Author: Brandon Peoples

KMAN News Director and host of In Focus. Contact Brandon at Brandon@1350KMAN.com

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…

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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…

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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…

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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…

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U.S. Senator Jerry Moran has announced that more than $15 million has been secured for construction of new barracks at Fort Riley. Moran, who is a member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, says the investment was included in the Fiscal Year 2023 Appropriations Package. In a statement, Moran noted that by building new barracks, the base will have greater capacity for additional soldiers to be housed at Fort Riley and says it puts the base in a more competitive position to compete for future opportunities. Moran hosted Chief of Staff of the Army General James McConville at Fort Riley in…

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Authorities say one person was killed in a wreck on Interstate 70 Wednesday evening in Geary County, caused by slick roads. The Kansas Highway Patrol says a Toyota Tacoma, driven by 33-year-old Zachary Bealer, of Kansas City, Missouri, lost control in the westbound lanes of I-70 near McDowell Creek Road, just after 7 p.m. Wednesday. As a result, Bealer’s truck spun across the median and was rear-ended by a Chevy Silverado. A third truck, then struck both of the other vehicles. After the impact, Bealer’s vehicle came to rest about 80 feet down the embankment. Bealer was pronounced dead on…

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Two fires were noted overnight in Manhattan. The Manhattan Fire Department says firefighters were dispatched just before 4:30 a.m. to Stickels Cleaners, at 714 North 12th Street. Arriving crews found a small fire in a shed behind the business with an occupant working to extinguish it. Firefighters contained the fire within 10 minutes. No injuries were reported. The building is an approximately 400-square foot accessory structure to the main building, used for dry cleaning operations. Loss is estimated at $10,000 for the building and equipment. The cause was accidental due to thawing operations being conducted. The fire department also says…

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Authorities in Geary County rescued a hunter who became stranded in the icy waters of Milford Lake Thursday morning as he attempted to gather his geese decoys. The Geary County Sheriff’s Office says just after 9:40 a.m. officers were called out to the area of Auld Road for reports of a man stranded on the water in a disabled jon boat. Officials say Justin Howe, of Fort Riley, called dispatch when the motor on his boat suddenly died. The boat drifted further from where Howe had been hunting and he became stranded against the ice before the boat became frozen…

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State Sen. Tom Hawk, of Manhattan, has announced he is retiring from public office, effective Jan. 10. Hawk, who’s 22nd district encompasses Riley, Geary and Clay counties, including Manhattan and part of Junction City, says it’s something he’d been considering for a while, and became clear to him upon involvement with the Next Generation Under 30 program. “It felt like it was a good time and a time to let somebody else have a chance at leadership and serving our district. It has been the second greatest honor of my life – the greatest being when I was selected to be…

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A Manhattan man was sentenced Tuesday for an aggravated battery conviction involving an infant child under his care. 20-year-old Gerald Hartman III was given a 36-month probation sentence at a Tuesday hearing in front of Judge Grant Bannister, with an underlying prison sentence of 32 months, if he violates terms of his probation. The sentencing follows a February conviction by a Riley County jury, which found Hartman guilty on a charge of aggravated battery against a then 5-month old child in July 2021. The jury was unable to render a verdict on a second count, charging him with child abuse.…

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