Author: Brandon Peoples

A Manhattan businesswoman is seeking one of three seats on the city commission, citing a desire to serve the underserved. Amber Starling has been an active and vocal participant in city meetings for the past year. “I walk the walk,” she said. “I’m a living-wage employer who built my business from scratch, and I’ve contributed over a million dollars in payroll and benefits to this community. I volunteered, advocated and donated wisely for the entire eight years I’ve been in business.” Starling is the founder and owner of Good Witch Cleaning Services, which she started in 2017, at the age…

A Junction City man is behind bars after police allege he attempted to break into multiple vehicles. The Junction City Police Department arrested 21-year-old Clayton Mayfield on Thursday after reports of a suspicious person wearing all black was attempting to burglarize vehicles on Michaels Way on the west edge of town. During their investigation, officers recovered and returned stolen property to four victims, including a child, whose bicycle was being used by the suspect at the time of his arrest. Mayfield is charged with three counts of vehicle burglary, one count of obstruction and one count of criminal damage to…

A local real estate agent has announced his candidacy for the Manhattan City Commission. Scott Seel, who ran unsuccessfully for the Riley County Commission in 2012, said public service has remained on his mind for several years. “I have always been the person who, I don’t feel that it has to be me,” he said. “So whenever there were three candidates that I felt were well suited for the position, and then I felt comfortable voting for myself, I didn’t need to throw my name in the hat just to do it.” To view the full article visit theMercury.com. Click…

Manhattan city officials are pumping the brakes on a $13.3 million cemetery improvement project, signaling a desire to scale back spending. During a work session Tuesday, commissioners expressed concerns about the overall cost, particularly for a new Sunrise Cemetery shop and office, estimated at $4.5 million. “We just don’t have the dollars,” said Mayor Karen McCulloh, who suggested the city “tread water” until the city has a better idea of its 2026 budget. To view the full article visit theMercury.com. Click here for more local news.

Andrew Von Lintel filed with the Riley County Clerk’s office on Monday. The 42-year-old said he has concerns with the city’s rising debt and a growing annual budget. “It seems like in recent years we’ve been increasing both a lot,” he said. “I noticed that the state of Kansas has a debt limit on Manhattan, and we’ve used 80% of that credit limit. I don’t really see a reason why we should be doing that.” Von Lintel grew up in Elkhart and graduated from Kansas State University in 2005 with a political science degree. He said he only recently became…

Housing projects, street maintenance and cemetery improvements will be discussed at Tuesday’s city commission work session. In April, the city opened the first round of workforce housing sales tax funding applications and have since received two applications for potential housing projects, both along Moro Street. The first is from local developers Zach and Michelle Burton, who are seeking a $215,000 grant and a sales tax exemption for a proposed 15-unit townhome project at 1000 and 1004 Moro Street. To view the full article visit theMercury.com. Click here for more local news.

City officials this week rejected the nomination of a former mayor and city commissioner to serve on the Manhattan Urban Area Planning Board. Commissioner Peter Oppelt moved Tuesday to pull Linda Morse’s appointment, citing the need to encourage others in the community to serve. “How can we do that if we continue to appoint the same people to these boards,” he asked. To view the full article visit theMercury.com. Click here for more local news.

Three people, including a Manhattan teenager were injured Wednesday in a crash on US 77 in Geary County. The Kansas Highway Patrol says 16-year-old Salman Shinwari was northbound on the highway, just after 2 p.m. near the intersection of West Lyons Creek Road, when his vehicle crossed the center line and struck a southbound passenger car, driven by 62-year-old Donna Mitchell, of Herington. Both drivers and a passenger in Mitchell’s vehicle, 66-year-old Linda Kay Schreiner, also of Herington, were transported to a Junction City hospital with serious injuries. Authorities say all three were properly restrained at the time of the…

City commissioners have advanced an ordinance to rezone K-State’s Unger Complex from a business commercial district to high-density residential, following a contentious meeting Tuesday evening with neighboring residents. The decision paves the way for the building to be converted into apartments for middle- to moderate-income people. K-State intends to sell the property at 2323 Anderson Ave. and is in negotiations with Fred Merrill Jr. and Jake Mooney, co-applicants with Unger Housing, LLC. The applicants are planning to repurpose the building into workforce housing, with 106 planned units. To view the full article visit theMercury.com. Click here for more local news.

A critical project to preserve water supply and remove sediment at Tuttle Creek Lake will begin this summer. U.S. Army Corps of Engineers officials are preparing for a first-of-its-kind water injection dredging project. Operations Project Manager Brian McNulty said the technology has been around for while but has never been used at an inland lake. “It uses gravity to transport the sediment out of the lake through the outlet works,” he said. “Tuttle Creek is a prime candidate for that, since our gates are the lowest point of the lake.” To view the full article visit theMercury.com. Click here for…