Author: Brandon Peoples

A retired Army veteran from Manhattan will head up the Kansas agency which oversees veterans affairs. Gov. Laura Kelly announced Friday Brigadier General (ret’d) William Turner as the new Director of the Kansas Commission on Veterans Affairs Office (KCVAO). Kelly, in a release, said General Turner has gained a wealth of experience in program management, executive leadership and collaboration through his distinguished military service. “I am grateful to Governor Kelly for this opportunity to lead Kansas’ efforts to provide quality care and professionalism for our Veterans and their families,” Brigadier General Turner said. “It is an honor and privilege to represent…

The National Bio and Agro Defense Facility continues to transition services from Plum Island to its facility here in Manhattan. Part of that transition includes developing a new inventory system for bio-materials. Dr. Chuck Dodd is the Transition Program Manager at the Plum Island Animal Disease Center. Dr. Dodd is also overseeing the massive undertaking of scanning and processing of more than 66 years of hard copy documents within Plum Island’s bio-containment areas. Many of these documents can not be decontaminated. Once the digitization process is finished, the hard copy documents will be destroyed. Dodd likens the entire process to…

Active duty soldiers at Fort Riley may soon be mandated to receive the COVID-19 vaccine. Gen. Perry Wiggins, who heads up Gov. Laura Kelly’s military council spoke about the potential mandate Thursday on KMAN’s In Focus. According to the New York Times, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin has said previously he would not be comfortable with a mandate until vaccines are fully approved by the Food and Drug Administration. However, after a returning from Asia this week, Mr. Austin reportedly asked military services how and when they would go about putting a mandate in place. Wiggins says vaccine mandates are not…

Riley County Police say USD 378 Riley County Schools were scammed out of over $115,000. According to the Thursday’s incident report, an employee was scammed by an unknown person pretending to be part of an insurance company to send them money. The scam occurred Wednesday, with an exact loss of $115,388. Police are asking anyone who receives a similar type of call to report it to RCPD and submit any tips to Manhattan Riley County Crime Stoppers.

A Kansas State University employee has been arrested for possessing and trading child pornography. According to a release from K-State Police Wednesday, 60-year-old William Hynek, Jr. was charged Tuesday with sexual exploitation of a child and internet trading in child pornography. This followed a July 30 tip received about a report of computer crimes. He remains in custody at the Riley County Jail on a $20,000 bond. Hynek was most recently employed as a senior plumber in the College of Veterinary Medicine building’s maintenance department, according to its website.

July sales tax numbers for the City of Manhattan showed continued gains for a third straight month. July numbers reflect revenues collected in May as the city’s numbers lag two months behind. The city’s one percent sales tax brought in roughly $1.04 million compared to just over $865,000 in May 2020. City Manager Ron Fehr says overall it’s encouraging from where the city was during the early part of the pandemic. Mayor Wynn Butler says it’s a sign of a strong local economy. Revenues year-to-date are $465,000 over projection. A link to the July sales tax reports and comparison breakdowns…

A Pennsylvania motorcyclist was injured Tuesday morning in a crash on I-70 in Riley County. The Kansas Highway Patrol says the 73-year-old rider was eastbound near mile marker 318, about five miles east of the Manhattan exit when his bike left the roadway and traveled into the center median. The crash report says the man, identified as Robert Nemcik was partially ejected, but was wearing a helmet. He was transported to Stormont Vail Hospital in Topeka with minor injuries.

Six candidates are moving on in the USD 383 school board race following the first primary in over a quarter century. Christine Weixelman, a former Northview Elementary nurse received more votes than any other candidate, with 2,425. Local business owner Betty Mattingly-Ebert finished in second place with 2,270 votes and former Manhattan city commissioner and Thrive! Flint Hills executive director Jayme Morris-Hardeman wasn’t far behind in third place with 2,222 votes. The lone incumbent, Karla Hagemeister finished fourth in voting with Steven Ruzzin and Teresa Parks rounding out the top six in the field. Tuesday’s results don’t factor in mail…

Students and staff in Geary County schools are now required to wear masks indoors. The USD 475 school board voted unanimously Monday to update the district’s COVID-19 mitigation plan, given the county’s rapid rise in COVID-19 cases. It goes into effect immediately and extends to all district facilities and vehicles, including school buses. The mask policy will remain in place until Oct. 8, when board members will re-evaluate. The move follows the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s guidelines for K-12 schools released on July 27. If a vaccinated student or staff member is exposed to COVID-19, the district says…

A Junction City man and three others were killed Monday in a head on crash near Garden City, Missouri, about an hour southeast of Kansas City. The Missouri State Highway Patrol reported a semi truck driven by Everett Ashley of Lowry City, Missouri lost control in the southbound lanes of MO Hwy 7 at Route Z. The semi traveled into an embankment and into the northbound lanes of the highway. It then struck a northbound SUV driven by 61-year-old Stephen Bennett, of Junction City head-on. Bennett was transported to a local hospital, where he later died. Ashley and two passengers…