Author: Brandon Peoples

Riley County Police say a 29-year-old man is charged with animal cruelty after intentionally killing another person’s pet fish. Taylor Morris was arrested in relation to the Tuesday night incident in the 2800 block of West 61st Ave. Officers listed a 39-year-old male as the victim. Police allege Morris put detergent in the fish tank causing all of the coral and fish inside to die. He also is accused of stealing miscellaneous items from the victim, totaling close to $3,800. In addition to the animal cruelty charge, Morris is also charged with criminal damage to property and theft. He remains…

Fire danger remains high across the region following three straight days of strong winds and warmer temperatures. Forecasters say Wednesday is expected to be the windiest day of the week with wind gusts expected up to 50 mph at times. Red Flag Warnings are posted in the area along with a wind advisory and extreme fire danger according to the rangeland fire danger index. Riley County Fire Chief Michael Regal says Monday Riley County Fire was especially busy fighting fires both north and south of Manhattan. “We assisted Geary County in a grass fire they had that was set off…

Pottawatomie County health officials hope federal money will allow them to upgrade much of its infrastructure going forward. Health Department Director Leslie Campbell presented an application request to the county commission for a $221,000 federal COVID-19 ELC Expanding Infrastructure grant. Campbell proposed several items including $25,000 for temporary staff for case investigation and $10,000 to create a mobile vaccine clinic. “The idea would be to take one of the transportation buses that are going to go out of service, retrofit it with a table, make sure the benches work the way they should so people can come into there, get…

9:30 a.m. Tuesday update Riley County Police have identified the victim in Monday’s fatal crash along Anderson Ave. in Manhattan. According to police, 37-year-old Jason Bly, of Manhattan, was westbound in a 2000 Toyota Celica in the 1800 block of Anderson just after 10:30 p.m. when his vehicle crossed over traffic and struck a retaining wall. Bly was pronounced dead on scene. Police have released no further details as the crash remains under further investigation. Police are asking anyone who witnessed the crash to call 785-537-2112. Original story 5:30 a.m. Tuesday Riley County Police say one person was killed following…

Some residents in the St. George area will have to find new access points to Hwy 24 as a bridge replacement project begins next week near the intersection of Blackjack Road.. The Kansas Department of Transportation plans to start the replacement project March 16. Traffic south of the highway along Blackjack will not be able to access the highway. Traffic along the highway also won’t have access to Blackjack Road. Pottawatomie County Commissioner Dee McKee says the project is going to cause significant traffic headaches. “I don’t know why they’re closing Blackjack. That I never envisioned, because it’s a continuing…

Manhattan firefighters made quick work of a small fire at Edwards Hall just before 6:30 a.m. Deputy Fire Chief Ryan Almes says the fire was contained to one room, in the northeast corner of the building. Smoke damage was found throughout the wing of the building, which holds offices for Human Capital Services and the University Police Department, as well as the Division of Public Safety. Firefighters brought the fire under control within 10 minutes. No injuries were reported. The cause has been ruled accidental due to an issue with the building’s HVAC unit. Loss is estimated at $15,000 to…

A Topeka man arrested over the weekend in Geary County is charged in connection to past sex crimes in Dickinson County. According to the Geary County Sheriff’s Office, 20-year-old Christopher Hyde was arrested Sunday afternoon on I-70, about two miles east of Junction City. Hyde is charged with rape, aggravated criminal sodomy, aggravated indecent liberties, electronic solicitation and aggravated indecent solicitation of a child. Online court records allege the incidents are alleged from July 2019 involving a 14-year-old victim. Hyde was booked into the Geary County Jail but released later in the day on bond. No further details have been…

Two Manhattan brothers were arrested Friday on felony warrants for past sexual crimes reported to the Riley County Police Department in late February. The alleged crimes took place between 2017 and 2021, according to an ongoing police investigation. RCPD says 27-year-old Severino Jimenez Calleja is charged with two counts of aggravated criminal sodomy of a child under the age of 14 and four counts of aggravated indecent liberties with a child. The charges stem from a police report filed Feb. 21. Also arrested was 31-year-old Antonio Jimenez Calleja, charged with two counts of rape of a child under the age…

Ascension Via Christi says it is once again updating its visitation measures in response to COVID-19. Starting Monday, all patients admitted to the hospital will be allowed one visitor at a time with the same person being the allowed visitor for the patient’s entire inpatient stay. These visitors will not be allowed to exchange out with another visitor during visitation hours, which are 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. daily. Patients undergoing outpatient testing will still be allowed one visitor per test, beginning Monday. Patients seeking emergency care will be allowed one visitor to accompany them after the triage process is…

House Bill 2196 The Kansas Legislature has cleared one hurdle to overhaul the state labor department. The House voted 87-36 vote Thursday on House Bill 2196, largely on partisan lines. Among the supporters, 67th District Rep. Mike Dodson (R-Manhattan), says the bill will establish an independent board to oversee the Kansas Department of Labor. “You’ve got to have people who know what they’re doing providing oversight and then we have to make sure that they put the money, and we’ve provided that, into the IT. We all know what happened because the IT system was so bad, when they tried…