Author: Brandon Peoples

Nearly 3 and a half months after it caught fire, Manhattan’s Taco John’s restaurant remains closed. Manhattan Fire Department Fire Marshal Jake Powell gave a brief update on In Focus this week about the status of repairs at the store. Fire investigators in late May determined the March 28 fire was accidental, caused by ignited cooking oil on soiled towels in a storage area. Manhattan inspectors also this week issued a $13.2 million permit to Stormont Vail Healthcare for its new medical complex, on the east edge of the K-State campus. Powell says the city’s Risk Reduction team has approved…

A Junction City woman was injured late Wednesday morning when she lost control of her vehicle on US-77 in Marshall County. The Kansas Highway Patrol says 21-year-old Zelayha Vincent was southbound on the highway about 10 miles north of Randolph when her SUV left the roadway, entered the eastbound ditch and came to rest on the highway’s shoulder. It happened around 11:30 a.m. She was taken to Ascension Via Christi with injuries not believed to be life threatening. The crash report says she was wearing a seat belt.

A USD 383 school board member is providing some clarity on the district’s intent to seek voluntary culturally diverse teaching and learning training. During KMAN’s In Focus Wednesday, Curt Herrman said when the board initially approved the $61,500 purchase of Culturally Responsive Teaching and Learning training from BetterLesson, Inc. on April 21, the board wasn’t approving anything that was going to be part of curriculum, as has been suggested from opponents during each of the three previous school board meetings. The item was pulled from consideration at the board’s May 5 meeting after it was determined At Risk funding couldn’t…

Riley County health officials have confirmed that a 56-year-old unvaccinated male died June 30 after testing positive for COVID-19 earlier in the month. The health department says it’s the 44th COVID-related death in the county. The individual tested positive on June 6. As of Wednesday, 20 new positive Coronavirus cases were identified along with 18 additional recoveries since the previous weekly report. The percent of positive cases for the week of June 27 was 7.1 percent. Ascension Via Christi is caring for two COVID-positive patients, including one in the Intensive Care Unit. The health department also noted Wednesday that Riley…

Kansas State University says the number of students, faculty and staff who have received at least one COVID-19 vaccine dose has reached 72 percent. The report from Lafene Health Center officials exceeds the 70 percent goal of the nationwide COVID-19 Vaccine Challenge, a joint initiative from the White House and the U.S. Department of Education to challenge some 700 colleges and universities to reach the threshold by the fall. In a news release Wednesday, Lafene Medical Director Kyle Goerl called the milestone “a step in the right direction toward ending the COVID-19 pandemic.” He projects that 72 percent rate could…

While in-person conventions are slow to return to Manhattan, the number of people staying in hotels continues to rise. Manhattan Convention and Visitors Bureau Executive Director Karen Hibbard says early indications are that June hotel stays ticked up slightly. Official June numbers won’t be released until later this month. Hibbard says May numbers are also significantly better than the year before. The average daily rate for May was $110 compared to $77 in May 2020. Revenue per room was at $65 compared to $22 the year before. A number of events are planned during the month of July, including the…

One week remains until the deadline to register for the August 3 primary. July 13 is the deadline to do that. Voting by mail and advance voting begin on July 14, wrapping up at noon on Monday, Aug. 2. Advance voting at the Riley County Office Building will be offered weekdays from 8 to 5 p.m. beginning on the 14th as well as Saturday, July 31 from 8 a.m. to noon. Nine candidates are vying for three seats on the USD 383 school board. They include incumbent board member Karla Hagemeister, Jennifer Chua, Kevin Harms, Betty Mattingly-Ebert, Jayme Morris-Hardeman, Teresa…

Arrangements are pending for 22-year-old Jace Ward, of Wamego, who died over the weekend following a two year cancer battle. Family members say visitation will be held Thursday from 6 to 8:30 p.m. with a funeral at 2 p.m. Friday. Both will take place at Trinity Baptist Church in Wamego. A private graveside burial will follow. Ward was diagnosed with diffuse intrinsic pontine glioma (DIPG), a cancer of the brain which controls essential body functions. He was told he had an inoperable brain tumor and given nine months to live and outpaced that, surviving 26 months. He died Saturday. Ward…

Police in St. Mays arrested a 45 year old man late Friday for reckless driving and for purposely trying to cause a wreck with other drivers. According to police, the man was observed driving westbound on Highway 24 and entering St. Marys at around 8 p.m. Officers intercepted the suspect vehicle, which was reportedly intentionally driving head-on in opposing traffic in an attempt to collide with other drivers. The vehicle was stopped at the 100 block of Bertrand Ave. The man, who’s name was not immediately released was taken into custody for suspicion of driving under the influence and aggravated…

The Manhattan Fire Department made quick work of a structure fire Friday morning. Just after 8 a.m. firefighters were dispatched to 1621 Woodcrest Drive for the report of a fire in the garage of a town home. The building was showing light smoke when firefighters arrived on scene. The fire was knocked down within five minutes. A team of more than a dozen firefighters responded, clearing the scene within less than three hours. No injuries were reported. The one-story building contains three town homes, but the fire was contained to just one unit, with only smoke damage in the other…