Author: Brandon Peoples

A Manhattan man is jailed on an attempted murder charge stemming from an incident two years ago. The Riley County Police Department says 39-year-old Jeremy Spaur, was arrested Wednesday on a warrant alleging charges of attempted first-degree murder, attempted aggravated battery, aggravated assault and criminal possession of a weapon. An online criminal complaint alleges Spaur tried to kill another man during an altercation on Feb. 12, 2022. Spaur also is charged with a probation violation and failure to appear stemming from original charges of driving with a suspended license. He remains jailed on a bond of $314,800.

A Wamego woman was involved in an injury crash early Wednesday morning in Leavenworth County. The Kansas Highway Patrol says 60-year-old Sandra Keough, was eastbound on Interstate 70, shortly before 2:30 a.m., when her Volkswagen Passat rear ended a semi. Authorities say Keough had just minor injuries. A 54-year-old male passenger from Texas also sustained minor injuries. Both were treated at KU Medical Center. The truck driver had no listed injuries.

A Manhattan man is jailed on a host of charges, including kidnapping. The Riley County Police Department says Jose Trinidad, 28, was arrested Tuesday afternoon at the Riley County Courthouse on a warrant for kidnapping, aggravated kidnapping, criminal deprivation of property, domestic battery, aggravated burglary and two counts of criminal threat. RCPD spokesperson Ashley Tokoi says the alleged incidents occurred between Jan. 21 and Jan. 23. Trinidad remains jailed on a $100,000 bond.

A no burning notice continues for Riley County until further notice as critical fire weather conditions are expected into next week. Devastating wildfires scorched around 500,000 acres in Texas and Oklahoma this week and local officials said Wednesday that conditions are favorable for similar activity in our area over the next several days. Local humidity will be as low as 10% Thursday, with no overnight recovery, prompting concerns from local fire officials, who say it is not safe to burn at this time. The forecast indicates a chance for rain by the middle of next week, at which time county…

The City of Manhattan may be on the verge of either tax increases or certain city services being eliminated. Deputy City Manager Jason Hilgers told commissioners Tuesday that forecast revenues for the General Fund are not enough to maintain the needed cash balance. “We’re obviously realizing a point here where that upward trend of cash balances in the General Fund is starting to level off and potentially showing a downward trend after six years of upward trends from 2017 to 2022,” he said. Alternatives consist of increasing taxes or finding services within the General Fund to cut. At Tuesday’s work…

Authorities are investigating another case of alleged forgery and theft in Manhattan. The Riley County Police Department says a report was filed Monday afternoon in the 700 block of Poyntz after an unknown suspect fraudulently wrote and cashed checks at numerous area banks. The total loss is estimated around $10,000. Police listed Flint Hills Beverage and a 38-year-old man as victims. Anyone with information is encouraged to call Crime Stoppers.

A retirement contract for the Pottawatomie County Sheriff’s aging canine Turbo was approved on Monday. Sheriff Shane Jager informed county commissioners about the process and noted the dog’s handler, Sergeant Dustin Young, is wanting to take control of the dog. Jager says the Sheriff’s Office has budgeted $11,000 for a replacement canine. The dog will not be trained to detect marijuana.

A new plaque bearing the names of 50 Pottawatomie County veterans will be unveiled at a public ceremony Monday at the Veterans Memorial in Westmoreland. Last April, the county began collecting names of honorably discharged veterans that reside or have resided in Pottawatomie County and served in any branch of the military from 1947 onward. Those 50 names were received in December to be added to the memorial on a bronze plaque. The memorial was dedicated in 1992. The county continues to collect names of additional veterans and will have another bronze plaque cast when it receives 50 more names.…

Manhattan city staff will meet with the city commission Tuesday to discuss a strategy for increasing revenues to the general fund and a proposed sales tax question to be posed to voters. Agenda documents for the work session (see below) show city staff favoring a strategy to ask a sales tax question at the August primary, taking the current 1% permanent sales tax up to as much as 2%. The sales tax increase would allow the city to build up its general fund dollars an extra $7.5 million to $15 million annually. The city would need to draft a resolution…

Kansas Gov. Laura Kelly on Monday issued a verbal disaster emergency proclamation due to increased fire weather risks this week. The declaration allows more resources to be available for fighting wildfires. Warmer conditions, strong winds and low relative humidity will create very-high fire weather conditions throughout the state. Local and state officials are advising all burns be postponed until conditions improve. “Weather conditions are such that a high risk exists for wildland fires,” Governor Kelly said. “I urge everyone across the state to use extreme caution and avoid burning, if at all possible. A single spark is enough to touch off a fire that…