The Irwin Army Community Extended Care Clinic has a walk-in flu vaccine clinic Wednesday, Thursday and Friday from 4-8 p.m. and on Saturday from 10 a.m. until 6 p.m. No appointments are required.

Irwin Army Community Hospital confirms regular walk-in flu vaccine clinics are available Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday from 1-3 p.m. at the Farrelly Health Clinic and I-A-C-H Allergy Immunization Clinic for their flu vaccine during those hours.

General schedule civilians may either call for an appointment at 239-7042 in Occupational Health Clinic or walk in to building 7665, Normandy Drive / Caldwell Clinic on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday from 7:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.  Only GS employees are authorized recipients of the flu vaccine at the Occupational Health Clinic.

K-State has announced that due to unavoidable change in the band’s schedule, the date has been changed for the Kansas State University McCain Performance Series show featuring the Beach Boys.

Previously scheduled for Monday, Feb. 22, 2016, the new date will be 7:30 p.m. Monday, May 16, 2016.

Patrons who have already purchased tickets to the show will be automatically assigned the same seats for May 16 and do not need to take any action. Ticket holders may use their current tickets for entry into the performance on the new date. Call the McCain Auditorium box office at 785-532-6428 for more information.

According to the National Weather Service of Topeka, today through Friday will be cooler with Highs in the mid 30s to lower 40. We’ll see temperatures warm into the upper 40s to lower 50s on Saturday and into the 50s on Sunday. Clouds will increase Sunday afternoon and there may be a few rain showers across east central Kansas Sunday evening.

Today: Colder…sunny. Highs around 40. West winds 10 to 20 mph with gusts to around 30 mph.

Tonight: Mostly clear. Lows in the lower 20s. Northwest winds 5 to 10 mph.

Thursday: Partly sunny. Highs in the mid 30s. Northwest winds 5 to 15 mph.

Thursday Night: Partly cloudy in the evening then becoming clear. Lows around 19. West winds 5 to 10 mph.

Friday: Sunny. Highs around 40. West winds 5 to 15 mph.

Friday Night: Mostly clear. Lows around 19.

Saturday: Sunny. Highs in the upper 40s.

Saturday Night: Not as cool. Partly cloudy. Lows in the mid 30s.

Sunday: Partly sunny. Highs in the mid 50s.

Sunday Night: Partly cloudy. Lows around 30.

Monday: Mostly sunny. Highs in the upper 40s.

Monday Night: Partly cloudy. Lows in the lower 30s.

Tuesday: Partly sunny. Highs in the upper 40s.

Water and wastewater utility rates will be increasing in Junction City starting on January 1, 2016, in order to fund massive capital improvements to the city’s water and wastewater treatment plants.

In 2014 the City Commission adopted a business plan to address the need to improve the plants, and the plan called for water and wastewater utility rate increases each year for ten years. Wastewater rates will increase 6 percent in 2016 from $28.65 a monthly minimum to $30.37 a monthly minimum, or $2.13 / 100 cf to $2.26 / cf.

Water rates will also go up 6 percent starting in January. Most residential customers have a 1 inch line and will go from $18.27 a monthly minimum rate in 2015 to $19.36 a monthly minimum in 2016, or those paying for more than 200 cf and up to 1,000 cf will see an increase from $2.36 / 100 cf to $2.51 / 100 cf. Those who use more than 1,000 cf will see an increase from $2.72 / 100 cf to $2.79 / 100 cf.

The ten-year rate increase plan is designed to pay for phase one of the three-phase improvement plan.

“We’re embarking on $25 million in improvements,” said Cheryl Beatty, City Finance Director/Assistant City Manager.

Over the ten-year rate increase plan water rates will continue to increase by 6.5 percent through the year 2019. The increase will then decrease to 6 percent in 2020, and decrease again to 4.5 percent in 2021. In 2022 the increase will drop again to 4 percent where it will remain through 2024.

The waste water rate increase will actually increase from 5.5 percent in 2014 to 6.5 percent in 2015. It will then decrease to 6 percent in 2016 and stay at 6 percent through 2022, before decreasing again to 5.5 percent in 2023 and 3 percent in 2024.

The Munson family of Junction City and rural Geary County has donated a 12.7 acre tract land located next to Highway 77 and adjacent to Helland Park.

The donation stems from talks about the 8th Street walking trail with Kaw Valley Engineering. According to the staff report to the City Commission Leon Osbourn, President of Kaw Valley Engineering spoke with Robert Munson about the project and Robert then offered to donate the land. The City Commission accepted that donation Tuesday night.

Allen Dinkel, City Manager explained that long-term plans will be to eventually include the land with Helland Park, but in the near future they hope to put a retention pond on that property,”to solve some of our problems.”

“Our hope is also that maybe some of this material from the pond can actually be dug as part of the Highway 77 project. Of course that Contractor is going to need a substantial amount of fill material, and we hope this is a borrow pit they can use and develop a pond along with it,” said Dinkel.

The City has been looking into a regional retention pond in that area to help alleviate storm water issues downstream of Prices Ravine, avoiding potential costly projects in the future.

The commission unanimously accepted the donation, and city staff will now begin working with KDOT to work on adding the retention pond to the US 77,/K-18 Interchange project.

MANHATTAN, Kan. (AP) — A Kansas group has received a $294,000 grant from the Department of Defense to evaluate the economic impact of potential future force reductions at Fort Riley.

The Manhattan Mercury reports that the director for The Flint Hills Regional Council told Riley County Commissioners Monday that the grant will be used to hire a consultant to complete the evaluation, which will look at the effects of past reductions, and make recommendations about how surrounding communities could handle the impact of a troop reduction.

Council director Gary Stith said the evaluations will focus on the impact of potential reductions on local jobs, housing, schools and retail services.

Stith said that once the evaluation is complete, the council would have to apply for additional funds to implement the consultant’s recommendations.

Junction City firefighters responded to a fire at a house at 521 West Fourth Street Tuesday afternoon.

There were no injuries. The preliminary damage estimate has been put at $20,000 by the Junction City Fire Department.

Fire Chief Kevin Royse said it took about 20 minutes to bring the blaze under control. He noted the fire appeared to be accidental, stemming from some wiring issues in the attic, but it is under investigation.

Two residents were displaced. The Red Cross was called to provide assistance.

The Geary County landfill has been open the past two Saturdays so the public could deposit tree limb and branch debris picked up after the recent ice storm.

County Commissioner Florence Whitebread said it will not be open this next Saturday ( Dec. 19 ). There wasn’t much business last Saturday, and the County has to staff it. “We feel that probably down the road in maybe perhaps a month once the City is finished with their collection of all the brush then the people that did not get theirs picked up and didn’t get it out to the time will need to have that Saturday. We’ll look at it down the road, and see about being open on another Saturday, but for the time being it’s eight to four during the weekdays.”

The C.L. Hoover Opera Houe will be the site of 1st Infantry Division Band Holiday Concerts Friday and Saturday evenings at 7:30 p.m. They will be assisted by members of the Junction City Community Band.

The concerts are free of charge and no tickets are necessary.

Doors to the Opera House will be unlocked at 6:30 p.m. and to the theater about 7 p.m. Santa Claus will also be in the lobby to take pictures and talk to children.

On Tuesday, December 22, we will host an open house from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.