Author: Brandon Peoples

Updated as of 11 a.m. Wednesday Junction City Police and the Geary County Sheriff’s Office are investigating a threat made against Spring Valley Elementary School Wednesday morning. According to a release from JCPD Chief John Lamb, the threat was posted on social media and police immediately evacuated students and staff from the building upon learning of the threat. Police asked the public to avoid the area of the school while the investigation continued. An interior and exterior sweep of the building turned up no substantiated threats. Supervisors on scene said they believed there was no danger to any students or…

Three months ago, following the end of perhaps the most unusual school year in recent times, masks were coming off, restrictions were being lifted and the end of the COVID-19 pandemic seemed in sight. School administrators now though are wrestling with the harsh reality of a continuation of restrictions, due to rising COVID numbers, fueled by the more contagious Delta variant. For how long restrictions will be in place is anyone’s guess. Vaccination statuses won’t matter in the districts with mandates in place. Students under the age of 12 aren’t eligible for vaccines, further complicating decisions for school officials not…

Courtesy K-State Research & Extension MANHATTAN, Kan. – Representatives of two state organizations said that current programs are making headway in addressing Kansas’ looming housing crisis. “We know there are people who are unsheltered across the state and we know that many people are facing evictions,” said Ryan Vincent, the executive director of the Kansas Housing Resources Corporation, a nonprofit corporation that administers housing and community programs. Vincent was a featured speaker Aug. 6 during K-State Research and Extension’s monthly online series, First Friday e-Calls, which helps to nurture small businesses and inspire entrepreneurship in Kansas. He said that current statistics indicate…

The superintendent of schools in Geary County will be in place for another three years. USD 475 school board members voted Aug. 2 to extend Dr. Reginald Eggleston’s contract for three years, the maximum length allowed by Kansas statute. According to a district release, the decision was based on results of Dr. Eggleston’s leadership in keeping the schools open during the previous school year, despite the pandemic. He’s also credited with the district’s financial stability, partnerships with Fort Riley and Cloud County Community College and the opening of the new Junction City High School Aug. 25, according to Board Vice…

Travelers have kept the Manhattan Regional Airport busy this summer with July statistics comparing more closely to its pre-pandemic levels. Director Jesse Romo says more people traveled out of Manhattan in July than in any month during the pandemic. Romo says those numbers not only rival July 2019 enplanement numbers, but also reflect a strong summer travel season, which saw June enplanements down only 8 percent from June 2019. June numbers were also strong, according to Romo, trailing June 2019 enplanement numbers by 8 percent. The airport, which adheres to all federal policies, still requires all travelers to wear masks.…

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.