Author: Brandon Peoples

An official ribbon cutting for the new Junction City High School will take place next month. School officials announced Thursday they’re planning to unveil the new $132 million, $437,000 square foot facility at 10 a.m. Oct. 9. Students will lead tours following the ribbon cutting. The new school, which broke ground in April 2019, opened to students and staff in late August and replaces the former high school, which was built nearly 70 years ago. The district initially had planned to host the public tours in August but was forced to reschedule due to construction delays.

10:30 a.m. Thursday update A 7 year-old boy is recovering at a Topeka hospital after being struck by a car while waiting at a bus stop Wednesday morning. The boy, identified in RCPD’s activity report as Tommy Hagadorn-Brecken, was crossing the roadway when he was hit by a 2017 Chevy Cruze driven by 78-year-old Andrew Spencer Tomb III, of Manhattan. The incident occurred just after 8 a.m. Wednesday near the intersection of Tuttle Cove Road and Terra Heights Drive. The child was airlifted to Stormont Vail Hospital for serious, but not life threatening injuries. Original Story – 10:50 a.m. Wednesday…

The City of Herington’s Police Chief and Assistant Chief have been ordered to appear in court for allegedly entering a home without a search warrant. The Kansas Bureau of Investigation said Wednesday that 36-year-old Police Chief John Matula was ordered to appear in Dickinson County District Court, along with 43-year-old Assistant Police Chief Curtis Tyra. Matula faces allegations of criminal damage to property and criminal trespass. Tyra is accused of criminal trespass. The incident in question is believed to have occurred on May 18 when the two allegedly forced entry into a residence without a search warrant. KBI continues to…

Two additional COVID-related deaths have been confirmed by the Riley County Health Department, bringing the pandemic total for the county to 57. In the latest report, published Wednesday, the health department said a 51-year-old unvaccinated woman died Sept. 3 after testing positive three weeks earlier. The other individual, a 75-year-old man, was identified by the Kansas Department of Health and Environment as a probable case and verified by the Office of Victim Services. That individual was said to have died Sept. 15, 2020, nearly one year ago. At the time of his death the vaccine was not authorized or available.…

COVID numbers are said to be improving at St. George Elementary following an outbreak of cases last week. At one point, as many as 22 cases had been reported since Sept. 2, the most of any active cluster in the state according to the Kansas Department of Health and Environment’s website Wednesday. Rock Creek Schools Superintendent Kevin Logan provided an update on the situation during KMAN’s In Focus. Elsewhere, he says there have been less than a handful of positive cases at the middle and high school and at Westmoreland Elementary. The district has implemented test to stay and test…

Geary County authorities apprehended a wanted man Tuesday morning after he briefly eluded police officers. The Geary County Sheriff’s Office says David Paul Jones, was brought into custody shortly before 11:30 a.m. He was wanted out of Dickinson County for domestic battery. Authorities say Jones ran from police after he had been spotted near the Otter Creek Bridge on Lyons Creek Road, south of Junction City. He was located about an hour later where he was arrested without incident.

An April trial date is set for a Manhattan man accused of murdering two people last fall in the Stagg Hill area. At a Tuesday hearing, Judge John Bosch set a trial date of April 5, with a two-week setting for Montrell Vassar, who is charged in the shooting deaths of 23-year-old Javon Gray and 19-year-old Skyler Havens on October 9, 2020. Vassar, who remains in custody, entered a not guilty plea earlier this year. Prosecutors have alleged in previous court hearings that Vassar acted with pre-meditation and that the two men were gunned down from behind. A pretrial hearing…

Police say a 62-year-old man was the most recent victim of an internet scam Monday which saw him purchasing nearly $6,000 in gift cards for an unknown suspect. RCPD says a report for theft was filed Monday afternoon in the 1900 block of Casement Road. According to the report, the suspect stole $5,950 in miscellaneous gift cards from the victim during the scheme. Anyone with information is urged to contact RCPD or Crime Stoppers. These types of scams are all too common, especially among senior citizens and often involve victims being asked to purchase pre-paid cards, which can be harder…

Police are investigating the theft of more than a dozen firearms from an unoccupied Manhattan house over Labor Day weekend. Riley County Police filed a burglary report Sunday in the 900 block of Dehoff Drive, listing a 42-year-old man as the victim. According to Tuesday’s RCPD activity report, an unknown suspect took 11 rifles, a 20 gauge shotgun and multiple handguns in addition to scopes and sights. The estimated total loss associated with this case is approximately $15,250. According to police, the homeowners were out of town at the time of the incident. Police are asking anyone with information to…

A future paving project along Salzer Road near Wamego is on hold temporarily as Pottawatomie County officials work with area land owners to begin right-of-way acquisition discussions. The county wants to pave a one mile stretch of Salzer from Say Road north to Elm Slough Road, the latter of which is also on the docket for future paving between Wamego and St. George. Commissioner Dee McKee said Aug. 30 she’d like to fund such projects utilizing some sort of benefit district. However, county counselor John Watt says current state law prohibits counties from doing so and likely would require a…