Author: Brandon Peoples

The Manhattan Fire Department made quick work of a structure fire Friday morning. Just after 8 a.m. firefighters were dispatched to 1621 Woodcrest Drive for the report of a fire in the garage of a town home. The building was showing light smoke when firefighters arrived on scene. The fire was knocked down within five minutes. A team of more than a dozen firefighters responded, clearing the scene within less than three hours. No injuries were reported. The one-story building contains three town homes, but the fire was contained to just one unit, with only smoke damage in the other…

Manhattan city officials are planning to remove the Mayor’s Holiday Tree in Triangle Park. The 18-foot-tall Colorado Spruce was planted in 2019 to replace the nearly 20-year-old blue spruce that blew down in high winds earlier that year. According to a release from the city Friday, the city’s Forestry Supervisor J. David Mattox said the new tree failed to get adequately established after transport and did not survive the transplant shock. No disease was present. The department will remove the tree in the coming weeks. Discussion of next steps to provide a holiday tree in Triangle Park are pending.

One of the 10 Manhattan residents to file for the USD 383 school board race has withdrawn his name from consideration. Bill Spiegel, who filed at the deadline, announced Wednesday on his Facebook page that he was dropping out of the race due to a potential conflict of interest between the district and his wife’s employer Varney & Associates. Spiegel said in a statement he believed the situation had been vetted but because of new unspecified information that had come up decided it was best to withdraw. Since he did register ahead of the June 1 deadline, Spiegel’s name will…

Boomtown will be bustling this weekend for the return of the annual 4th of July pyro musical. Wamego officials are expecting larger than normal crowds as a result of the pandemic shutdowns last year. Wamego Chamber of Commerce Events Coordinator Kara Holle says city officials are hoping visitors will execute patience this holiday weekend. Shuttle parking for the parade and fireworks show is available in the red lot, (Wamego High School sports complex) and the green lot (Wamego Middle School). Holle also detailed changes for Sunday’s parade. The parade starts at 6 p.m. Sunday and will be followed by a…

The Riley County Fair returns later this month and it was recently announced that the fair will in fact have a full carnival. Extension Director Gary Fike says it’s good news after COVID canceled most fair activities last year. Fike says Ottaway Amusements is working with another carnival company to bring in more rides to the fair. There will also be a wristband night at the fair. Fike says since they had initially planned on not having much of a carnival, many vendors had opted to pull out of this year’s fair, without the prospect of high foot traffic. The…

The Kansas Board of Healing Arts has indefinitely suspended the license of a former Junction City High School athletic trainer. Brandon Martino was arrested in February by Geary County authorities on two counts of sexual exploitation of a child. He was also charged with two counts of promoting obscenity to minors. According to the order, a student patient who was under 18, received a sexually explicit text message from Martino, including a nude image of himself. The full order is available to the public at ksbha.org.

Fireworks sales officially open up at noon Thursday in Manhattan continuing through Sunday, July 4. By city ordinance, residents can use fireworks 8 a.m. to midnight Thursday through Sunday. Because fireworks pose a risk for burns and injuries, local officials are urging safety this holiday weekend. Fire Marshal Jake Powell with the Manhattan Fire Department has some safety tips to keep in mind. Discharge is allowed from 8 a.m. to midnight July 1 through July 4 Sales are allowed from noon July 1 through midnight July 4 It is unlawful to discharge fireworks in streets, alleys, parks or on public…

Riley County health officials are seeing an uptick in COVID-19 variants of concern. In its latest weekly report, Riley County identified 24 new positive Coronavirus cases and 28 additional recoveries since June 23. That includes four COVID-positive patients under care at Ascension Via Christi. Two patients remain in the Intensive Care Unit. The health department notes that since February there have been 31 positive cases from variants of concern — 19 from Delta variant, 11 from the Alpha variant and one from the Epsilon variant. Since last week’s report, there have been seven additional confirmed vaccine breakthrough cases — that…

The Red Cross is putting a call out to donors to consider giving blood. The agency said this week it is in the midst of a severe blood shortage right now and has scheduled three opportunities in the region to donate in July. The first will take place July 13 and 14 at the K-State Student Union. The second will take place at the Junction City Municipal Building on July 15 and 16. Incentives include giveaways of a $10 Amazon e-gift card and the chance to win gas for a year valued at $5,000. The third opportunity to donate comes…

The suspect in a June 22 shooting in the 400 block of Yuma Street in Manhattan will appear for a preliminary hearing in late July on charges of attempted first degree murder. Jamie Smith made his first court appearance Friday via video conference. Since that appearance, Smith has applied for, and been appointed counsel. Online court records show Judge Grant Bannister has apponinted Brenda Jordan from the public defender’s office to defend Smith in his case. Smith is charged with two felonies, including attempted first-degree murder and aggravated battery as well as two misdemeanor probation violation charges. Smith also has…