Author: Brandon Peoples

Pottawatomie County 1st District Commissioner Dee McKee has survived a primary challenge and will advance to the November ballot. The incumbent Republican received 1,162 votes compared to 557 votes for Hans Tessman and 324 votes for Nathaniel Gotsch. McKee will likely be unopposed in the November election as she seeks a third term. Elsewhere, Republican Lewis (Bill) Bloom, of Clay Center, unseated incumbent Suzi Carlson, of Clay Center, in the 64th House District. Bloom received 2,008 votes to give him a greater than 500 vote advantage over both Carlson and Brad Starnes, of Riley. Bloom will take on Democrat Patricia…

Riley County commissioners on Monday unanimously approved a compliance plan to submit to the Environmental Protection Agency for eventual replacement of the University Park wastewater treatment plant. It’s the first step for the benefit district to come into compliance with the EPA’s Clean Water Act. Public Works Director John Ellerman says the best option is to replace the current facility with a non-discharging lagoon, based on lower construction costs, simpler maintenance and longer life. University Park resident James Slaymaker spoke in favor of the option, but was critical of the county waiting until the deadline to act on the plan,…

Riley County saw a steady stream of people voting in advance ahead of today’s primary. County Clerk Rich Vargo noted 5,154 people had cast their ballots through Saturday, a figure he said Monday would likely approach 6,000 by noon. He was not far off. The final number of Riley County residents to vote in advance was 5,716.  He was encouraging people to do their homework The uptick in advanced voting largely fueled by an emotional ballot question regarding the constitutional right to an abortion. Washburn University Associate Professor Patrick Miller spoke to CBS about the constitutional question. Polls are open…

Riley County Police are investigating a slew of gun-related incidents from over the weekend. On Friday, officers filed a report for aggravated assault and burglary in the 500 block of 15th Street in Ogden listing two young men as victims and two other young men as suspects, who reportedly entered a home and stole two guns and held one of the two victims at gunpoint outside. Also reported Friday was an aggravated assault in the 1100 block of Bluemont Ave. where a 43-year-old Regina Smith, of Ogden was alleged to have threatened a man and woman with a gun during…

Riley County saw a steady stream of people voting in advance ahead of today’s primary. County Clerk Rich Vargo noted 5,154 people had cast their ballots through Saturday, a figure he said Monday would likely approach 6,000 by the noon cutoff for advanced voting. Vargo’s estimate was not far off. The final number of Riley County residents to vote early was 5,716. The uptick in advanced voting largely fueled by an emotional ballot question regarding the constitutional right to an abortion. Washburn University Associate Professor Patrick Miller spoke to CBS News about the ballot question. Vargo encourages voters to be…

The Kansas Supreme Court has upheld the conviction of a man who failed to register with the state’s offender registry and has ruled the law to be constitutional. On the sole issue the Supreme Court granted for review, Daniel Genson III raised an insanity defense and claimed he was involuntarily committed just days after his time to register lapsed. The Riley County District Court rejected the defense because failing to register is a strict liability crime and precluded evidence of his mental health at trial. Genson had also challenged the Court of Appeals majority refusal to two new claims raised…

Chances are, wherever you’ve been this week, at least one person has probably mentioned the weather. While it’s certainly been an unusually hot month of July, the forecast over the next several days shows, at least some reprieve, especially in the Manhattan area. And while the US Drought Monitor does not currently show any signs of drought impacting Riley and Pottawatomie County, that does not mean the outlook is anything but bleak. Temperatures should return to more seasonable levels this week and there’s even the possibility of some rain, though it might not be enough to mitigate drought concerns going…

Riley County Police say they do not believe there is any public threat after someone reported finding what appeared to be a homemade explosive device this week at a Manhattan apartment complex. Officers were called out to the 1300 block of Flint Hills Place Wednesday evening after a resident found a toilet paper roll with a fuse sticking out of it a few days earlier on her back porch. The resident brought it inside and then reported it to police. RCPD says its Bomb Team was activated to investigate and cleared the scene with no threat to residents in the…

A Junction City man was seriously injured Wednesday after intentionally driving his vehicle across the I-70 median into oncoming traffic. The Kansas Highway Patrol says 24-year-old Aaron Smith was eastbound on I-70 in Geary County, near mile marker 298, shortly before 1 p.m. when authorities say he intentionally drove across the median and into westbound traffic. His vehicle then vaulted from the north shoulder into a tree line on the north side of the interstate. The vehicle rolled, coming to rest on its wheels. Smith was transported to Geary Community Hospital with a suspected serious injury. The crash report says…

The City of Wamego has named a new Chief of the city’s police department. Paul Schliffke, who has served as Deputy Chief of Police for the past nine years, has been promoted to the position permanently. He had served in the role on an interim basis following the termination of former Chief Mike Baker on June 22. The City of Wamego has never said why Baker was fired, though Baker has alluded to friction with the City Manager’s office. Schliffke’s resume includes prior employment with the Pottawatomie County Sheriff’s Office, where he served as a deputy, as well as employment…