Author: Brandon Peoples

A long-time icon in the Manhattan business community Burke Bayer passed away Jan. 20 at the age of 98. Bayer served in the U.S. Army during World War II, serving in Germany and the Philippines as a 1st Lieutenant and was involved in veterans activities as a member of the American Legion. He served on various fundraising committees and helped coordinate the annual Manhattan Veterans Day Parade. Bayer was also instrumental in fundraising and construction for the World War II Memorial at McCain Auditorium. After his military service, Bayer rejoined his father Henry at Bayer Construction. He was involved in…

One of the two leading economic pillars of the Manhattan area and Flint Hills Region is Fort Riley. The region’s largest employer remains among the top employers in Kansas as well, according to the latest Fort Riley annual Economic Impact Summary. In 2020, Fort Riley’s financial impact to the region rose to $1.8 billion, topping the eight-year record of $1.7 billion. Garrison Commander Colonel Will McKannay says this year’s report reflected great work of regional communities to hire and retain veterans. “It’s my strong conviction that Fort Riley is an important part of the Flint Hills region and the state…

Fort Riley’s Irwin Army Community Hospital is offering a walk-in COVID-19 vaccine clinic today from 10:30 am. to 2 p.m. The clinic is open to beneficiaries 75 and older and will take place at the tension fabric structure (the clamshell) west of the hospital. Appointments can also be scheduled by calling 785-240-7265 by leaving your name and phone number. As vaccine supply becomes available, hospital staff are returning calls to those who have indicated interest to minimize delay between the shipment arrival and vaccination. The hospital says vaccines will be offered to beneficiaries aged 65 to 74 when they are…

The Riley County Health Department says it is prioritizing those with severe medical conditions as it looks to continue vaccinating residents 65 and older. Those who are in that age group and don’t have qualifying medical conditions will receive their vaccines according to the order in which they signed up. The full list of qualifying conditions is below. The adjustment comes after a shaky start to phase two last week, which overwhelmed health care works and led to long wait times. Some even had to be turned away. The health department stresses that at no time have they randomly chosen…

Pottawatomie County EMS saw a nearly 4.5 percent drop in its overall calls for service in 2020, some of which is attributed to the pandemic. EMS Director Hal Bumgarner informed county commissioners Monday that for the third year in a row, Wamego handled the most call volume in the county, with Onaga seeing one of the sharpest increases in call volume. “Half of our calls in Onaga are transfers, a third of our calls in Wamego are transfers. Keep that in mind when we start talking about miles on the trucks,” he said. The county’s fleet of ambulances racked up…

The Fort Riley Tax Assistance Center officially opened to soldiers Tuesday and will remain open through the April 15 filing deadline. The center, part of the 1st Infantry Division’s Staff Judge Advocate office, provides free tax preparation assistance to military members, including active duty, eligible family members, military reservists on activated orders for 30 days or more. Tax Center Director Elizabeth Thurston says due to COVID-19 mitigation efforts, the tax center will operate as a drop-off service with no appointments. “The soldier will come in, drop off his documents. We will then have the opportunity to prepare the return and…

The Manhattan Fire Department says a Jan. 20 fire at the Manhattan Hampton Inn caused $5 million worth of damage. The estimate comes following a five-day investigation. The fire loss was estimated at $2.5 million and the loss of contents was also estimated at $2.5 million.  The cause was determined to be accidental and started as construction workers were cutting on the roof. The three-story building sustained significant fire and water damage, including the collapse of a third-story hotel room to the ground floor. The hotel, owned by Little Apple Hotel Partners of Overland Park, remains closed.

The race to get COVID vaccines into the arms of individuals is one local health officials say has been a slow, but steady success. Vaccine clinics have proved to be efficient in getting most critical health care and high risk patients vaccinated. Pottawatomie County Health Department Director Leslie Campbell says her department has been receiving about 300 doses in its weekly shipment, but stopped short Monday of telling county commissioners an exact number of vaccine doses it has in stock. “I’d rather not tell you that, because then the people in the public are going to say hey you’ve got…

Riley County Police have arrested a man on numerous counts of forgery and passing worthless checks. According to its weekend arrest report, 33-year-old Larry McVey Jr. is charged with 24 total counts of passing worthless checks, six counts of forgery, two counts of theft by deception as well as a single count of attempted theft. Police did not list an address for McVey, but he was reportedy arrested late Friday on a warrant. Online court records show McVey has a pending Clay County court case for theft and forgery, which he pleaded not guilty to last summer. He also pleaded…

A Fort Riley soldier is jailed in Riley County after police say he threatened and injured two women. According to Riley County Police, 23-year-old Jamie Bernard Smith was arrested in connection to charges of attempted domestic battery, interference with law enforcement, aggravated child endangerment and two counts of aggravated assault. The incident reportedly occurred in the 400 block of South Juliette Ave. Sunday morning. The victims were 17 and 38 years old. Police say the injuries were not life threatening and did not require hospitalization. Smith remains jailed on a $40,000 bond.