The Fort Riley post-wide graduation ceremony is set for May 19th.

Graduates from eight on-post and several distance learning colleges at Fort Riley will participate in the 56th Post-Wide Graduation Ceremony at 1 p.m. at the Geary County Convention Center at the Courtyard by Marriott in Junction City.

There are over 300 graduates this year, and approximately 200 will walk in the ceremony that is being held off-post for the first time.

Major General Wayne Grigsby Jr., the 1st Infantry Division and Fort Riley Commanding General, as well as retired Sgt. Jenise Hiram, a graduate of Upper Iowa University, will be guest speakers for the graduation ceremony.

Hiram was selected as the student speaker from a group of four nominees.

Fort Riley’s on-post colleges are Barton Community College, Central Michigan University, Central Texas College, Hutchinson Community College, Kansas State University, Southwestern College, University of Mary, and Upper Iowa University. These institutions, as well as a variety of distance learning options, offer military civilians and family members the opportunity to earn toward certificates, associate, bachelor, and master’s degrees.

There are many events to look forward to for Victory Week on Fort Riley from June 6th through 10th.

Per the schedule released from the Military Affairs Office by the Junction City Chamber of Commerce the following events will take place:

• June 6:  Division Run – 6:30 to 7:30 a.m.
• June 6: Prayer Breakfast at the Riley Conference Center with Guest Speaker LTG Jerry Boykin – 8:30 to 10:00 a.m.
• June 6: D-Day Commemoration at the Fort Riley Calvary Museum – 2:30 to 3:30 p.m.
• June 7: No Dough Family Dinner at Moon Lake  – 5:00 p.m.
• June 8: Combined Junction City Military Affairs Council/Manhattan Military Relations Committee Breakfast at Riley Conference Center  – 8:30 a.m. to 9:30 a.m.
• June 8: Vietnam Veterans Welcome Home at the CAB Hangar – 2:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m.
• June 9: Victory Dinner at Riley Conference Center – 6:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m.
• June 10: Division Review at the Cavalry Parade Field (Victory Cup Ceremony and Non-Commissioned Officer/Soldier of the Year Awards) – 10:00 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. 

 

The Junction City Breakfast Optimist Club will be hosting a fundraiser at Ike’s Place this Saturday, May 21st. The event will run during the lunch hour from 11:00 a.m.  to 1:30 p.m. and during the dinner hour from 5:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.

Ten percent of all meals purchased as well as ten percent of all donations received during the above hours will go toward the Optimist Club’s youth activities. 

Some of the programs that will benefit from your charitable contributions include but are not limited to the Court Appointed Special Advocates (C.A.S.A.0, Fort Riley Special Needs Rodeo, Junction City High School Band and Forensics, and TFI Foster Child Christmas Project.

Join them this Saturday at Ike’s Place located at Goldenbelt Blvd. in Junction City.

Written by Sarah Caldwell Hancock on ksu.edu.

MANHATTAN — Local and state emergency responders know what to do in a natural disaster. But what should they do to protect livestock, citizens, and livelihoods during an animal disease outbreak?

The Kansas State University National Agricultural Biosecurity Center is helping state and local emergency management personnel learn more about what actions to take by offering a pilot animal disease response training course at the Kansas Department of Agriculture on May 18 and 19. More than 90 representatives from organizations and agencies, including the Kansas Highway Patrol, the Kansas Department of Health and Environment, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, the Kansas Division of Emergency Management, K-State Research and Extension, the Kansas State University College of Veterinary Medicine, counties in central and eastern Kansas, and livestock and veterinary companies are slated to attend the inaugural offering.

Ken Burton, program director at the National Agricultural Biosecurity Center, says the training fills an important gap.

“We know that high-consequence animal disease response begins at the local level, but first responders at local and county levels often aren’t trained in minimizing the impact of animal disease outbreak emergencies,” Burton said. “We aim to bring the whole community together — from law enforcement to veterinary and environmental personnel — to ensure a coordinated response.”

According to Burton, diseases such as porcine epidemic diarrhea virus, which caused pork producers to lose approximately 10 percent of the newborn pig population in 2014, and highly pathogenic avian influenza, which caused the deaths of 50 million birds nationwide in 2014-2015 and caused losses currently estimated at $1 billion, highlight the need for organized, efficient response to animal disease outbreaks.

Kansas Department of Agriculture officials agree.

“We have done a lot of outreach within the agricultural community and first responders to build awareness and have engaged in animal disease response exercises and training for many years,” said Sandy Johnson, emergency management coordinator for the department. “We appreciate that this course is designed to delve further into the local emergency management details so that we are all better prepared to respond in the event of animal disease emergency in Kansas.”

Future aims are to offer the course nationwide, and online modules are in development.

Curriculum for the eight-hour class is approved by the Federal Emergency Management Agency. The May offering is supported by a grant from the Kansas Bioscience Authority administered through the Center of Excellence for Emerging and Zoonotic Animal Diseases at Kansas State University. For information about the class, contact the National Agricultural Biosecurity Center at 785-532-6193.

JCHS JROTC Blue Jay Battalion welcomed their new Battalion Commander, Cadet Lieutenant Colonel Mason Perez.

Cadet Perez has participated in the JROTC program for four years. He has served as a squad leader, platoon sergeant, 1^st sergeant, S3, and Battalion Executive Officer.  In addition, he has participated and lead the battalion’s competition drill team as a Let 1 Commander his freshmen year and recently as Armed Exhibition Commander.

The change of command ceremony took place during the JROTC National Awards night, May 7, 2016.  A night that recognizes cadets for their outstanding accomplishments throughout the year.

Michele Brown

Instructional Technologist – USD 475

 

A new business park area has been proposed on the southwest side of Junction City.

It would be located just south and west of the new Veterans Administration Center clinic that is scheduled to be built west of US 77 Highway. The business park area would extend south to the northern edge of the Smithfield Plant property.

David Yearout, Planning and Zoning Director, noted if the Junction City Commission ( sitting as the Land Bank Board of Trustees ) concurs they will be asked to schedule a public hearing before the Metropolitan Planning Commission to consider the rezoning. “We’ll also ask that they authorize us to work with engineering to look at what we need to do to replat that property to make lots that are more conducive for office development as opposed to single family homes. ”

The proposed proposal goes to the Land Bank Board of Trustees on Tuesday night during their 8 p.m. meeting at the City facility at 701 North Jefferson Street.

The Geary County Sheriff’s Department has reported that Deputies responded to eastbound Interstate 70, mile marker 313, for a two-vehicle accident Saturday afternoon.

Matthew Bowman, Manhattan, was attempting to merge onto the interstate from K-177 Highwaty and his vehicle collided with a GMC Sierra driven by Kenneth Hansen, Fort Riley.  Hansen’s vehicle was in the inside lane of the interstate.

There were no injuries reported. The site of the accident is about 14 miles east of Junction City.

—

Deputies responded to I-70 mile marker 300 about one mile east of Junction City Sunday morning for a vehicle being run off the roadway.

Justin Misquez, Fort Sill, Oklahoma, was traveling east on I-70 when a Lincoln Navigator changed lanes and continued traveling eastbound, forcing him off the roadway.

The Lincoln Navigator was not located. There was minor damage to the 2004 Honda Accord driven by Misquez. No injuries were reported. The case is still under investigation.

For Today expect periods showers and possibly a few storms through most of the day according to the National Weather Service of Topeka. Another round of showers with embedded thunder will arrive tonight and last through late the late morning hours on Tuesday with decreasing rain chances Tuesday afternoon. Total rainfall through Tuesday will range from 1 to 2.50 inches across most of the area with the higher totals south of I-70.

Today: Cooler. Rain showers and slight chance of thunderstorms. Highs in the lower 50s. East winds 5 to 15 mph. Chance of precipitation near 100 percent.

Tonight: Rain showers and slight chance of thunderstorms. Lows in the upper 40s. Northeast winds 10 to 15 mph. Chance of precipitation 80 percent.

Tuesday: Cloudy. Rain showers likely in the morning…then chance of rain showers in the afternoon. Highs in the lower 60s. Northeast winds 10 to 15 mph. Chance of showers 70 percent.

Tuesday Night: Mostly cloudy. Lows in the mid 40s. Northeast winds 5 to 10 mph.

Wednesday: Mostly sunny. Highs in the mid 60s. East winds 5 to 10 mph.

Wednesday Night: Mostly cloudy. Lows in the upper 40s.

Thursday: Mostly cloudy with chance of rain showers. Highs in the mid 60s. Chance of showers 40 percent.

Thursday Night: Mostly cloudy with chance of rain showers. Lows around 50. Chance of showers 40 percent.

Friday: Partly sunny with a 40 percent chance of rain showers and thunderstorms. Highs in the upper 60s.

Friday Night: Mostly cloudy in the evening then becoming partly cloudy. Lows in the mid 50s.

Saturday: Mostly sunny. Highs in the mid 70s.

Saturday Night: Partly cloudy. Lows in the upper 50s.

Sunday: Partly sunny. Highs in the upper 70s.green y

Junction City Police Department officers responded to the Super 8 Motel at 1133 South Washington on Sunday afternoon.

Jeff Childs, JCPD Detective Lieutenant, reported that authorities responded to a check welfare case in Room 217 which had been called in by a family member. “On arrival they located a female deceased in the room. Nothing criminal in nature was obvious, but we’ll still conduct a complete investigation.”

An autopsy is scheduled Monday.

Childs confirmed the victim was a 36-year old woman who had been a resident of Junction City for more than one year. She had just recently checked into that motel.