Kansas State University held a reception for retiring Provost Chuck Taber on Monday. Taber was hired as Provost and Executive Vice President in July 2018. Over his tenure, Taber played a key role guiding K-State through the COVID-19 pandemic. He has been a professor in the Political Science academic field for 40 years. Taber says he has plans for his upcoming retirement. Program Services Coordinator for the library Tara Coleman says he will be missed. Assistant Director in the Office of Recruitment and Admissions Holly Gerke says what he brought to her department is important. Taber related how he came…
Author: Bernie Fancella
Manhattan’s Airport Advisory Board heard some good news at Monday’s meeting. Envoy General Manager Brennan Walter says that the airport expected a few months of recovery time after the summer closure. However, recovery has been more immediate than expected. The airport reopened commercial air service in September after a four month closure for runway reconstruction. Manhattan Regional Airport offers daily flights to Chicago and Dallas, via Envoy Air, a subsidiary of American Airlines.
USD 383 has had a concurrent agreement in place with Manhattan Area Technical College for dual credit classes, but renegotiation of the agreement has proven difficult. At Wednesday’s school board meeting, the board was presented an agreement with Kansas State University to offer two courses previously offered through MATC. Superintendent Eric Reid says it’s the first step toward some sort of resolution for students. The board unanimously supported the agreement 5-0. Board members Brandy Santos and Christine Weixelman were absent from Wednesday’s meeting. The agreement to teach College Algebra and Introduction to Statistics will begin in the spring and is…
Prosecutors presented several witnesses Tuesday as the first full day of testimony was heard in a Pottawatomie County trial for a man accused of distributing fentanyl that led another man to overdose. 21-year-old McKaine Farr is charged with a single count of distribution of a controlled substance, resulting in death, for knowingly distributing counterfeit tablets, laced with fentanyl to 21-year-old Jayson Ebert, of Wamego. Ebert died in September 2021. Pottawatomie County Attorney Sherri Schuck called three law enforcement officers Tuesday. Among them was Wamego Police Chief Paul Schliffke, who confirmed the initial investigation on site as well as the initial…
Deputy Riley County Counselor Shelly Woodard presented a resolution Monday for Riley County to seek property by means of eminent domain for a non-discharging wastewater lagoon project in the Keats Sewer District. Deadlines for USDA funding are approaching, and Woodard says tests on the site are needed. The court will determine if the county has authority to use eminent domain, which it does, according to Woodard. It will also determine the public need for the project and schedule time to meet with appraisers at some point. Construction costs for the project are estimated at around $4 million. A motion was…
Manhattan Emergency Shelter is celebrating the holidays with a long-running program to serve their residents Volunteer and Donations Coordinator Adrina Beltran visited with the Greater Manhattan Community Foundation on Monday and explains their annual Adopt an Ornament program. The staff then takes the lists made by the shelter residents, wraps the presents, and distribute them on Christmas morning. Beltran says this event is important to her, given her own personal history with the shelter. The tree is located west of the Hilton Garden Inn at 416 S 4th Street. Anyone interested in sponsoring an ornament can visit the shelter between…
Riley County Deputy Attorney Bethany Fields recently received the 2022-23 Prosecutor of the Year, presented by the Kansas County and District Attorney’s Association. Fields was recognized Monday by the Riley County Commission. Riley County Attorney Barry Wilkerson spoke about some of her accomplishments. Wilkerson says Fields was recognized for her other duties as well. The award was given at the association’s fall conference on October 19. Fields has been with the Riley County Attorney’s Office since 2005. Riley County Commissioners finalized a resolution Monday finding the Keats Sewer Project is still feasible, on a 2-1 vote. The vote follows the board’s…
The Flint Hills Breadbasket distributed Thanksgiving dinner baskets on Saturday morning. Community Connections Manager Jennie Jordan explains that the process had a bit of a change from last year. Some 400 baskets were distributed on Saturday. The annual event is aided by a number of volunteer groups, including the Knights of Columbus. Kansas State University students, including Kinley Windholz, offered support to the effort. The Breadbasket is partnering with Common Table to host a free community Thanksgiving meal Thursday from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the First Presbyterian Church, 801 Leavenworth Street.
The 14th annual Kevin Coffey Memorial Blood Drive wrapped up Friday at St. Thomas More Church. Kevin was a 2009 Manhattan High graduate who died in a bus accident in 2010. His parents, Ray and Maxine Coffey, have hosted this drive in Manhattan annually in November since his untimely passing. Red Cross Kansas District spokesperson Kristi Ingalls says this year’s drive collected 94 pints of blood Thursday and 65 pints on Friday, for a total of 159 pints during the two-day drive. Ingalls says the timing of this drive is beneficial since winter months tend to put a strain on…
At a joint meeting Thursday night between City of Manhattan and Pottawatomie County officials, Stantec Consulting Group presented its plans to formulate the East Manhattan Gateway Plan. The meeting served as an unofficial kickoff to the study that will mostly look at future land use in the growing Green Valley area. Specifically discussed was the Highway 24 corridor and the McCall Triangle, both located in Pottawatomie County. Stantec Senior Urban Planner Jay Demma says that the plan should take approximately a year and a half to formulate. He explains what the plan aims to produce. Manhattan City Commissioner Wynn Butler…