Author: Brandon Peoples

An Ogden woman is jailed after she reportedly shot her husband in the head Friday night. Riley County Police say 76-year-old Bernice Farmer was arrested on suspicion of attempted second-degree murder. Police received a call shortly after 9 p.m. Friday with Farmer stating she had shot her husband. The 75-year-old victim was found suffering from a gunshot wound to the head. He was transported to Via Christi in critical condition and later life-flighted to Stormont Vail in Topeka. Farmer remains jailed on a $100,000 total bond. Police are continuing to investigate. More information will be released as it becomes available.

In the race for the Kansas District 67 House seat, Republican incumbent Mike Dodson is challenged by Democrat Kim Zito, both of Manhattan. The two were interviewed on News Radio KMAN on Oct. 19 regarding their positions on some of the key issues. Here are their responses. 1. What issue specifically facing the Manhattan area do you see needing attention in the upcoming legislative session? 2. In terms of education and policy, what are some of the challenges still facing our K-12 schools today, How do you go about addressing that? 3. Higher education continues to see declines in new…

Spots remain available for next week’s Rural Child Success Road Trip, being put on by the Riley County Extension Community Vitality Program Development Committee and the Riley County Rural Economic Development Advisory Board. The event is being held Wednesday at 6 p.m. in the Riley County Public Works meeting room (6215 Tuttle Creek Blvd). It will feature information on childcare challenges facing the workforce, especially both locally and regionally. It will include a listening session for both current and former childcare providers. Parents of young children in need of care from Riley County are urged to attend. Those who come…

Junction City Commissioners have reached an agreement to proceed on acquiring the former Junction City High School property. The city has been in negotiations with USD 475 to acquire the property for $1. Over the past month, the two sides have been hashing out a compromise, as the district sought removal of all building permit fees for all future projects. City Manager Allen Dinkel maintained Tuesday that he does not want to see that continue in perpetuity, but says an exception could be made on the next district project, a proposed early childhood development center. The district is considering placing…

The cost for providing court-appointed attorneys in Pottawatomie County may soon go up. At Monday’s meeting it was noted that the three attorneys making up the county’s indigent dependent panel are seeking a new contract for services. They’re seeking compensation of $7,000 per month each, up from the $5,000 per month they’ve been under contract for since 2017. County Counselor John Watt says there are concerns if a contract could not be agreed upon. By law, the county is required to provide counsel to those unable to afford representation. Commissioners weren’t prepared to meet with the panel just yet, instead…

The search for the next director of the Riley County Police Department is winding down. At Monday’s Law Board meeting in Leonardville, three finalists were announced, from a pool of 15 candidates. Those finalists include RCPD Administrative Captain Josh Kyle, Edwardsville, Kansas Police Chief Mark Mathies and Montpelier, Vermont Police Chief Brian Peete. Law Board Chair Linda Morse says the board will host all three gentlemen at a forum next week.  “The forum will be held Thursday, Oct. 27 from 6 to 9 p.m. at the Manhattan Fire Department Headquarters (2000 Denison Ave.). The forum will start with finalists’ presentations,…

Tuesday is the last day to register or update voter registration ahead of the Nov. 8 general election. Registration books close at 5 p.m. Advance voting by mail and in person then begins Wednesday, with the final day to apply for an advance mail ballot on Nov. 1. At the local level, Riley County commissioner John Ford and Pottawatomie County commissioner Dee McKee are both unopposed in re-election bids for their District 1 seats. Pottawatomie County voters have two ballot questions in front of them, including whether to levy a quarter percent sales tax for a variety of infrastructure projects,…

A status hearing was held Tuesday for Robert Iacobellis, the former Manhattan restaurant owner charged with more than two dozen counts of sexual abuse involving four individuals. Judge Kendra Lewison, who is presiding over the case, announced that Salina attorney Julie Effenbeck has been appointed by as Iacobellis’ new attorney. The decision comes amid Iacobellis’ inability to hire his own counsel following his dismissal of former court-appointed attorneys Lora Ingels and Brenda Jordan, who had initially secured an Alford plea agreement with prosecutors earlier this year. Iacobellis withdrew that plea in early August. Effenbeck has not yet met with her…

A 17-year-old is in custody for his role in a summer incident where shots were fired outside Manhattan’s Holiday Inn at the Campus. RCPD says Marc Anthony Oliver was arrested Friday at Manhattan High School on a warrant for criminal use of a firearm and marijuana possession. Oliver reportedly discarded a bag of marijuana and a handgun inside while running away from a traffic stop in the early morning hours of July 31 in the 3100 block of Lundin Road. Officers were responding that morning after a report of possible shots fired in the hotel’s parking lot. Oliver is being…

Riley County Police say a Manhattan man, who is a registered sex offender, was arrested recently on a number of charges, including violating terms of his offender registration. According to Monday’s RCPD activity report, 41-year-old Cedric Wilson was arrested Friday for the aforementioned charge as well as aggravated burglary, possession of an opiate and lewd and lascivious behavior. The lewd and lascivious charge stems from an Oct. 2 incident where Wilson is accused of inappropriately touching and exposing himself inside a Manhattan restaurant. The aggravated burglary charge stems from an Oct. 6 incident where Wilson reportedly entered a 29-year-old woman’s…