Author: Brandon Peoples

Nine months ahead of a planned major reconstruction of the Manhattan Regional Airport, the cost estimate on the project has been significantly reduced from what it was just a year ago. In July 2021, airport officials were looking at a $47 million total project, with the local share estimated around $11 million. Airport officials quickly went to work, finding avenues where costs could be reduced. The first step was identifying that concrete could be poured on the rubblized base, using it as a base instead of having a filler. Engineers and staff determined that doing so would still meet FAA requirements. Airport…

One person was killed Wednesday and four others were seriously injured, following a three vehicle crash east of Wamego. It happened shortly after 5:30 p.m. near Highway 24 and Airport Road. The Kansas Highway Patrol says a pickup carrying four individuals was eastbound on the highway waiting to make a left turn. An SUV slowed from behind as it approached the turning truck, when a Midwest Concrete semi truck plowed into both vehicles from behind. The SUV came to rest on its side north of the highway, while the pickup, carrying a family of four, rolled onto its top. The…

A Manhattan man is jailed on two counts of violating his offender registration and other counts. Riley County Police say 49-year-old Frank Gibson was arrested Monday on three total counts of violating the offender registration act, including two aggravated counts. He’s also charged with perjury. Gibson reportedly failed to comply with the conditions of his offender registration. Online records indicate Gibson was convicted in Maine in 2012 of having unlawful sexual contact with a child under the age of 14. He remains jailed on a $125,000 bond.

An 18-year-old connected to a July 28 robbery and shooting at the Holiday Inn parking lot, is now jailed in Riley County, after being arrested Friday in Wichita. Malachi Fielder is charged with aggravated robbery, two counts of aggravated assault and criminal discharge of a weapon. Fielder was one of two suspects alleged to have robbed a 17-year-old male victim at gunpoint, taking his phone. Online court documents allege Fielder also fired a gun at the victim’s vehicle. A 45-year-old woman was listed as a second victim. No injuries were reported. A co-defendant, 15-year-old Terriundis Toliver, is charged with aggravated…

Pottawatomie County commissioners spent time Monday narrowing down a list of road projects to prioritize as it continues to prepare a sales tax ballot initiative this fall. Commissioners plan to ask voters to approve a quarter cent sales tax estimated to generate roughly 1 million dollars per year for road and bridge improvements. Included in that list are a number of roads in the Green Valley area. Commissioner Dee McKee urged one of the cost-effective routes be eliminated from the current list in favor of an advanced preliminary engineering study for a secondary bridge across the Big Blue River. Also…

One person is in custody following a stabbing incident that left one person dead and injured another. Junction City Police say 21-year-old Jalen Thomas is jailed on suspicion of 2nd degree murder, aggravated battery, domestic battery and aggravated assault. At around 2:30 a.m. Saturday, officers were dispatched to the 2600 block of Deerfield Blvd. in reference to a possible stabbing. Officers located a male adult victim suffering from a stab wound. He was transported to Stormont Vail Hospital for further treatment. Officers also learned that a second victim, 30-year-old Stacy Subotich, of Fort Riley had been transported to Irwin Army…

A Topeka man is jailed in Riley County on a warrant alleging sex crimes, violence and kidnapping. According to RCPD, 31-year-old Luis Martinez is charged with aggravated domestic battery, aggravated criminal sodomy and aggravated kidnapping. Online court documents allege the crimes from July 19 and July 20. Martinez was located in Pottawatomie County Thursday and transported to the Riley County Jail. Police say Martinez is alleged to have battered a 37-year-old woman and forced her to stay in a room for an extended period of time. He remains jailed on a $75,000 bond.

A Manhattan woman was injured after rolling her vehicle in the 1900 block of Hayes Drive. According to the Riley County Police Department, 30-year-old Lyndsay Jones was northbound shortly before 5 p.m. Thursday. Police say her vehicle drifted to the left, hit a curb and struck a tree, causing it to overturn in the front yard of a house. Jones was transported to Ascension Via Christi and later to Stormont Vail in Topeka for treatment of her injuries.

The Manhattan-Ogden School Board spent some time Wednesday getting some clarity as to why the district has moved away from using “Indians” in some of its branding on athletic uniforms. The issue was brought up by Board President Curt Herrman, at the request of board member Brandy Santos. She says perception from some in the community has been that it appears the district is preparing for an eventual removal of the Indian symbol altogether. Superintendent Marvin Wade acknowledged the decision to move away from the Indian symbol on uniforms was one made by he and Assistant Superintendent Eric Reid, focused…

The Riley County Police Department is searching for a suspect connected to a July 28 aggravated robbery in Manhattan. Police say they’re looking for 18-year-old Malachi Fielder, who along with 15-year-Terriundis Toliver, reportedly robbed a 17-year-old male victim at gunpoint and then shot at him and a 45-year-old female victim as the pair followed the suspects driving away from the scene. A previous police report determined the incident occurred at the Holiday Inn parking lot. Fielder is accused of taking the 17-year-old’s cell phone. Toliver was arrested in connection for aggravated robbery and aggravated assault on July 31 and is…