Author: Brandon Peoples

A Junction City woman was injured Saturday after her car rear-ended a semi on I-70 in Dickinson County. The Kansas Highway Patrol says 22-year-old Samantha Dupont was westbound about 3 miles west of Abilene shortly before noon Saturday, when she reportedly attempted to adjust her sun visor. That’s when her Ford Fusion rear-ended the semi truck in front of her. Dupont was transported to Salina Regional Health Center with minor injuries. The truck driver was not injured.

Manhattan Regional Airport Director Jesse Romo is leaving the Flint Hills for Wichita’s Dwight D. Eisenhower National Airport and Col. James Jabara Airport later this month. Romo says he has fond memories of the Little Apple and the growth achieved during his six year tenure. Romo says the airport has received immense support from partners from across the region and credits his staff with helping make the airport a hub for travelers. One of the key things Romo has worked on, which is currently in the works, is the upcoming runway reconstruction, slated for 2023. Preliminary October data showed more…

Following the Centers for Disease Control approval of the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine for children ages 5 to 11, the Riley County Health Department has announced its first clinic. The clinic will run from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 13 at the health department’s Family & Child Resource Center at 2101 Claflin Road. Health Department Director Julie Gibbs says clinical trials of some 3,000 5 to 11 year-olds have shown the vaccine to be 90 percent effective against COVID-19. Parents who are hesitant about risks or side effects from the jab are encouraged to speak with their child’s physician.…

Kansas State University says it’s evaluating the recently announced updates to several federal orders tied to COVID-19 and how it applies to the university. The federal government on Thursday announced important updates to two major vaccination policies requiring the COVID-19 vaccine for federal contractors and lay out requirements for employers under the Occupational Safety and Health Administrations’ jurisdiction. Last month, K-State announced it would be requiring all faculty and staff to get the vaccine by Dec. 8. Those who failed to comply would be terminated. Those wishing to submit a request for a religious or medical exemption must do so…

Manhattan Catholic Schools has exceeded its 1.5 percent threshold for COVID-related absenteeism after a positive COVID case was identified in a 2nd grade classroom last week. That equates to greater than five students missing class due to quarantines. In a letter sent to parents Wednesday, Principal Mike Hubka noted that the school is in “red” status as a result of its threshold established at a special council of education (COE) meeting Tuesday in a 6-3 vote. Riley County Health Department Director Julie Gibbs confirmed Wednesday there is no active outbreak at this time due to no connection between cases. As…

Riley County Commission Chair John Ford has tested positive for COVID-19. Ford said in a release through the County Health Department that he is suffering from a mild case after waking up Tuesday with severe congestion, a headache and a loss of smell. The health department is notifying those who were close contacts of Ford and noted that another county employee in that grouping has tested positive and is currently in quarantine. Ford said he had just received a booster shot Friday before testing positive. Thursday’s scheduled commission meeting has been canceled and the commission chambers will be sanitized.

Unofficial election results showed a shift to a more fiscally conservative majority on the Manhattan city commission as well as the USD 383 Manhattan-Ogden School Board. In the city race, two incumbents retained their seats with former Mayor Usha Reddi finishing with the most votes in Manhattan at 3,571. Current Mayor Wynn Butler came in second in voting with 3,499. Both were re-elected to four year terms. Former commissioner John Matta finished third in voting with 3,265, giving him a two-year term on the commission. He will replace Aaron Estabrook, who finished in fourth place with 2,799 votes. The lone…

An investigation continues into a Monday evening fire that destroyed a home south of Fort Riley Blvd. Firefighters from both Riley County Fire District No. 1 and Manhattan Fire Department arrived on scene around 6:30 p.m. to an abandoned 2-story home fully engulfed by flames. Deputy Riley County Fire Chief John Martens tells KMAN it took about five hours before they finally cleared the scene, with close to three dozen firefighters from both agencies responding. No injuries were reported and Martens says the home was not occupied. The roof reportedly collapsed but fire did not spread to any nearby properties.…

Nearly 3,100 Riley County voters took advantage of early voting which wrapped up at noon Monday. According to the County Clerk’s office, 3,095 advance votes were tallied at the end of the voting period, including 2,386 voting at the Riley County Office Building, 627 ballots by mail, 49 paper ballots and 30 provisional ballots. The advance vote tally was more than 600 voters higher than the 2019 election (2,456), the last comparable non-presidential year. Anyone who failed to turn in a mail ballot can do so at any polling place Tuesday from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. KMAN will have…

Pottawatomie County residents who serve as jurors for district court trials in 2022 will receive extra compensation for their service. Commissioners unanimously adopted a wage increase Monday. Those who get called for jury duty will receive $25, plus mileage for the first day they’re summoned to court, and $50 a day after that. According to Chief Justice Jeff Elder, Pottawatomie County averages about 10 to 15 jury trials each year. Commissioner Dee McKee says the increase should ease some financial burden to those called to jury duty. Pottawatomie County, like its neighbor Riley County, has long paid $10 for the first…