By Dewey Terrill

JC Post

Former Under Secretary of the Army Patrick Murphy touched on a variety of topics during a speech to a Military Affairs breakfast audience in Junction City on Tuesday.

Murphy said the U.S. has the number one military and number one economy in the nation, and there is a drive to create and build new things. “We need to make sure that we are understanding in this global economy that we’re competing not just in business but with education to create this next generation of leaders.”

Murphy served two overseas combat deployments, including one in Bosnia in 2002 an another in Iraq in 2003. He became the first Iraq war veteran elected to Congress, representing Pennsylvania beginning in 2007. He authored several groundbreaking pieces of legislation into law including the 21st Century GI Bill and the raising of the federal minimum wage.

He pointed to small business development in the past by veterans. There is a wide gap in the percentage of businesses. “When we had 16-million veterans in World War II half of them came back and started their own small business. ” He also noted that in his generation of Iraq – Afghanistan veterans less than five percent begin their own small business.

During his time as Acting Secretary, Murphy initiated opening up more than 2,500 AAFES retail stores for the first-ever tax-free online shopping which has increased sales to more than $6.7 billion.

In the private sector Murphy  co-founded WorkMerk in 2018, a business-to-business tech company focused on employee engagement and wearable technology. Formerly with the Philadelphia Sixers, Eagles and Phillies, Murphy has consulted for the CEOs of CrossFit, Spartan Race and other national platforms committed to mental resiliency, physical performance and elite talent.

By Dewey Terrill

JC Post

Members of PlayJC.org informed the Geary County Commission Monday about their desire to spend the next six months working to transition into new programs including inviting outside participants to visit the Junction City area for tournaments.

They asked the commission for $7,860 to continue to pay the salary of their one employee, build on what they have in place, and to host new tournaments that attract visitors to the region. PlayJC.org has worked to establish a website where there is central information focusing on youth sports in the region, and where you can volunteer.

Committee spokesman Kendall Schoenrock said they’re focused on trying to provide new assumptions on tournaments and other activities going into the winter and spring of next year. “The specific request is to help us prove the assumptions that we have about the next steps with this group. ” Schoenrock added that they are seeking some county assistance. “Maybe the next conversation is for us to go and pass the hat and see what other community funds are out there. We’re seeing a lot of good traction with PlayJC and we’re excited to see where this goes.”

Terrah Stroda with PlayJC.org wants to see tournaments in Junction City. ” I want more people coming to Junction City, eating here, staying here, enjoying our new playground and looking at this town as potential, not only  just for a weekend but perhaps even longer than that.”

The county commission was supportive of the funding request but took no final action. They directed PlayJC.org to speak with the convention and visitor’s bureau, who could make a recommendation to the governing body.  Commission Chairman Charles Stimatze said the county will see what they can come up with. “We’ll see what’s out there and see what we can do.”

The elected officials noted that there is some funding in the county’s Parks and Recreation budget and there is money available in a one cent transient guest tax fund that could possibly be used for special projects.

Schoenrock noted a lot of local youth are going out of town mostly due to availability and not necessarily due to better coaching. PlayJC.org wants the activities to be in Junction City, and there have been people approaching them about holding tournaments. He noted a request for $10,000 to $15,000 could go to the City late this year, assuming PlayJC.org hits all of their other milestones. Their intent is to collaborate with Junction City Parks and Recreation.

Stimatze noted that it will be important to make different entities understand that PlayJC.org doesn’t want to take over, but just wants to help. Schoenrock also noted that they are not attempting to change leagues, while Stroda pointed to a desire for a private – public sector collaboration.

PlayJC.org is connected to the Quality Play for All Committee that is working to upgrade the 5th Street Playground Park.

 

 

The Geary USD 475 Board of Education has approved the annual teaching contract for the school district. It includes a five percent increase in salary for teachers for the 2019-2020 school year, with total new expenditures for the district of approximately $1.9 million.

Board member Sarah Talley was on the negotiating team for the contracts. “I think we worked really hard together and worked well together. I think the process was well carried through.” Teachers and board members work together to negotiate contracts in the district.

Board member Tom Brungardt explained the funding for the increases comes from the increase in money the state put into the school finance formula which will go up in two more years, and after that it will be based on a consumer price index formula.”

Brungardt noted raises are happening across the state. He said legislative leaders, the commissioner of education and state school board members have encouraged districts to make sure that they are making up for the lack of raises that teachers did not get in recent years due to the budgetary crisis.

The Junction City Education Association had already ratified the salary increases for the 2019-2020 school year.

Students are expected to continue arriving in Geary USD 475 until after Labor Day, but as of right now the Superintendent of Schools Dr. Reginald Eggleston said Monday the enrollment in the district totaled approximately 6,900 students. That was down just slightly from one year ago.

Eggleston said, “We’re hoping that enrollment will continue. Since my arrival I’ve been told that students will continue to trickle in until after Labor Day. So we’re hoping that we will continue to increase our enrollment, ultimately that we’ll get as many students as we possibly can.”

The arrival of military connected families in the area after the beginning of the school year can result in late enrollment by students. Eggleston said the staff seemed to be used that development, and were no caught off guard.

The formal student count for state financial aid purposes is not taken until Sept. 20.

A donation from Patricia ( Waters ) Wertzberger will make it possible for the remaining eight windows in the historic St. Joseph’s Church in eastern Geary County to be installed this fall.  The announcement was made by Historical Society Director Katie Goerl in the Geary Glimmers news letter.

Goerl noted that the church was boarded up for many years to protect the interior of the church. Some new windows had been installed, and the replacement of the others means work can then commence on restoring the floors and choir loft.

There has been an ongoing restoration project at the church in recent years.

Goerl is hopeful the Historical Society can hold an event in the fall to open the church to the public and show the hard work that has been done over the past 11 years.

The Chief Operations Officer for USD 475, David Wild,  has provided a drone photo on the construction of the new JCHS facility.

The Junction City High School building pad includes the Freshman Academy on the right side of the picture ( west ) and the football field on the left ( east ). The JCHS building itself will be about 1,200 feet long.

The Junction City Middle School is in the background viewing from the northwest.

 

By Dewey Terrill

JC Post

A new nonprofit wholesale distribution outlet in Junction City, MAS-HELP, held their ribbon cutting and grand opening at their 1216 Grant Avenue location on Friday.

Henry Petty, Managing Director, said MAS-HELP will sell everything from kitchen sinks to TV’s at a very low price. Their goal is to serve both the Soldiers and the community.

Petty explained a concept was developed to both help the community and generate some revenue.”We can get pretty much everything. We have carpets, tile, vanities, shower heads, faucets, tools.”

The concept and the thought process began in Junction City, where Petty is from but the operation is headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia where MAS-HELP has a 9,800 square foot warehouse and where Petty now resides. This is the first expansion for the nonprofit organization.

Petty said they still have to hire employees for the Junction City outlet which will include approximately three to five people. About the items that are sold he said, “Basically I go to auctions, I bid online to get product and then I sell it.”

Petty explained MAS-HELP will be able to assist Soldiers and community members. “When you go through certain organizations they really channel your money. But with us if someone came in off the street that needed help we can help them without paperwork. Here, take this and go.”

Petty noted this outlet is open to anyone. “Anybody can come because the community are the Soldiers and the Soldiers are the community.”

The strong storm cells that moved through eastern and southeastern Geary County caused tree damage at the Deb and Gus Gustafson residence at 7477 Davis Creek Road about seven miles south of Junction City and Grandview Plaza. There were no injuries . The storm blew through that area about 10:30 p.m. Thursday.

Deb Gustafson said there was significant wind with the storm. “Certainly I would think in that 60 mile per hour wind range at least, rattling all the windows, house was shaking pretty good. I did hear a lot of branches breaking as they came down.” She also noted that there were a lot of roof shingles on the ground at her home Friday morning, and there was also some tree damage at the nearby residence of her daughter, Shelbi Gustafson.

Deb Gustafson posted photos on Friday morning.

 

 

 

Multiple severe thunderstorm warnings, tornado warnings that stretched through southeastern Geary, west central Wabaunsee and southwest Wabaunsee counties and a flash flood warning were all part of the Thursday night weather pattern in the region.

Tornado sightings from the same cell occurred in the western part of Wabaunsee County and again later near Lake Wabaunsee. No injuries have been reported. During the warning period Geary County Emergence Management Director Garry Berges said a funnel cloud was sighted north of the interstate, “in Riley County, it came into Geary County, stayed aloft, rotation in the clouds, moved on farther to the south toward Eskridge, and that was the tornado warning for Volland. ”

Thunderstorm warnings began in Riley County and the storm cells later tracked southeast. During the nine o’clock hour the National Weather Service later issued a severe thunderstorm warning for all of Geary County and parts of five other counties.

A flash flood warning was issued for east central Geary, southeastern Riley, Wabaunsee County and south central Pottawatomie County. Thunderstorms had produced heavy rain across the warned area.  Up to three inches of rain had fallen in some areas and another one to three inches was possible in the warned area. In Manhattan the Riley County Police Department only reported some flash flooding on Juliette Avenue.

The storm activity during the evening produced 1.5 inch diameter hail in Leonardville and at one point dime sized hail in Manhattan. No rain fell in Junction City.