Author: Brandon Peoples

Riley County Commissioner Greg McKinley has filed for re-election to his District 2 seat. McKinley campaigned on bringing a new EMS station to the north county four years ago. That project was completed last fall. The county is now working on a project for a new EMS headquarters in Manhattan that is currently under design. McKinley is the first to file for a seat on the county commission. Riley County has two seats on the ballot this year. The other is in District 3 where incumbent Kathryn Focke has yet to file for a second term. In addition to McKinley,…

A 14-year-old boy was arrested Monday evening following a disturbance in the 2400 block of Buttonwood Drive. The Riley County Police Department says the boy has been charged with two counts of aggravated battery, including one count against a law enforcement officer, and felony criminal destruction of property. Victims included the 42-year-old male officer and a second unnamed 39-year-old male. The minor remained confined Tuesday at a juvenile detention facility.

A Junction City man is jailed in Riley County on several drug-related offenses. The Riley County Police Department says 30-year-old Joseph Keehn was arrested in the 1400 block of Beechwood Terrace Monday afternoon on six probable cause offenses including five counts involving possession or distribution and a criminal weapons charge. Bond is set at $25,000. Online records show Keehn also has past convictions for aggravated assault and theft dating back to 2018.

Construction in Aggieville has been on pause for close to a year but should resume soon. Aggieville Business Association Director Dennis Cook tells KMAN that the Midtown project is expected to resume construction this summer, but says adjacent work to the nearby alley should get underway in April. “What they’re getting ready to do is, in the alley between 11th and 12th, between Moro and Laramie, they’re going to start working on that alley and will begin burying all the powerlines. Eventually that’s going to happen in all four of the big alleys in Aggieville,” he said. Cook says additional…

A California man accused in two separate shooting incidents near Aggieville will see his cases proceed to a bench trial later this year. Travell Hairston, 32, is charged in Riley County District Court with attempted first-degree murder, stemming from a February 2020 incident in the 1100 block of Laramie. He’s additionally charged with four counts of aggravated assault stemming from a September 2019 house party shooting in the 1300 block of Fremont Street. The two cases were previously consolidated and Hairston was scheduled to go to trial last summer, but instead entered into a plea agreement which was later withdrawn.…

A Shawnee County District Judge sided with Kansas Attorney General Kris Kobach in a lawsuit challenging whether transgender Kansans can change gender makers on state issued driver’s licenses. Judge Teresa Watson issued a ruling Monday granting Kobach’s request for a temporary injunction against Gov. Laura Kelly’s administration. The court held that Kansas licenses are required to list the sex at birth and only the sex at birth. In a statement, Kobach said the “decision is a victory for the rule of law and common sense.” In an email to KMAN Monday, Gov. Kelly spokesperson Grace Hoge said, “we are reviewing…

Data released last week showed an uptick in arrests and citations issued during Fake Patty’s Day activities earlier this month. The Riley County Police Department says it took 533 calls for service between the evening of March 1 and the early morning of March 3, by far the most calls for service since before the COVID-19 pandemic. Director Brian Peete joined KMAN’s Morning News Monday, expressing frustration at the event, which he says is becoming more destructive. “It’s becoming more violent, like at night when we were out there at the substation we almost had a full-blown riot out there. There…

Advance voting is underway ahead of next Tuesday’s presidential preference primary. Riley County Clerk Rich Vargo said Monday that advance voting will continue through noon on March 18. “So far it’s been slow in advance voting. We’ve had 400 as of last Friday, which is a very slow pace for advance voting,” he said. Following Super Tuesday, President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump solidified their cases as  the front-runners for this year’s presidential election. Other names appearing on the state’s presidential preference primary ballot include Jason Palmer, Dean Phillips and Marianne Williamson on the Democratic side and Ryan…

Sen. Jerry Moran is applauding Congress’ latest spending bill which also secures over $116 million for improvements at Fort Riley. The legislation heads to President Biden’s desk to be signed into law. In a statement, Moran noted that “investing in Fort Riley makes certain our troops are mission-ready and helps attract other men and women to pursue careers in the military. These investments to Kansas will attract new opportunities to Fort Riley and help our military communities continue to thrive.” New Investments: $105 million for the construction of the Aircraft Maintenance Hangar at Fort Riley $8.7 million for the construction…

More people were arrested during Fake Patty’s Day celebrations in Manhattan last weekend than in any year prior, according to the Riley County Police Department, which released its annual analysis Friday in a four-page report. Data shows arrests were up almost 51% compared to the five year average of roughly 38%. Compared to 2023, police say there was an 84% increase in the number of people arrested this year, with 57 total this year compared to 28 last year. Police arrested 24 individuals for interference and obstruction, compared with just one arrest each in 2023, 2022, 2019 and 2017 and…