Author: Brandon Peoples

A new Scooter’s coffee location is planned for the Westloop Shopping Center. The Manhattan City Commission voted 4-1 Tuesday night in favor of a final development plan. The new store will replace the former Pizza Hut at the southeast corner of the Seth Child and Claflin Road intersection. The site will be rearranged and have a right-in/right-out within the shared entrance with the Dillon’s gas station along Claflin Road. Commissioner Usha Reddi voted against the plan saying it does little to address traffic concerns and would add to the already congested intersection. “The gas station area is very congested and…

Riley County has confirmed 32 new positive coronavirus cases since its previous report Friday. In addition 30 recoveries were also reported. The percent positive rate for the week of Feb. 7 through Feb. 13 was 2.6 percent, translated by 56 positive cases out 2,121. It’s the third consecutive week of decreases in the percent positive rate. There are currently 132 active cases in Riley County. Ascension Via Christi continues to care for three positive patients. Two of those patients are in the Intensive Care Unit. The health department continues to vaccinate those 65 and older and K-12 teachers in Riley…

The City of Manhattan has opened a warming shelter in the conference room at the Four Points Sheraton at 530 Richards Drive. Chairs will be provided and the facility is open 24 hours to anyone who needs shelter. The hotel is also offering rooms at a reduced rate for anyone needing longer term accommodations. The Manhattan Regional Airport says weather has caused a cancellation of all flights. Power outages were experienced at the airport, but generators are keeping equipment up and running.

Pottawatomie County has opened warming stations across the county in response to widespread controlled power outages the past two days. County officials say short-term temporary areas are available while citizens make longer term arrangements at fire stations in Olsburg, Wheaton, St. George and Havensville as well as the Sunflower Room at the Public Works/K-State Extension Office in Westmoreland. Anyone needing additional resources or information should contact the Pottawatomie County Sheriff’s Dispatch at 785-457-3353. The City of Manhattan has opened a warming shelter in the conference room at the Four Points Sheraton at 530 Richards Drive. Chairs will be provided and…

Around 100,000 Evergy customers have been impacted by rolling blackouts for a second straight day after receiving word from the region’s power grid, the Southwest Power Pool (SPP) that further temporary outages were needed. At a news conference Tuesday morning, Evergy Senior Vice President for Marketing and Public Affairs Chuck Caisley explained why the controlled outages continue during a time when the need is also high, due to the extreme cold temperatures. “What the Southwest Power Pool and Evergy are trying to achieve is by taking people off in smaller blocks, for a temporary emergency power outage, we are hoping…

Update: 7 p.m. Monday Evergy estimates about 60,000 customers in its service area experienced brief, controlled power outages Monday. While power has since been restored, future outages may be implemented in the coming days. Evergy continues to urge its customers to continue conserving energy. Original story: 1:30 p.m. Monday Customers of Evergy may experience periods of controlled, temporary outages to help avoid longer, uncontrolled and extended power outages throughout the region. This is after the Southwest Power Pool, which involves all electric providers in Kansas asked member utilities to implement such outages in order to conserve energy, after going to…

If extreme cold temperatures weren’t enough, rolling blackouts associated with an historic winter storm system has prompted schools across the region to cancel classes Tuesday. That includes Kansas State University, which, in an unprecedented move canceled all in-person and remote learning after 5 p.m. Monday, continuing through Tuesday. Essential employees were told they should report to work or contact their supervisors if unable to report in. On-campus dining services on both the Manhattan and Polytechnic campus in Salina are operating with reduced hours. Lafene Health Center also will be closed. The university attributed the move due to Monday’s rolling blackouts…

Colder temperatures can be a drain on a lot of things, including your car’s battery. AAA Kansas reports that in the past week alone, its emergency roadside assistance calls increased 101 percent from week before. More than 1,300 rescue calls were made on Kansas roadways. AAA spokesperson Shawn Steward says about 76 percent of those calls were for dead batteries or other cold weather engine failures that required towing. “Batteries especially are susceptible to this level of cold. At zero degrees, a car’s battery loses about 60 percent of its strength, but the engine needs about twice as much power…

The City of Manhattan says as the potential for rolling blackouts continue, any future outages will impact traffic signals. Drivers who approach an intersection that is totally dark should treat it as a four-way stop unless law enforcement or other authorized persons are directing traffic. If you rely on emergency medical equipment powered by electricity and your power goes out, you should call 911. Manhattan Public Works also suggests customers conserve water during this period. The water treatment plant is not on the list for rolling blackouts. If a blackout did occur, city officials say the water treatment plant is…

Kansas Gov. Laura Kelly on Sunday issued a State of Disaster Emergency due to wind chill warnings and stress on utility and natural gas providers. The declaration authorized the use of state resources and personnel to assist with response and recovery operations in affected counties that meet certain criteria. Because of the extreme cold which causes an increased energy demand and natural gas supply constraints, utilities are currently experiencing wholesale natural gas prices anywhere from 10 to 100 times higher than normal. To help manage spikes in your energy bill, it’s advised to when possible wear additional layers and consider…