. Chances are, if you do that you will wind up with someone who may be more sober than yourself, but not sober enough.

 

“Second, picture families you know, and then consider how it would be to wake up every day to the memory of your decision to drive after drinking – a decision which unintentionally brought injury or death to one of them. If you’re driving impaired, you are not only more likely to crash, but you are much more likely to cause serious injury – even death – to yourself and others when you do crash.

 

“Third, even if you appear to be driving well enough to get by, we may still be able to pull you over for a number of other traffic offences.  If we do this and we detect a hint of alcohol you will be tested.  If you fail the test you’re looking at a fine of $500-$2,500; up to one year in jail; the suspension, or even permanent loss, of your driver’s license; increased insurance premiums; and the purchase and installation of an ignition interlock device in your car.  Imagine not being able to start your car without blowing into the interlock’s alcohol sensor several times during an afternoon’s errands.  How do you tell your boss why you cannot drive a company car?  Add in an attorney’s fees and you may tie up $13,000 or more before all is said and done, and you still may not be off the hook.  Don’t take the chance; it’s not worth it.

 

“Fourth, we need everyone to be our eyes on the road.  If you see suspicious driving behaviors take note of location, direction and the vehicle’s description, and call 911 as soon as it’s safe to do so.  You may save a life.

 

“Fifth, you can count on this department to vigorously enforce impaired driving laws – not just during this campaign, but all year long.

 

“Finally, always remember that the best protection against a drunk driver (even when it’s yourself) is the use of seat belts and appropriate child restraints – every trip, every time. They save lives and reduce injury severity.”