Author: Brandon Peoples

Parents of preschoolers in Manhattan are scrambling to find childcare this week after USD 383 announced a one-week shift to remote learning at College Hill Early Learning Center due to a surge in quarantines tied to COVID-19. A letter sent to parents late Friday stated that 70 percent of the building’s students are currently in quarantine or have been identified as close contacts. The district says a number of staff also tested positive for COVID recently. The building will remain closed through Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, reopening on Tuesday, Jan. 18. College Hill currently houses around 200 plus preschool…

Fort Riley has announced it’s standing up a COVID testing site at the Irwin Army Community Hospital starting Monday. The hospital will offer drive thru rapid, antigen testing weekdays from 9 to 11 a.m. for symptomatic beneficiaries only. It is located on the hospital’s ground floor parking structure. Testing is available on a first-come, first-served basis. It will remain open until further notice and will be closed during federal and training holidays. Active duty personnel must visit their respective soldier centered medical homes for testing and cannot use the site. DoD civilians who are not beneficiaries must consult with their…

The Manhattan Area Chamber of Commerce has announced next week’s Flint Hills Regional Leaders Retreat in Manhattan, has been postponed due to rising public health concerns surrounding Covid-19. Chamber President Jason Smith tells KMAN they have every intention of still having the retreat. He says the Chamber and its partners, do not want to contribute to the growing concern. The retreat was initially scheduled for Jan. 13 and 14. Instead, organizers will look to hold the event sometime this spring. Those who have registered will be notified when a reschedule date is announced. Chamber members wishing for a refund can…

School district officials are looking into what caused a pipe to break Monday at Oliver Brown Elementary School. During his update to the school board Wednesday, Assistant USD 383 Superintendent Eric Reid noted the incident happened during in-service. Fortunately people were in the building at the time to respond. USD 383 Maintenance Director Matt Davis says crews sucked out around 450 gallons of water from the library by late Monday. Reid says a damage estimate is pending. Reid credited first year principal Erin Lopez and her staff for pivoting from professional development to clean up mode during Monday’s in service…

Riley County recently received a grant from the Department of Justice to start a new drug court program. The $550,000 grant was awarded to Riley County Community Corrections Dec. 9. It essentially creates an alternative to incarceration for criminal or juvenile offenders and parents with pending child welfare cases who have alcohol and other drug dependency problems become and remain sober. The goal of the program is recovery so as to reduce future criminal activity. Drug court participants are required to abstain from substance use, to be accountable for their behavior, and to fulfill the legal responsibilities of the offenses…

Classified hourly staff at USD 383 will receive a one-time retention bonus payment after action by the school board Wednesday. Employees who worked from Aug. 18 to Dec. 3 will receive $1 per hour for all hours worked during that time. Assistant Superintendent Eric Reid says the district will leverage federal ESSER funds to do so. The bonus applies to classified staff that continue to work in the district. It doesn’t apply to leave time or vacation. Board member Darell Edie expressed gratitude toward those employees. Employees will receive their payments later in January. The retention pay salary will cost a…

COVID numbers continue to climb locally, with the Riley County Health Department Wednesday confirming 161 new infections and 176 more recoveries since Dec. 29. The health department is monitoring 206 active cases while the percent of positive test results rose to over 14 percent for the week of Dec. 26. Ascension Via Christi was caring for 23 COVID-positive patients Wednesday. The health department says it’s the second highest number hospitalized locally since the start of the pandemic. The hospital has 16 patients on the medical floor and 7 in its Intensive Care Unit. Those seven ICU patients are all on…

Updated 2:30 p.m. Wednesday Wamego Police are investigating an apparent accidental shooting that occurred Wednesday morning around 8:30 a.m. Emergency responders were dispatched to 105 E. Valley Street. Scanner traffic indicated a 2-year-old child got a hold of a gun in the home and shot the 31-year-old woman, presumed to be the child’s mother, in the right shoulder/upper chest area. Wamego Police later confirmed that the adult woman was injured after the child discharged the weapon. The woman was reportedly conscious when paramedics arrived on scene. She was then transported by Pottawatomie County EMS to Stormont Vail Hospital in Topeka…

Pottawatomie County commissioners are hoping to correct some issues within its Public Works Department in 2022. During Monday’s departmental update, Commission Chair Greg Riat took issue with the fact that some residents are catching structural deficiencies on bridge maintenance on some structures before public works crews are even aware. Assistant Public Works Administrator Lance Forgy admitted to Riat they are supposed to be reviewing structures routinely, in addition to its contracted inspectors, even though that isn’t always the case. While he agreed with Commissioner Riat’s assessment, Forgy noted the county used to have a dedicated position to cover some of…

Geary Community Hospital in Junction City plans to close its Intensive Care Unit no later than Feb. 1. In a release Monday, the hospital’s Director of HR & External Relations, LJ Baker, stated that due to a national COVID-19 exacerbated nursing shortage, as well as fiscal situations beyond the hospital’s control, they are no longer able to effectively operate an ICU. A deliberate and phased transition and closure is planned by the hospital. GCH is working with multiple hospitals in the state and region to help identify bed and facilities required for treatment of patients. While the ICU will be…