Author: Brandon Peoples

Fire investigators have determined that a fire inside RC McGraws Sunday morning was intentionally set. The Manhattan Fire Department and Riley County Police Department say an 11-year-old male suspect started a fire in the bathroom. The fire resulted in an estimated $12,000 in damage to the business, including about $5,000 in structural damage and $7,000 in damage to contents. No injuries were reported in the Sunday fire and fire officials say the building was safely evacuated. According to RCPD, the 11-year-old was not charged. RC McGraws remains closed until further notice. Original story: 8 p.m. Sunday A small fire at a…

4:30 p.m. Saturday update The Kansas Bureau of Investigation is leading an investigation into an early Saturday morning homicide in Aggieville, that also led to an officer firing a shot at the alleged homicide suspect. A preliminary investigation suggests the two men, both from Fort Riley, were at an Aggieville bar. Later as the two men were gathered outside in separate groups of friends, witnesses told KBI that the two got into a verbal altercation, with one pulling a gun on the other. The shooting victim, 21-year-old Joshua Wardi, died at the scene. The shooting suspect, 19-year-old Tremelle Montgomery, fled…

Riley County appears to be on the downhill side of the omicron surge. New COVID cases last week totaled 607, nearly 300 fewer cases than reported the week before. There are 638 active cases in Riley County, a decrease of nearly 350 active cases since last week. The two-week rolling percent positivity rate fell from just over 24 percent to slightly under 18 percent for the current period. As of Wednesday, Ascension Via Christi was caring for 11 COVID-positive patients including three on ventilators and four within the Intensive Care Unit. The new indoor KDHE testing site is now open…

A community-wide housing survey is circulating in Manhattan this month, seeking feedback on housing experiences, conditions and issues. City officials say it’s the next phase of a Housing Market Analysis project, following the establishment of a housing steering committee last August, in addition to multiple rounds of stakeholder interviews and preliminary data collection. The 10-minute survey is accessible on the project website through February 28. The online survey is available in multiple languages through Google Translate. Paper copies can be picked up at Manhattan City Hall, for those without access to the online survey. Hard copies are also being provided…

Applications are now being accepted for the Manhattan Fire Department’s student firefighter program. The program is open to college students 18 and older attending K-State, MATC or Manhattan Christian College. Deputy Fire Chief Ryan Almes likens the program to a paid internship. “The statistics on the number of people we have that go through the program and then join our fire department and get promoted, is pretty unreal,” he said. Almes says several current firefighters, including himself have taken part in the program. While some have gone on to be firefighters, others have gone on to other successful careers. Almes…

One person was injured Tuesday in a three-vehicle crash near Fort Riley Blvd. and South Manhattan Ave. According to the Riley County Police Department, an SUV driven by 62-year-old Tracy Trout collided with van and pickup truck shortly before 2:30 p.m. Trout was transported by EMS to Ascension Via Christi for treatment of chest pain and a leg injury, but no additional details were released. The van driver, 41-year-old Jerrod Warren, of Manhattan, and the pickup driver, 64-year-old Kevin Hankins, of Olsburg, had no listed injuries.

A 42-year-old Wabaunsee County man jailed in Riley County had some new charges brought against him this week. Scott Habluetzel, of Paxico, was charged by RCPD Tuesday with single counts of aggravated battery and domestic battery. The charges stem from a warrant. An online criminal complaint alleges he battered a woman December 10 at a Riley County residence. In addition, Habluetzel faces a charge of criminal threat against the same woman as well as a charge of assault on a law enforcement officer, from a separate alleged incident in mid-January. He also had a separate arrest Dec. 20 for criminal…

The Kansas Agriculture Secretary was the featured speaker Monday at the annual Riley County Livestock Association annual meeting, held at Pottorf Hall. Mike Beam spoke about the value of agricultural exports, which surpassed $4 billion in 2020, the highest total in Kansas since 2014. “The first half of that (year) was pretty stressful. Prices were pretty depressed. As we got into the later summer and fall, exports started picking up and we saw a pretty good rally in a lot of our commodity prices, largely driven by exports in 2020,” he said. Beam says 2021 values already appear to have…

A new superintendent has been named at USD 320 Wamego. At a special meeting Monday, via Zoom, the Wamego School Board announced the hiring of Rob McKim, who currently serves as Principal at Lansing High School. He was selected from a pool of four finalists that interviewed last week with the board. McKim is a rural Sabetha native with 28 years in education, including the last four years at Lansing. In 2013, he was named Principal of the Year while working at Baldwin High School. In a statement Monday, the board said it was impressed with McKim’s innovative ideas, ability…

After nearly setting a record high Monday, Manhattan is now bracing for a taste of winter weather as midweek approaches. The National Weather Service office in Topeka has issued a Winter Weather Advisory for Riley, Pottawatomie and Geary counties from 9 p.m. this evening through noon Thursday. The forecast is calling for approximately 3 to 5 inches of snow for the Manhattan area, with greater amounts likely further to the south and east. A Winter Storm Warning is posted for the same time frame from southwest Kansas to the Kansas City metro, including Topeka and Lawrence. Snow is expected to…