Author: Brandon Peoples

USD 383 will receive over $3.2 million in federal funds during the second round of Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief funding and $7.5 million in the third round. Director of Business Services Lew Faust presented an overview to the school board Wednesday night on how the district intends to spend some of those funds, including the addition of classroom aides and paraprofessionals. By statute, the funds must be utilized to “prevent, prepare for and respond to the coronavirus.” Faust says $170,000 is also being allotted to supplement the Job Corps program next year and $50,000 the following year. Assistant…

Riley County Police say a Manhattan man’s body was recovered late Wednesday night from Tuttle Creek Lake after emergency response teams searched for nearly 10 hours. Shortly before 2:30 p.m., Riley County Dispatch received a call from a citizen reporting a vehicle and clothes near a shoreline by the intersection of Lakeshore Drive and Shady Lane. Emergency crews responded and found identification for a 24-year-old man but worked into the night to recover the body, with the assistance of numerous agencies, including the RCPD drone team, Riley County EMS, Emergency Management, Manhattan Fire, Riley County Rural Fire District No. 1,…

The Riley County Law Board will hold a special meeting Thursday afternoon where it will consider publication of the Riley County Police Department’s 2022 budget. RCPD staff have drafted four potential options, ranging from approximately $22.6 million to just under $23 million. Options one and three include a 1 percent cost of living adjustment, a converted payroll technician, a court security screener and a cook for the jail. Option one would grow the RCPD budget by 2.1 percent. Option two also adds a 2 percent pay adjustment for RCPD employees and would grow the budget 3.5 percent. Options two and…

The Kansas Supreme Court has upheld a 2019 Riley County District Court sentencing of an Ogden woman convicted of two counts of drug distribution within 1,000 feet of a school. Anita Jo Albano was arrested in August 2017 and later convicted on by a jury. In her appeal, Albano argued the Kansas sentencing guidelines violated the Kansas Constitution because they allow a judge, instead of a jury, to consder prior convictions in sentencing. In the high court’s ruling last week, it argued the Constitution does not guarantee a defedant’s right to have a jury determine the sentencing. Albano is serving…

The filing deadline for Manhattan city and USD 383 school board election candidates came and went Tuesday. All told, 10 local residents have filed for three seats on the school board and nine residents for three seats on the city commission. That means there will be a primary election August 3 for the school board race to narrow the field for the general election November 2. All nine candidates in the city race will be on the November ballot. Manhattan City Commission On the city commission, there are three open seats. Incumbents Wynn Butler, Aaron Estabrook and Usha Reddi are…

Five people were injured Monday in a crash east of Junction City. The Kansas Highway Patrol says a vehicle was exiting I-70 at K-18. A southbound vehicle failed to stop at a stop sign while the other car was attempting a left turn, causing a collision. The driver of the first vehicle, 27-year-old Justin Finch of Junction City was transported to Geary County Hospital with a suspected minor injury. Two passengers including 25-year-old Emallie Gowens-Finch of Junction City and Belinda Terry of Georgia were also hospitalized. Two passengers from the second vehicle, both from out of state were also hospitalized.…

Manhattan residents will have another location to renew driver’s licenses, beginning on Thursday, thanks to a new partnership. The Kansas Department of Revenue and AAA Kansas are bringing a remote driver’s licensing unit to AAA’s Manhattan retail store. A variety of services will be offered including: Renew Kansas driver’s licenses and IDs. Issue new Kansas Driver Licenses and IDs to people moving here from out of state. Issue duplicate licenses/IDs for those who have lost their credential Change of address Update name (marriage, court ordered, adoption, etc.) Issue Real ID for people to be federally compliant. (Real ID is required by…

Rain couldn’t put a damper on the 1st Infantry Division and Fort Riley Memorial Day ceremony Monday. Leading the ceremony was Garrison Commander Col. Will McKannay McKannay also spoke about the Army’s continued response to challenges both foreign and domestic, noting 2020 as a prime example of the Big Red One’s response to the pandemic. Sen. Roger Marshall also was a guest of honor Monday. He highlighted legislation passed by Congress this past winter that will see the names of 660 fallen soldiers from the post since 1995 added to the 1st Infantry Division memorial in Washington, D.C. Marshall wrapped…

Two Manhattan women have become the eighth and ninth candidates to enter the USD 383 school board race. Teresa Parks filed her letter of intent Friday with the Riley County Clerk’s office. Parks is a career transition readiness specialist at Flint Hills Job Corps. She’s also an advocate for social justice and was a speaker during last year’s Juneteenth march through City Park. Betty Mattingly-Ebert, a Manhattan resident and business owner, also filed Friday for candidacy in the USD 383 school board race. Parks and Mattingly-Ebert join a crowded field of candidates vying for three seats on the school board.…

Many people are getting back out on the lakes and rivers this weekend as Memorial Day represents the unofficial start to summer. Riley County Game Warden Ben Jedlicka with Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks, says it’s a good time to remind residents to execute caution and have a life jacket. “Everybody in a boat which includes kayaks, canoes, paddle boards — each one of those must have a wearable life jacket on board,” he said. The goal he says is to prevent drownings. So far in 2021 Jedlicka says his office has seen zero drownings. “I’d sure like to…