News from 102.5 The River

With Thanksgiving and the holidays approaching, the American Red Cross urges donors to continue to make and keep appointments now and in the weeks ahead to help overcome the ongoing emergency blood shortage that has significantly impacted the nation’s blood supply. In fact, the current blood supply is the lowest the Red Cross has seen this time of year in more than a decade. Donors are urged to schedule an appointment now by using the Red Cross Blood Donor App, visiting RedCrossBlood.org or calling 1-800-RED CROSS (1-800-733-2767). At least 10,000 more donations are needed each week in the coming weeks to meet patient needs – ahead of the upcoming holiday season, which always presents seasonal challenges to blood collection.

An autopsy is planned for a 32 year old inmate who was being held at the Lansing Correctional Facility, who died in state custody. Lawrence Brown Junior died Friday at a hospital in Leavenworth. The Kansas Department of Corrections says only that officials do not believe the man died of the coronavirus. He’d been convicted in Sedgwick County of battery of a corrections officer or employee. He was serving a 122-month sentence at Lansing.

From Cowley County: Advance Voting is open in two separate locations.
Winfield: County Clerk’s Office (321 E. 10th Ave) from 8am-5pm Monday, Oct 25 through Friday, Oct 29.
Arkansas City: Water Treatment Plant (400 W. Madison Ave) from 10am-4pm Monday, Oct 25 through Friday, Oct 29.
For more info, check out the County’s Clerk’s website at: www.cowleycountyks.gov/VotingandElections or call them at (620) 221-5494.

Governor Laura Kelly today announced Kansas will adopt the Center for Disease Control’s (CDC) new recommendations around Moderna and J&J booster shots, following a similar announcement last month around the Pfizer-BioNTech (also known as Comirnaty) booster. She has authorized all COVID-19 vaccine providers to begin administering the booster shots to all eligible Kansans. Eligibility for a booster dose based on an underlying medical condition will only require self-attestation – a prescription or assessment from a health care provider is not required.

The Creative Writing Program at Cowley College hosted the first Writers’ Corner of the academic year in the Jungle (Nelson Student Center). Twelve writers, with one alumni special guest and two faculty, presented a total of 30 original works. If you are interested in the Creative Writing program or classes, contact marlys.cervantes@cowley.edu or see her in the Humanities and Communication department.

The City-Cowley County Health Department is out with its latest COVID 19 update. The October cases rose by fifty (50) this past week which continues to indicate a downward trend locally. As of October 22, 2021, the Health Department is tracking seventy-one (71) active cases. The positivity rate for the last week was 8.91% which is down from the 11.75% of the previous week. This continuing fluctuation (movement up and down) is not uncommon.

From the Winfield Viking Theatre Department: Tickets are selling quickly so don’t wait too long! SNOOPY the Musical show dates: November 19 and 20 at 7:30 pm and November 21 at 2:00 pm. We’ll have some special guests at our Sunday matinee! All Winfield elementary students are eligible for 50% off the student ticket price at the Sunday matinee only!

Governor Laura Kelly, on behalf of the Kansas Criminal Justice Coordinating Council (KCJCC), today announced that more than $2 million will be awarded to Kansas criminal justice organizations as part of the 2022 grant awards for the Federal Edward Byrne Memorial Justice Assistance Grant (JAG) Program. The KCJCC oversees the criminal justice federal funding made available to Kansas through the U.S. Department of Justice, Office of Justice Programs, Bureau of Justice Assistance.

Arkansas City Area Chamber of Commerce is Accepting items for the Time Capsule — Special 150th Celebration time capsule rededication and closing ceremony will be at 1:00 PM Friday, October 29th. Location is on the front lawn of City Hall. This will be the last opportunity for the public to submit items for inclusion in the time capsule. The capsule will not actually be buried at this time, for safety reasons and to allow time for City staff to properly package all of the materials before sealing it. Burial likely will occur during the following week or soon after.

Governor Laura Kelly today announced plans to expand the Kansas Main Street Program by up to three additional communities this Winter. Originally launched in 1985, Kansas Main Street has helped dozens of mostly rural communities work toward ensuring the viability of their downtown districts. During the first 27 years of the Kansas Main Street program, more than $600 million in redevelopment was invested in designated Main Street communities statewide. During that same time nearly 4,000 small businesses were started, creating over 8,600 new jobs. Earlier this year, the Governor announced the addition of Atchison, Baldwin City and Junction City, which brought the total number of designated Main Street communities in Kansas to 28. The program will now add up to three more designated communities.