Author: Brandon Peoples

Renovations at the 104-year-old Community House in Manhattan are now finalized, bringing new life to the historic downtown facility. The building, which has been partially occupied since the early summer now is 93 percent occupied. Mayor Wynn Butler says the developer, Ben Burton of Switchgrass Development, has done a nice job of keeping the building’s historic integrity with modernized space for mixed use purposes. The city sold the property for $1 in 2019 to Burton and his partners who promised to maintain the building’s historic integrity. The developer spent over $3 million investing in the property which not only includes…

Students are back in classes today at USD 383 Manhattan/Ogden Schools. Wednesday is a half day for all students. The first full day of classes is Thursday. Students and staff are required to wear masks in all indoor school spaces, regardless of vaccination status. Unlike last fall when students attended class remotely and in person in a hybrid mode, all students this year are back in the classroom five days a week on site. It’s also a pivotal year for the school district, with the opening of the brand new Oliver Brown Elementary School in Blue Township. Sixth graders also…

School speed zones are in effect beginning Wednesday across Manhattan. Riley County Police Department officer Josh Berard says those speed zones aren’t just a recommendation. Berard says if you’re someone who tends to run late, give yourself some extra time on your morning commute. He shares some specific tips for pedestrians at crosswalks. Fines for those speeding in school zones are doubled. Berard says RCPD won’t have any special enforcement this week but stand ready if residents encounter any problems. Berard says the extended stop sign on a bus, is essentially the same as a stop sign on the street,…

The suspect involved in a multi-county pursuit Monday involving a stolen vehicle was brought into custody Tuesday afternoon in Ogden without incident. According to the Riley County Police Department, 32-year-old Joshua Jones was arrested shortly after 1 p.m. Police blocked off a stretch of 10th Street in Ogden Tuesday in a follow up to the overnight manhunt. The Geary County Sheriff’s Office said Jones was wanted for possession of stolen property, felony fleeing and eluding and aggravated kidnapping. Jones had been sought after Geary County deputies attempted to a traffic stop Monday on I-70 near Junction City. Jones then reportedly…

A former Junction City High School athletic trainer will spend two months in jail and three years on probation for sending obscene photos and text messages to an underage student. Brandon Martino was sentenced Monday in Geary County Court after entering a no contest plea last month to a single count of sexual exploitation of a child. The Kansas Board of Healing Arts also suspended his license last month after a patient under the age of 18 alleged they received explicit text messages from Martino, including a nude photo of himself. Martino was suspended from his position at Junction City…

A former Northview Elementary paraprofessional charged with multiple counts of sexual exploitation will appear in court Tuesday afternoon for a status hearing. Online court documents show that 31-year-old Aaron Zachry was charged with 15 new counts on Friday out of Geary County, all of which include sexual exploitation of a child. Zachry was arrested at Northview Pool in early June for suspicious activity. An investigation led to a total of seven charges of sexual exploitation of a child in Riley County. He’s now charged with 22 total counts overall. Zachry is scheduled for a 1 p.m. preliminary examination status hearing…

Riley County emergency personnel responded to two injury crashes north of Manhattan over the weekend, both of which resulted in driver citations. According to Monday’s RCPD activity report, the first one occurred around Friday evening at the intersection of Seth Child and Marlatt Ave. Police say a passenger car driven by 73-year-old Doris Henson, of Manhattan, drove through a stop sign at the intersection. Her car was struck nearly head on by a swerving oncoming pickup, driven by 36-year-old Brady Colp, of Manhattan. Henson was transported privately for treatment of injuries and cited for failure to yield right of way.…

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers reopened the road and stilling basin area at the base of the dam at Tuttle Creek Reservoir. The road reopened Thursday after the completion of a nearly 4-year construction project in the area commonly referred to as the “tubes.” This also means the east half of Outlet Park and the west entrance to the Riverpond Area of Tuttle Creek State Park is now open. The project started in early 2018, but then stalled in 2019 after high waters prevented work from taking place for several months. The lake filled to near capacity in June…

New COVID cases dropped somewhat in Riley County over the past week, but hospitalizations remain fairly steady. Nine positive patients were hospitalized in Manhattan Thursday with at least four being treated in the ICU. Health Department Director Julie Gibbs says most of the hospitalizations involve those who have not been vaccinated. The health department is planning vaccine clinics over the weekend, including one Saturday at Manhattan Town Center. The other will take place at Little Apple Brewing Company from 12:30 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. Sunday where the single-dose Johnson & Johnson vaccine will be administered. Those who get vaccinated will…

One person was killed Thursday in a fiery crash on I-70 in Dickinson County. The Kansas Highway Patrol says an eastbound Chevy Equinox crossed the center line and struck a westbound semi truck head on shortly before 12:30 p.m. According to Trooper Ben Gardner, the crash happened around mile marker 284, near Chapman. The driver of the Equinox, identified as 34-year-old Ryan Pack of Abilene, was pronounced dead on scene. The semi driver was not injured but his truck was destroyed. The crash caused a closure of the interstate for several hours while crews investigated.