According to the National Weather Service of Topeka, dry weather is expected today and Thursday with temperatures above seasonal normals. Unsettled weather is expected from Friday night into the weekend as an upper level storm system lifts northeast out of Texas and across the Central Plains. The greatest chance for rain and isolated thunderstorms will be late Friday night through early Sunday. The system will move off to the east by Sunday night allowing for a return of dry and warmer weather through Tuesday.

Today: Sunny early in the morning then becoming partly sunny. Highs in the lower 60s. Northeast winds 5 to 10 mph.

Tonight: Mostly cloudy. Lows around 40. Northeast winds up to 10 mph.

Thursday: Sunny. Highs in the upper 60s. North winds around 5 mph.

Thursday Night: Mostly clear. Lows in the lower 40s. Southeast winds up to 5 mph.

Friday: Mostly sunny. Highs in the upper 60s. East winds up to 10 mph.

Friday Night: Mostly cloudy with a 50 percent chance of rain showers. Lows in the mid 40s.

Saturday: Cloudy with a 50 percent chance of rain showers. Highs in the lower 60s.

Saturday Night: Mostly cloudy with a 30 percent chance of rain showers. Lows in the upper 40s.

Sunday: Mostly cloudy with a 30 percent chance of rain showers. Highs around 70.

Sunday Night: Mostly cloudy in the evening then becoming partly cloudy. Lows in the upper 40s.

Monday: Sunny. Highs in the mid 70s.

Monday Night: Mostly clear. Lows in the upper 40s.

Tuesday: Sunny. Highs in the mid 70s.

Law enforcement authorities from multiple agencies will travel to Topeka Thursday for a hearing in front of the Kansas House Judiciary committee.

At issue is a proposed bill that could remove all or part of the drug forfeiture funds from law enforcement control and use.

Geary County Sheriff Tony Wolf plans to be in attendance. He said there are three forms of the proposed legislation. “To either completely nullify drug forfeiture, to alter it where 50-percent of the proceeds go to the State of Kansas, or that 100-percent of all proceeds go to the State of Kansas.”

When asked what they would be trying to convince the legislators to do Wolf commented, “If it’s not broke don’t fix it.”

As the weather warms up preparations are under way by the Corps of Engineers to get reasdy for the busy spring and summer season.

The Project Operations Manager, R. J. Harms, said with the mild weather they have been able to do a lot of work. That includes replacement of a lot of rock, working on campsites, and leveling of parking lots. “Doing a lot of outside work that normally we not get the chance to, especially in January. ”

Some improvements include brush removal and pruning of trees: “working on some docks, replacing some floats, and doing different things, so just really light maintenance on a lot of things.”

The majority of the Corps of Engineer parks at Milford Lake open April 15th, but the Farnum Creek site opens May 1.

The Junction City – Geary Military Affairs Council will host their next monthly breakfast on Thursday, March 24 at 7:30 a.m. at the Geary County Convention Center.

Those who plan to attend are reminded to register for the breakfast by Friday, March 18 at 5 p.m. Cost of the breakfast is $12 per person, payable by check or cash at the door.

To make a reservation contact the Junction City Area Chamber of Commerce at info@cacc.org or 785-762-2632.

A 27-year old Junction City man, Brett Jones, has been arrested by police on suspicion of Aggravated Robbery, Aggravated Assault, Kidnapping, and in a seperate case Possession of Marijuana.

According to JCPD Detective Sergeant Trish Giordano, Jones was one of three suspects in a January 6 incident in the area of 5th and Jackson in Junction City. Two other suspects in the case, Michael White, 19, and Erick S. Wiseman, 19, both of Junction City, have already been arrested on multiple allegations  ranging from suspicion of Kidnapping to Aggravated Robbery.

There were no injuries in the January 6 incident.   Jones was arrested this week at the Junction City Municipal Court.

Giordano confirmed the three suspects and three victims in the case were acquainted with one another.

Geary County Sheriff Tony Wolf has confirmed he intends to seek reelection.

Wolf stated, “I feel that we’re doing a good job. We’ve become a lot more aggressive over the years in chasing down the criminal element. Our numbers in our jail kind of reflect that. I have a very very good rapport with the surrounding agencies.

Wolf has not yet filed, but intends to do so soon.  He will be seeking a second four-year term as Sheriff.

Diapers                        Bath Towels   

Wipes                          Toiletry supplies

Breast Pumps              Bumbo           

Bobby Pillow         Infant bath   tubs          

Car Seats                 Diaper Genie                                      

Monetary Donations can also be made and the money received will buy raffle items and help costs with the shower.  With the help of our community we can continue to put on this great event and help educate and support mamas in our community.

By Johanna Hecht

KU Statehouse Wire Service

TOPEKA – Lt. Col. Evan Holt, a Kansas native and veteran, was shocked to find his daughter was ineligible to attend a Kansas college and pay in-state tuition.

That’s why he is working to close a loophole in state law that allows members of the military serving in Kansas to get in-state tuition for themselves and their families but doesn’t allow Kansas natives and their families the same benefit.

House Bill 2567, which passed the House 124-0 on Feb. 22, would reinstate resident tuition for families who permanently live in Kansas. The provision for in-state tuition was inadvertently eliminated a year ago when lawmakers passed HB 2154, a bill that brought Kansas into compliance with federal laws. HB 2567 also would reimburse families if they were denied in-state tuition. The bill is now in the Senate.

Holt’s daughter did not receive in-state tuition because Holt, who served in the military for 21 years, and his family returned to Kansas after he had retired. HB 2154 allowed in-state tuition for veterans, spouses, and dependents of individuals stationed in Kansas while they were serving in the military. But it accidentally excluded veterans, spouses and dependents from receiving in-state tuition if they lived in Kansas before their military service.

Holt, who testified before legislators, said the current law allows non-Kansan veterans who served in Kansas for as little as two years to receive in-state benefits.

“There’s always going to be people who slip through the loopholes, in a sense you get strange cases like that. I’d say there’s definitely frustrations with the bureaucracy as far as trying to navigate the different avenues and trying to get the benefits,” William Rector, Kansas State University (KSU) graduate research assistant in Non-Traditional & Veteran Student Services, said.

Helping veterans and their families navigate college can be a challenge for veterans’ advocates.

Creating an awareness of these issues is one of the biggest hurdles, Rector said.

On a statewide level, Wayne Bollig, deputy director of the Kansas Commission on Veterans Affairs Office, said it’s difficult to even identify who is a veteran in the state of Kansas because veterans have to identify themselves.

“Many veterans don’t participate in clubs as much as they used to, so we have a harder time determining what communities they’re in, where they’re at and where they need help,” Bollig said.

More than 220,000 veterans live in the state of Kansas, according to the United States Department of Veteran Affairs.

Bollig explained that trying to create an awareness of various veteran services is continuously difficult, due to the high costs of advertising and the limited budget his organization has to work with.

The University of Kansas (KU) is taking steps to help veterans. To improve awareness and help veterans and their dependents, KU is opening a 3,000-square foot Student Veteran Center in January 2017. The center will be a hub for all veteran activities on campus and be located in Summerfield Hall. It will offer a lounge area, offices for a variety of veteran services and potentially include members from the state district attorney’s office to offer advice. KU will also hire a center director.

“KU is making a big step forward by hiring a Student Veteran Center director because that person will be responsible for recruiting, retaining and graduating our student veteran population,” Lt. Col. Randy Masten, program assistant for the KU Office of Graduate Military Programs, said. “They’re ensuring that they will get all the support they’ve earned through their military service and all the benefits they’ve earned as well.”

This center is the next phase in creating a stronger presence for veterans on campus and will provide opportunities for non-traditional student veterans who need help structuring their KU experience.

“Some (veterans) come in and are older, and they feel a little bit out of touch with the undergrad populace, and they want to find that community where they feel a little bit more belonging and grounding,” Derek Kandt, president of the KU Collegiate Veterans Association, said.

Kandt said there are some 800 KU students using some type of GI Bill benefits. These students could also be dependents of veterans, such as Holt’s daughter.

The KU Collegiate Veterans Association focuses on helping student veterans through the process of receiving their GI Bill benefits.

“We want to make sure people who are being frustrated by the process know that this is an avenue for their voices to be heard. And by enlargement we could be very successful for getting policy changes,” Kandt said.

 

Edited by Leah Sitz