Author: Brandon Peoples

Traffic will be slowed around Bluemont and North Manhattan Avenue for the next few days. Crews with McCown Gordon closed both eastbound lanes before sunrise Tuesday to pour new concrete but were expected to wrap up pouring in time for the morning commute, to allow the inside (north) eastbound lane to reopen. Once the concrete has completely cured, likely by Friday, new 2-inch asphalt will be laid atop the concrete base. Once that is completed, city officials say Bluemont Avenue should reopen fully to all four lanes by this weekend. The City of Manhattan Street Division began work on asphalt…

Pottawatomie County commissioners have approved a $39.3 million budget for the 2023 fiscal year. The mill levy is up 1.238 mills to 29.885. It includes increases for employee wages, represented by a 6.5 percent cost of living adjustment and increases in fuel and equipment costs, all which total about $3 million.  “You can look at it as an increase or you can look at it as maybe what should’ve been paid a little more or quicker over the last four or five years. I think that based on the wage end of it, I think our only option is raising…

A Wamego man was seriously injured Sunday in a three vehicle crash near Silver Lake. The Kansas Highway Patrol says 38-year-old Shawn Adams was westbound on Highway 24 near Hodges Road, just east of Silver Lake, shortly before 11:30 a.m., when his mail truck was struck head on by an eastbound SUV. Authorities say the SUV, driven by 36-year-old Heather Kolde, of Topeka, was stopped and waiting to turn north onto Hodges Road, when it was rear-ended by a third vehicle, driven by 17-year-old Tristyn Boxberger, of Silver Lake, and pushed into the westbound lane. All three drivers were taken…

Fire scorched a Manhattan home Saturday and initial reports suggest it’s likely a total loss. The Manhattan Fire Department was called out just before noon Saturday to 1209 Poyntz Ave. No injuries were reported. Assistant Fire Chief Sam Dameron tells KMAN that when crews arrived, they found smoke billowing out of the windows of the single story wood-framed structure. “Upon entry into the structure, they found a small fire in the living room area with heavy black smoke. They quickly extinguished the fire and ventilated the structure, did a search of the structure and found no one was home at…

A new effort aimed at reducing food waste in Manhattan and Riley County is connecting the local food industry directly with shelters, churches and food pantries that can easily re-purpose it. Riley County and Manhattan Food and Farm Council (FFC) Coordinator Vickie James says the idea for the new Flint Hills Food Recovery, grew from the vision of the now defunct Manhattan Soup Kitchen, which had aimed at something similar prior to the pandemic. Co-founders Shelly and Sande Williams donated the funds to secure the first to years of access to a mobile app called ChowMatch. With it, James says…

A Manhattan area construction company will pay more than $71,000 in civil penalties after alleged violations of the federal Clean Water Act (CWA). The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Region 7 said in a news release Friday that asphalt manufacturer Shilling Construction failed to adequately control stormwater runoff from its Manhattan facility. EPA says that led to illegal discharges of pollution into the Kansas River. Settlement documents show EPA alleges the company did not comply with certain terms of its CWA permit, including failing to develop an adequate plan to reduce pollutants in stormwater runoff, failing to construct and/or maintain adequate…

Classified employees in the Manhattan-Ogden School District will see a slight boost in pay, thanks to action Wednesday night from the school board. The board approved a $1.50 per hour increase for classified staff, retroactive to July 3. The move also brings up the base starting salary for new employees. While the wages are going up, Board President Curt Herrman had concerns that classified employees are paid a lower rate from their salary to perform student supervision duties as needed, either before or after school, or during lunch periods. “If I go out in the parking lot of my bank…

Days after a runaway teenager from Salina was reported, Wamego and Riley County Police Department officials say they believe a runaway teenager from Manhattan may be with her. In a joint news release Wednesday, the two agencies shared photos of 15-year-old Trinity and 16-year-old Alejandra. Trinity, whose last name was not provided by police, reportedly ran away from a Salina residence on Aug. 12. Trinity is a white female, about 5 feet 2 inches tall, weighing 130 pounds and had red and black hair when she went missing. Police believe Trinity may be in the Manhattan, Fort Riley or Junction…

Kansas State University is launching a new presidential initiative this fall, focused on community level engagement to help drive the university’s new strategic plan. A series of nine community visits throughout the state will take place over the course of the school year, and will include a day of conversations, events to highlight community partnerships and extension relationships, service projects and recruitment activities. The first visit will be Sept. 1 in Manhattan, targeting the Flint Hills region of Riley, Pottawatomie and Geary counties. The day will start with a community open forum at 8:30 a.m. inside the Manhattan Conference Center.…

Fourteen applications have been submitted to the Riley County Law Board for the vacant Riley County Police Department Director position, since a nationwide search was launched on May 23. RCPD says the applications, which include three from Kansas and 11 from out-of-state, are currently being reviewed by a screening committee. That committee will make recommendations to the Law Board on which applicants should advance forward, with the Law Board making the ultimate decision on finalists. In a Tuesday release, Riley County Law Board Chair Linda Morse stated the board is “systematically working its way through the process” and says once…