Author: Brandon Peoples

Pottawatomie County commissioners spent time Monday narrowing down a list of road projects to prioritize as it continues to prepare a sales tax ballot initiative this fall. Commissioners plan to ask voters to approve a quarter cent sales tax estimated to generate roughly 1 million dollars per year for road and bridge improvements. Included in that list are a number of roads in the Green Valley area. Commissioner Dee McKee urged one of the cost-effective routes be eliminated from the current list in favor of an advanced preliminary engineering study for a secondary bridge across the Big Blue River. Also…

One person is in custody following a stabbing incident that left one person dead and injured another. Junction City Police say 21-year-old Jalen Thomas is jailed on suspicion of 2nd degree murder, aggravated battery, domestic battery and aggravated assault. At around 2:30 a.m. Saturday, officers were dispatched to the 2600 block of Deerfield Blvd. in reference to a possible stabbing. Officers located a male adult victim suffering from a stab wound. He was transported to Stormont Vail Hospital for further treatment. Officers also learned that a second victim, 30-year-old Stacy Subotich, of Fort Riley had been transported to Irwin Army…

A Topeka man is jailed in Riley County on a warrant alleging sex crimes, violence and kidnapping. According to RCPD, 31-year-old Luis Martinez is charged with aggravated domestic battery, aggravated criminal sodomy and aggravated kidnapping. Online court documents allege the crimes from July 19 and July 20. Martinez was located in Pottawatomie County Thursday and transported to the Riley County Jail. Police say Martinez is alleged to have battered a 37-year-old woman and forced her to stay in a room for an extended period of time. He remains jailed on a $75,000 bond.

A Manhattan woman was injured after rolling her vehicle in the 1900 block of Hayes Drive. According to the Riley County Police Department, 30-year-old Lyndsay Jones was northbound shortly before 5 p.m. Thursday. Police say her vehicle drifted to the left, hit a curb and struck a tree, causing it to overturn in the front yard of a house. Jones was transported to Ascension Via Christi and later to Stormont Vail in Topeka for treatment of her injuries.

The Manhattan-Ogden School Board spent some time Wednesday getting some clarity as to why the district has moved away from using “Indians” in some of its branding on athletic uniforms. The issue was brought up by Board President Curt Herrman, at the request of board member Brandy Santos. She says perception from some in the community has been that it appears the district is preparing for an eventual removal of the Indian symbol altogether. Superintendent Marvin Wade acknowledged the decision to move away from the Indian symbol on uniforms was one made by he and Assistant Superintendent Eric Reid, focused…

The Riley County Police Department is searching for a suspect connected to a July 28 aggravated robbery in Manhattan. Police say they’re looking for 18-year-old Malachi Fielder, who along with 15-year-Terriundis Toliver, reportedly robbed a 17-year-old male victim at gunpoint and then shot at him and a 45-year-old female victim as the pair followed the suspects driving away from the scene. A previous police report determined the incident occurred at the Holiday Inn parking lot. Fielder is accused of taking the 17-year-old’s cell phone. Toliver was arrested in connection for aggravated robbery and aggravated assault on July 31 and is…

Members of the Manhattan Parks & Recreation Advisory Board were painted a grim picture of the financial challenges hampering the city’s parks & recreation department. Monday marked the board’s first public meeting since the July 18 special session held at the Manhattan Fire Department headquarters. Deputy City Manager Jason Hilgers says the challenges have been brought on from flat or declining revenues over the past six to seven years. He says conversations with staff have consistently aimed at saving the most money possible without impacting services. “When I have conversations with staff in this building, it’s about ways we can…

Riley County remains in the HIGH incidence category for new COVID infections. The Kansas Department of Health and Environment says 112 new cases were recorded the final week of July (23rd through the 29th). The Incidence Rate is 151, which remains above the 100 cases per 100,000 people threshold that KDHE uses for its metrics. Ascension Via Christi had seven patients in the hospital Wednesday, including two being treated in the Intensive Care Unit. The message this week from the Riley County Health Department Director remains the same, stating if you’re not feeling well or have any reason to suspect…

The Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History has named Manhattan Virtual Academy K-2 and gifted teacher Lori Rice as the 2022 Kansas History Teacher of the Year. Rice is a 1996 graduate of Kansas State University, who also recently completed a master’s degree in education from Emporia State. Her passion for history and STEM comes to life in the classroom through stories and culture, where she connects students to their past so they can grow their future. Rice receives a $1,000 honorarium, as well as a core archive of American history books and Gilder Lehrman educational materials. Rice will also…

Kansas voters have rejected a proposed amendment to the Kansas Constitution that would have added language stating it does not grant the right to abortion. The total was 59 percent of voters favoring no change to the constitution. Riley County voters rejected the measure by a 68 to 32 percent margin. Pottawatomie County voters went the other way, favoring the yes vote by a 56 to 44 percent margin. Voters in 19 counties, including the most populated urban area of Kansas City, Wichita and Topeka favored rejecting the amendment. The referendum was the first in the country to be posed…