Author: Brandon Peoples

Two motorcyclists were injured Friday on Tuttle Creek Blvd. near the Riley turn off at Highway 24 and 77. According to the Kansas Highway Patrol, the two bikers were southbound, shortly before noon, when the trailing biker rear-ended the bike in front of him. Both bikes came to rest in the southbound lane. The trailing biker, 66-year-old Peter Ross, of Glenwood, Iowa, was transported to Ascension Via Christi Hospital in Manhattan. RCPD confirmed he was being treated for road rash. The lead biker had more serious injuries to his lower body, and was life-flighted to Stormont Vail Hospital in Topeka.…

A vehicle carrying four teenage girls from Junction City crashed Thursday during a high speed pursuit in Geary County. The Kansas Highway Patrol says a 2000 Pontiac Grand Am was westbound on Interstate 70 around 1 p.m. and attempted to exit at Milford Lake Road, west of Junction City. Because of the high rate of speed, the vehicle was unable to maneuver the right turn and crashed into the east ditch. The driver, identified as 15-year-old Kius Sampson, sustained no apparent injury, according to the Kansas Highway Patrol crash log. A 15-year-old passenger, Lillith Morrison, was transported to a Junction…

Drought conditions have improved significantly across much of Kansas, though some portions of southwest Kansas continue to see ongoing concerns. According to the U.S. Drought Monitor’s latest data, released Thursday, widespread precipitation helped portions of the state see two-category improvements. Most of Riley County went from abnormally dry in last week’s report, to having no significant signs of drought in this week’s report, except for the extreme northwestern tip of the county. Much of the eastern third of Kansas has been removed from drought and the primary concern continues to be in western and specifically southwestern Kansas, where extreme to…

A Pottawatomie County woman was killed and an infant child seriously injured in a crash southwest of Wamego Thursday morning. The Kansas Highway Patrol says the crash happened shortly before 11 a.m. when an eastbound Toyota Avalon carrying three people, left the road and struck a tree, near Bluebird Road. The driver, identified as 28-year-old Tyra Anderson, of St. George, died at the scene. The crash report says she was wearing a seat belt. Two small children were also in the vehicle. The crash report listed 1-year-old Isaac Anderson with a suspected serious injury. 3-year-old Brennen Anderson had no listed…

A trial has been scheduled in early 2023 for a Manhattan man charged with murdering his former girlfriend’s toddler son. At a Tuesday status conference, Riley County Judge Kendra Lewison scheduled the trial for 22-year-old Gage Anderson to begin on Feb. 7th. Anderson is accused in the December 2020 death of 2-year-old Cyrus Gray. At an April 2021 hearing, Matthew Lockwood, an emergency room doctor at Ascension Via Christi Hospital, testified that the child came into the hospital extremely cold, unresponsive and limp and was not breathing sufficiently enough to maintain life and had numerous bruises on his body. An…

A new principal has been named at College Hill Early Learning Center. Katie Hagenmaier is succeeding Stephanie Kabriel, who announced her resignation from the school earlier this spring. Hagenmaier is a current 1st grade teacher at Valley Heights USD 498 in Waterville. Prior to that she served as a 4th grade teacher for USD 475 in Junction City. Her education background includes a Bachelor of Science degree in Elementary Education from Bethany College and a Master’s in Educational Administration from Kansas State University. Hagenmaier will begin her new position with USD 383 on July 1st.

Riley County Police say a motorcyclist was injured Tuesday after he lost control and was thrown from the bike. Authorities from RCPD, Manhattan Fire and Riley County EMS responded to the crash around 8:30 p.m. in the 1700 block of Vaughn Drive. RCPD says 42-year-old Jimmy Humbert was thrown forward off the motorcycle. He was transported to Via Christi for treatment of a significant head injury. No further details were immediately released.

More details have emerged in the case of a former Wamego Middle School science teacher arrested Sunday on suspicion of a sex crime involving an underage victim. Allen Sylvester, 51, of rural Wabaunsee County, was formally charged Wednesday with one count of unlawful sexual relations. According to Wabaunsee County Attorney Tim Liesmann, the victim was 17 and turning 18 during the relevant time period, sometime during the 2020-21 school year. In an email to KMAN, Liesmann says the booking information, implying the acts were with someone under 16, was inaccurate. Because of likely dual jurisdiction, he says it’s possible the…

The deadline to file for the August primary came and went Wednesday with only a slight change to local races. In Pottawatomie County, Nathan Gotsch filed before the deadline for the 1st District commission seat and will be an independent in the November election. Gotsch also ran in 2018, but lost to Republican Dee McKee, of Blue Township, who has also filed for re-election. McKee will face off against Republican Hans Tessmann, of St. George, in the primary. Tessmann is a former mayor of St. George. In Riley County, Republican incumbent John Ford, of Manhattan, is unopposed in the race…

The Kansas Department of Health and Environment says Riley County’s COVID incidence rate moved into the moderate category during the week of May 21st through the 27th, recording 32 new cases. The new data, provided in Wednesday’s weekly update from the health department, moves Riley County from the substantial incidence category to moderate, which is 10-49 cases per 100,000 people. This week, that rate was 43.1, a nearly 15 point drop from the week before. As of Wednesday, Ascension Via Christi Hospital was caring for one COVID-19 positive patient. Two more COVID-related deaths were verified by the Office of Vital…