Author: Brandon Peoples

A neighborhood meeting is planned early next week at Manhattan Christian College. Officials with the college are planning to purchase the 2-story Anderson Village retail center for future expansion. MCC sold the property in 1985 and is now looking to reclaim the property to replace student housing provided by the aging, 57-year-old Johnson Hall. The college says it will also help expand outreach and revenue streams. The meeting begins at 6:30 p.m. Monday in Joliffe Hall inside the Wilson Family Worship Center. It will include a brief tour of the campus and refreshments.

For 19 years, Jim Armendariz has roamed the halls of Ogden Elementary. It’s the same place he scurried through the halls as a young boy. These days he gets around a little slower, with a cane by his side, but the mission toward young students remains unchanged. “Our belief is that this place is secure. We feed them, we take care of them and often provide socks and underwear. Once we do that, the kids find that it’s a safe place to be and they want to learn,” he said. Armendariz is retiring from the school he loves so dearly…

A new dean of the K-State Libraries has been selected. The university announced Wednesday morning Joe Mocnik will begin in that role July 25. He will succeed Dr. Lori Goetsch who is retiring. As dean of K-State Libraries, Mocnik, who serves in the same capacity at North Dakota State University, will oversee a research library system with a total budget of $13.5 million and a collection of 3.6 million titles. Mocnik, who hails from Croatia, has been with North Dakota State since 2017 and has held similar positions at Georgia College & State University, Southern Adventist University and Mount Aloysius…

Kansas State University President Richard Myers has named longtime College of Education faculty member Be Stoney as interim chief diversity and inclusion officer. Stoney will serve while a national search is conducted to permanently fill the vacancy left by Bryan Samuel, who is departing K-State for a similar position at the University of Texas at Arlington. In a news release Tuesday, Myers said Stoney will be relied upon to help the university promote a culture of inclusion. She’ll also help continue implementation of all diversity and inclusion plans in place, including the Action Plan for a More Inclusive K-State. Stoney,…

Riley County anticipates getting its first shipment of the Pfizer coronavirus vaccine by the end of the week, as it prepares to vaccinate youths aged 12 to 15. The Centers for Disease Control is likely to give the go ahead Wednesday following the Food and Drug Administration’s approval for that age group Monday. Riley County Public Information Officer Alice Massimi says a mass vaccination clinic is being planned for May 20 at the health department, specifically for kids ages 12 to 18. “This is a population that nationwide we are seeing an increase in COVID cases among children, who were…

Pottawatomie County commissioners approved two rezoning requests Monday for future residential developments with some contingencies. A 30 acre tract at the southeast corner of Elm Slough and Flush Roads will be rezoned from agricultural to ag-residential. Access into a proposed subdivision hasn’t been determined and will require traffic and drainage studies, according to County Planner Stephan Metzger, based on a protest petition filed by eight of the 18 nearby property owners. “If the applicant wants to come off the Flush Road, the county engineer will have to approve that. If the applicant wants to come off Elm Slough, just like…

A Manhattan man has announced his candidacy for the USD 383 school board. The Riley County Clerk’s office says Steven Ruzzin filed a letter of intent Monday for the November election. Ruzzin is a data analyst with Advisor’s Excel and a Kansas State University graduate. Ruzzin joins Jayme Morris-Hardeman and incumbent Karla Hagemeister as the three school board candidates for the upcoming election. Two other seats are open on the school board, including those held by Jurdene Coleman and Katrina Lewison. Neither has announced whether they’ll seek re-election.

Manhattan City Commissioner Usha Reddi is seeking a third term on the city commission. Reddi announced Monday morning on her Facebook page that she had filed paperwork with the Riley County Clerk’s office for the November general election. She was first elected in 2013 and re-elected in 2017. Reddi, in her post says she’s looking forward to helping lead Manhattan’s efforts out of the pandemic, expressing optimism for its many partnerships with Fort Riley, K-State, USD 383 and the Chamber of Commerce. Last year, Reddi briefly was a Democratic candidate for U.S. Senate but withdrew early on. She joins incumbent…

A Manhattan man entered a guilty plea Thursday to second-degree murder in connection to a 2019 fatal attempted robbery. 21-year-old Jaylon Hitsman additionally pleaded guilty to attempted aggravated robbery and aggravated battery. In exchange, prosecutors dropped charges of aggravated assault and criminal discharge of a firearm at an occupied vehicle and recommended a lower sentence of approximately 15 years. Hitsman’s brother, 21-year-old Dylan Hitsman was sentenced in March to 24 years in prison on similar charges. Riley County Chief Justice Grant Bannister will sentence Jaylon Hitsman on Aug. 31. Two other co-defendants are awaiting court proceedings. At a May 3…

A small earthquake jolted the Flint Hills early Friday morning. The U.S. Geological Survey says a 3.1 magnitude quake was reported around 1:30 a.m. in a rural part of Dickinson County, northwest of Herington. An area of rural Jewell County also experienced a similar 3.1 magnitude earthquake Thursday morning. Neither quake produced any damage or reported injuries.