Author: Brandon Peoples

The longtime executive director of the Riley County Historical Museum has died. Cheryl Collins passed away Wednesday morning at age 68 following a brief illness, according to the Manhattan Mercury. She served as director of the museum for more than three decades and was a frequent guest on KMAN’s In Focus, where she made her final appearance back in July. She started at the museum in 1981 and became director of the museum in 1988. “We are completely heartbroken. She was one of the best and is so missed already,” said Allana Parker, curator of design at the museum in…

Demand for bus drivers remains high for the USD 383 Manhattan-Ogden Transportation Department. Close to a dozen maintenance employees and district mechanics are filling in on those routes in the interim. Assistant Superintendent Eric Reid says with activities well underway, it’s putting a strain on an already thin pool of available drivers. Reid says the district already double routes secondary schools but says they may have to go to a double route and then add a third route for elementary students if the shortage persists. Reid says having maintenance staff covering bus routes is fine in the interim, but not…

Vandalism has been occurring recently in restrooms at Manhattan High School, as well as both middle schools, following a national trend on social media. School officials sounded the alarm on the issue at Wednesday’s school board meeting, with Superintendent Marvin Wade condemning it and promising action against those responsible. The trend, popular on TikTok, is called “Devious Licks” and encourages students to steal classroom items including hand sanitizer, face masks or other items to increase views on their videos. The media company has said it is removing such content from its platform. Manhattan High Principal Michael Dorst told school board…

Masks will remain a requirement inside all Manhattan-Ogden school facilities for at least the next five weeks. School board members approved Wednesday the latest pandemic response plan update in a 5-2 vote, extending universal masking on campuses through Oct. 22. Board member Brandy Santos has opposed masks from the start and did so again Wednesday. Board member Darell Edie previously supported universal masking but voted against it this time saying he believes it may not be as effective as most health experts say it is at mitigating the spread. Part of the updated plan includes the newly updated data dashboard,…

Riley County has identified 118 new coronavirus cases in the past week and 98 additional recoveries. The latest report Wednesday, Sept. 15 also showed six unvaccinated patients being treated at Ascension Via Christi. One patient is in the hospital’s Intensive Care Unit. Health officials say there are 196 active positive cases and since December there have been 160 cases from variants of concern. The weekly percent positive rate for Sept. 5 through Sept. 11 was 7.1 percent, up from 5.5 percent the week before. The two week average is 6.28 percent. The Riley County Health Department has fully vaccinated 22,510…

Manhattan Parks & Rec officials are eager to open the third of three new recreational facilities later this month. Recreation Director Randi Clifford, says over the past few weeks the department has been ironing out its staffing needs for the Eisenhower Rec Center. He told Parks Advisory Board members this week the initial plans for a ribbon cutting and open house. An official time hasn’t been confirmed for the ribbon cutting but Clifford says they hope to have that confirmed by the end of this week. Parks & Rec Director Eddie Eastes says overall, the process of opening up three…

Former Assistant Manhattan City Manager Dennis Marstall has accepted a new position out of state. Marstall, who resigned from the city in late August, has accepted a job as County Administrator in Lancaster County, South Carolina. He’ll begin his new duties Oct. 18. Marstall, a K-State graduate has ties to the southeast region, having come to Manhattan in January 2019 after a 12 year stint with the City of Charlotte, North Carolina. In an email to KMAN late last month, Mayor Wynn Butler confirmed Marstall’s departure from the city but gave no indication as to why he left after just…

The Rock Creek USD 323 school board on Monday heard from patrons both in favor and against masks in schools. The issue was revisited following a recent outbreak of COVID-19 at St. George Elementary which has since improved. After hearing all public comments the board took no action. Masks remain optional for teachers, staff and students. Superintendent Kevin Logan tells KMAN, that as of Monday, there were four positive cases at St. George Elementary, a sharp decrease from the 19 reported last Wednesday. Elsewhere across the district on Monday, two positive cases were identified at Rock Creek Middle School and…

Masks will likely be required in Manhattan-Ogden schools for the next five weeks. The school board on Wednesday will consider extending the end date of its mask order from September 24 to October 22. Superintendent Marvin Wade will present the updated pandemic response plan during Wednesday’s 6:30 p.m. meeting at the Robinson Education Center. The plan was adopted Aug. 11 ahead of the new school year. According to the district, the data for the most recent week available (Aug. 29 through Sept. 4) includes an increasing percent positive rate, a decrease in attendance rates for both students and staff and…

The suspect in a recent Riley County Police Department sex crimes investigation made his first court appearance Monday since he was arrested Friday. 31-year-old Vincent Meeks is charged with 10 total counts including rape, three counts of aggravated indecent liberties and three counts of solicitation of minors. Meeks is accused of sexually assaulting at least three different minors all between the ages of 14 and 15. He’s additionally charged with criminal threat against a fourth minor as well as two alcohol-related charges involving minors. Judge John Bosch has assigned the case to Judge Kendra Lewison. Meeks will next appear in…