The Geary USD 475 Board of Education has recognized the schools that are leading the District in energy conservation for the past quarter. District schools were broken down into one of three categories based upon overall student population for the building, and total square footage of the building.
In the small elementary category, Sheridan Elementary School was the leader with a 17.6% reduction over the past quarter.
In the large elementary group, Ware Elementary had a 35.6% reduction.
And in the secondary category Junction City High School had an 18.1% reduction over the past quarter.
According to the National Weather Service of Topeka, warmer temperatures and abundant sunshine will be the story for the remainder of this week as high temperatures rise into the low to mid 70s today through Friday. A storm system will be approaching the region by Saturday and may begin to bring some isolated to scattered precipitation.
At this time, better chances for showers and thunderstorms look to be during the Sunday through Monday time period. Temperatures through the weekend though will still remain seasonal with highs in the mid 60s to low 70s.
Today: Sunny. Highs in the mid 70s. South winds 5 to 10 mph.
Tonight: Partly cloudy. Lows in the upper 40s. South winds 5 to 10 mph.
Thursday: Sunny. Highs in the mid 70s. South winds 5 to 15 mph.
Thursday Night: Mostly clear. Lows in the lower 50s. Southeast winds 5 to 15 mph.
Friday: Mostly sunny. Highs in the mid 70s. Southeast winds 15 to 20 mph with gusts to around 30 mph.
Friday Night: Partly cloudy in the evening then becoming mostly cloudy. Lows in the mid 50s.
Saturday: Mostly cloudy with a 30 percent chance of rain showers and thunderstorms. Highs in the lower 70s.
Saturday Night: Mostly cloudy with a 30 percent chance of rain showers and thunderstorms. Lows in the lower 50s.
Sunday: Cloudy with a 50 percent chance of rain showers and thunderstorms. Highs around 70.
Sunday Night: Rain showers and thunderstorms likely. Lows in the mid 50s. Chance of precipitation 60 percent.
Monday: Rain showers and thunderstorms likely. Highs in the upper 60s. Chance of precipitation 60 percent.
Monday Night: Mostly cloudy with a 40 percent chance of rain showers and thunderstorms. Lows in the upper 40s.
Tuesday: Mostly cloudy with a 40 percent chance of rain showers and thunderstorms. Highs in the upper 60s.
On Saturday there was a controlled burn on the major bluff overlooking I-70 and the Marshall Army Airfield.
Sunday there was a rekindle on the back side of that location on the hills surrounding R C Kennels. That information was provided by Geary County Rural Fire Chief said between Geary County, Fort Riley, and Grandview Plaza Fire Deparments 20 firefighters and seven fire trucks responded. ”
Berges added they did a back burn around the Kennels area and were able to control the fire coming down the hill. Fire units were released from the scene about 6:15 p.m. Sunday. He noted over the weekend Geary County Rural Firefighters responded to 14 fire calls, but there were no injuries or major damage.
Berges estimated over the weekend controlled burns covered about 15,000 acres of grassland and cropland in the county. That included a 5,000 acre controlled burn on the Moyer Ranch in the southeast part of the county.
This area on the front side of the hill facing the Marshall Army Airfield and I-70 was part of a controlled burn on Saturday.
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — The Latest on the Kansas Legislature’s debate on school funding (all times local):
4:50 p.m.
The top Democrat in the Kansas House has lost his temper during the chamber’s debate on a school funding plan, yelling and pointing at a Republican member who suggested Democrats never offered proposals of their own.
House Minority Leader Tom Burroughs of Kansas City’s unusually intense outburst came as he was responding Thursday to comments from Republican Rep. John Whitmer of Wichita. Burroughs angrily accused Republicans of not supporting schools and said Democrats supported education and schools.
Burroughs pointed in Whitmer’s direction and denounced the Republican as an “ideologist” and “politician.” Republican leaders immediately sprung to their feet to calm Burroughs down as fellow GOP members shouted, “Whoa!” and “No!”
They interrupted Burroughs. He apologized for his breach of decorum but insisted, “I will stand for children.”
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4:15 p.m.
Kansas legislators have sent Gov. Sam Brownback an education funding plan designed to meet a state Supreme Court order to help poor districts and prevent the justices from shutting down public schools in July.
The House approved the bill Thursday on a 93-31 vote. The Senate approved the bill hours earlier on a 32-5 vote.
The bill redistributes $83 million of the state’s $4 billion-plus in annual aid to its 286 school districts. Total spending on schools would not increase, but no district would lose any of the aid it was promised for the next school year.
The court ruled last month that poor districts weren’t getting their fair share of the aid. The justices gave lawmakers until June 30 to fix the problems or face having schools shut down.
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3:05 p.m.
The Kansas House is debating whether a Republican education funding plan will satisfy the state Supreme Court enough to avoid having the justices shut down the state’s public schools in July.
The bill under consideration Thursday would redistribute $83 million of the state’s $4 billion-plus in annual aid to its 286 school districts. Republicans argue that it complies with a Supreme Court order last month to boost aid to poor districts.
The court gave lawmakers until June 30 to respond or face having schools shut down.
Appropriations Committee Chairman Ron Ryckman Jr. says the measure will keep schools open. The Olathe Republican helped draft it.
Democrats say the plan won’t fly with the court. Democratic Rep. Jim Ward of Wichita says GOP lawmakers are “playing Russian Roulette with our schools.”
The City of Junction City CLEAN Team is celebrating Earth Day by hosting their 8th annual “Operation Clean Sweep.” It is a city clean up scheduled for Saturday, April 23 from 8 a.m. to noon.
Volunteers are needed for the event.
Volunteers should report to Spin City at 915 South Washington Street at 8 a.m. on April 23. Bring gloves and drinking water. Lunch will be provided by the City of Junction City and Armour-Eckrich.
Over the last seven years, volunteers for Opeation Clean Sweep have removed more than 11.7 tons of trash from Junction City.
Geary Community Hospital hosted their inaugural Go Red for Women – Ladies’ Night Out event Tuesday, February 23 at the Courtyard by Marriott Convention Center.
Keynote speaker, GCH Dr. Jimmy Jenkins, focused on healthy lifestyles and how to understand your heart numbers. The event also featured various business vendors selling healthy lifestyle products, jewelry and clothing as well as healthy food prep demo’s and samples.
“Heart health affects everyone whether it is a family member, friend or even you,” said Joe Stratton, GCH Chief Executive Officer. “Tonight is a great way to bring the ladies and even their spouses together for an evening of fun and education. We are excited the event was such a success, was very well received and look forward to hosting next year’s festivities.”
The goal of the event was to raise heart health awareness in the community since February is Heart Health Month and heavily focused around the American Heart Association’s “Go Red for Women” campaign. “Go Red for Women” is a national campaign to raise awareness about heart disease and stroke in women.
Since the American Heart Association first launched Go Red For Women® in 2004, nearly 285 fewer women die from heart disease and stroke each day. And death in women has decreased by more than 30 percent over the past 10 years. While those statistics are great, unfortunately 1 in 3 women still die of heart disease and stroke, even though 80% of cardiac events may be prevented with education and lifestyle changes.
Pictures courtesy of Ali Mocabee, Souriant Designs.
The residents of Grandview Plaza and Junction City are invited to attend a public meeting to discuss the Grandview Plaza Community Park Plan.
The session will serve as an introduction to the project goals and a visioning for park elements. The Grandview Plaza Community Park Plan is a project focusing on the creation of a series of concept plans for development of the City Park in Grandview Plaza.
The meeting is Tuesday, March 8th at 6:30 p.m. at the Community Building, 4012 State Street, Grandview Plaza.
Junction City High School will be sending six wrestlers to the Class 6A State Championship at Hartman Arena in Park City.
The Blue Jays competed Saturday in the Class 6A Regional hosted by Wichita North High School. At 160 pounds Aryus Jones came away with a regional championship for the Blue Jays. After suffering a serious leg injury during football season Jones was kept out of the first part of the season, but since returning Jones has gone a perfect 14-0 on his way to the state tournament.
“Aryus is still getting to be himself, he’s still not totally there,” said Bob Laster, Blue Jay Head Coach. “I’m hoping with another week, that when he gets to state he’ll feel a little bit better. Today he was moving a little bit slow, just due to the post injury that he recovered from.”
Junction City’s other regional champ was Jefferey Walters at 220 pounds.
“It was a great surprise, I knew Jeff had it in him, basically we were just waiting to see when we could pull it out of him.”
Walters was the Blue Jays’ heavy weight wrestler last year, and cut weight this year to wrestle at 220 pounds.
Other state qualifiers include Kade Danielson at 106 pounds with a 4th place finish, Max Bazan at 113 pounds with a 3rd place finish, John Clark at 145 pounds with a 2nd place finish, and Kamari Smith at 152 pounds with a 2nd place finish.
Since 1997 Dale and Eileen Small have been clearing land belonging to Eileen’s family along Clarks Creek Road in order to bring back the native grass.
In recognition of their work the Geary County Conservation District presented the Small’s with the 2015 Grassland Award.
“It means so much, and I wish my grandpa and grandma were here to experience this with us,” said Eileen. “I think they would be really proud of how we’ve carried on the tradition and taken care of the land.”
Since 1997 the Small’s have been clearing brush, sumac, cedar and locust tree’s to get it to where it is now. Comparing a picture of the grassland from 2013 to now is even a night and day transformation.
“It’s a golf course now compared to back in the ’90s, really, there’s that much improvement.”
The work isn’t done though, Dale says there’s still plenty of cedar tree’s to clear, but he hopes to be done within the next four to five years.
The Geary County Commission held their annual reorganization Monday afternoon and named the new chairman, vice-chair, and secretary.
Chairman Florence Whitebread
Florence Whitebread was selected to serve as chairman in 2016, Larry Hicks will serve as vice-chair, and Ben Bennett will serve as secretary.
Whitebread said she was pleased to serve as chairman but she explained she feels all three Commissioners are important,”it’s just somebody to conduct the meeting and be called Chairman, because every one of us have important meetings and committees to attend and deal with, and we all deal with all the issues, so it’s another job.”
Going forward Whitebread is focused on just keeping the county on an,”even keel.”
“We got a good report from the auditors, and I want that to continue. Keep things as conservative as possible for the coming year.”
The commissioners will also represent the county in appointed positions on other public boards.
Ben Bennett:
— Military Affairs Council
–CVB
–Junction City Area Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors
–Flint Hills Regional Council
–Metropolitan Planning Organization
–Flint Hills Regional Transit Authority
Florence Whitebread:
–Public Building Commission
-Fire Board
–Animal Shelter Board
–Solid Waste Management Planning Committee
–North Central Kansas Regional Juvenile Detention Center Board
The Geary USD 475 Board of Education has recognized the schools that are leading the District in energy conservation for the past quarter. District schools were broken down into one of three categories based upon overall student population for the building, and total square footage of the building.
