Author: Brandon Peoples

Masks are again the center of debate as both the City of Manhattan and USD 383 implement changes to mask policies to start 2022. For the school district, a special meeting has been called for 5:30 p.m. Monday where board members will consider a recommendation from Superintendent Dr. Marvin Wade, to implement a temporary return to a district wide mask requirement inside all indoor USD 383 facilities, regardless of vaccination status through Jan. 21. The district previously amended that requirement in October, allowing the high school and the district office, to relax its mask requirement to mask optional. With the…

A Manhattan man was arrested Friday in connection to an April 2021 investigation into an opioid-related overdose. Riley County Police officers took 28-year-old Austin Dowling into custody on a warrant for the distribution of controlled substances causing great bodily harm. The alleged substances are said to be Oxycodone and Fentanyl. Officers stopped Dowling after he was identified while driving near the intersection of Valleywood Drive and Barnes Road.  He’s been charged with two counts of distribution or possession with intent to distribute a controlled substance, distribution of a controlled substance, distribution of a controlled substance causing great bodily harm, and…

Following revised guidance from the Centers for Disease Control on the isolation and quarantines for COVID positive individuals, the Kansas Department of Health and Environment has followed suit. For the general population, those with lab-confirmed COVID-19 infections, regardless of vaccination status should stay home for five days. Those with no symptoms or with symptoms resolving after five days who are fever-free for 24 hours without the use of fever reducing medications, can leave the house, according to the latest guidance. Individuals are advised to continue to wear a mask around others for five additional days, upon release from isolation or…

A jury trial will begin next week for a Manhattan man accused in a 2019 murder during an attempted robbery. Richard Goens is one of four co-defendants in the murder of 23-year-old Tanner Zamecnik, who was shot and killed Nov. 1, 2019 in the 1400 block of Cambridge Place. According to court testimony from past hearings Goens is alleged to have fired the fatal shot in the botched robbery. Goens’ trial is set to begin Jan. 6. Goens and co-defendant Shamar Sutton are each charged with first-degree murder, attempted aggravated robbery, aggravated battery, aggravated assault and criminal discharge of a…

In just a few weeks, members of the Wamego School Board will select a new superintendent to lead the district. Interim Superintendent Greg Mann says the board hired the Kansas Association of School Boards to oversee the search. In the past few weeks, the state board has been gathering input and feedback from the community through online surveys. Mann says KASB will be back on Jan. 14 to review applications and make recommendations on who they feel the school board should interview. That information will be presented at the Jan. 17 school board meeting. It’s estimated that approximately 70 superintendent…

A New Year’s Day snowstorm could potentially bring near record-setting snowfall to Manhattan. A Winter Storm Watch has been issued from midnight Saturday to midnight Sunday. Forecasters say confidence is increasing for heavy snowfall accumulations northwest of Interstate 35 and especially north of Interstate 70. Snowfall amounts are uncertain, but the National Weather Service is predicting anywhere from 2 to 8 inches could be possible in the Manhattan area as well as other parts of the region. The last time Manhattan had snowfall on New Year’s Day was 2013, when 3.3 inches fell. Measurable New Year’s Day snowfalls also occurred…

The Riley County Police Department is continuing to investigate the Dec. 12 shooting inside Tate’s Bar in Aggieville. Director Dennis Butler gave a brief update Wednesday during In Focus, about the shooting victim that was seriously injured in the incident. RCPD doesn’t release names of crime victims, but an online criminal complaint filed in Riley County District Court, confirms the shooting victim was Reed Godinet, a Kansas State University football player. A second person was also injured in the incident after being struck by the barrel of the gun. The suspect in the case, 20-year-old Joshua Cummings, is charged with…

If you’re not sure what to do with your live Christmas tree now that the holiday is over, the City of Manhattan has an opportunity for residents to recycle them. The Manhattan Parks & Rec Department accepts trees at Long’s Park (16th & Colorado) until Jan. 31. Officials ask that all ornaments and tinsel are removed from the tree prior to drop off. Trees can be left in the fenced section at the northeast corner of the park. Trees are used for building trails and provide mulch for landscaping in local parks.

The City of Manhattan is planning to announce the results of its annexation plan for the Blue Township area sometime in January. The area is of particular interest to the city in its comprehensive plan, which identifies it as a key area for growth in the future. Manhattan City Manager Ron Fehr spoke about it during KMAN’s In Focus on Dec. 21. Pottawatomie County Commissioner Dee McKee, who lives in Blue Township, says the underlying challenge with annexation, lies with inter-agency agreements, including law enforcement and fire. Residents in that area have submitted two petitions for governance in the past, both…

COLUMBUS, Kan. (AP) — A southeastern Kansas man has been sentenced to life in prison for killing two people in 2020. The office of Kansas Attorney General Derek Schmidt on Monday announced the sentence for 30-year-old Mark Hopkins II of Columbus. He won’t be eligible for parole for 50 years. Hopkins pleaded guilty last month to two counts of first-degree premeditated murder. Blaze Shank of Scammon and Kylan Shook of Pittsburg were shot to death in rural northeastern Cherokee County in June 2020. Hopkins and another inmate escaped from jail in May but were captured days later in Oklahoma. Charges…