Author: Brandon Peoples

A Manhattan man was seriously injured in an early Sunday morning motorcycle wreck in the 4200 block of Anderson Ave. near Scenic Drive. According to the Riley County Police Department, officers found a Harley Davidson driven by 38-year-old Isaac Espurvoa had hit the median of Anderson Ave. while traveling westbound shortly before 3:30 a.m. Sunday. The bike then crossed both westbound lanes and hit the outside curb. RCPD says Espurvoa was transported by Riley County EMS to Ascension Via Christi and later life-flighted to Stormont Vail Hospital for treatment of major head injuries. An update on his condition wasn’t immediately…

The deadline for Kansas State University employees to file an exemption to the federal COVID-19 vaccine mandate has passed. Roughly 5% of the more than 9,000 university employees requested exemptions by Friday, according to K-State spokesperson Michelle Geering. She tells KMAN that 455 employees filed requests, either due to religious or medical reasons. The university said it doesn’t plan to release information on how many exemptions were for either purpose. Geering added that 82% of faculty and staff were vaccinated, according to estimates from early last week. The deadline for employees to get fully vaccinated has been extended to Jan.…

Firefighters were kept busy Saturday after a pair of house fires were reported in Manhattan. Just after 5:30 p.m. the Manhattan Fire Department was dispatched to 2025 Tecumseh Road for a single-story house showing fire from the rear. Crews made an aggressive attack on the fire, completed a search and had control of the fire within 20 minutes. One occupant, outside of the home at the time firefighters arrived, was transported by Riley County EMS to Ascension Via Christi for smoke inhalation. One firefighter was also injured on scene and transported to the hospital, and was treated and released. Loss…

RANDOLPH, Kan. — Masks are required in USD 384 Blue Valley Schools, at least for the foreseeable future. Superintendent John Cox tells KMAN the district had been operating as mask optional before an uptick in new cases after Halloween. He says the board called an emergency meeting last Saturday. “We decided it was time to go back to masks. It’s been so far a really good deal. We had several kids come back from their first round of quarantines right back into the schools so they can stay in school,” he said. The district has also implemented its test to…

Riley County Police are asking the public’s help tracking down a Manhattan man with an active warrant. John Galloway is wanted for failure to appear for a trial surrounding aggravated burglaries in December 2019 and January 2020 as well as an attempted aggravated burglary and separate theft, both from January 2020. The trial was slated to begin Tuesday in Riley County District Court, with Judge John Bosch presiding. Anyone with information as to Galloway’s whereabouts are asked to contact RCPD or Crime Stoppers.

New coronavirus cases in Riley County continue to climb, with the health department Thursday confirming 116 new positives and two additional deaths since last week’s report. The health department says the two deaths involved a 63-year-old unvaccinated female from Oct. 15 and a 46-year-old unvaccinated male on July 29. Lab tests confirmed COVID-19 as a contributing factor of death. The pandemic total of COVID-related deaths in Riley County is now 64. Active cases are now at 161, with the percent positive rate of new COVID infections jumping to 8 percent in the past week with 113 positives out of over…

Riley County Police are investigating an aggravated robbery at the Dillon’s Westloop store in Manhattan. According to RCPD’s activity report, two suspects allegedly under rung their items at the self-checkout Tuesday afternoon and left the store. The loss associated is unknown. A 28-year-old male, working security approached one of the suspects, a 59-year-old male, who pulled a handgun on him. He and a 57-year-old female then left the store in a 2002 black Ford Taurus. Police have identified the two suspects but so far haven’t brought them into custody. Anyone with additional information is urged to call RCPD or Crime…

A former Manhattan Parks & Recreation employee charged with sex crimes was in Pottawatomie County District Court Tuesday. Zach Bayless appeared in court for a status hearing. Pottawatomie County Attorney Sherri Schuck tells KMAN that Judge Erich Campbell set a potential waiver of preliminary hearing and arraignment for Dec. 16 at 1:30 p.m. It’s possible Bayless could reach a plea deal with prosecutors, but the two sides have yet to finalize any agreement. The former recreation supervisor was arrested in May on two counts of sexual exploitation of a child, including possession of sexually explicit conduct involving a minor. Investigators…

Riley County Police are investigating an apparent string of vehicle burglaries reported over the weekend in Ogden. According to Monday’s activity report, RCPD filed multiple reports after suspects reportedly entered approximately 22 vehicles sometime in the early hours of Nov. 13. While most residents reported little to no loss, some weren’t as fortunate. RCPD says items stolen included a Sony Playstation 4 and Apple Airpods from a car in the 500 block of 13th Street in Ogden. Additionally, RCPD filed a report for criminal damage to property Monday afternoon in the 200 block of 12th Street in Ogden after Habitat…

Donations of lingerie and other clothing items specifically for women and girls were on display Tuesday over the lunch hour at the Manhattan Arts Center. The center hosted the 14th annual Lingerie Alight event for the Fairy Godmothers group, a local chapter of over 100 Manhattan area women helping women. Board member Cheryl Grice says the event benefits four local nonprofit organizations. On display were three tables, and several racks of clothing from socks and pajamas, to bras, underwear and nightgowns. Grice says the Fairy Godmothers specifically target items of need for women in crisis. Each of the agencies, (The…