The Economic Development Director in Junction City wants EDC meetings closed to the public.

Greg Miller told a joint City – County Commission meeting Monday that this community has to be smart. He is competing against 20,000 other municipalities.

Miller explained never in his 17 years in that business has he had “certain people” in his committee meetings, and he noted Junction City and Geary County are in a competitive environment.

Miller said officials have to make sure nobody knows what they are doing, they can’t let anything get out. He added not to hide anything, but be more effective in what they do.

Right now the EDC falls under the Kansas Open Meetings and Open Records law requirements.

Junction City Mayor Mick McCallister said there are some people that from an EDC point believe there are negotiations, trade secrets and processes occurring that should not be out in the public, “until the deal is made and then it goes to the City and it goes to the County. That’s how business is done. It’s all done behind closed doors.”

McCallister said the reason there are people against it stems from what occurred several years ago. “There were a lot of deals made that nobody was privy to and when they came out they weren’t such a good deal and we’re paying the price now.” McCallister added, “But those days are gone. There’s enough eyes, there’s enough oversight and there’s enough people looking over people’s shoulders, that’s not going to happen. That will never happen again, what I’m told, because of the checks and balances that we have in those board rooms.”

No final action has been taken at this point.

A storm system will bring widespread rain to the area late Wednesday night and Thanksgiving Day. A cold front will move through north central and northeast Kansas on Thanksgiving Day. The cold air will transition the rain to a mix of freezing rain and sleet in the afternoon across north central Kansas.

Rain is expected to transition to freezing rain during the evening and overnight hours Thursday night across the rest of the area. Ice accumulations of less than a quarter inch are expected. Hazardous travel conditions are likely Thursday night into Friday morning.

Today: Mostly sunny. Highs in the lower 60s. South winds 10 to 20 mph with gusts to around 30 mph.

Tonight: Mostly cloudy. Chance of drizzle after midnight. Lows in the mid 40s. South winds 10 to 15 mph with gusts to around 30 mph. Chance of precipitation 20 percent.

Wednesday: Cloudy with a 30 percent chance of rain. Highs around 60. South winds 10 to 15 mph with gusts to around 25 mph.

Wednesday Night: Rain. Lows in the mid 40s. Southeast winds 5 to 10 mph shifting to the northeast 10 to 15 mph after midnight. Chance of rain 80 percent.

Thanksgiving Day: Cooler. Rain in the morning…then rain… Possibly mixed with freezing rain in the afternoon. Near steady temperature in the mid 40s. Northeast winds 10 to 15 mph with gusts to around 25 mph. Chance of precipitation 90 percent.

Thursday Night: Colder. Light freezing rain…possibly mixed with rain and sleet. Lows in the upper 20s. Chance of precipitation 80 percent.

Friday: Colder. Mostly cloudy with chance of light freezing rain…possibly mixed with rain and sleet. Highs in the lower 30s. Chance of precipitation 30 percent.

Friday Night: Mostly cloudy with slight chance of snow. Lows in the upper 20s.

Saturday: Mostly cloudy with a 30 percent chance of rain. Highs in the upper 30s.

Saturday Night: Mostly cloudy with a 30 percent chance of rain and snow. Lows in the upper 20s.

Sunday: Cloudy with a 40 percent chance of rain…possibly mixed with snow. Highs around 40.

Sunday Night: Mostly cloudy with a 30 percent chance of snow. Lows in the upper 20s.

Monday: Mostly cloudy with slight chance of rain and snow. Highs in the lower 40s.

LAWRENCE, Kan. (AP) — The superintendent of Lawrence public schools has announced his resignation.

The Lawrence Journal-World reports that Rick Doll, Lawrence’s superintendent of public schools since 2009, announced his resignation Monday.

Doll says he’s resigning to take a job as an associate professor and executive director of the Kansas Educational Leadership Institute at Kansas State University. His resignation is effective June 30, 2016, the end of the current school year.

The Lawrence school board is expected to begin the process of replacing Doll immediately.

The 2016/17 Junction City Area Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors is searching for candidates to fill open appointments to the board.

There are three at-large seats that are expiring. The appointments have typically been for three years, and the required meeting are the last Wednesday of each month at 9 a.m.

A nominating committee has been formed and are taking nominations through December 20, 2015.

The chair of the nominating committee, Mick McCallister said submit your letter of interest to Kaitlin McGuire, Junction City Area Chamber of Commerce via email to kaitlin.mcguire@jcacc.org.

There is a proposal to extend a native stone scenic byway through four counties in this region.

The Secretary for the Native Stone Scenic Byway committee Marcia Ericson, explained an existing byway would be extended through multiple counties. In the Junction City – Manhattan area it would include a westerly route on K-18 Highway through Zeandale, and then south on K-177 Highway to Interstate 70. Approximately one mile of the K-177 stretch would be in Geary County.

The Geary County Commission received an update on the proposal Monday, and the Riley County Commission is scheduled to vote on it next week.

The chair of the Geary County Commission Ben Bennett said he feels the exposure the County would get from it is probably positive. “For the small part of it that is in Geary County because it’s only a mile into Geary County, the way they’ve got it planned for right now.”

But Bennett added according to the presentation that was received Junction City and the local native limestone buildings, plus Fort Riley would be part of the presentation. “Possibly we’ll get some exposure for tourism from that area.”

On the negatives, Bennett noted that the commercial sign people are concerned about how they will be affected. Commercial signs on the route would be grandfathered unless it is destroyed, and then the signs could not be rebuilt.

People who need help selecting a health insurance plan for 2016 can talk with experts, Friday, Dec. 4, at the Morris County Hospital in Council Grove.

“There is no cost to attend the event, but people should call the Morris County Hospital at ( 620 ) 767-6811 to schedule an appointment,” said Julie Govert Walter, Executive Director of the North Central-Flint Hills Area Agency on Aging.

Trained health insurance navigators at the event will help people in comparing their insurance options at the Health Insurance Marketplace. The experts will also explain money-saving options available to many people such as advance tax credits that help pay monthly insurance premiums and cost reductions that help keep medical costs low.

The return of Junction Function as a fundraiser for the Junction City Area Chamber of Commerce this year has proven to be successful.

Officials confirm the event at the convention center on Nov. 13 raised more than $20,200. The goal had been $15,000.

The money was raised through games, plus  silent and live auctions. More than 300 people were in attendance.

The funds raised will support Chamber of Commerce operations.

The Geary County Rural Fire Department worked a fire west of Junction City north of Old Highway 40 and Britt road on Monday afternoon.

There were no injuries, but Rural Fire Chief Garry Berges confirmed 15 large hay bales were lost in the blaze. He estimated the damage at $2,000.  The identity of the property owner is not yet available.

FORT RILEY, Kan. (AP) — The opening of Fort Riley’s new hospital faces another delay.

The new hospital would replace the Irwin Army Community Hospital, the oldest Army hospital in the nation.

The Manhattan Mercury  reports that the new hospital was originally scheduled to open in 2012 and was later scheduled to open in January 2016.

The Kansas City District of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, which has been managing the project, says the most recent delay is because of disagreements between the contractor and the government.

Since the 2009 groundbreaking, the project’s contractor has faced lawsuits from subcontractors, and then filed its own subsequent claim against the Corps of Engineers. The case against the Corps of Engineers is under review by the federal government’s Armed Services Board of Contract Appeals.