Author: Brandon Peoples

One person was seriously injured Friday in a crash near the intersection of Hwy 24 and Flush Road.  The Kansas Highway Patrol says a pickup was northbound on Flush Road, just after 11 a.m. and failed to yield right-of-way to a westbound SUV. The impact sent the pickup into the north ditch and the SUV sustained significant front-end damage.  The pickup driver, 65-year-old Terry Nelson, of Westmoreland, was transported to Stormont Vail Hospital in Topeka with a suspected serious injury, according to the online crash report. The report indicated he was not wearing a seat belt. The other driver, 65-year-old…

The National Bio and Agro-Defense Facility (NBAF) achieved a major milestone recently. “As of December 20, a couple weeks ago, DHS finished commissioning of the facility,” said Tim Barr, NBAF Program Manager for the Department of Homeland Security. Barr shared those comments on Thursday’s edition of KMAN’s In Focus. Barr says commissioning also came in under the $1.25 billion budget established by federal officials in 2014, despite challenges brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic. Construction slowed on the facility in 2020 and disruptions to the supply chain as well as inflation, also created delays, with officials pushing back the commissioning…

The Riley County Democratic Party on Thursday will elect a candidate to succeed State Senator Tom Hawk in the Kansas Legislature. A convention to elect Hawk’s replacement is taking place at 5:30 p.m. at the Flint Hills Discovery Center. Party Chair Katie Allen is one of at least two candidates who have expressed interest in the position. Manhattan City Commissioner Usha Reddi has also thrown her name into consideration. The person selected will fill the remaining two years of Hawk’s term. The process for nominations is open to any Democrat residing in the 22nd Senate District. The 76-year-old Hawk was re-elected…

The Manhattan-Riley County chapter of the League of Women Voters is welcoming two speakers from the Kansas State School Board Thursday. The organization says Board Chair Jim Porter and VIce Chair Janet Waugh, will speak to a gathering at Meadowlark Hills in the Prairie Star Restaurant. Waugh, who represents District 1 – encompassing Riley and Pottawatomie counties – will speak about school mascots and the state school board’s recent decision to recommend Kansas School Districts to phase out the use of Native American mascots and imagery. The program begins at 6:30 p.m. Thursday. It is free and open to the…

A Salina man was jailed Tuesday on two outstanding warrants for failure to appear in Riley County District Court. The Riley County Police Department says 47-year-old Jason Meyer Smith remains jailed on an $80,000 bond. The first warrant stems from Smith missing court Aug. 5 for an original charge of possession with intent to distribute after meth was found in a car he was in during a June 27 traffic stop near 11th and El Paso Lane in Manhattan. The second warrant is for failing to appear Sept. 6 for original charges of possession with intent to distribute meth, marijuana,…

Updated 1/6/23 8:45am Further investigation into Joseph Varvel, 25, of Manhattan, and Zane Thomas, 27, of Junction City, has led to our discovery of a separate incident on January 1, 2023, involving the same victim as the January 2, 2023, kidnapping on Gatlinburg Way in Manhattan. Varvel and Thomas were reported to have held the 26-year-old male victim at gunpoint, and beat and strangled him while driving him around in a car against his will throughout the Manhattan area. Both are charged with one additional count each of aggravated robbery and aggravated kidnapping, with Varvel also receiving one count of…

Geary County authorities are investigating an apparent accidental shooting involving a pre-teen Friday evening, at a rural residence on Humboldt Creek Road. Deputies from the Geary County Sheriff’s Office responded just before 9 p.m. Friday and discovered the boy with a gunshot wound. During the investigation it was revealed the victim received his wound as an older sibling was attempting to clear a firearm. The firearm was discharged and the victim was struck in the shoulder. The victim was then transported by ambulance to Ascension Via Christi for treatment of apparent non-life threatening injuries. The Sheriff’s Office says the shooting…

An investigation is underway following a shooting that occurred early Friday morning in Ogden. According to the Riley County Police Department, the incident appeared to be isolated, with no threat to the public. The shooting occurred just before 1 a.m. Friday in the 600 block of South Walnut Street. No injuries were reported. As of late Friday afternoon, RCPD noted it was searching for three suspects, seen in the above surveillance photos and their car. A video is also shared (see below), showing the suspect vehicle arriving and leaving the scene of the incident, heading south on Walnut, then east…

U.S. Senator Jerry Moran will co-chair the Senate Army Caucus, replacing retiring U.S. Senator Jim Inhofe of Oklahoma. Moran in a statement Thursday said he is honored to be selected, noting Kansas’ proud history of military service and home to Fort Riley, Fort Leavenworth and the Army National Guard and Reserve. Moran is also the senior member of the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Defense. The bipartisan Senate Army Caucus includes more than 30 Senators and is one of the largest and most active caucuses in the Senate. It’s goal is to advocate on behalf of the U.S. Army in the…

A damage is estimate is pending after a sprinkler failure Friday night at Rock Creek Middle and High School. Responding firefighters from Westmoreland Fire and Pottawatomie County Fire were called out to the building sometime around or before 6:30 p.m. Friday and found no fire. According to USD 323 Superintendent Joan Simoneau, a sprinkler system was found to have gone off. The water caused steam and set off the alarms and sent large amounts of water into the middle school commons, middle school offices, the band room and high school gymnasium. Pottawatomie County Fire Chief Jared Barnes says the activated…