New Community Health Educator Jennifer Ebert presented to the Riley County Commission for the first time on Thursday. Ebert is presently working through goals she set when accepting the position working for the Riley County Health Department. Some of these include communicating with every school district in the wildcat region, which also includes Geary and Pottawatomie counties, scheduling town hall meetings and researching and retrieving information about fentanyl poisoning in the region. Ebert says she is working with school districts to schedule a First Day movie in each community. The health educator position is a grant funded position through a…
Author: Bernie Fancella
Fort Riley welcomed back the 2nd Armored Brigade Combat Team with an uncasing ceremony Wednesday. Casing is the packing of military colors and uncasing is the unpacking for transportation. The 1st Combat Aviation Brigade Combat Team is deploying to Europe. Colonel Chad Corrigan, 1st Combat Aviation Brigade Commander spoke about departing. Corrigan adds they have been working hard for this mission. Colonel Bryan Harris, 1st Infantry Division 2nd Armored Brigade Combat Team Commander, spoke about the timing of their return home to Kansas. 2nd Brigade Command Sergeant Major Deandre Long appreciated the warm reception his team received. Photos from Wednesday’s…
The Riley County Police Department hosted its annual Community Night Out Tuesday at City Park. RCPD staff served up barbecue pulled pork sandwiches. RCPD Director Brian Peete explains the purpose of the community event. The evening included demonstrations from various law enforcement staff. RCPD Patrol Officer/Bomb Tech Jarrod Sheldon showed a robot. The event preceded National First Responders Day, coming up on Oct. 28.
Saturday was Fall Apple Day Festival at Fort Riley, the largest annual public event on post. The event is named Apple Day because of a featured and special apple pie. The pie in question is renowned in the area, and draws a large crowd every year. KMAN spoke with one of the 2023 Pie Queens, Tera McKinnon, who detailed the history of the apple pie. Events included a Military Police Working Dog demonstration, a close combat demonstration, several live music acts, and a number of pie eating contests. Many demonstrations were held for the public, including a number of military vehicles,…
The internet icon and legendary actor provided a lecture at K-State Wednesday at McCain Auditorium. Takei as a child was held in two different Japanese-American concentration camps in the 40s. His family, and thousands more, were taken into custody just two months after Pearl Harbor was bombed. He recently published a book detailing his experiences, and this lecture is directly taken from that book. A full house of students and community members were there to hear his story. KMAN was there to get their feedback. Takei’s message was one of unity among Americans, as well as a call for political…
Manhattan Senior Center Director Liz Nelson says fraud is a growing problem among the senior community and data from the Federal Trade Commission suggests Manhattan is a hot spot in the state of Kansas for fraud. According to the FTC, Manhattan had the largest number of fraud cases relative to population size last year, with close to 2% of residents being victimized. Nelson says while the number may not seem like much, the dollar amount bilked out of these victims in some cases may be astronomical. The Senior Center will be offering educational programs aimed at fraud prevention at least…
Elections are just around the corner and already candidates in two local races are making their rounds, attending various forums to talk about the issues. One of the upcoming forums being organized is directly targeted toward students at Kansas State University. One of the organizers is Kelm Lear, a political science and social transformation studies major, who is coordinating these forums alongside the university’s Institute for Civic Discourse and Democracy. Candidates pursuing a seat on the Manhattan-Ogden School Board will participate in an Oct. 17 forum. Those pursuing a seat on the Manhattan City Commission will take part in a…
The Manhattan City Commission approved a new plan for ADA compliance at Tuesday’s meeting. Since Summer 2022, the City has been working with consultants Kimley-Horn to conduct a Phase 1 Self-Evaluation and Transition Plan to created a roadmap to update it’s ADA Transition Plan over time. The plan has identified $11 million dollars in estimated costs. Full implementation over 25 years is estimated at $469,500 per year. Mayor Mark Hatesohl sought clarification on the plan at Tuesday’s meeting. Professional Engineer for Kimley-Horn, Erin Eurek, explains that while the initial construction was ADA compliant, maintenance can change that. Eurek’s example was,…
The Riley County Commission discussed the 2024 Riley County District Court budget during their Thursday meeting. This discussion was to decide to approve or deny the court budget. The budgeted amount of $185,080 was already listed in the county 2024 budget, which was approved previously. The Commission motioned to approve and send the budget to the Office of Judicial Administration for final approval. The motion was passed. Residential property sales in Riley County are up from July. Riley County Appraiser Anna Burson presented a staff update at Thursday’s Commission meeting. The Appraiser’s Office has started working on the residential market…
The new Leonardville EMS station is set to be open 24/7 upon its completion in a few weeks. EMS/Ambulance Director David Adams is working to get staff ready to go for the opening, which is anticipated in early October. Riley County Commissioner Kathryn Focke addresses some of the ways the county is financing the new EMS station. Focke, who joined KMAN’s In Focus on Tuesday, also explains the most important reason for the new Leonardville station. The new EMS station is expected to be up and running in October and will serve the entirety of northern Riley County. On-site staff…