Author: Brandon Peoples

Eight months after fire damaged the Manhattan Taco John’s store, a building official with the Manhattan Fire Department says he believes plans are coming together to eventually renovate and reopen the store. “There’s some fire repair that’s going to have to happen and a rebuild of the interior, but I get the feeling we’re really close on that happening,” said Darren Emery, with the fire department’s Risk Reduction Division. Emery says he spoke recently with Commercial Plans Examiner Justin Befort, who mentioned he’s been looking at plans which are starting to come together. Emery says there could be a number…

Riley County officials say a kitchen fire caused an estimated $25,000 in damage to a structure just north of the Manhattan city limits. Firefighters from Riley County Fire District No. 1 were dispatched shortly after noon Friday for the structure fire at 2830 Nelson’s Landing. The fire was extinguished within a few minutes and crews isolated the fire to the kitchen area, keeping it from spreading to the roof or other areas of the home. No injuries were reported and the cause is undetermined. Manhattan Fire Department also responded during the early stages of the fire. A damage estimate for…

The Manhattan Fire Department’s Risk Reduction office is alerting general contractors who work in the city of some changes to its license renewal process. Building Official Darren Emery says those licenses are generally broken down into one or two year terms. This year all are due for renewal. Emery says there are some changes to be aware of. “We’re doing this all online. In the past we’ve done it through mail, we’ve done it through old-fashioned paper documents they’d submit. It’s all entirely online this year,” he said. Emery says it’s also the first time local general contractors will have…

A boil water advisory has been issued for a portion of Pottawatomie County Rural Water District No. 1. The Kansas Department of Health and Environment issued the advisory following a water line break Friday morning. As a result, a loss of pressure in the distribution system may result in bacterial contamination. Customers living west of Hwy 99 between Elizas Road and Repp Road are affected. Those living in the area are advised to take the following precautions until further notice: If your tap water appears dirty, flush the water lines by letting the water run until it clears. Boil water…

A police pursuit involving a Manhattan man with past criminal offenses, resulted in a crash Thursday afternoon in Wabaunsee County. The Kansas Highway Patrol says 31-year-old Sangla Stevens was traveling north on Northwest Snokomo Frontage Road, in the Paxico area, in an attempt to elude law enforcement, just after 2 p.m. The vehicle was traveling at a high rate of speed and lost control on the gravel. His Chevy Cruze left the roadway, struck a tree and a telephone box. Stevens sustained a suspected minor injury and was transported to Wamego Health Center. According to the Kansas Department of Corrections,…

Dr. Richard Linton was greeted with fanfare and celebration Thursday as the Kansas Board of Regents named him the 15th Kansas State University President. That’s Cheyrl Harrison-Lee, Chair of the Kansas Board of Regents. The 25-member search committee, chaired by K-State alumnus and retired BNSF Railway Chairman Carl Ice, who also serves on the Board of Regents, worked for the past five months on a nationwide search to find a successor to the retiring Richard Myers, who announced in May his intent to move on at year’s end. Ice told a gathering Thursday at Forum Hall that Dr. Linton was…

A Manhattan man was arrested Tuesday after allegedly threatening a police officer with a gun. According to the Riley County Police Department’s activity report Wednesday, 79-year-old Stanley Hoerman was arrested in connection for aggravated assault of a law enforcement officer. Police listed a 40-year-old male officer as the victim, saying Hoerman threatened him with the weapon. Hoerman was issued a $5,000 bond and was no longer confined as of Wednesday’s report.

A new president at Kansas State University is expected to be named Thursday, after the Kansas Board of Regents spent more than 10 hours Wednesday in executive session, which included interviews with candidates. The board adjourned without publicly commenting on a decision. They’ve planned a 10 a.m. meeting Thursday in Forum Hall where an approval vote will take place. A spokesperson for the Regents couldn’t comment on how many candidates took part in the interview process. Names have been kept confidential. The next president will be the university’s 15th, succeeding Gen. Richard Myers, who is retiring at the end of…

The Kansas State University Salina Aerospace and Technology Campus plans to award tuition-free scholarships to eligible incoming freshman from Kansas for one year. It’s the only public institution in the state currently to offer a free year of tuition. The school announced Wednesday it’s expanding its Experience Scholarship to a full year after having previosuly supported 75 students with a free semester of tuition. The campus plans to award the scholarship for the fall 2022 semester to more than 100 incoming freshman who graduated from a Kansas high school. Eligible students will be enrolled in one of K-State Salina’s engineering…

Riley County has confirmed one new COVID-related death and 57 additional positive Coronavirus cases since it’s last weekly report on Nov. 24. According to the health department, a 69-year-old unvaccinated male died Thanksgiving Day, after testing positive the day before. It’s the 65th COVID-related death in Riley County since the start of the pandemic. There were 73 additional recoveries in the past week, with active cases now totaling 100. Ascension Via Christi is caring for eight COVID-positive patients, including seven patients that are unvaccinated. Four patients are in the hospital’s Intensive Care Unit. The percent positive rate of new infections…