JUNCTION CITY, KAN. – Geary County Schools USD 475 announced this week that, Kristy Walter has accepted the position of Assistant Principal at Junction City Middle School.
Walter previously served as the Assistant Principal for 3 years at Topsail Middle School in Hampstead, North Carolina before moving to Junction City in February. Prior to serving as the assistant principal, she was a Principal Intern at Laney High School and South Topsail Elementary in North Carolina.
Walter has taught grades 2, 4, and 5 and was a Reading Specialist prior to moving to educational leadership. Ms. Walter has a Bachelor’s degree in Business Management and Organization from Mount Olive College in North Carolina and has obtained an Elementary Education certification from the University of North Carolina. She has also earned a Masters in School Administration.
FORT RILEY, Kan. – The “Big Red One” will say goodbye to one leader and
welcome another with a Victory with Honors ceremony at 4 p.m.May 21 at the 1st Infantry Division’s headquarters on Fort Riley.
Brig. Gen. Stephen G. Smith has served as the 1st Infantry Division and Fort Riley deputy commanding general for support since October 2017. Smith previously served in the Big Red One as the commander of Battery B, 25th Field Artillery (Target Acquisition), 1st Inf. Div. Artillery from October 1997 to April 1999. His decorations and badges include the Legion of Merit, the Bronze Star Medal with two bronze oak leaf clusters and the Defense Meritorious Service Medal.
Smith will next serve as commandant of the U.S. Army Field Artillery School, U.S. Army Fires Center of Excellence; and director, Future Long Range Precision Fires Cross Functional Team, at Fort Sill, Oklahoma.
Taking over for Smith following the ceremony will be Col. Todd R. Wasmund. Wasmund comes to the division from the Fires Center of Excellence and Fort Sill, where he served as the chief of staff.
The race to be the next governor of Kansas is beginning in earnest. FILE PHOTO / KANSAS NEWS SERVICE
Josh Svaty picked a political no-name to team with in his run for governor.
But the pick is someone who checks off boxes that Svaty can’t with voters in the Democratic primary and, if things play out right for him, in the general election.
She’s not just a woman; her abortion rights beliefs mitigate his support of some abortion restrictions that don’t play well with many Democrats. He didn’t serve in the military; she brings U.S. Army credentials polished at West Point and honed as a Black Hawk helicopter platoon leader in Iraq.
Katrina Lewison is running for lieutenant governor on a ticket with Josh Svaty CREDIT JIM MCLEAN / KANSAS NEWS SERVICE
Katrina Lewison offers business experience in the tech world to balance his time as a member of the Kansas House and as the state’s agriculture secretary.
The pairing gives Svaty a chance to turn some heads as voters start tuning in to the crowded campaign.
“This is a change election,” Svaty said.
Gone, he said, are the days of “two white guys running at the top of the ticket.” That’s his shot at the all-male tickets of the two leading contenders for the Republican nomination, Gov. Jeff Colyer and Secretary of State Kris Kobach.
Colyer, who served for seven years as lieutenant governor before taking over in January when former Gov. Sam Brownback left to take an ambassador’s job in the Trump administration, installed Salina businessman Tracey Mann as his successor.
Mann, a former director for the National Student Leadership Forum on Faith and Values, ran unsuccessfully for Congress in 2010.
Kobach added former rival Wink Hartman to his ticket after the Wichita businessman dropped out of the race for the GOP nomination for governor.
Lewison, who’s five months into a term on the Manhattan school board, said her desire to put Kansas “back on the right path” motivated her to run for statewide office.
“I see this as a chance to step up when Kansas needs leaders the most,” Lewison said.
An abortion rights supporter, Lewison said she wouldn’t have joined the ticket if she and Svaty “weren’t aligned” on the issue.
“Josh has been very clear about his position that he would not further restrict a woman’s right to make her own reproductive choices,” she said.
Svaty’s selection of a running mate is the first event in what promises to be a flurry of campaign activity between now and June 1, the date by which all major party candidates for statewide office and the Kansas House must file with the secretary of state’s office.
The campaign of state Sen. Laura Kelly, another perceived frontrunner for the Democratic nomination, says she will name her running mate “late next week” and file the following week.
Several other declared candidates for the Democratic nomination have yet to make their campaigns official. They include former Wichita Mayor Carl Brewer, Olathe physician Arden Andersen and former FBI agent Michael Tabman. Salina salesman Robert Klingenberg has named a running mate but hasn’t yet filed.
Wichita high school student Jack Bergeson is the only Democratic hopeful to have both chosen a running mate and filed his candidacy with the secretary of state’s office.
Two prominent Republican candidates — former state Sen. Jim Barnett and Insurance Commissioner Ken Selzer — must also round out their tickets and file before the deadline.
Several teenage candidates running for the GOP nomination must do the same. They include, Tyler Ruzich, Dominic Scavuzzo and Joseph Tutera, Jr.
Work will begin on Thursday, May 17 to repair the surface of the bridge deck on the eastbound lanes of the Clark’s Creek Bridge on I-70 in Geary County.
Lane closures will alternate beginning with the passing lane between mile markers 303 and 304. This is located between K-18 (Ogden Exit) and Humboldt Creek Exit. The work should be completed by mid-August.
A proposal for the future structure of the Junction City – Geary County Chamber of Commerce was outlined to the Junction City Commission Tuesday evening.
The commissioners did not express any opposition to the structure, including a 17-member chamber board of directors, and possible term limits for those board members. But they were not in favor of a proposed name change to the Junction City – Geary Alliance for Growth.
Mayor Pat Landes said if someone visits the community they are going to talk to somebody at the Chamber. “They’re not going to know that’s the alliance for growth or whatever warm fuzzy we want to do with it. ” Landes added the structure would change a little bit but not a lot. ” You’re having more EDC members on there, that’s fine. I’m all for more EDC members on there…..I think I’d leave it called the Chamber of Commerce.” Other commissioners echoed similar sentiments.
Chamber CEO Mickey Fornaro-Dean said the new name is not hard and fast and if the commission wants the chamber name to remain as it is that is fine. She told the commission, “I can honestly tell you that the reason the suggestion for the new name was brought up and was given to that committee ( Reorganization Committee ) is there were people who said I don’t like the Chamber name. ” Fornaro-Dean made it clear the organization does not have to be married to the new Alliance name.
The next step is for attorneys to review the proposed structure and prepare the necessary changes to the chamber master agreement, and then have the chamber board, city and county commissions consider final approval.
A one vehicle accident late Monday night claimed the life of a 17-year old 2018 Chapman High School graduate.
Dickinson County Sheriff Garreth Hoffman confirmed Colin M. Henderson, 17 was the fatality victim. Henderson had just graduated from Chapman High School this past Sunday.
Authorities were called to a location near the 3200 block of Rain Road in Dickinson County just before 11:30 p.m. Monday for a one vehicle accident. Hoffman reported that Henderson was driving a vehicle that left the road, hit a culvert for a field or drive way entrance and overturned. Henderson was ejected from the vehicle. The cause of the accident is unknown.
The sheriff also confirmed that there was no indication of any alcohol or drugs at the scene of the accident.
WILSON — The Post Rock Opportunities Foundation in Wilson invites all Kansas artists to enter the fourth annual Kansas Originals Art Show. This show gives Kansas artists the opportunity to showcase their work and gives travelers from across the United States the chance to view a variety of art from throughout Kansas. This year the Foundation has added some exciting elements to the show. Entries will be accepted from artists 18 and over in one division and artists 17 and under in a separate division. Also new, 3-D art, including jewelry, glass, pottery, etc. will be in a category separate from the 2-D entries–allowing more competition and more chances to win. Juror for the show is Cori Sherman North, Curator at the Birger Sandzen Gallery in Lindsborg.
Entries will be accepted through May 24. The show will begin on Saturday, May 26, and will end at 2 pm on July 1. The pictures and pieces will be on display at Kansas Originals, Wilson. The show is exceptionally exciting because visitors from across the United States vote on the People’s Choice Award. A benefit for the artists is that they have the ability to offer their work for sale with the buyer taking possession at the end of the show.
Artists do not need to be members of the Post Rock Opportunities Foundation. Each artist may enter up to 5 pieces with an entry fee of $10 for each piece. For more information on the rules and for entry forms please contact Kansas Originals Market at (785) 658-2602 or by email at assistant@kansasoriginals.com. Entry forms are also available in Events at kansasoriginals.com.
The show is sponsored by the Post Rock Opportunities Foundation, which operates Kansas Originals Market & Gallery locations at Wilson and Topeka. Kansas Originals offers the largest selection of Kansas-made products found under one roof in the United States and represents over 200 member artists craftsmen, authors, and food producers.
The Community Conversation on the Dorothy Bramlage Public Library building project has been set for Wednesday evening at 6 p.m. in the Montgomery Rehearsal Hall at the C.L. Hoover Opera House.
Library Director Susan Moyer said the meeting is open to the public and will feature a series of short presentations on the status of the project followed by roundtable discussions. Seating for the event will be limited and made available on a first come first served basis.
Geary County Commission Chairman Charles Stimatze.
The chairman of the Geary County Commission, Charles Stimatze, will be the keynote speaker for the Memorial Day observance sponsored by the Geary County Veterans Alliance at the C.L. Hoover Opera House.
Veterans Alliance spokesperson Brenda Boyd made the announcement, noting that Sonny Ehm of Junction City will serve as the Master of Ceremonies. The Junction City Community Band will perform, there will be the placement of a wreath and a 21-gun salute during the observance.
