Author: Brandon Peoples

Manhattan’s Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Task Force met for the first time Thursday, in a virtual format. The 25-member task force is made up of community members from several organizations and entities with a goal of giving recommendations for the community to strengthen opportunity, find what barriers exist that may be stalling some of that access and advocate for potential policy changes at the city level. Task Force Co-Chair Tanya Gonzalez spoke about the goals Thursday. “What does your organization, what does your group of people, the folks that you work and interact with on these issues, see as what…

The Flint Hills Breadbasket is hoping to tackle hunger in a big way. The annual Souper Bowl food and fund drive takes place Saturday, Feb. 6, the day before the NFL’s Super Bowl LV. Former Riley County Attorney and event organizer Bill Kennedy says collection efforts will be done differently than in years’ past. “We will be set up at the Flint Hills Breadbasket at 905 Yuma Street to accept food, looking for food of all kinds,” he said. Volunteers traditionally are set up in front of the Manhattan grocery stores to collect food, but this year are asking donors…

The Riley County Emergency Operations Center has selected Pottorf Hall in CiCo Park as its new location for the COVID-19 vaccination clinic. The move comes following parking and congestion concerns with its previous location last week. Health Department Clinical Supervisor Aryn Price says the new location should help for a smoother process to administer those shots. “We ask that everyone that is notified to receive the vaccine, arrive at the CiCo Park pool parking lot at the corner of Wreath and Robinson. That specific address is going to come out when you are notified,” she said. Price says members from…

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.