The Junction City Police Department is investigating a pair of incidents that occurred at local motels.

Tim Brown, Police Chief explained that at 4:13 a.m. Tuesday authorities were sent to a motel at 1214 South Washington Street in reference to a lapsed robbery that had just occurred there.

“Apparently a white male wearing a red jacket with a hood up had entered the business armed with a hand gun, and robbed the overnight clerk there at the facility and then fled the scene,” said Brown.

Some cash was taken in that robbery at the America’s Best Value Inn, which was formerly the Express Inn & Suites.

Then at 8:30 a.m. today (Wednesday) Police were called to the USA Inn at 1001 East Sixth where there was another unsuccessful robbery attempt.

No one was injured, and there have been no arrests.

The annual Junction City Area Chamber of Commerce Christmas Parade make up date is this Saturday.

The parade was originally scheduled for last Friday, November 27th, but had to be pushed to this Saturday, December 5th, due to last weekends ice storm.

“The Christmas Parade is going to be held Saturday evening at 5:30 pm. So the time stays the same it’s just the date is different, and the weather is a lot different as of the forecast that I saw lately, partly sunny sky’s on Saturday and 54 degrees for a high. I’ll take that over ice and rain any day,” said Mark Ediger, Parade Coordinator.

Ediger did mention that they did lose a few of this years entries due to the move, but they are still expecting over 50 entries.

The parade will kick off from the Junction City High School parking lot, make its way to 6th street where it will head east and end in Heritage Park. Following the parade Santa Claus will help flip the switch that turns on the lights in Heritage Park.

The JCHS JROTC Blue Jay Battalion is hosting their annual Pancake Feed and Silent Auction, Saturday, December 5, 7 a.m. until 12 p.m.

It will be at the Eagles Lodge, 203 East 10th Street, Junction City.

For $5 there will be all you can eat pancakes, sausage, eggs, coffee and juice.  All proceeds go toward the JROTC program and cadets.

The Junction City First Capital Campaign raised approximately $1.2 million in pledges from local stake holders over a ten month period starting in August, 2014.

This past May the Junction City First Board of Directors was formed to oversee how the campaign funds are spent. Leon Osbourn, Chairman of that Board explained to this point they are funding the branding effort and development of a new website for the Junction City Area Chamber of Commerce Economic Development Commission.

He added that he is also working on setting up meetings with local landowners in order to hopefully set up the purchase of land to be used for future economic development.

“Just trying to get everybody on the same page, because Junction City really doesn’t have a lot of property they own right now that is large enough that a major employer would look at,” said Osbourn.

Other activities currently underway by the Board is the collection of the first year of pledges. Osbourn said that they have currently collected 99 percent of those pledges.

SALINA- Law enforcement authorities in Saline County are investigating a case of alleged felony theft.

Police reported that an audit indicated an employee of O’Reilly Auto Parts, 523 South Broadway in Salina was giving unauthorized discounts to a business in Junction City.

Neal Barta, 50, Salina, was arrested on Tuesday.

He faces one count of felony theft in connection with giving the discount between January 14, and December 1, of this year.

The total amount of loss has been placed at $2,053.

Daniel E. Edwards has pleaded not guilty to the murder of Sharon Moody of Junction City.

Edwards appeared in Geary County District Court for arraignment on Wednesday morning, where he entered not guilty pleas to charges including 1st Degree Premeditated Murder, an alternative count of Felony 1st Degree Murder, plus Aggravated Robbery and Theft by Deception.

Steve Opat, Geary County Attorney, said a motions hearing “on the admissability of the statements that he made to law enforcement set for January 26, 2016 at 9 o’clock.” A jury trial could be scheduled after that date. Opat said, “There will be depending on the outcome of, and the Court’s ruling on the admissability on those statements.”

A probation revocation motion hearing for Edwards in a seperate case will also be on January 26.

Sharon Moody, 52, was found dead at her 1015 West Ninth Street residence in Junction City on March 15. Edwards was arrested later that night in Topeka, and transported back to Junction City. He is incarcerated in the Geary County Detention center. Bond for Edwards is $1 million.

The Geary County Sheriff’s Department responded to a non-injury accident Tuesday in the area of the 1800 Block of Lyons Creek.

According to the Sheriff’s Department report for Tuesday Zachary Terry, of Woodbine, was traveling south on Lyons Creek in a 2007 Pontiac G6 when he swerved to miss another vehicle in his lane, and came to rest in the west ditch.

No injuries were reported.

MANHATTAN – Forty of Kansas State University’s university distinguished professors sent Kansas Legislators a letter urging them to allow universities to regulate the presence of guns on campuses, according to a media release.

Following is the letter that was sent.

To the Kansas Legislature:

In July 2017, Kansas Regents Institutions will lose their exemption from Kansas legislation that permits the carrying of firearms in all public places. Until that time, colleges and universities have had the authority to restrict firearms if they believe them incompatible with the function and mission of their campus. Our university has done so, a policy which we strongly support.

Our administration and campus community have made that choice for a wide variety of reasons.

Suicide is a threat to people of traditional college age; death by gunshot is the most prevalent suicide mortality. We believe that easier access to guns will mean losing more of our students to suicide.

Accidental shootings injure both gun owners and those around them. University classrooms, labs, libraries, athletic venues, and other public spaces bring people in close proximity to one another. Accidental shootings cannot occur in the absence of guns and we believe more guns will increase the likelihood of accidental shootings of our co-workers, our students and the guests who come to our campuses.

There is no evidence that increased gun presence has decreased death or injury by guns on campuses. Whether on campuses or elsewhere, private citizens have had no appreciable success in preventing deaths by intentional shooters, accidental shooters, or suicidal individuals. Beyond the boundaries of universities, the evidence is that the presence of guns in homes increases the likelihood of death or injury by gunshot. We believe our community is safest without guns in our midst, except in the hands of on-duty law enforcement officials.

We think that officially allowing firearms on campus for students, faculty and staff will make it more difficult to recruit those who are uncomfortable with guns in their learning or working environment, and we worry that we will lose valuable members of our campus community to other universities.

We are dedicated teachers, mentors, researchers, and colleagues. We believe that the unrestricted presence of guns in our classrooms, offices, lecture halls and other spaces will make us and our students feel less safe. It will compromise the open door policy many of us maintain, in which students and others are free to drop by our offices to consult or converse. It will make students less open to working together with others whom they may not know well, and will adversely affect their educational experience. We believe that by compromising the safety of our community members, sanctioning guns on campus goes against the mission of the university.

We, the undersigned University Distinguished Professors, strongly urge the legislature to allow colleges and universities to regulate the presence of guns on their campuses, granting them permanent relief from the Kansas Personal and Family Protection Act.

According to the National Weather Service of Topeka, far northeast Kansas may see a few flurries this morning, but improvements are on the way for our weather the rest of this week. The sun will shine and temperatures will warm toward the middle 50s by Friday.

Early This Morning: Mostly cloudy. Northwest winds around 10 mph.

Today: Partly sunny in the morning then clearing. Highs in the upper 40s. Northwest winds 10 to 15 mph.

Tonight: Clear. Lows in the lower 20s. West winds up to 5 mph.

Thursday: Sunny. Highs around 50. Southwest winds up to 5 mph.

Thursday Night: Mostly clear. Lows in the upper 20s. Southwest winds up to 5 mph.

Friday: Sunny. Highs in the mid 50s. South winds 5 to 15 mph. Gusts up to 25 mph in the afternoon.

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

Saturday: Partly sunny. Highs in the lower 50s.

Saturday Night: Mostly cloudy with slight chance of rain or snow. Lows in the lower 30s.

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

Sunday Night: Mostly clear. Lows around 30.

Monday: Sunny. Highs in the lower 50s.

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

Tuesday: Mostly sunny. Highs around 50.