Author: KMAN Staff

The Manhattan City Commission on Tuesday committed to some big dollar improvements on both the north and south sides of the city. First, in a 4 to 1 vote, the commission approved a $4.3 million construction contract for a new Douglass Recreation Center. It includes a $400,000 contingency, which came in under expectations. The center will be another piece in a complex of recreation buildings, featuring a 3-lane elevated track and programmable to accommodate an 84-foot basketball court, two NCAA volleyball courts and two pickleball courts alongside community and fitness rooms. Mayor Mike Dodson says the walking and biking activity…

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LAWRENCE, Kan. — A Douglas County judge is being asked to consider whether a woman convicted of killing a Lawrence man should receive a reduced sentence. An attorney for 25-year-old Sarah Gonzales-McLinn, of Topeka, is arguing that she was not properly advised of a plea deal that could have reduced her sentenced by half. Gonzales-McLinn is serving a “Hard 50” sentence for killing 52-year-old Harold Sasko in January 2014. Prosecutors say Gonzales-McLinn drugged and nearly beheaded Sasko, who was her supervisor at a pizza parlor. Two days of hearings on the motion began Monday in Douglas County Court.

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KANSAS CITY, Kan. — A criminal affidavit that led to charges against two Wyandotte County Sheriff’s Office employees alleges a sergeant at the county jail beat up a handcuffed inmate whose arm was being held by a deputy. Sgt. David Toland and Deputy Marcus Johnson were charged last month, but details of the September jail incident were not made public until The Kansas City Star obtained the affidavit. Toland is accused of punching the prisoner in the face and slamming the inmate’s head against an elevator door.

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LAWRENCE, Kan. — The University of Kansas plans to close its Confucius Institute in January. An email sent Monday to faculty and staff from interim Provost Carl Lejuez said the institute will close in part because of a 2018 law that restricts Department of Defense funds to universities that host Confucius Institutes. The institutes offer Chinese language, cultural enrichment and cultural events. In 2018, former FBI Director Christopher Wray and some U.S. lawmakers said the institutes are propaganda tools of China’s Communist Party. At one point, the Chinese government sponsored more than 100 institutes in the U.S. but several colleges…

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WICHITA, Kan. — A 21-year-old Kansas man has admitted to offering marijuana and money to young girls in exchange for child pornography. Austin Ballew, of Cherryvale, pleaded guilty Tuesday to five counts of sexually exploiting a child and three counts of sex trafficking of a minor. In exchange for his plea, seven other charges were dismissed. Federal prosecutors say Ballew used Facebook to offer teenage girls in southeast and south-central Kansas marijuana and money to send him sexually explicit videos of themselves. He then threatened to make the videos public if the girls stopped cooperating. He will be sentenced March…

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USD 383 Manhattan/Ogden Assistant Superintendent Eric Reid and board member Darell Edie joined us for a preview of Wednesday’s final school board meeting of 2019 which includes a legislative meeting with area lawmakers. We also chatted with Chris Boxberger, director of Manhattan Area Technical College’s Adult Education Center on some new testing being offered as well as its Title III funding source for infrastructure.

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The following summary of calls for service/reports filed by the Riley County Police Department is a portion of those received by police.  Some names, addresses, and case details are withheld to follow local, state, and federal law as well as in an attempt to protect community members from being victimized further.  Those arrested are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. MANHATTAN, KAN. – Officers filed a report for aggravated assault in the 1800 block of Cassell Road in Manhattan on December 17, 2019 at approximately 9:00 PM. Officers listed a 29-year-old male and a 34-year-old male as…

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According to a K-State Today article, two K-State researchers in the College of Veterinary Medicine and a K-State Research and Extension horticulture agent have received recognition for their roles in helping to save the lives of three people in Wichita. A teenager and Wichita police officers Terry Nelson and Drew Rhoades became ill after all three were exposed pond water in Wichita The two officers swam into a pond to and performed CPR after the teenager swam into the pond to escape police pursuit and began to drown. The Wichita Police Department was connected to K-State researchers Steve Ensley and…

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Completion of road work meant to repair a sinkhole near the intersection of Hayes Dr. and Bluemont Ave. has been pushed back to mid-January. City officials originally hoped for work to be completed by the end of the year, but high water levels in the ground have continued to cause delays. Ron Fehr, the Manhattan city manager, says decreasing water levels at Tuttle Creek Reservoir will hopefully help with this issue. Fehr explains some of the work that is currently being done on Hayes Dr.. The sinkhole was formed over the summer after heavy rainfall and flooding caused a sewer…

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