Author: Brandon Peoples

The Pottawatomie County Sheriff’s Office is investigating the recent theft of a van, a trailer and a UTV in rural Wamego. Deputies were dispatched Monday for the theft of a white 2001 GMC G2500 van, with an attached flatbed trailer that was hauling a 2008 Polaris model black UTV. It’s believed the theft occurred sometime around 6 a.m. Monday in the 4600 block of K-99. The van was recovered later Monday in Jackson County by the Potawatomi Tribal Police. The trailer and UTV are still missing. The Sheriff’s Office asks anyone with information to contact Capt. Darrin Stewart at 785-457-3353.…

Traffic congestion in the Aggieville area should ease up soon as construction nears completion on the new Marriott hotel near 12th and Bluemont Ave. Sidewalk improvements continue in front of Coco Bolo’s and Starbucks, with work adjacent to the hotel and turning the corner onto 12th Street within the next four to six weeks. Deputy City Manager Jason Hilgers tells KMAN the City Engineer is feeling the pressure to reopen the right eastbound lane as the project gets closer to being finished, which should allow traffic to move more smoothly through town. “It’s something we look forward to doing here…

New construction continues to soar in Pottawatomie County despite the pandemic. County Appraiser Robin Knoblauch presented an overview of assessments for fiscal year 2020. Included within that was new construction which is up over 10 percent compared to last year. “$54,920,370 in new construction for the year 2020 during a pandemic is crazy to me. But the market’s pretty hot. It’s a seller’s market right now by all means,” Knoblauch said. Overall, the total valuation of all property in Pottawatomie County increased nearly 3 percent. The average sale price for county residential dwellings in 2020 was approximately $245,000. Most of…

Geary County officials say one person was hospitalized following a three-vehicle wreck early Monday morning. The crash was reported around 11:30 a.m. near the intersection of US 77 and K57 highways. According to the Geary County Sheriff’s Office, a Ford Escape, driven by Nam Nguyen of Junction City was north on US 77 when he entered the intersection and collided with a Dodge Ram pickup driven by Phillip Boler, also of Junction City. The collision caused Nguyen’s car to collide with a Jeep Wrangler, driven by Tyler Merkle of Fort Riley. Merkle was stopped in a turn lane on US…

Kansas Department of Transportation officials are starting work Tuesday on a $1.9 million bridge replacement project along eastbound Hwy 24 over Blackjack Creek, near St. George. The project, slated for completion in early 2022, will see median crossovers built over the first three to four weeks, a one lane reduction of traffic in both directions with a speed reduction to 50 mph. Existing median crossovers at Blue Run Road, Blackjack Road and between Deer Haven Lane and Franklin Drive will all be closed. On the north side of the highway, no left turns will be allowed for traffic to or…

Kansans safely disposed of nearly 57 tons of personal documents as part of National Consumer Protection Week. Attorney General Derek Schmidt announced Monday that more than 2,600 residents dropped off close to 114,000 pounds of documents at 10 locations, including Manhattan’s CiCo Park between March 1 and March 6. It eclipses the 2016 records which saw more than 2,100 consumers take part and dispose of over 50 tons of documents. The disposal helps keep secure information out of the hands of identity thieves, a rapidly growing crime affecting millions across the country. K-State Credit Union of Manhattan was one of…

Pottawatomie County commissioners revisited talks on solar farm zoning regulations Monday. Commission Chair Greg Riat motioned, and Vice Chair Pat Weixelman seconded temporarily suspending commercial solar farms until zoning regulations are adopted or six months has passed. Solar companies have been exploring land parcels as potential sites in Pottawatomie County. Riat says initially, one company was offering farmers around $600 per acre, but says the price has since risen substantially. But because no rules are currently in place governing solar farms, it’s unclear how and if the county can take advantage of a hot market. “If there is any pressure,…

Riley County health officials say two additional COVID positive patients have died. The patients were both females, aged 69 and 80. The 69-year-old tested positive Jan. 7. The 80-year-old tested positive Jan. 19. Both women passed away March 10. Their deaths bring the total COVID-related deaths in Riley County to 35. The health department says nine additional positive cases and 14 more recoveries have been identified since its previous report last week. Ascension Via Christi is caring for two positive patients, but currently has no COVID-positive patients in the Intensive Care Unit. There are 53 active cases. The county has…

Members of the Manhattan Area Recovery Task Force met via Zoom Thursday. (Screenshot) Nearly 1 in 5 Riley County residents have received at least one dose of the coronavirus vaccine. As of Friday, more than 5,800 were fully vaccinated and an additional 5,800 receiving their first shot. Riley County Public Information Officer Alice Massimi addressed members of the Manhattan Area Recovery Task Force Thursday. “These are individuals that have been vaccinated by Riley County Health Department or our partners at Stone Creek, Lafene and others because we have given them some of our allotment we have received from KDHE,” she…

Local schools are out next week for spring break and for USD 323 it’s likely a welcome relief as the Kansas Department of Transportation begins work on a major bridge replacement on Hwy 24 near St. George. KDOT plans to begin the bridge replacement east of the Blackjack Road interchange Tuesday, which will cut off access to the highway from the south and access from the highway to Blackjack Road. USD 323 Superintendent Kevin Logan says the district is already looking at ways to mitigate congestion around St. George Elementary. Logan acknowledges traffic will be a mess. “We’re going to…