The Junction City Police Department has reported the arrest of a 31-year old Indianapolis, Indiana man, Vincent B. Grant, on Interstate 70 near mile marker 289 west of the City.

The JCPD reported that Grant was arrested on suspicion of Transporting Drug Proceeds, Following Too Close, Unsafe Lane Change, and Improper Signal. The arrest was reported at 2:02 p.m. on Friday.

A beautiful spring-like day is expected today with mostly sunny skies and highs in the 60s according to the National Weather Service of Topeka. The weather pattern becomes more unsettled by tomorrow as there will be several chances for some light scattered precipitation, beginning early Sunday morning and continuing through the middle of the week. Expect breezy conditions on Sunday and Monday to help boost high temperatures into the upper 60s to middle 70s. Shower and thunderstorm chances increase during the Monday night through Tuesday night period, and there is the potential for a few strong to severe storms to develop in north central Kansas early Monday evening.

Today: Sunny. Highs in the mid 60s. North winds up to 5 mph shifting to the southeast in the afternoon.

Tonight: Not as cool. Partly cloudy in the evening…then mostly cloudy with a 20 percent chance of rain showers and thunderstorms after midnight. Lows in the mid 40s. South winds 5 to 15 mph.

Sunday: Breezy. Mostly cloudy with a 30 percent chance of rain showers and thunderstorms. Highs in the lower 70s. South winds 15 to 25 mph with gusts to around 40 mph.

Sunday Night: Mostly cloudy with slight chance of rain showers. Lows in the mid 50s. South winds 15 to 20 mph with gusts to around 30 mph.

Monday: Breezy. Mostly cloudy. Slight chance of rain showers in the morning…then slight chance of rain showers and thunderstorms in the afternoon. Highs in the lower 70s. South winds 15 to 25 mph with gusts to around 35 mph.

Monday Night: Breezy. Mostly cloudy with a 30 percent chance of rain showers and thunderstorms. Lows in the lower 50s.

Tuesday: Partly sunny with a 30 percent chance of rain showers and thunderstorms. Highs in the mid 60s.

Tuesday Night: Colder. Mostly cloudy with chance of rain showers and isolated thunderstorms. Lows in the lower 40s. Chance of precipitation 30 percent.

Wednesday: Partly sunny with slight chance of rain showers. Highs around 60.

Wednesday Night: Mostly cloudy. Lows in the upper 30s.

Thursday: Mostly sunny. Highs in the mid 60s.

Thursday Night: Partly cloudy. Lows in the upper 30s.

Friday: Partly sunny with slight chance of rain showers. Highs in the lower 60s.

The Geary County Republican Party presidential caucus is scheduled Saturday at the 4-H / Senior Citizens Center on South Spring Valley Road.

Doors will open at 8:30 a.m. with check-in beginning at 9 a.m.

The Republican Party Chair in Geary County, Rick Roberts, noted that beginning at 10 a.m. speakers representing the different presidential candidates will be able to address the audience. Then those participating in the caucus will fill out ballots.

The caucus is sheduled to run until 2 p.m.

The C.L. Hoover Opera House has received a Mid-America Arts Alliance Regional Touring Program grant to support Saturday’s performance of the St. Louis Brass Quintet at the Opera House.

The performance is scheduled for 7:30 p.m.

The Brass Quintet will also be involved in a master class with area band students ranging from middle school through high school at the Opera House on Saturday from 5:30 – 6:30 p.m.

MANHATTAN – A Riley County man appeared in court on Friday for a preliminary hearing in connection with a fatal pickup crash.

Joshua Mall, 39, Riley, was charged with 2nd-degree murder, reckless homicide under the circumstances that show indifference to human life, and the alternate charge of Involuntary Manslaughter DUI, according to Riley County Attorney Barry Disney.

On the night of October 5, 2015, Mall was the driver of a 2001 Ford Ranger traveling in the 2400 Block of Tuttle Creek Boulevard. He lost control of the vehicle at Northfield Road and collided with a 2013 Chevy Cruz.

Immediately following the initial impact the Ford left the roadway and collided with a tree.

A child in the Ford, Madilyn Mall, 6, Riley, was transported to Via Christi where she died.

According to testimony, officers found marijuana and half of a bottle of Kentucky Deluxe whiskey in the pickup.

Several glass bottles were also noted to be found in the vehicle at the crash site.

An officer with Riley County police also testified that the passenger airbag was disengaged at the time of the accident.

NOTE – Rainfall and temperature information is based on data kept at Milford Lake by the Corps of Engineers.  For more information contact Chuck Otte,
238-4161.

February 2016 Weather Summary

If you have received your heating bill for February, you already know that
February was much warmer than normal. Unfortunately, after some
precipitation early in the month, it also became drier than normal which has
caused some wild fire concerns as we head on in to a normally windy March.

The average daily high in February was 51.5, 7.2 degrees above normal. The
average overnight low was 29.1, 7.2 degrees above normal. This statistical
fluke very rarely happens. The average daily high and low rarely deviate from
the norm by the same amount. So the monthly mean temperature was 40.3
and of course, that was 7.2 degrees above normal! The highest temperature
for the month was 76 degrees on the 18th. This broke the record for that
date. The old record was 70 degrees set in 2014. The coldest temperature
for the month was 16 degrees on the 3rd and again on the 13th. The
overnight low of 37 on the 1st tied the record high low temperature for that
date. The record was originally set in 1960. There were no other records set
for the month. The monthly mean temperature of 40.3 tied February of 1991
for the seventh warmest February on record. The warmest February was in
1954 with a monthly mean temperature of 46.3 degrees. The coldest
February was in 1979 when we had a chilly monthly mean temperature of
only 17.6 degrees. With winter rapidly waning it appears that we may go
through a second winter in a row when we do not record a low temperature
below zero. The last time we officially recorded a sub zero reading was
March 3, 2014 when the morning low was -4.

The area experienced a little rain and snow the first few days of February
and then the spigot appeared to have been turned off. Normal February
precipitation is 1.12 inches. Milford Lake received 0.43 inches and Junction
City 0.44 inches for the month. Normal year to date precipitation is 1.77
inches. Milford Lake has received 1.16 inches year to date and Junction City
1.20 inches. Normal snowfall for February is 4.7 inches. The area received
0.2 inches in February. Average seasonal snowfall through February is 14.1
inches. Season to date this year we have had 6.6 inches of snow.

March brings the official start of spring, warmer temperatures, increasing
rainfall, we hope, and plants start to come out of winter dormancy bringing
some much anticipated green to the countryside. Average daily highs during
March range from 49 on the first to 61 by the end of the month. Overnight
lows start the month at 25 and by the 31st  have risen to 37. Average March
precipitation is 2.34 inches. March can also bring us some of our heaviest
snowstorms, although the average March snowfall is just 3.1 inches.

Dear K-State students,

Fake Patty’s Day this Saturday will be a great opportunity to take a break from the books, release some of that built up stress and have fun. While I encourage students to enjoy themselves — this is a great time in your life — I also want to make sure all of you stay safe, make smart decisions and continue on with a bright future ahead.

Participating in the day’s activities is a personal choice and you can have a great time without drinking. Whatever your choice, I encourage you to make good decisions, know your limits and keep the following in mind:

• Drink water and eat regularly.
• Look out for each other. There is safety in numbers and caring for others in the K-State family is part of our values.
• Plan ahead, parking will be limited.
• Call SafeRide at 785-537-6345 between noon and 3 a.m. It’s a good idea to save this number to your contacts before going out.
• Be mindful that law violations can mean a significant hit to your finances. For example, a minor in possession can cost up to $750. Reports to police during Fake Patty’s Day often involve noise, drinking and parking. Laws will be enforced and tickets will be issued for violators.
• Be aware that gathering on rooftops and drinking in the streets are not allowed in Manhattan. Roofs are not made to support multiple people at one time and can be very dangerous, not to mention illegal.

K-State, along with our partners — the city of Manhattan, the Riley County Police Department, Manhattan Fire Department and local business owners — want you to take care of yourselves, the K-State family and the community that we all share. We should all be proud of K-State’s national ranking for great campus and community relations. Help your university maintain this outstanding reputation by showing respect to one another and our community. Please have fun, be safe and make your K-State family proud!

Thank you and be careful ‘Cats,

Kirk Schulz
President

The Geary County Sheriff’s Department has reported that Deputies responded to I-70 about three miles east of Junction City to the westbound lanes for a single vehicle non-injury accident. Emily Dunn, Harviel, MO, was traveling westbound in a Dodge Dart when she fell asleep at the wheel and ran off the roadway striking a guardrail. The accident was reported at 1:32 a.m. on Friday.

—

Deputies responded to the 5000 block of West Lyons Creek Road for a single vehicle non-injury accident with a deer. Eion Jackson, Junction City, was traveling eastbound in a Dodge Avenger when he struck a deer. The accident was reported at 9:06 p.m. Thursday.

by Tiffany Roney 

MANHATTAN — Kansas State University students have elected Jessica Van Ranken, junior in political science, Lindsborg, as student body president.

Van Ranken’s running mate, Trenton Kennedy, junior in entrepreneurship,Frankfort, will serve as student body vice president.

Van Ranken and Kennedy will take office April 7, when they will begin to advocate for the three initiatives of their campaign: mental wellness, diversity and political advocacy.

For the mental wellness platform, the student leaders seek to strengthen the relationship between the university’s Counseling Services and Student Governing Association to de-stigmatize mental illness on campus and promote the programs of Counseling Services.

For diversity, Van Ranken and Kennedy want to work with university administration to provide cultural competency training for faculty and students. Also, they want to lead the Student Governing Association in fundraising for a multicultural student center.

“We want all students to feel that they are members of the K-State family,” Van Ranken said. “We believe taking these action steps to become a more inclusive campus community will help us demonstrate that K-State values diversity.”

For the pair’s third campaign tenet — political advocacy — Van Ranken and Kennedy would like to create a nonpartisan advocacy organization, which they are calling Kansas Student Voice. It would partner with other colleges and universities to promote voter education and registration, as well as prioritization of higher education funding.

“I want to advocate for student success through these three platforms, as well as through any other initiative that students want us to support,” Van Ranken said. “I truly want to represent students diligently and tirelessly, and I want to ensure that I follow through on the areas on which Trenton and I have campaigned.”

When their term comes to an end next year, Kennedy said he hopes to look back on his work knowing he made difficult yet sensible choices and negotiated, advocated and served on behalf of his peers.

More information about Van Ranken’s and Kennedy’s plans and goals are available at www.vanrankenkennedy.com.

“We have a vision for K-State that is exceptional,” Kennedy said. “I am ready to truly serve the student body.”

Van Ranken, a graduate of Smoky Valley High School, is the daughter of Fred and Alicia Van Ranken of Lindsborg. Kennedy, a graduate of Frankfort High School, is the son of Melissa and the late Michael Kennedy