Author: Brandon Peoples

Time is running out for the many thousands of Americans and Afghan civilians fleeing Afghanistan ahead of President Joe Biden’s Aug. 31 deadline to withdraw troops. Fatima Jaghoori is a Kansas State University student, who served in Iraq with the U.S. Army. Her husband, also was a combat veteran, died serving in Afghanistan during Operation Enduring Freedom. She shared her story this week with News Radio KMAN. (The entire interview is shared at the bottom of this page.) Her family knows the Taliban violence all too well. They fled the region, emigrating to the U.S. in 1999 following her father’s…

Some residents in southern Riley County and a portion of Wabaunsee County were without power for as long as 4 hours Wednesday evening. Bluestem Electric Cooperative says the cause for the outage was burnt power lines across US Hwy 177 south of Manhattan. It impacted the Hunter Island substation as well as areas south of Manhattan. Bluestem General Manager Mike Morton tells KMAN there was actually a burnt line laying across the road for some time. Fortunately there were no injuries. Morton says it appears it may have been the result of a lightning strike, perhaps within the past month…

The first day of classes at USD 378 Riley County Schools is Thursday. Superintendent Cliff Williams says preliminary enrollment figures for the new school year have been promising. According to Williams, part of the reason for that increase is based on the district hosting preschool, through the Twin Lakes Educational Cooperative (TLEC), which includes five rural school districts in the region. Neighboring USD 384 Blue Valley Schools hosted the preschool last year. USD 384 Superintendent John Cox says he too is projecting a modest increase in enrollment this fall. The official count date for Kansas school districts is Sept. 20.

The superintendent at USD 378 Riley County Schools says an investigation into a scam earlier this month continues. On KMAN’s In Focus Wednesday, Cliff Williams clarified the nature of the scam, which cost the district more than $115,000. Williams says other than that, there’s very little he can comment on. The incident was reported to Riley County Police on Aug. 4.

No injuries were reported following a house fire near Manhattan City Park Tuesday evening. The Manhattan Fire Department was dispatched shortly before 6:30 p.m. to the 1300 block of Fremont Street. Upon arrival, firefighters found a large single-family, 2 and a half story home showing fire from the rear. Officials say the fire reached a second alarm before being contained in just over 10 minutes. Occupants were home at the time of the fire and safely escaped before firefighters arrived. Crews also located and removed an uninjured dog in the home. Close to two dozen firefighters responded to the blaze,…

Authorities in Pottawatomie County are seeking the public’s help identifying two persons of interest in an ongoing investigation into a vehicle burglary. According to Sheriff Shane Jager, the incident occurred July 24 in the 6000 block of Riverpond Road at Tuttle Creek State Park. Among the items stolen from the vehicle were financial cards. The Sheriff’s Office provided photos of the two persons of interest, appearing to be a white male and white female, both wearing face coverings, exiting the Manhattan Target store. Anyone who can identify these two individuals are asked to contact Captain Stewart at 785-457-3353 or leave…

Pottawatomie County commissioners this week unanimously approved a $36.2 million overall budget for fiscal year 2022. The mill levy is up a whole mill from last year. Commissioner Dee McKee explained on KMAN’s In Focus Tuesday, that it’s primarily attributed to increased personnel wages and a $1.4 million increase into the county’s Special Highway fund for future road and bridge improvements. At Monday’s meeting commissioner Pat Weixelman voiced his support for the budget. Commission Chair Greg Riat also supported the budget. The full published budget is available below.

USD 383’s Child Nutrition department has resolved its food supply chain concerns for the time being. The district said Monday that Ben E. Keith Co. and F&A Food Sales, Inc., along with Hiland Dairy Foods and Liberty Fruit Company have increased services to meet the food supply need for students. The announcement comes nearly a week after district officials reported their primary food supplier Sysco had cancelled its contract with USD 383 earlier this month. Sysco has cancelled contracts with several Kansas school districts stemming from staffing shortages. As a result, USD 383 says it has high confidence that all…

The superintendents at USD 323 Rock Creek and USD 320 Wamego both say they’re exploring the concept of utilizing a supervised quarantine room in school buildings if necessary. The idea for quarantine rooms comes amid severe limitations on the use of remote learning instituted by the Kansas Legislature and schools trying to keep their state funding by having students in the classroom. Students who are quarantined could be forced out of the classroom for up to eight days. In Rock Creek Schools, no active quarantine room exists right now, but Superintendent Kevin Logan tells KMAN that his district utilized the…

Pottawatomie County commissioners agreed Monday to use $100,000 in American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds to support up to four additional positions for its overwhelmed health department. Health Department Director Leslie Campbell says her nursing staff, which includes she, the local health officer and two nurses, have been fielding a growing number of concerns and questions from school officials daily. Many, she says, are trying to navigate uncertainty as transmission rates and quarantines increase. Campbell says her department has fielded numerous phone calls the past few weeks from school officials, including superintendents about what protocols they should be following. In…