Author: Brandon Peoples

A Manhattan man is facing charges of sexual exploitation of a child.Riley County Police served a search warrant Sunday night on 34-year-old Jason Durigan at his home in the 700 block of Allison Ave. Durigan is charged with 10 counts of sexual exploitation involving a minor. Online court records allege he possessed images of a child in a sexually explicit manner last May. A complaint was filed with the Riley County Attorney’s Office on Feb. 1.Durigan was jailed on a $50,000 bond but was no longer confined as of Monday’s arrest report. Due to the nature of the crimes alleged,…

A Manhattan business has become just the latest casualty caused by the pandemic. Widgets Family Fun Center announced on its Facebook page that it, like many others, has been devastated by the long-term economic effects of COVID-19 and are unable to recover. The business, which was locally owned, had no franchise backing and the owners say unfortunately any unused gift cards can no longer be used nor can they be refunded. Last April, Widgets was one of 47 businesses to receive a loan from the Manhattan Business Emergency Assistance Loan Program established by the Chamber of Commerce. It received $5,000.…

The Pottawatomie County Sheriff’s Office is investigating the theft from a Belvue hardwood company. Sheriff Shane Jager says Kansas Hardwoods was listed as the victim in a Friday reported theft of numerous hardwood boards, including eight cedar boards (2×12, 2×16 and 8 feet long), 15 walnut boards (2×12, 2×16 and 8 feet long) and 30 maple boards (1×6, 1×12 being 10 to 12 feet long). It’s believed the items were stolen sometime between Jan. 28 and Feb. 3. Anyone with information about these thefts is asked call Capt. Darrin Stewart at 785-457-3353 or leave a tip via the crimestoppers link…

Problems with aging technology and fraud have put the Kansas Department of Labor on the map — and not in a good way. 67th District Rep. Mike Dodson (R-Manhattan) says in absolute numbers Kansas ranks third behind California and Illinois in terms of unemployment fraud. “We have 3 million people and we account for 9 percent of the unemployment fraud in America, so it’s fairly apparent that some whole body of thugs have kind of figured out that our security system on IT was not very good and therefore it was ripe for fraud,” he said. Dodson was a guest…

A Junction City man was sentenced Thursday for his involvement in a January 2020 shooting. The Manhattan Mercury reports 19-year-old Jalen Gill was sentenced to nearly 5 1/2 years for firing a gun at a southwest Manhattan residence during an altercation. The sentencing also includes charges from July 2020 where Gill pulled a gun during an argument with a group of people. At a December hearing, Gill pleaded guilty to multiple charges related to the shooting, including criminal discharge of a firearm, aggravated assault and child endangerment. As part of the plea agreement, the prosecution agreed to dismiss a single…

Midway through the school year USD 383 had some encouraging news regarding enrollment numbers. Assistant Superintendent Eric Reid presented counts from Jan. 15 during Wednesday’s school board meeting, showing only a slight decline from September, despite quarantines, students learning remotely and other factors. (Note: Reid’s mid-year enrollment report starts at the 1:39:00 mark on the board’s Feb. 3 meeting video). “We’ve still seen a lot of fluctuation in and out, due to comfort levels of where people are, but we continue to add students and I think when I asked (Tuesday) at the DAT meeting, we get the principals on…

Ascension Via Christi in Manhattan has announced updated visitor guidelines. Beginning Thursday, the hospital will allow patients who are admitted to have one designated visitor. As a result, visiting hours will be from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. daily, with an exception for labor and delivery and pediatric patients. The hospital said in a news release Wednesday that hospital leadership continues to be committed to protecting patients, visitors, caregivers and associates at its hospital and clinics. The updated guidelines come amid improving COVID-19 numbers locally.

The weekly percent positive rate of new coronavirus transmissions the final week of January was the lowest in Riley County since mid-October. Riley County health officials confirmed Wednesday a 5.2 percent positive rate for the week ending Jan. 30 with 148 positive tests out of 2,868 total tests. It’s the lowest percent positive rate since the transmission rate was 5 percent the week ending Oct. 17 when the county confirmed 55 positive cases out of 1,105 total tests. The health department has identified 23 new positive cases and 18 more recoveries since its previous report on Monday. Ascension Via Christi…

Riley County is making a push to expand its free COVID-19 testing capabilities throughout February. “We are in some different parts of Manhattan this week and then we’ll be headed up to Randolph, over to Ogden, so we’re trying to reach everybody that might not be able to get in to Manhattan to get that testing,” said Riley County Public Information Officer Alice Massimi. Testing will be available 10 a.m. to noon Wednesday at Northeast Community Park, located at 680 Knox Lane. No appointments are necessary. Additional test sites will be announced via the health department Facebook page. Massimi says…

It’s no secret that housing continues to boom in Pottawatomie County. New home builds in 2020 were relatively on pace with previous years, according to Planning and Zoning Administrator Stephan Metzger, with an uptick particularly in non-subdivision home construction. In 2020, 46 houses were built outside of subdivisions in the county, the highest total since at least 2000. Metzger says as urban sprawl continues, it’s important the county keep an eye out if it’s something they want to control. “The Flush Road is a particularly prominent example of the housing that’s starting to creep a little bit farther north every…