Author: Brandon Peoples

Riley County crews were out Sunday assessing damage from Saturday evening’s severe storms. Teams from the Riley County Appraiser’s Office and Manhattan Fire Department’s Risk Reduction Division have been tasked with going through neighborhoods. Downed power lines and large tree limbs remain the most reported damages. Riley County’s Public Works Facilities sustained significant damage as did the Tuttle Creek River Pond campgrounds. Five structures in Manhattan’s McCain neighborhood area, east of the Kansas State University campus, were condemned and deemed unsafe to occupy, by Risk Reduction. That includes two unoccupied Greek houses, Chi Omega and Kappa Alpha Theta. Those buildings…

Tornadic thunderstorms impacted the Manhattan area Saturday night, producing a confirmed tornado near Tuttle Creek State Park on what was the 14th anniversary of the 2008 tornado, that caused widespread damage in the Little Apple. Numerous trees were uprooted at Tuttle Creek State Park Saturday, in the River Pond area and officials late in the evening announced that the campground would be closed until Monday while cleanup continues. Joshua Hunt, of Wamego, just purchased a new 16 foot Bunkhouse camper two weeks ago, only to see it blown onto its side from strong winds Saturday evening. His family sought shelter with many others at…

More charges were filed Friday against a 44-year-old man who once worked as a nurse at a Manhattan preschool. The Riley County Attorney’s Office has filed eight additional charges against Joshua Penabaz as part of an ongoing investigation. A news release from the Riley County Police Department alleges Penabaz raped a 5-year-old student while employed at College Hill Early Learning Center in September 2021. The remaining seven charges were allegedly from incidents that occurred between 2009 and 2011 involving a female victim between the ages of 2 and 4 at the time. The charges include a single count of aggravated…

An Onaga man escaped serious injuries after an accident in Atchison County. The Kansas Highway Patrol says 19-year-old Keegan Wood was southbound on US 73 when a deer ran into the roadway, striking his motorcycle, causing it to overturn. The crash occurred just after 1:30 p.m. about 4 and a half miles south of Atchison. The crash report states Wood, who was wearing a helmet, sustained only a minor injury and was treated at a nearby hospital.

2022 Cowboy Poetry Contest Finals (Friday 7 p.m. at the Flint Hills Discovery Center) The best cowboy poets in Kansas are taking the stage Friday for the state finals in the 2022 Cowboy Poetry Contest. The Flint Hills Discovery Center serves as the backdrop for the annual event. Poetry contest chair Ron Wilson, of the Lazy T Ranch in Manhattan, says finalists will present in two go rounds that include both serious and humorous poems. Qualifying contests were held in Fredonia and Hays and included 28 entries from four states. Manhattan residents that have made it into the finals include…

Newly installed Flint Hills Regional Council Executive Director Jerry Lonergan, provided his inaugural update to the Pottawatomie County Commission Monday. Lonergan says the council recently received a $500,000 Brownfields grant from the Environmental Protection Agency Region 7. The EPA officially presented the check to the council, during a ceremony Wednesday at the Geary County Commission Chambers. The Flint Hills Regional Council was selected for community-wide assessment work and the development of reuse plans for Junction City, Manhattan and Ogden and other communities throughout the region. In a release from the EPA Wednesday, it noted priority assessment sites include Junction City’s…

The National Weather Service in Topeka has confirmed two weak tornadoes from Tuesday night storms in Marshall and Republic Counties. A preliminary damage survey shows the Republic County tornado was an EF-1 and on the ground near the small community of Narka for about 3 and a quarter miles. It lasted about 10 minutes. Peak wind speeds were measured at 90 miles per hour. The Marshall County tornado, also an EF-1 had peak wind speeds of 93 miles per hour, with a path length of 2.8 miles. Both tornadoes had maximum widths of 75 yards. No deaths or injuries were…

Two new superintendents are taking over at Rock Creek and Wamego Public Schools this fall. Both made their debut appearance Wednesday on KMAN’s In Focus. Current Lansing High School Principal Rob McKim was hired Jan. 31 by the Wamego School Board. The Kansas native has spent most of his life involved in education. McKim will begin training with the district June 14 before his official start date of July 1. He says at first, his goal is to listen and learn about the district and the community. He says in order to help foster an effective learning environment he’ll work…

A Junction City man connected to an officer-involved shooting last month has been arrested following his Tuesday discharge from Stormont Vail Hospital in Topeka. Carlton Solton is charged with two counts of aggravated assault, three counts of aggravated assault of a law enforcement officer and for criminal use of weapons. The 36-year-old is jailed in Geary County on a $50,000 bond. Solton was injured during a confrontation May 21st with officers responding to a report by a woman who said Solton had been threatening her and another woman outside her home, waving around a handgun. No officers were injured during…

A slight uptick in new COVID-19 cases is being reported in Riley County, according to data this week from the Kansas Department of Health and Environment. Between May 28th and June 3rd, there were 48 new cases of COVID-19 reported in the county. Last week, 32 new cases were reported, the week before there were 43 new cases and three weeks ago, t The incidence rate per 100,000 people is 64.7. That puts Riley County into the substantial incidence category. Riley County has bounced back and forth between the moderate and substantial categories based on average cases being above or…