Author: Brandon Peoples

Ascension Via Christi is now caring for 18 COVID positive patients, the highest number of active hospitalizations in Riley County to date. The Riley County Health Department also reported Monday it has two patients under investigation at the hospital, four of the positive patients are in the Intensive Care Unit. In an email to News Radio KMAN Monday, Via Christi President and CEO Bob Copple stated the census at the Manhattan hospital has been trending upward for a few weeks, with a mix of non-COVID and COVID patients. “This is the situation we are all trying to avoid where you…

One person was injured late Saturday night in a two vehicle crash in Clay County. The Kansas Highway Patrol reported the driver of a minivan was southbound on Hwy 15 attempting a left turn but failed to yield to an oncoming northbound Chevy Silverado. As a result, the pickup overturned and came to rest on the east shoulder. The driver of the minivan, 83-year-old Loretta Jackson of Junction City, sustained a possible injury according to the crash report. She was wearing a seat belt. The pickup driver, 63-year-old Vernon McGee of Clay Center, was taken to Clay County Medical Center…

A Junction City man is back behind bars after failing to appear for a court hearing. Online court records show 33-year-old Frederick Swinson was due in Riley County District Court Friday for a first appearance to face criminal charges from a June 2019 aggravated robbery and burglary in Ogden. He was arrested Thursday on a warrant. Swinson is charged with one count each of aggravated robbery, aggravated burglary, criminal possession of a weapon and conspiracy to commit robbery. Three people were listed as victims in the case. Court records show Swinson has several past convictions in Riley County Swinson remains…

The first group of staff and physicians at Ascension Via Christi in Manhattan have received the second doses of the coronavirus vaccine, with more planning to get vaccinated Friday. “We have another clinic, another 70 or some folks who will get their second vaccine and by end of day Monday, we’ll be close to 300 people here in Manhattan and also at our facility in Wamego that will have had their second round of vaccinations,” says Bob Copple, President and CEO of Ascension Via Christi. Because it takes three weeks between doses for the Pfizer vaccines and four weeks for…

Kansas State University’s President and Provost have both condemned the violence that occurred at the U.S. Capitol Wednesday. K-State President and 4-star military general Richard Myers issued a statement (see below) Thursday where he stated the nation witnessed actions at the nation’s capital no one ever thought was possible. He said “the very institutions of our democracy came under attack by armed rioters acting as an uncontrolled mob. The violence and damage we saw tears at the very fabric of a civil society. This shows what can happen when conspiracy theories and lies overwhelm facts.” Myers noted many take for…

Riley County Police arrested a Manhattan man Wednesday and charged him with multiple drug counts. Tyrel Daniels is charged with nine separate counts, which include five for distribution of either marijuana, heroin or other drug paraphernalia, two counts of criminal possession of a firearm used in a non-person felony, possession of stolen property and a prior marijuana possession conviction charge. Daniels was arrested Wednesday in the 1500 block of South Scenic Drive and jailed on a $75,000 total bond. He was no longer confined as of Thursday’s RCPD arrest report.

Many elected officials, including members of Kansas’ delegation are denouncing the election protests that occurred Wednesday at the U.S. Capitol. A mob, which included supporters of President Donald Trump, breached the Capitol building as Congress was meeting in a joint session to finalize the electoral vote count. The incident placed Washington, D.C. on lock down and resulted in at least one woman shot and killed. The vote count stopped for several hours and members of the U.S. Senate and House finished their work late into the night certifying the results for President-Elect Joe Biden. Kansas’ senior U.S. Senator Jerry Moran…

The Riley County Health Department has confirmed 140 new positive COVID-19 cases and 42 additional recoveries since Monday’s report. Ascension Via Christi is caring for 15 positive patients, three of which are in the Intensive Care Unit. The county currently has 381 active cases. The percent positive rate for the week of Dec. 27 through Jan. 2 was 14.5 percent, and the previous two-week average is roughly 12.6 percent. The health department is not expecting to receive any additional doses of the COVID-19 vaccines to arrive this week and says only a couple hours notice is given to health departments…

A Manhattan man is facing charges after allegedly threatening multiple individuals with a firearm in the Aggieville area. According to the Riley County Police Department, 30-year-old Skylar Scheible was arrested shortly before noon Tuesday in the 1100 block of Fremont Street. He was charged with aggravated assault and interference with a law enforcement officer. No further details have been released. Online court records show a lengthy criminal history, including a 2010 Riley County conviction for aggravated battery as well as a 2014 burglary conviction out of Dickinson County. Scheible was jailed Tuesday on a $20,000 bond but was no longer…

The Pottawatomie County Sheriff’s Office is investigating a series of burglary and theft reports from the past week. Among the thefts, Sheriff Shane Jager says the department is investigating the theft of about $22,000 in tools taken from an enclosed trailer at the construction site of the new Oliver Brown Elementary School in Blue Township. The incident was reported Dec. 30 and its believed the theft occurred early that morning. Two theft reports were also filed Dec. 28 after multiple vehicles had their catalytic converters removed. The Sheriff’s Office says the first theft involved a single vehicle that had its…