JUNCTION CITY – The public is invited to attend an open house on the Taylor Road bridge over I-70 project in Geary County from 4:30 to 6:30 p.m. on Tuesday, April 29, at the JCNaz, 1025 South Washington St., in Junction City.

The Kansas Department of Transportation will have display boards available for review, and KDOT staff will be present to answer questions about the overall project, which is currently in its final design phase.

This project was identified as a top priority for the north central region through KDOT’s Local Consult process in 2021. After reviewing the bridge’s condition, current/future transportation needs and public input, KDOT will proceed with the project as a bridge replacement only.

The new bridge structure will follow current design criteria and be widened to meet local transportation needs.&nbsp;

Meeting information will also be available online at&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="http://www.ksdot.gov/I-70-Taylor-Road">ksdot.gov/I-70-Taylor-Road</a>&nbsp;at the time of the public meeting, and public comments will be accepted through May 13.

KDOT hosts public open house for I-70/Taylor Road project

JUNCTION CITY, Kan. – Geary County Schools USD 475 is proud to announce that Junction City High School had 66 art pieces earn Certificate Awards of Merit on Wednesday at the 2025 Fort Hays State University High School Art Day Exhibition.

Other highlights included senior D'Marion Swift&nbsp;not only placing first overall for JCHS, but also earning six awards, while one other student claimed runner-up accolades. A JCHS sophomore rounded out JCHS’ top-artists by recording a third place showing. Finally, junior Alana Gayton was awarded a $1,000 scholarship inside Gross Memorial Coliseum.

In all, 31 Blue Jays traveled to the art day exhibition. The artwork, which was judged by a juried panel of Fort Hays State faculty and Hays area artists, was displayed along with several other pieces from students throughout the state of Kansas.&nbsp;&nbsp;

JCHS Honored at Fort Hays State University High School Art Day Exhibition

At the Hampton Inn on April 16, the JC Breakfast Optimist Club members heard from Trase McQueen who is the Resource Lab Manager for Memory and Aging at Kansas State University. Trase stated that as “as we age there are two proteins that over produce and kill neurons in the brain, which can cause dementia, Parkinson’s disease, Huntington’s Disease, Alzheimer’s Disease and others. The goal is to disrupt those proteins and slow them down.”

He went on to say that “chronic stress, food choices, behavior habits, lack of quality sleep, high blood pressure, circulator issues in the body and genetics are some of the contributors” that may cause memory loss and related diseases.

The good news is that in a study done on a group of nuns who had been living to the age of 100. Researchers found that the nuns in the study who donated their brains after death had common traits. The study of 325 Roman Catholic nuns were members of the School of Sisters of Notre Dame in the U.S. found that 69% of the nuns who spoke a language in addition to English did not have dementia. The nuns also had a common lifestyle of social interaction, grew their own vegetables, had a belief and hope in a higher power, continued to be lifelong learners and regularly did low grade exercises. Their lifestyles and eating habits contributed to curbing the symptoms of Alzheimer’s Disease.

Optimists Learned About How Our Brains Change With Age

The Junction City First United Methodist Church is hosting its 4th annual Easter Egg-Stravaganza this Saturday, April 19. The Easter egg hunt and activities will be in Heritage Park at 6th and Washington St. in Junction City.&nbsp;

Activities for the event begin at 10:00 a.m. with games and music, and the age-group Easter egg hunt starts at 11:00 a.m.&nbsp;

Admission to the event is free, and participants need to bring their baskets.&nbsp;

JC First United Methodist Church will host 4th annual Easter Egg Hunt Saturday

On Thursday at 4:29 a.m. Geary County Sheriff's Deputies responded to Henry Gate, Fort Riley to assist Fort Riley Police with a hit and run. The Sheriff's Department said that Deputies were advised the suspect had struck a barrier at Henry Gate before fleeing the scene back into Geary County Deputies were able to locate the suspect and custody was transferred to Fort Riley Police. Case is still under investigation.

Deputies respond to the Henry Gate

RILEY COUNTY—Law enforcement are investigating a suspect on sex crime allegations.

Just before 7:30p.m. Wednesday, police arrested 44-year-old Jeffery Bailey,&nbsp; of Pittsburg Kansas on a Riley County District Court warrant for 5 counts of rape, according to the Riley County Police Department activity report.

Bailey remains confined in the Riley County Jail with a bond of $75,000.

Suspect jailed in Manhattan for 5 counts of alleged rape

Recent Booking Activity for the Geary County Detention Center. All persons included in this post are innocent of crimes until proven guilty in a court of law.

Geary County Booking Photos April 17

The junction City/Geary County United Way&nbsp; 2025 Allocation process has concluded. Nichole Mader, Executive Director, said this year they welcomed back returning volunteers as well as new ones. The Allocation process is how partner agencies receive funding from United Way.

. The donations and support received comes from&nbsp; the community, so the community must have a say in how and where it is spent. Non-profits that are in good standing apply for funding from the&nbsp;United&nbsp;Way&nbsp;of Junction City/Geary County. Volunteers come together, review each application, interview the agencies, and then make decisions on whether funding will be provided and how much. This year, applications were received from 13 agencies. The total amount requested was&nbsp;$107,600. 

Mader said that ss much as they would love to be able to fund each agency with their requested amounts, they are unable to do so. Allocation volunteers met with each agency and learned about their programs, how they impact our communities, and the work that each of them does.

2025 United Way allocations

John L. Tice has filed for election to the Junction City Commission. Geary County Clerk Courtney Gilbert confirmed the filing.

Tice is the fourth candidate to file for the city commission. He joins William Arnold Jr., Terry Butler and Sam Yoskowitz in the race. Three seats are up for election.

There is a filing for Junction City Commission

** (Home games at Rathert Field are in Bold)

The Brigade now play in the Jayhawk Collegiate League

May 30 (7:00 p.m.) - Wichita Wildcats

June 2 (7:00 p.m.) - Kingman Islanders

June 8 (6:00 p.m.) – Kansas Cannons

June 12 (7:00 p.m.) - Great Bend Bat Cats

June 14 (DH 5/7 p.m.) - Haysville Aviators

June 17 (7:00 p.m.) - Newton Rebels

June 20 (7:00 p.m.) - Hutchinson Monarchs

June 25&nbsp;(7:00 p.m.) - Wichita Wildcats

June 28 (7:00 p.m.) - Kingman Islanders

July 5 (7:00 p.m.) - Kansas Cannons

July 7 (7:00 p.m.) - Great Bend Bat Cats

July 11 (7:00 p.m.) -&nbsp;Manhattan Barnstormers

July 12 (7:00 p.m.) - Newton Rebels

July 15 (7:00 p.m.) - Hutchinson Monarchs

July 19 – Jayhawk Collegiate League All Star Game (In Hutchinson)

July 24-Aug. 2 – NBC World Series in Wichita

Junction City Brigade updated Full 2025 Schedule

Cheers to Culture: Explore Global Flavors with Junction City Main

JUNCTION CITY, Kansas - Junction City Main Street has announced the dates for their 2nd Annual Taste of Culture Events: Cups of Culture and International Food Tour. These two events are centered around Junction City’s diversity that fuels our amazing community! The International Food Tour will run in conjunction with Main Street Market’s kick-off on Saturday, May 3rd, from 10:00 A.M. - 1:00 P.M. and will be hosted at the corner of 9th and Washington St., 901 N Washington St. Cups of Culture, a 21+ event, will run from 5-8 P.M., on Friday, May 9th throughout Downtown Junction City. 

The Cups of Culture event engages community members in familiarizing themselves with the amazing businesses Downtown Junction City has to offer, all while sampling diverse adult beverages and snacks from around the world! Participants will check-in from 5-6 P.M. at Junction City Main Street at 129 W 7th Street and will receive a special commemorative cup and Downtown JC map of participating storefronts. 

As for the International Food Tour, the event will highlight and celebrate the cultural diversity that Junction City boasts. Attendees will purchase a “passport” that gives them access to each of the local food vendors that will represent different global cuisines. With their “passports” in hand, attendees will travel from each vendor, earning them a travel stamp and a delicious sample to delight their taste buds. This year, there will be performances, music, and arts and crafts booths for kids! 

“The Taste of Culture events are the perfect way to enjoy our downtown with friends and family,” says Makena Krause, Events Coordinator for Junction City Main Street. “It’s not just about the food and drinks, it’s about celebrating diversity, supporting small businesses, and creating unforgettable memories!”

 So what do you say? Need a vacay? We’ve got you covered. Join us downtown on May 3rd and 9th for two events full of culture, community, and connection. 

Registration slots for both events are still available for attendees. Please visit the Taste of Culture event page: <a href="https://junctioncitymainstreet.org/signature-events/taste-of-culture/">Taste of Culture - Junction City Main Street, Kansas</a> in order to register for Cups of Culture or purchase your “passport” for International Food Tour.

Junction City Main Street announces dates for 2nd annual Taste of Culture Events

NEW YORK (AP) — Lee Corso’s nearly four-decade run on ESPN’s “College GameDay” is coming to an end.

Corso, the longtime&nbsp;<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qUAPPOaUr4k" target="_blank">ESPN broadcaster and folksy former coach</a>&nbsp;widely known for his endearing expressions and elaborate headgear picks, is set to retire after a career with the show that began in 1987, ESPN announced Thursday. His final broadcast will be Aug. 30 — Week 1 of the 2025 college football season — and the network said additional programming to celebrate Corso is also planned.

“My family and I will be forever indebted for the opportunity to be part of ESPN and ‘College GameDay’ for nearly 40 years,” Corso said in a statement to ESPN. “I have a treasure of many friends, fond memories and some unusual experiences to take with me into retirement.”

Corso, who turns 90 in August, began his&nbsp;<a href="https://www.espn.com/video/clip/_/id/44715325" target="_blank">popular headgear segment</a>&nbsp;in October 1995 at a game at Ohio State. Since then, he has gone 286-144 in 430 selections wearing everything from helmets and mascot heads to dressing up as the Fighting Irish leprechaun from Notre Dame, the Stanford tree and historic figures James Madison and Benjamin Franklin.

<a href="https://www.youtube.com/shorts/jS6-PBVUulY" target="_blank">“Not so fast, my friend”</a>&nbsp;is one of his most well-known comments and his good humor alongside Kirk Herbstreit, Rece Davis and Desmond Howard and many others going back more than three decades helped make Corso and the show a beloved staple for millions on college football Saturdays.&nbsp;&nbsp;

Corso’s career has lasted through a health scare in 2009, when he suffered a stroke that left him unable to speak for a while. He returned to “College GameDay ”later that year. Though he hasn’t joined his colleagues as much on the road in recent years, Corso was at the site of last year’s national title game between Ohio State and Notre Dame in Atlanta.

Corso was a college and pro football coach for 28 years before transitioning to broadcasting. He coached 15 years in college at Louisville, Indiana and Northern Illinois.

🏈 Lee Corso to retire from ESPN’s ‘College GameDay’ after four-decade run

NEW YORK (AP) — Aaron Judge hit a tiebreaking homer leading off the seventh inning that ended a 10-game drought, and the New York Yankees defeated the Kansas City Royals 4-3 on Wednesday night to complete a three-game sweep.

With a runner at second base in the ninth, Cody Bellinger made a diving catch in right field on MJ Melendez’s sinking liner to preserve Fernando Cruz’s first career save.

Judge went deep for the first time since April 4 in Pittsburgh when he lifted a 1-0 sinker from John Schreiber (1-1) into the New York bullpen beyond the right-center fence.

Judge had three hits for the third time this season. He reached base four times and his batting average climbed 27 points to a major league-best .409.

Yankees starter Clarke Schmidt had some dominant moments and pitched 5 2/3 innings of three-run ball in his season debut. After recovering from rotator cuff tendinitis, the right-hander permitted four hits and threw 73 pitches.

Anthony Volpe hit a two-run double in the third and Bellinger had an RBI double in the fourth to give the Yankees a 3-1 lead.

Schmidt retired 11 straight before Drew Waters opened the fifth with a single and scored on Kyle Isbel's triple. Isbel scored the tying run on a groundout by Jonathan India.

Salvador Perez hit an RBI single four batters in before Schmidt settled down.

Kansas City starter Kris Bubic allowed three runs and seven hits in 5 1/3 innings.

Mark Leiter Jr. (2-1) got four outs after Schmidt was lifted, and Cruz pitched two scoreless innings.

After the Royals tied the game, Bobby Witt Jr. swung at the first pitch and flied out to end the fifth.

Judge entered hitting .382 (13 for 34) over his previous 10 games.

Royals: RHP Michael Lorenzen (1-2, 3.71 ERA) opposes Tigers RHP Reese Olson (1-1, 6.00) in the opener of a four-game series Thursday at Detroit.

Yankees: RHP Will Warren (1-0, 5.14 ERA), who earned his first career win Saturday, faces Rays RHP Taj Bradley (2-0, 3.71) in the opener of a four-game series at Steinbrenner Field in Tampa, Florida, on Thursday.

⚾ Judge hits go-ahead homer as Yankees sweep the Royals 

JC Baseball Results from Tuesday's Doubleheader vs Manhattan

The Junction City Blue Jay Varsity baseball team split with the Manhattan High Indians on Tuesday night in Junction City. The Blue Jays lost game one 20-4 in five innings.&nbsp;

In game two, JCHS responded and beat Manhattan 8-7.&nbsp;

The Blue Jays are 4-6 on the season. Next action for the baseball team is this Saturday at the Blue Jays Sports Complex when they host games against Garden City and Dodge City.&nbsp;

JCHS Softball Results for Tuesday's Doubleheader vs Manhattan

The Lady Jay softball team dropped both games on Tuesday night in Manhattan. JC lost the first game 11-4, and the second game JCHS lost 8-6.&nbsp;

The Junction City Lady Jays are 2-10 on the season and play in the Sunflower Festival in Olathe on Thursday. Games will be against Olathe North and Lawrence Free State.

JC Baseball splits with Manhattan, Lady Jay Softball swept by Manhattan

NEW YORK (AP) —&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/jasson-dominguez-yankees-left-field-97771d9cd48c1c5c6ca447713b478c0c">Jasson Domínguez</a>&nbsp;went 3 for 3 with a three-run double that put the New York Yankees ahead in the sixth inning of a 4-2 victory over the Kansas City Royals on Tuesday night.

Max Fried (3-0) struck out seven in 6 2/3 innings and the Yankees erased a 2-0 deficit with a four-run sixth aided by three straight two-out walks. New York will go for a three-game sweep Wednesday in a rematch of an AL Division Series won by the Yankees over the Royals in four games last October.

MJ Melendez homered and Bobby Witt Jr. hit an RBI double off the right-center fence in the third for the Royals, who lost for the fourth time in five games and fell to 2-6 on the road. They have dropped 19 of their past 20 completed series against the Yankees since May 2015, including the playoffs.

Luke Weaver retired Maikel Garcia with two runners on to end the seventh and set down all four batters he faced. Devin Williams worked a perfect ninth for his third save.

Michael Wacha (0-3) was working on a four-hit shutout when he walked Jazz Chisholm Jr. and Anthony Volpe to load the bases in the sixth. Angel Zerpa entered and, struggling to hear his PitchCom device, walked Austin Wells on four pitches to force in a run.

Domínguez, who singled twice batting left-handed against Wacha, then lined a 1-2 fastball down the left-field line hitting right-handed against Zerpa and knocked his own helmet off his head with his follow through.

Defensive replacement Trent Grisham made a fine running catch in deep center field with a runner aboard to help thwart a potential Royals rally in the seventh.

Melendez was batting .077 with one extra-base hit this season when he homered into the New York bullpen leading off the third to snap an 0-for-18 skid.

Royals LHP Kris Bubic (2-1, 0.96 ERA) starts the series finale Wednesday night against RHP Clarke Schmidt, scheduled to make his season debut after recovering from rotator cuff tendinitis.

⚾️ Domínguez's 3-run double sends Yankees to win over Royals

K-State's Sundell selected in WNBA draft

NEW YORK (AP) — Trent Grisham, Ben Rice and Austin Wells each hit a solo home run off Seth Lugo in the fifth inning, and the New York Yankees beat the Kansas City Royals 4-1 on Monday night in their first meeting since last year's AL Division Series.

Jazz Chisholm Jr. tied the score in the fourth with his sixth homer, an inning after Bobby Witt Jr.’s home run against Carlos Carrasco (2-1) on the 10th pitch of his at-bat put Kansas City ahead.

Carrasco and four relievers combined on a two-hitter for the Yankees, whose starters entered with a 5.40 ERA.

New York (9-7) had lost five of its previous seven games. The Yankees beat the Royals in four games during their ALDS last October.

Lugo (1-2) gave up 16 homers in 33 starts last season, when he was a first-time All-Star. Mixing nine different pitches, he allowed seven hits in 6 2/3 innings. He had yielded more than two homers just once before, when Philadelphia hit four on Sept. 17, 2020.

Carrasco allowed one hit in five innings. Fernando Cruz, Tim Hill, Luke Weaver and Devin Williams followed. Williams allowed Witt's leadoff single in the ninth and a one-out walk before retiring Miakel Garcia on a game-ending flyout for his second save.

Kansas City (8-9) wore its new powder blue-and-white caps and helmets with dark blue bills along with powder blue uniforms.

Jonathan India went 0 for 3 with a walk as the designated hitter after missing a game with tightness in his right quadriceps.

Royals first baseman Mark Canha (left abductor strain) will start a minor league rehab assignment Tuesday. Left-hander Sam Long was seen by a doctor who confirmed the pitcher has elbow inflammation. Long won't throw for five days, then will ramp up for five days.

Grisham's home run was his fourth this season; last year he hit his fourth on June 22.

All four Yankees homers were by left-handed hitters: on a changeup, cutter and a pair of fastballs.

⚾Chisholm, Grisham, Rice and Wells homer off Lugo, lead Yankees over Royals

The Junction City Lady Jay softball team swept Emporia on Friday night at the Blue Jay Sports Complex. JCHS won game one, 10-0 in five innings and then won game two 7-1.&nbsp;

The sweep over Emporia was the first wins of the year for the Lady Jay Softball program and their first wins at the new sports complex.&nbsp;

Junction City is 2-8 on the season and will play a doubleheader at Manhattan on Tuesday night.&nbsp;

JCHS Softball sweeps Emporia for first wins of the year

Nick Perez has resigned as the head basketball coach at Junction City High School. Junction City High School Athletic Director Chris Bogenhagen has confirmed Perez's resignation. 

Perez led the Blue Jay program for nine years. 

Perez released a statement to JC Post. “I cannot thank Junction City enough for the past nine years, they have been amazing," Perez said. "The students, staff, coaches, players, and community have been tremendous. We couldn’t ask for anything better. To my players, you have all been special to our family. You accepted our kids like they were your siblings. We will miss you all very much. I know whoever takes over will keep this place running. I believe the program is in a very good place, better than when I got here back in 2017. Thank you Blue Jay Nation! Coach Perez and Family!"

Perez's team in 2022-2023 made it to the 6A State Tournament in Wichita. His best team, record-wise, was the 2023-2024 team that posted an 18-3 record and won the Centennial League for the first time in school history. This past season, JC finished the year with a record of 14-8 and lost in the sub-state championship game. 

Nick Perez has accepted a position as a basketball coach and teacher in Missouri, pending board approval.

Perez also coached boys and girls golf at JCHS.

Nick Perez resigns as Junction City High School Basketball Coach

CLEVELAND (AP) — Cole Ragans managed to pitch through a left hamstring cramp for 7 2/3 innings and get his first win this season.

“The hammy started to tighten up and I just didn’t want to push it,” Ragans said after leading the Kansas City Royals over the Cleveland Guardians 4-2 on Sunday.

A 27-year-old left-hander who finished fourth in AL Cy Young Award voting last year, Ragans struck out 10 and walked none while allowing two runs — one earned — and four hits.

Ragans (1-0) felt a nagging pain in his hamstring throughout the game, but it intensified after he got Austin Hedges to pop out for the second out of the eighth inning. Lucas Erceg relieved and got the last out of the inning. Carlos Estévez allowed a leadoff single in the ninth, then struck out three straight batters for his fifth save in six chances.

“You don’t want it to where it turns more serious than it actually is," Ragans said. "There was no reason to keep trying to pitch.”

Kansas City was optimistic Ragans will take his next turn, likely Friday in Detroit.

“He was honest with us throughout the game and was honest with us when he started feeling in more in the eighth inning,” Royals manager Matt Quatraro said. “He was trying to be smart and not push through it, which was the right thing to do.”

Ragans threw 89 pitches and became the second pitcher in Royals’ history to have 10 or more strikeouts in three consecutive starts after Kevin Appier in 1996.

Cleveland took a 2-0 lead in the second when Daniel Schneemann hit an RBI double and continued home on shortstop Bobby Witt Jr.’s throwing error. Ragans then retired nine straight batters and 17 of his last 18.

Kansas City rallied when Salvador Perez hit a two-run home run in the fourth inning and Maikel Garcia had a two-run double in the fifth.

“I try to get quick outs,” Ragans said. “If I’m filling up the strike zone, then (the hitters) are going to have to swing the bats. I just try to get ahead in the count and stay ahead and trust the guys behind me to make plays. If they are swinging early in the count, it might help you later to get them to chase some pitches.”

⚾Cole Ragans strikes out 10 as Royals win in Cleveland

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) — A gunman opened fire Thursday at Florida State University, killing two people and wounded at least five others, police said. The 20-year-old gunman was the son of a sheriff’s deputy whose former service weapon was used in the shooting, authorities said.

The two people who died were not students at the university, but the shooter is believed to be a student, Florida State University Police Chief Jason Trumbower.

Five people were being treated at Tallahassee Memorial Hospital, Trumbower said, and the shooter was also receiving medical attention.

Students and frightened parents hid in a bowling alley and crammed into a freight elevator inside the student union after hearing gunshots outside the building.

Ambulances, fire trucks and patrol vehicles from multiple law enforcement agencies raced toward the campus just west of Florida's capital after the university issued an active shooter alert midday Thursday, saying police were responding near the student union.

Ryan Cedergren, a 21-year-old communications student, said he and about 30 others hid in the bowling alley in the union's lower level after seeing students running from a nearby bar.

“In that moment, it was survival,” he said.

After about 15 minutes, university police escorted the students out of the building and he saw a person getting emergency treatment on the lawn, he said.

Chris Pento told WCTV in Tallahassee that he and his twins were getting lunch at the student union during a campus tour when they heard gunshots.

“It was surreal. And people just started running,” he told the TV station.

They packed into a service elevator after encountering locked doors at the end of a hallway. “That was probably the scariest point because we didn’t know. It could get worse, right?” he said. “The doors opened and two officers were there, guns drawn.”

Florida State’s alert system announced about three hours after the shooting that law enforcement had "neutralized the threat." Officials asked students and faculty to avoid the student union and other areas still considered an active crime scene.

Dozens of patrol vehicles, including a forensics van, were parked outside the student union. Officers blocked off the area with crime scene tape.

Students and staff who left behind phones, keys and other items in the rush to evacuate waited in the shade and prayed for the victims.

President Donald Trump said from the Oval Office that he had been fully briefed on the shooting. “It’s a horrible thing. It’s horrible that things like this take place,” he said.

After receiving warnings of an active shooter, students and faculty took cover and waited in classrooms, offices and dorms across campus.

The first thing you think of is just, ‘This can’t be true,’ right?” said Kai McGalla, a sophomore who spoke by phone while locked down at a campus testing center.

Junior Joshua Sirmans, 20, was in the main library when alarms went off. Law enforcement officers escorted him and other students from the library with their hands over their heads, he said.

Florida State University is one of Florida’s 12 public universities, with its main campus in Tallahassee. About 44,000 students are enrolled in the university, per the school’s 2024 fact sheet.

In 2014, the main library was the site of a&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/1be5cc23a6bf497baaf76e3928145c8e">shooting that wounded three people</a>. Officers shot and killed the gunman, 31-year-old Myron May.

The university canceled all classes and events for Thursday. It also canceled home athletic events through Sunday.

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) — Multiple victims were reported in&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/florida-state-university-shooter-alert-bf66a24ea91959697c7138089b2ef6fb">a shooting Thursday at Florida State University</a>&nbsp;and a suspect was taken into police custody, a person familiar with the matter told The Associated Press. The extent of the victims’ injuries was not immediately known and there were no additional details about the person who was in custody.

The person was not authorized to publicly discuss details of the ongoing investigation and spoke to The AP on condition of anonymity.

<a href="https://apnews.com/article/florida-state-shooting-what-to-know-d444a6ee8f31024f83f0ee320acf7339">Police and FBI were on scene at the university.</a>

Florida State University is canceling classes through Friday, which is two weeks before the university’s scheduled commencement ceremony for graduates on May 2 to 3.

The university’s official finals week per its academic calendar are scheduled to start April 28.

FSU’s alert system announced shortly after 3 p.m. that law enforcement had “neutralized the threat."

Officials are asking students and faculty to avoid the Student Union and several other areas that are still considered an active crime scene. People are otherwise free to move about the campus.

Jake Nair, a senior at Florida State University, was studying in the library when a police officer dashed out of the building, yelling for everyone to stay in place.

“He ran outside with his gun out,” Nair said. “Not all the students heard him, and some of them ran out the back of the library.”

Nair said an alarm in the library then went off and a recorded message warned students to shelter in place because of an active shooter on campus.

Then about five officers came into the library and escorted the students out with their hands up.

“I think they just wanted to make sure none of us had a weapon on us,” Nair said. “To be honest, it was a bit of a surreal moment. It’s the kind of thing you only see on the news.”

The county medical examiner’s office has no updates at this time

An office employee for the Leon County Medical Examiner’s office declined to release information on whether any deaths had been reported to their office at this time, noting that the investigation is still ongoing.

For some Florida State University faculty and staffers who have been on campus for the past dozen years, Thursday’s events brought back memories of another shooting at the school’s main library more than a decade ago.

Three people in 2014 were shot just outside and inside the entrance of Strozier Library in the middle of FSU’s campus. Officers who arrived within two minutes of the first call shot and killed the gunman, 31-year-old Myron May.

Three bullets struck 21-year-old student Farhan “Ronny” Ahmed, including a shot that severely damaged his spine and left him paralyzed from the waist down. The other two victims were library employee Nathan Scott who was shot in the leg and later released from the hospital and a student who was grazed by a bullet.

May, a 2005 FSU graduate and an attorney, reloaded at least once and tried to enter the library, but was blocked by lobby security barriers. Police responded and fired off a barrage of bullets that killed him.

Videos and a journal obtained by police indicate May thought he was being watched and targeted by the government.

Nearby Florida A&amp;M University cancels classes

Florida A&amp;M University, a university minutes away from Florida State University in Tallahassee,&nbsp;<a href="https://x.com/FAMU_1887/status/1912936344105410841">announced Thursday afternoon</a>&nbsp;that classes and student activities are canceled for the rest of the day, in response to the shooting.

Employees have the option to work remotely for the rest of the day.

‘We didn’t know — it could get worse, right?’

Chris Pento told Tallahassee TV station WCTV that he was on campus Thursday for a tour with his twins and that they were inside the student union getting lunch when they heard gunshots.

Pento said he and several others crammed into a service elevator after first encountering locked doors at the end of a hallway.

“That was probably the scariest point because we didn’t know — it could get worse, right?” he said. “The doors opened, and two officers were there, guns drawn.”

He said the officers asked if they’d seen anything and then pointed them to safety.

Kai McGalla, an FSU sophomore studying finance and Spanish, was taking a test on Excel spreadsheets at a testing center on campus when he started to hear sirens headed to the student union about a 20-minute walk away. The test proctor told them they were being locked down at the center because of the shooting.

“I’m in shock, you know, it’s so hard to believe,” McGalla said by phone while still locked down at the testing center. “The first thing you think of is just, ‘This can’t be true,’ right?”

Florida State cancels all home athletic events through Sunday

The canceled events include three baseball and three softball games.

It’s not immediately clear if FSU teams scheduled for road events will also see their games canceled or postponed.

Ryan Cedergren, a 21-year-old communications student, said he and about 30 others hid in the bowling alley in the lower level of the student union after seeing students running from a nearby bar.

“In that moment, it was survival,” Cedergren said.

After about 15 minutes of hiding, university police escorted the students out of the union, and Cedergren said he saw a person receiving emergency treatment on the lawn.

The president opened his Oval Office meeting with the Italian prime minister with comments on the shooting at Florida State University.

Trump said he had been “fully briefed.”

“It’s a horrible thing. It’s horrible that things like this take place,” he said.

Florida State University is one of Florida’s 12 public universities, with its main campus located in Tallahassee, where the shooting occurred, just minutes from the state Capitol building. About 44,300 students are enrolled in the university, per the school’s 2024 fact sheet.

At least six people have been hospitalized

One person is in critical condition, a spokesperson for Tallahassee Memorial HealthCare said. The other patients are in serious condition, the spokesperson said.

A suspect has been taken into police custody

A suspect has been taken into police custody and multiple victims were reported in a shooting Thursday at Florida State University, a person familiar with the matter told The Associated Press.

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