Author: Brandon Peoples

Wamego High School students had a rare day off from school Tuesday due to a power outage. Interim Superintendent Greg Mann in a Facebook post detailed that an electrical transformer failed. No other schools were affected. Power was restored before noon Tuesday, but school officials opted to keep the high school closed for the remainder of the day. The district is planning a normal school day Wednesday.

Pottawatomie County commissioners voted 2-1 Monday to approve changes to the county’s Unified Development Regulations. One of the biggest changes to the regulations is the removal of a one year waiting period for Planning Commissioners following a second term. Commissioner Dee McKee was opposed. County Planner Stephan Metzger says in the past 20 years, only about half of the planning commissioners finished out their first two terms before seeing some overturn. In addition, the application of regulations was changed to significantly limit the amount of uses that are entirely exempt from county regulations. The usages that remain are for agricultural…

Riley County Police are investigating the report of a home burglary that saw suspects escape with over $30,000 in valuables. Officers filed a burglary report Monday in the 100 block of Harvard Place, listing a 21 and 26 year old female as victims. Police say an unknown male and female suspect entered the unoccupied home and stole a Louis Vuitton wallet and belt and miscellaneous jewelry items. Total loss is estimated at $30,560.

The Junction City Fire Department and other emergency personnel were dispatched just before 4 a.m. Tuesday to a major gas leak in front of the USD 475 McConnell Maintenance Center on Old 40 Highway. Upon arrival, the fire department identified an above ground natural gas transmission valve station, with a high volume of gas coming out of the release valve. A short time later, a Kansas Gas Service technician arrived along with transmission line service personnel from Manhattan. The gas leak led to a slight delay for district staff heading into work this morning. The gas leak was shut off…

Riley County Police are continuing to investigate a weekend homicide that occurred in Manhattan. Detectives are seeking additional information about the whereabouts of suspect Kamahl Bobian on the evening of Sept. 24 and early morning hours of Sept. 25. He is accused of 1st degree murder in the death of his ex-wife Shanell Bobian. He’s also charged with violating a protection order and remains jailed on a $1 million bond. Police are asking anyone who came into contact with or observed Kamahl Bobian during those hours, to contact Detective Goggins at 785-537-2112 ext. 2365.

Riley County Police are investigating after a shooting that occurred Monday, north of Randolph. According to police, a 66-year-old male gunshot victim was taken to Ascension Via Christi for treatment. The victim’s condition wasn’t immediately available. Police say the shooting happened just after 3 p.m. Monday on Roblyer Road, off Tuttle Creek Blvd. The victim reported being shot by 69-year-old Larry Wurtz, of Manhattan, after an altercation between the two. Wurtz was also transported to the Manhattan hospital, but for an unrelated medical issue. Wurtz was taken to the Riley County Jail after being released from the hospital and is…

An investigation is underway into the murder of a 27-year-old Manhattan woman early Saturday morning. According to the Riley County Police Department, officers initially responded to the report of a possible homicide in the 400 block of South 12th Street. The suspect, identified as 27-year-old Kamahl Bobian, reportedly fled the scene.  He was apprehended by Topeka Police after crashing his vehicle near the intersection of I-70 and West 1st Ave. in Topeka. The victim, identified as 27-year-old Shanell Bobian, was located at a separate, undisclosed scene. Kamahl Bobian was jailed Saturday afternoon in Shawnee County, awaiting extradition to Riley County.…

A 35-year-old Manhattan man is jailed in connection to past sex crimes. Riley County Police arrested Skyler James Berry Thursday on charges of aggravated criminal sodomy, two counts of rape and aggravated indecent liberties with a child. A police report was filed May 28. The crimes are alleged to have occurred in Manhattan in December 2020 and February 2021. Barry is confined in the Riley County Jail on a $250,000 total bond. Due to the nature of the crime, police aren’t releasing any additional information.

Nearly $6 million in federal funding has been approved to fund an upcoming runway improvement project at the Manhattan Regional Airport. U.S. Senators Roger Marshall and Jerry Moran announced Thursday that $5.9 million dollars from the Department of Defense has been awarded to the city for the needed expansion which will occur in 2023. Airport Director Jesse Romo says the aid is significant since the Federal Aviation Administration has only agreed to fund 100 feet of the runway reconstruction. The total cost of the project is estimated at around $54.5 million, with the FAA expected to pick up over $43…

Pottawatomie County officials are looking into a cyberattack on certain county computer networks and systems that occurred on Sept. 17. According to a statement from Public Information Officer Becky Ryan, the breach encrypted multiple servers, preventing county employees from accessing many of their everyday systems. She says immediate steps were taken to isolate the affected systems and it does not appear that 9-1-1, Fire, EMS and the Sheriff’s department were impacted. It’s unclear yet the full extent of the cyberattack but Ryan says the county is working diligently to identify the scope of the affected data and how it was…