Author: Brandon Peoples

Officials with the Kansas Department of Transportation say a $3.4 million milling and overlay project will begin Tuesday, weather permitting, on K-99 in Wabaunsee County, just south of Wamego. Work will cover about 22 miles from the Wabaunsee/Pottawatomie County line south to the K-99/K-4 junction. KDOT says the City of Alma and the ongoing K-99 realignment project are not included. Shilling Construction, the contractor for the project, will start at the county line and work south to I-70. Once that’s complete, work will begin on the southern edge of the project and progress north to I-70. Traffic will be reduced…

News Radio KMAN · In Focus 8/26/22: KSU President Dr Richard Linton Segment 1 – 00:00 Segment 2 – 9:36 Segment 3 – 19:14 Segment 4 – 29:42 Friday’s edition of In Focus featured Kansas State University President Richard Linton for the hour. The program opened with a conversation about the new school year and enrollment expectations for the Fall as well as strategies to increase KSU’s student body count. Linton further discussed his regional community visit initiative and the university’s plans to modernize the College of Agriculture and develop in the Edge Collaborative District — formerly called the North…

A public hearing is scheduled next month for residents to provide feedback on potential changes to solar regulations being drafted by Pottawatomie County officials. That’s Pottawatomie County Planner Stephan Metzger. The public hearing culminates 18 months of work by the Planning Commission and staff to determine whether commercial-scale solar facilities should be allowed in Pottawatomie County. Metzger says he’s borrowed much of the framework for the draft regulations from Johnson and Douglas counties. The proposed regulations cover small-scale projects known as solar gardens, limited to 16 acres, as well as large-scale commercial solar projects, up to several thousands of acres.…

A 17-year-old from Junction City is facing charges of attempted murder, tied to shootings reported in the 700 block of Colorado Street in Manhattan in June and July. The Riley County Police Department says Brayln Marsh was arrested by Junction City Police on Aug. 11 on a Riley County District Court warrant for two counts each of attempted first-degree murder, attempted aggravated assault, criminal discharge of a weapon and one count of criminal threat. The charges stem from two separate incidents where Marsh allegedly shot multiple rounds from outside into the same occupied house. RCPD says the first incident occurred…

Federal prosecutors allege a Kansas man and woman lied when trying to purchase firearms last year from a Junction City business. The U.S. Attorney’s Office in Topeka this week indicted 32-year-old Fatima Jaghoori, of Milford and 39-year-old Habibullah Jaghoori, of Wichita on one count of conspiracy to commit an offense against the United States and one count each of false statement during the acquisition of a firearm. Online court documents say a grand jury found that the pair knowingly and intentionally agreed with each other to make a false statement during the purchase of a firearm in March 2021. The…

The number of Kansans applying for new concealed carry licenses dipped in recently ended 2022 fiscal year, according to the Kansas Attorney General’s office Tuesday. Derek Schmidt says the Concealed Carry Licensing Unit received over 4,500 new applications between July 1, 2021 and June 30, 2022. That’s down from just over 7,700 the previous fiscal year. The licensing program began in 2006 and a legislative change in 2015 allows eligible Kansans 21 and over to carry concealed without a license. The 2021 Kansas Legislature authorized a new provisional license available for individuals between 18-20 years of age. The Concealed Carry…

Federal prosecutors allege a Topeka man lied about the recipients of several weapons he bought. A federal grand jury in Topeka returned an indictment against 26-year-old Todd Hetherington, on three counts of making false statements when obtaining a handgun, according to a statement from the U.S. Department of Justice. Hetherington is charged with purchasing a total of six guns from different authorized dealers. He is accused of misrepresenting himself as the transferee or buyer. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives is looking into the situation.

Evergy could soon receive approval for more than $96 million in energy efficiency programs in Kansas meant to lower carbon emissions — and customers’ bills. The Kansas Reflector reports that on Tuesday, Evergy filed with regulators at the Kansas Corporation Commission to delay proceedings on the issue while the company negotiates a financial deal to make the programs possible. Evergy serves 1.6 million customers in Kansas and Missouri. For years, the utility’s Missouri customers have benefited from programs meant to increase energy efficiency, including allowing customers to finance upgrades, such as new windows, through a fee on their utility bills. But Kansas has almost no energy…

A GoFundMe has been established for a Wamego mail truck driver involved in an automobile crash Sunday near Silver Lake. Family member Sarah Filinger says the fundraiser was set up to pay for travel and medical expenses after 38-year-old Shawn Adams was involved in a three-vehicle crash while delivering Amazon packages for the US Postal Service. He was reportedly heading from Topeka to St. Marys at the time of the crash, when a Toyota Highlander stopped in the eastbound lane attempting to turn was rear ended by a Ford Edge. The impact pushed the Highlander into the westbound lane where…

Pottawatomie County residents will consider expanding the commission this November after a successful grassroots petition effort was waged by a member of the Planning Commission. It’s the second ballot question for voters to decide on Nov. 8. Earlier this month, the commission unanimously approved a resolution asking voters to consider a quarter percent sales tax to be levied to help fund county road and bridge projects. According to County Clerk Dawn Henry, a total 1,011 valid signatures were confirmed, which was more than the 892 necessary. Voters will be asked whether the governing body should be increased from its current…