Author: Brandon Peoples

An incorporation petition has been submitted to the Pottawatomie County Commission by residents living in the Blue Township area, east of Manhattan. The petition, submitted March 21, would establish the City of Green Valley in southwestern  Pottawatomie County with a northern boundary along Junietta Road, a southern boundary primarily along the Hwy 24 corridor and the east-west boundary would go essentially from Lake Elbo Road to the Big Blue River. County Clerk Dawn Henry and County Counselor John Watt will present the results and validity of the petition to the County Board of Commissioners Monday. No action is expected. The…

Firefighters battled a house fire near Leonardville Thursday evening. Riley County Fire responded shortly before 8 p.m. to a fully engulfed home near Hwy 24 and Barton Road. Everyone inside reportedly got out safely but the home sustained extensive damage and is a total loss. Two family pets perished in the fire. The cause of the fire has not been determined and the state fire marshal has been called in to investigate. Barton Road reopened overnight after crews worked for several hours to extinguish the fire. Further details are pending.

The Kansas Board of Tax Appeals ruled in favor this week of the Manhattan Home Depot store on its 2018 appraisal from Riley County. In its summary judgement, the board ruled Riley County must refund over $150,000 to the home improvement retailer, which appealed its appraisal using the hypothetical lease fee value approach (or dark store theory), which argues big box stores should be valued as vacant. Riley County Appraiser Greg McHenry says it’s the first time the county has lost such an appeal. “We came away from the hearing thinking it went very well. Our attorney did a great job.…

An Ogden man has been arrested in connection to a series of rapes. Riley County Police have charged 18-year-old Phillip Daniel Smith with one count of aggravated indecent solicitation of a child under the age of 14 and two counts of rape. According to an investigation, the alleged incidents occurred between August 2020 and February 2021. RCPD listed two victims who are now 13 and 15. Smith is jailed on a $500,000 bond. The investigation is ongoing and police are not releasing any further details.

Continued growth in the Green Valley/Blue Township area is making it difficult for Pottawatomie County officials to stay on top of needed improvements to existing road ways. The area is getting ready to welcome roughly 300 students to Oliver Brown Elementary which opens in the fall. All that added traffic will have to utilize Green Valley Road to access Hwy 24. That is the currently the only single route that directly connects the school to Hwy 24, without having to wind around county roads to the north. There are potential alternatives in the works according to Pottawatomie County Commissioner Pat…

Pottawatomie County is advising residents of a two week road closure along Dyer Road that begins Monday. Two crossroad pipes are being installed which requires a closure between the north entrance to The Little Grill and the entrance to the Spillway cycle area. Officials say the park entrance from Dyer Road to Beach Road will also be closed. A marked detour for traffic in the area will be provided and it will need to be used for those trying to access the restaurant because there will be no access from Hwy 13. The project is expected to be completed by…

Riley County Police say one person was injured after rolling a vehicle early Wednesday morning near Casement and Brookmont Drive. Officers were called out after 1 a.m. and found a passenger car driven by 25-year-old Trae Jones of Sterling in a drainage ditch. Investigators determined the car left the roadway, struck a guardrail and flipped into the ditch. Jones was transported to Stormont Vail Hospital in Topeka for non-life-threatening injuries. No additional details were released.

For the eighth consecutive week, Riley County’s percent positive rate of new coronavirus infections is below 5 percent. The health department says the rate fell to 1.8 percent for the week of March 14, from 32 confirmed positives out of more than 1,700 tests. Just six new cases were confirmed Wednesday, along with 10 more recoveries. Ascension Via Christi is caring for one COVID positive patient, but has no COVID patients in its Intensive Care Unit. Additionally, the pace of vaccine distribution continues to rise. More than 14,000 residents have now received one or two doses of vaccine, with about…

A Junction City man is behind bars in Riley County for an alleged attack on two people at an assisted living care facility. Riley County Police charged 51-year-old Corey Mann on a single count of aggravated assault. Police listed a 41-year-old woman and a 56-year-old woman as victims when Mann reportedly threatened them with a knife. The incident took place at Stoneybrook Retirement Community on Little Kitten Ave. Mann was jailed on a $10,000 bond.

Authorities in Pottawatomie County have arrested both suspects in Monday’s robbery of the Westmoreland Short Stop convenience store. According to Undersheriff Doug Adams, deputies arrested 21-year-old Khovaun Raymond George of Manhattan Monday night in the 15000 block of Rock Creek Road on charges of aggravated robbery. Deputies arrested 19-year-old Donovan O’Connell of Manhattan Tuesday morning at the Quality Inn on Poyntz Ave. on charges of aggravated robbery. Both individuals are confined in the Pottawatomie County Jail awaiting bond. One of the two men reportedly held a convenience store clerk at gunpoint Monday before escaping with an undisclosed amount of cash…