Fort Riley Soldiers Conduct Convoy Exercise
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Priceless WWEDNESDAYEDNESDAY Take One VOLUME 15, NUMBER 74 WEDNESDAY,, MMARCH 14, 2007 WINNER OF THE KANSAS GAS SERVICE 2006 KANSAS PROFESSIONAL 2006 KANSAS PROFESSIONAL WINNER OF THE KANSAS PRESS EXCELLENCE IN EDITORIAL WRITING COMMUNICATORS PHOTO ESSAY AWARD COMMUNICATORS EDITORIAL AWARD ASSOCIATION ADVERTISING AWARD Park And Recreation Funds Pierzynski Named To Head Case Ends With Probation KSU’s Agronomy Department Gary Pierzynski has been named Ashland Bottoms and Rannell´s Editorial head of the Kansas By Jon A. Brake Flint Hills Prairie units. The latter is State University Department of devoted to range research. When the Riley County Police Agronomy - a post he has held on an Department and the Manhattan In addition, seven experiment interim basis for 14 months. fields located throughout eastern and City Manager were telling the Pierzynski, who is a professor of press, and the public that central Kansas are used to research soil and environmental chemistry specific soil-climate-cropping sys- $169,000 was missing from the and editor of The Journal of Manhattan Parks and Recreation tems for their respective areas. Environmental Quality, has been on During his time at K-State, Department, Riley County the faculty at K-State since 1989. Attorney Berry Wilkerson did not Pierzynski has taught classes on such “We are fortunate to have someone topics as plant nutrient sources, soil have the evidence. He could only with Gary´s credentials lead the find $700 missing from the fertility, environmental Department of Agronomy,” said Fred quality and soil and environmental department. Cholick, dean of K-State´s College Former Manhattan Parks and chemistry. of Agriculture and director of K- He has served as an academic Recreation superintendent Ivan D. State Research and Extension. “The Wilkenson pleaded no contest in advisor for undergraduate and gradu- department is involved in many new ate students and has won numerous January to three felony charges and exciting initiatives and Gary and one misdemeanor. Monday, teaching, advising, and research has the experience and vision to awards. Riley County District Judge Paul move it forward.” Miller sentenced Wilkenson to Pierzynski is a member of several Pierzynski earned a bachelor´s professional societies, including eight months probation. degree in crop and soil science and a Wilkenson was sentenced to six Gary Pierzynski the American Society of Agronomy, master´s degree in environmental the Soil Science Society of months in jail for official miscon- chemistry, both at Michigan State ments in the College of Agriculture, duct which is a felony, but America, the International Society of University. He earned a Ph.D. in soil other departments at the university Trace Element Biogeochemistry, Wilkenson will not spend any time chemistry at The Ohio State and with organizations beyond in jail. He will also pay $2,546 in and the International Union of Soil University “I am honored to have Kansas. Science and has taken on many restitution. been selected as head of the Based in Throckmorton Plant Wednesday County Attorney leadership roles in them. He has Department of Agronomy,” Sciences Center on the university´s authored or co-authored many Berry Wilkerson and Assistant Pierzynski said. “This is a great Manhattan campus, the department County Attorney Chris Getty told publications including a popular department and I look forward to the provides teaching, research and textbook entitled Soils and the press about the case. opportunity to further enhance our extension in crop, soil, range sci- Attorney Wilkerson said he Environmental Quality, now in its teaching, research, and extension ence, weed science, crop breeding, third edition, and has maintained a thought Getty did a good job in programs.” climatology, and protecting soil and getting Wilkenson to agree to the large research program. The responsibilities of the depart- water resources. The department “Gary has the breadth of experi- no contest plea. Getty investigated ment relate directly to the includes more than 110 faculty, the case for the County Attorney’s Riley County Attorney Berry Wilkerson ence to lead the department as we production inputs of 65,000 farms on adjunct faculty and staff members. conduct research, educate students Office. The police department had 47.5 million acres of cropland In a typical year, there are about footage of Wilkenson taking and work with the farmers and their budget from the City of that “between $50 and $90 thou- and rangeland in Kansas, Cholick 100 undergraduate students and 50 ranchers of Kansas to develop and money but it was a small amount. Manhattan, how can they investigate sand was missing”. The RCPD fig- said. Many research and extension graduate students majoring in agron- More money may have been taken improve crops, rangeland and the the City?” The County Attorney ure was for three years and the activities are conducted cooperative- omy. environment,” Cholick said. and more people may have been could not or would not answer. city’s figure was for two years. The ly with faculty at outlying Research is also conducted at the involved but there was no evi- Attorneys Wilkerson and Getty conflicting figures had everyone research centers, in other depart- university´s Agronomy Farm, dence. said the RCPD placed only one cam- thinking the RCPD figures were Attorneys Wilkerson and Getty era in one location. The Free Press wrong. Later the city said the figure did say that Wilkenson, at one asked why cameras were not placed was under $10 thousand. point, told employees of the Park in other locations. Getty said the city If the KBI had been brought into and Recreation to take money had already identified Ivan investigate this case it would be a Fort Riley Soldiers from the concession stand for a Wilkenson and the police only had lot different. The investigation golf tournament. The Manhattan the surveillance camera on his office. would have been longer that one Free Press asked if the other This is interesting because the month (before a public announce- employees had been charged. police at this time should have been ment) and they would be able to Conduct Convoy Exercise Attorney Wilkerson said they had looking at all city employees. answer questions. not but he thought the City may And what about the City. They had Could it be the city did not want By Pfc. Andrea Merritt mission downrange is going to be 24th Trans. Co. who manned one of have let the employees go. been told for more that six years that the KBI to investigate? They were 1st Sust. Bde. PAO convoy operations, which is one of the .50-caliber machine guns. “It’s Editor’s Note and Opinion: they may have a problem but did told to make a request but did not. Soldiers of the 24th Transportation the most dangerous jobs down intensive.” This case was larger than the nothing. The city did not count Why try to confuse the police and Company conducted a convoy live- there,” said Sgt. 1st Class Richard The Soldiers simulated scenarios County Attorney wants to admit. money at the concession stands; they the public with figures from two fire exercise recently as part of a Williams, truckmaster for the 24th with improvised explosive devices, He talks about cokes and hotdog’s did not take inventory of the food years when they knew the RCPD week-long training exercise at the Trans. Co. medical evacuation and civilians on but ten of thousands may have and candy. When teenagers would figures was for three? Multipurpose Range Complex in The Soldiers practiced their gun- the battlefield in order to give them been taken from baseball tourna- leave the stands at night they would Would higher up city officials be preparation for their upcoming nery skills because they will have to the total training effect of what it will ments where the city did not get put the money in a shoebox and in trouble if the KBI had investi- deployment. know how to defend the convoy in be like in Iraq, Williams said. paid. The County Attorney said place it in a refrigerator. gated? We do not know and the While at the range, Soldiers con- case of an attack, Williams said. More than 50 percent of the people they looked into that but they did The city called the RCPD to inves- public will never know. It would voyed through lanes and engaged With 127 Soldiers in the field, the in the unit have deployed at least not have the evidence. The County tigate but when the RCPD said that appear that is the way it was planed pop-up targets in military vehicles Soldiers had to rotate through the once and many of the senior person- Attorney was asked by the Free $169,000 was missing the city con- from the beginning. equipped with .50-caliber machine lanes, but the training never stopped. nel have deployed twice already, he Press “The RCPD receives 80% of ducted an investigation and clammed guns and M249 squad automatic “Everybody can’t be on the lanes added. weapons. at the same time so in between down “We know what to expect and we The convoy made three stops on time platoons are conducting class- try to stay updated on the latest infor- its way through the lane. On the first es,” Williams said. “(They’re) learn- mation from downrange. We defi- two stops, the .50 caliber machine ing convoy battle drills, entry control nitely use that in our training,” Leaders Recognized By Institute gun operators fired at the targets, point operations...radio procedures. Williams said. leaving a trail of blue ammo casings “From the time they get up at 0530 The 24th Trans. Co. plans to con- “See Kansas with new eyes.” That Carl.