There will be a welcome reception for the new Geary USD 475 Superintendent of Schools, Dr. Reginald and Mrs. Regina Eggleston on April 18th at the C.L. Hoover Opera House from 7:30 – 9 a.m.

The reception will be hosted by the Geary Community Schools Foundation in partnership with the C. L. Hoover Opera House.

Reginald Eggleston is scheduled to begin work as Superintendent of Schools in USD 475 on Monday, April 15th.

TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — A captain in a Kansas National Guard brigade has resigned over what she says is a lack of concern from guard leadership over recent suicides.

Capt. Tara Fields, a Junction City native, is a behavioral health officer. She has served 12 years in military, eight on active duty. She said her resignation will be final by the end of April.

Kansas Guard Maj. Gen. Lee Tafanelli said the guard has had nine suicides in the last five years, with three in the past 18 months.

Fields says suicides of a civilian worker and a man who had just been discharged weren’t included in the guard’s official number.

Tafanelli said the guard is concerned about every death and offers several programs to help struggling members.

A longtime community member and leader in Chapman, Phil Weishaar, 72, has died. He passed away Sunday at Chapman Valley Manor. Weishaar had been ill with colon cancer.

Jan McCormick, Chapman, posted an obituary for Weishaar on Facebook, and his death was also confirmed by the Londeen Funeral Chapel.

Weishaar was a former mayor of Chapman who helped lead community recovery efforts following the EF-3 tornado that struck that community in June of 2008.  He served six years as mayor.

Weishaar became a teacher at Chapman High School in 1970 and served as an assistant coach in football and basketball, and for 32 was the head track coach until his retirement in 2005. His track teams produced two state championships, three state runner-up finishes, and six NCKL titles.

Geary USD 475 has reached a settlement with Rick Munson on the price of the land obtained by the school district for the new Junction City High School project.

The Board of Education approved a settlement of a case that had been pending in Geary County District Court. BOE President Tom Brungardt said the two sides had proposed two different prices. “The court had said pay this amount, which we did. We paid a certain amount, but Mr. Munson appealed so that was the basis of the court case.”

Brungardt said there was mediation on Monday. “In the process of the mediation Mr. Munson came down and we are going to have an additional $52,316 to pay him for a total for that land of $760,000.” He added it was less than district officials thought they would have to pay.

The lawsuit in the case will be dismissed with prejudice, which means it can’t be refiled.

The case would not have delayed construction of the new high school because the district had already obtained the land through an eminent domain process. Brungardt believes because the case had not gone on into the court process that will save the school district a lot of money in legal fees.

There will be a presentation by Columbia Capital of Kansas City ( financial advisors ) to discs options for downtown revitalization in Junction City. It is scheduled at 3 p.m. Tuesday, April 16th on the second floor at City Hall.

The Finance Director for the City, Lindsey Miller, said all community members are welcome to attend.

The contract between Geary USD 475 and ATA Bus will be extended for another 12 months, May 1st, 2019 until April 30th, 2020.

The cost to the district will be $49,000.

A substantial number of Junction City High School students use ATA Bus to get to and from school and to go to work.  The Board of Education approved the contract extension on a 7-0 vote Monday night.