Author: Brandon Peoples

Manhattan area state lawmakers fielded questions at a virtual legislative forum Friday, hosted by the Manhattan Area Chamber of Commerce. On the topic of the legislature’s likely veto override of proposed income tax cuts in Kansas, 51st District Rep. Ron Highland (R-Wamego) says he believes it’s one of the first things the legislature will consider when veto session begins Monday. “There are some parts of that which need to be looked at a little bit further. So I think there will be some discussion and possibly some changes in that bill. I think with some minor changes, we can get…

Riley County Police are seeking the public’s help identifying a truck involved in an incident where shots were fired in the early morning hours of April 23 at the Park Place Apartment complex on Cambridge Place. Police say a criminal report was filed that morning when an unknown suspect fired approximately seven shots in the direction of one of the apartment buildings and then fled. No one was injured, but several pieces of property were damaged. RCPD has shared surveillance video showing a white truck going through the parking lot on its Facebook page. Anyone with information should contact RCPD…

The Kansas Supreme Court has upheld the constitutionality of a state law abolishing a medical malpractice claim known as a “wrongful birth.” The 4-3 decision affirms a Riley County District Court’s dismissal of a lawsuit by parents who alleged their prenatal doctor negligently failed to inform them about serious fatal abnormalities observable from an ultrasound. Alysia Tillman and Storm Fleetwood of Manhattan sued their physician, Dr. Katherine Goodpasture, for denying information about their child’s severe brain defects. The information could have allowed the couple to seek an abortion. A statute barring these types of lawsuits was passed by the Kansas…

A state lawmaker from Wamego is being recognized Monday as a new inductee into the U.S. Army Officer Candidate School Hall of Fame. A ceremony for 51st District Rep. Ron Highland will take place at 9 a.m. in the old Supreme Court Room at the Statehouse. He’ll also be recognized at 10 a.m. on the floor of the House of Representatives. Retired Lt. General and 67th District Rep. Mike Dodson, of Manhattan, will conduct the ceremony on the House floor. Highland was stationed as a platoon leader in Korea at the time of the capture of the Pueblo Naval Ship.…

Riley County’s mask ordinance will expire this weekend after commissioners voted 2-1 to rescind its health order two weeks earlier than initially planned. Commission Chair John Ford and commissioner Greg McKinley voted in favor of ending the ordinance. McKinley said the county should’ve ended the ordinance a month ago. Ford says he’s finding it difficult to defend the mandate with only one positive case outside Manhattan. “I’m a policy maker, I make policy. I’m not a healthcare expert, I’m not a public health expert and I’m never going to be. Common sense and sensibility tells me that I need to…

Road projects are causing some delays for residents in northern Riley County. Perhaps the most notable is on K-16, the Green Randolph Road bridge over Tuttle Creek Lake. The Kansas Department of Transportation began a mill and overlay Monday, extending from Randolph east to Hwy 99. USD 384 Blue Valley Superintendent John Cox says it’s causing 15 to 20 minute delays to and from school. “It really has put us in a situation with our buses because we shuttle kids back and forth but we’re trying to accommodate and make adjustments as needed. Busing after school is the biggest impact…

Boomtown is back. The annual Wamego Fireworks Show will return this summer and event planners say it will be bigger and better than ever, after the popular 4th of July celebration was canceled in 2020 due to the pandemic. A 45 second hype video was posted to the Wamego Fireworks Show Facebook page and the Chamber of Commerce has an event page set up on its website. It includes the return of the city carnival June 29 through July 4 and a host of activities including live entertainment, the 4th of July parade down Main Street. KMAN’s sister station B104.7 will…

Riley County Police have filed two rape reports in Manhattan. According to its Wednesday activity report, RCPD says charges were filed Tuesday. The first case lists a 16-year-old female victim and a 16-year-old male known to her as the suspect. The second case also involves a 16-year-old female and an 18-year-old male known to her as the suspect. It’s unclear if the cases are related. Police have released no further information.

A work session focused on paving county roads was held Monday, following the Pottawatomie County Commission’s regular meeting. Two of the county’s priority roads under consideration for widening and paving Elm Slough and Salzer roads, both of which are northwest of Wamego. Commissioner Dee McKee says the county is trying to decide if a 3 inch chip and seal is the best approach and how to pay for it. “Our county requirement is six inches of asphalt on a firm bed helping to pay that share of the road. So we’re talking about developers putting in roads and how to…

Blue Township resident Judson Jones used to live in a remote section of Pottawatomie County at the northeast corner of the Green Valley Road/Junietta Road intersection. But today, his home at 8801 Junietta Road is surrounded by housing developments. Junietta Road is now paved east to where the road curves north and becomes Moody Road. Jones says as the area becomes more developed, the township lacks an adequate road system to handle the additional traffic. “I’ve had seven accidents in front of my house that I’ve turned into the Sheriff’s department and said somebody hit my house again today, somebody…