Author: Brandon Peoples

Riley County officials painted a grim picture of rising employee benefit costs following a new long-term analysis presented to county commissioners Thursday. The county’s human resources and budget and finance departments recently completed a seven-year review of benefit expenses, which concluded that the county’s long-standing estimate is no longer sufficient. Since 2020, Riley County budgeted benefits at approximately 39.5% of employee salaries. Budget and finance officer Brittany Phillips told commissioners that because of rising health insurance costs, the county needs to increase that figure to about 42%. To view the full article visit theMercury.com.

A familiar voice has filed for a seat on the Riley County Commission. Democrat Rob Voelker announced Monday his intent to seek the District 1 seat currently held by Republican John Ford. The 46-year-old former broadcaster says running for public office is a new challenge he wanted to take on. “I am deeply invested in this community,” he said. “I understand the issues we face. I’m running because I bring fresh ideas and a deep commitment to serve all residents of our county. I’m a collaborator who can bring people together — we may not always agree, but I know…

3:10 p.m. update The water line repair has been completed. The impacted area remains under a boil water advisory until further notice. Original story 12 p.m. Tuesday Riley County residents living near Hunters Island and Moehlman Bottoms are temporarily without water, because of a water main break Tuesday morning. The break is affecting about 200 people living in the area, while crews complete emergency repairs, county officials said. This includes areas around South Manhattan Ave, Collins Lane, Henton Road, Moehlman Road and areas further to the south. Water service is expected to be restored by the end of the day…

Less than five weeks remain until the return of Fake Patty’s Day, the unofficial drinking holiday celebration for Kansas State University students in Manhattan. Riley County Police Department Captain Scott Hajek told Riley County commissioners Monday that he is “deeply involved” with planning for the day, which is scheduled for March 7. “The patrol division and the entire department as a whole works really well with other entities in the city — Manhattan Fire Department, and (Riley County) EMS to have a response that is both fair to the people participating and fair to the people who aren’t participating in…

Segment 1 – Manhattan boys’ basketball coach Benji George because all-time leader in win at Dodge City Segment 2 – Rock Creek sweeps tournament titles at 12th annual Thunder Classic / Wamego at SIT Segment 3 – Wabaunsee Girls win Flint Hills Shootout / Riley Co. at Trojan Classic Segment 4 – Twin Valley League Tournament results

The Kansas Supreme Court heard oral arguments this week in a long-running dispute over an amended planned unit development application by the Riley County Commission, which Prairiewood Holdings LLC has appealed. The dispute centers on whether a protest petition from neighboring landowners has met the legal threshold under state law. The county board initially ruled the protest petition did not apply because the project was only a PUD and not a rezoning. The Court of Appeals disagreed, holding that because the amendment increased building square footage by more than 1% county regulations required the same process as a rezoning, including…

Riley County commissioners on Thursday approved several requests from public works, including a recommendation to conduct a space needs assessment for the health department. Commissioners unanimously voted to hire ArchImages to do the study. “They’ve done the EMS station, they’re working on emergency management/fire and they’re familiar with the buildings around here,” public works director John Ellermann said. To view the full article visit theMercury.com. Click here for more Riley County news.

Thursday on The Game, Mitch spoke with K-State track coach Travis Geopfert. Does a Q&A with the listeners for K-State basketball tickets. Plus, has PJ Haggerty improved in draft stock? https://www.youtube.com/live/UO9sP1XdPpY?si=syqg4nEGOnU0NnFg <iframe frameborder=”0″ height=”200″ scrolling=”no” src=”https://playlist.megaphone.fm?e=NCACA5058644543″ width=”100%”></iframe> Segment 1: Has PJ Haggerty’s draft stock improved Segment 2: Interview with Travis Geopfert Segment 3: Q&A with the listeners

A former Manhattan city commissioner and school board member has announced he’s seeking a seat in the Kansas Legislature. Aaron Estabrook has announced his candidacy for the Kansas House of Representatives in District 66, a seat held by Democrat Sydney Carlin since 2003. Estabrook will run as a member of the United Kansas party, an officially recognized political party in Kansas since 2024. In a statement released to commemorate Kansas Day Thursday, Estabrook noted his campaign is centered on “building a broad, people-first coalition in a district where unaffiliated voters make up the largest share of the electorate.” His path…

Riley County commissioners approved a plan to keep the county’s waste transfer station open as it undergoes construction to install a new tipping floor and chute later this year. Assistant county engineer Evan McMillan presented two potential plans to commissioners Thursday. The board ultimately selected a proposal to construct a temporary chute and dumping area beside the existing transfer building for commercial haulers and unloading vehicles. Residential customers and those manually removing trash will be redirected to the compost pad to unload into one of the provided roll-off containers. Brush, leaves and grass will be temporarily relocated to avoid traffic…