Author: Brandon Peoples

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…

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.…

A significant winter weather event will move through Kansas Wednesday evening through Thursday, bringing a potential triple threat of accumulating snowfall, strong winds and arctic air intrusion. The National Weather Service says a Winter Storm Warning goes into effect at 6 p.m. this evening through Thursday. A Wind Chill Warning is also in effect from midnight Thursday through noon Friday. Snowfall accumulations are expected to be 1 to 3 inches, but the primary concern is the wind, which forecasters say could gust as high as 45 mph. That will likely lead to blowing snow and could reduce visibility to a…

Officials with the Manhattan Fire Department Risk Reduction Division were made aware of several videos on social media over the weekend showing a possible code violation at Royal Towers at 1700 North Manhattan Ave. The department says code inspectors visited the location Monday along with The Prime Company, the property management company for the complex. An inspection was performed and areas of the building were identified that need repair, but officials say no immediate danger of imminent collapse was identified. Several violations related to the condition of the exterior balconies and stairs were identified and a notice of violation is…

Winter officially arrives Wednesday and it appears Mother Nature is all but ready to celebrate the occasion. Accumulating snowfall is expected to arrive Wednesday night through Thursday across Kansas, creating potentially treacherous travel conditions ahead of the holiday weekend. The National Weather Service has already issued a Winter Storm Watch effective at midnight Thursday for the Manhattan area through midnight Friday. In addition, a wind chill watch will be in place from 6 a.m. Thursday through noon on Friday. Between 2 to 5 inches of snow can be expected with strong northwesterly winds, which forecasters say will cause potential blizzard…

A Manhattan woman was sentenced this week for her role in a February crash in southern Kansas that killed a 19-year-old man from Belle Plaine. 25-year-old Alexis Geisler pleaded guilty to one count of vehicular homicide, a Class A misdemeanor, earlier this month in Sumner County. She was subsequently sentenced Dec. 12 to one year of probation, with an underlying 12 month jail sentence and a $400 fine. According to court documents, Geisler was driving Feb. 22 from Texas back to Manhattan when she was involved in a crash, while traveling northbound on U.S. Highway 81. She was reportedly passing…

More changes are coming to administrative leadership within the Riley County Police Department. During his department briefing to the Riley County Commission Thursday, interim RCPD Director Kurt Moldrup noted that current Administrative Captain Josh Kyle is retiring from RCPD at the end of the year. Captain Kyle has been with RCPD since 1991, when he was hired as a police officer. Most recently, Kyle had been one of three finalists for the RCPD director position. A retirement reception for Kyle will take place at 11:30 a.m. on Dec. 30 at Pottorf Hall. Other RCPD staff retiring at the end of the…

The operator of a crude oil pipeline that ruptured last week in a rural part of Washington County says it has reopened all of the pipeline except for the stretch in Kansas and northern Oklahoma that includes the spill site. Canada-based T.C. Energy said in a statement Wednesday night that its Keystone system has restarted operations from Canada to southern Nebraska and from there to south-central Illinois. It also is operating the pipeline from northern Oklahoma to the Gulf Coast. The Dec. 7 spill forced the company to shut down operations and dumped about 14,000 barrels of heavy crude into…

A small fire was quickly extinguished at a Manhattan apartment complex Wednesday evening. The Manhattan Fire Department says firefighters were dispatched around 7:30 p.m. to 1832 Claflin Road. Crews found a small smoldering fire on a deck of the apartment complex, quickly gained access and extinguished it. Residents were able to exit without injury. The fire department says the fire caused an estimated $10,000 in structural damage and displaced five occupants. The fire was determined to be accidental.

A Manhattan woman has been charged in connection with causing a Sunday night crash near the intersection of Tuttle Creek Blvd. and Allen Road. According to RCPD, 30-year-old Crystal Jaimez was arrested Tuesday evening on two counts of aggravated battery: DUI, for being under the influence at the time of the crash. The Kansas Highway Patrol, which investigated the crash, stated Jaimez failed to stop at a red light, causing the crash when it struck a turning SUV at around 9:30 p.m. Sunday. The crash report indicated both drivers were unharmed. It also indicated the SUV had two juvenile passengers,…