Author: Brandon Peoples

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…

Severe storms moved through Riley and Pottawatomie counties Friday night, packing strong winds along the way. In Manhattan, the storm pushed through the city around 7:30 p.m. with wind gusts ranging from 50 to 70 mph according to the National Weather Service. A large tree limb fell into the road along Marlatt Ave. between Browning Ave. and Tatarrax Drive. This resulted in a nearly two hour power outage for residents in the northwest part of town, including the traffic signal at Browning Ave. and Kimball Ave. According to Evergy, some 1,300 residents were left in the dark Friday evening, with…

The City of Manhattan is preparing to conduct its upcoming Housing Market Analysis and Policy Strategy Study. Commissioners, at their Aug. 17 meeting, approved a process to form a steering committee tasked with developing policies and project recommendations based on data trends identified in the study. City Manager Ron Fehr explains what the make up of that committee will look like. Fehr anticipates the study will take about a year. Mayor Wynn Butler says the housing study will be a data point for the city to have an affordable housing group as well as a workforce housing group. The city…

Kansas State University has received a five-year, $3.7 million grant from the National Institutes of Health’s National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases to research a new treatment method for COVID-19. According to a release from the university Friday, the principal investigator for the project is Virologist with the K-State College of Veterinary Medicine Kyeon-OK Chang. The project aims to complete development of a drug for pre-clinical studies, ultimately leading to a COVID-19 specific antiviral therapeutic treatment. Chang says “there is currently an urgent and unmet need for the discovery and development of antiviral therapeutics for the treatment of SARS-CoV-2.…

One of the first steps in the search for a new president at Kansas State University was completed this week by the Kansas Board of Regents. At a special meeting Wednesday, the board approved a presidential profile, developed by the 25-member Presidential Search Committee which was formed earlier this summer. Within the executive summary, obtained by News Radio KMAN Thursday, the profile seeks an incoming president that “should possess a demonstrated track record of successful leadership with significant administrative and leadership experience at an institution or organization of comparable size, scope and complexity.” The profile asks potential candidates to submit…

Two new deputy fire chiefs have been named to fill vacancies with Riley County Fire District No. 1. John Martens and Doug Russell will fill an open deputy chief position and replace the position vacated earlier this summer by former Fire Chief Michael Regal, who resigned for a position in South Carolina. According to current Director Russel Stukey, the move creates more efficiency in Fire District No. 1, while also trimming more than $25,000 from the annual payroll. The department was restructured after the retirement of longtime Emergency Management Director Pat Collins in 2020, who also served as the county’s…

A Manhattan man was injured Wednesday evening following a motorcycle crash near the Manhattan Regional Airport. The Kansas Highway Patrol reports that shortly before 6 p.m., 43-year-old Joshua Campbell was eastbound in the left lane of K-18 near mile marker 182. He was driving at a high rate of speed and, as a result, failed to negotiate a curve and entered the median. The crash report says the bike rolled several times and ejected the driver. Campbell was transported to Stormont Vail Hospital with serious injuries. The crash report indicates he was not wearing a helmet.

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…