Author: Brandon Peoples

Ongoing levee construction is prompting Manhattan city officials to close an additional section of Linear Trail beginning June 1. Portions of the trail have been closed through the first phase of the project between South Manhattan Ave. and US-24. Assistant Director of the Manhattan Parks & Recreation Department, Wyatt Thompson explains what the second phase closure will entail. “So they’ll be closing the segment from the Blue River Bridge there at Highway 24, north and west to Casement Road,” he said. Thompson says the city strongly requests people respect the closure for their own safety, as well as that of…

Manhattan Area Habitat for Humanity will hold a groundbreaking ceremony Friday morning as it celebrates its 31st home construction project. Similar to a home project built in 2021, the home once completed will have the ability to produce as much power as it consumes through high-performance design and the use of solar panels. Officials say it’s a transformative step for housing affordability as it will help reduce the costs for all homeowners. A number of partnering organizations are assisting Habitat with the design and build as the next step in a workforce housing initiative. That includes Fort Riley Home Builders…

Governor Laura Kelly has directed flags to be flown at half-staff throughout the state of Kansas until sundown on Friday in honor of the 19 children and two adults killed in the mass shooting at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas Tuesday. Local reaction was gathered from educators throughout Riley and Geary County. USD 475 Superintendent Dr. Reginald Eggleston. Blue Valley USD 384 Superintendent John Cox… In a statement, the Riley County Police Department says “there are no words to describe the emotions we are all feeling after hearing the news. We will continue to do everything in our power…

Kansas Farm Bureau has announced endorsements for three of the state’s four Congressional incumbents in their upcoming campaigns. The state’s leading agricultural advocacy organization noted support Tuesday for Republicans Tracey Mann in the 1st District, Jake LaTurner in the 2nd District and Ron Estes for the 4th District. The organization is also backing Sen. Jerry Moran for re-election. The formal endorsements came from Kansas Farm Bureau’s political action committee, Voters Organized to Elect Farm Bureau Friends (VOTE FBF), which is comprised of active farmer and rancher members elected by peers from each of the organization’s 10 geographic districts.In a statement,…

Pottawatomie County commissioners made very little movement Monday in considering two conditional use permits for rural properties north of Rock Creek High School. After spending over an hour discussing the request by Greg Ferkol for a children’s play area and accompanying event space, commissioners voted to proceed with the play area under a rural tourism C-U-P with a condition that a fence be constructed between the play area and a pond and that an annual review of the C-U-P be conducted by county staff. Following the vote, commissioners were required to explain their vote, according to the governing statute. Commissioner…

Rock Creek School Board members held a special meeting Monday, where a new superintendent was named. The board has hired Joan Simoneau, who is wrapping up her sixth year as superintendent and elementary principal at USD 369 Burrton. The board approved a 2-year contract with her. She succeeds Kevin Logan, who has accepted a position as the next superintendent at USD 460 Hesston. Simoneau has served also as middle and high school principal at Burrton, a position she held for four years prior to becoming a superintendent. She’s also a former Kansas Teacher of the Year nominee. According to a…

Riley County Commissioners on Monday unanimously approved mid-year pay increases for county employees, effective July 1. The increase will include a fiscal impact of $1.2 million in the 2022 budget, and includes over $860,000 in salaries and nearly $340,000 in benefits. The county says its part of a strategy to improve employee retention and recruitment, dependent on the current market value as determined by evaluation of job responsibilities and comparable compensation. To fund it, Riley County will capture existing funds, previously approved for the 2022 budget which are the result of higher than usual employee turnover. That includes unused benefits…

The Kansas Bureau of Investigation has opened an investigation into an officer-involved shooting that occurred Saturday evening in Junction City. Preliminary information released by KBI indicated a woman reported a man outside her home, waving a handgun and threatening she and another woman shortly after 5 p.m. in the 700 block of West 11th Street. Officers from the Junction City Police Department responded to the area along with KBI agents and the Crime Scene Response Team. As officers arrived, a man matching the suspect’s description was seen fleeing the area with a gun, and he was chased on foot. During…

A 14-year-old Manhattan boy was seriously hurt in a vehicle crash Friday night on the city’s northern edge, the second such crash involving a group of teens, in less than a week. The Kansas Highway Patrol says the crash happened around 5:30 p.m., when a sport utility vehicle carrying four teenagers, was struck by a Ford F150, while attempting to turn onto Seth Child Road from Marlatt Ave. Authorities say the SUV failed to yield, causing the crash. According to the crash report, 14-year-old Jackson West, a passenger in the SUV was air lifted to Children’s Mercy Hospital in Kansas…

A Manhattan man, accused of stabbing a woman, has been arrested and charged with attempted second-degree murder. RCPD arrested 44-year-old Jarman Morgan Thursday afternoon, hours after a 27-year-old woman reported he stabbed her in the neck, in the 1000 block of Moro Street. The circumstances leading up to the alleged incident aren’t clear, but the two were said to be known acquaintances. According to police, Morgan was issued no bond, causing him to remain in police custody as of Friday morning.