Author: Brandon Peoples

Kansas State University has announced it is cancelling fall commencement activities this weekend. Ceremonies in Manhattan and Salina had initially been planned for Friday through Sunday. K-State President Richard Myers said in a statement Tuesday that the decision was made following several days that have seen hundreds of new COVID-19 cases in its communities. Capacity in the health care community was a major factor in the decision as medical providers and local hospitals are either at or beyond capacity due to the recent surge. The university is planning a virtual recognition in December, with details to be published on the…

Pottawatomie County health officials have confirmed the first COVID-19 related death in the county. According to Health Officer Liz Parthemer, the patient was a 79-year-old woman. No other details were released about her. A second patient, an 87-year-old man also died from COVID complications. Health officials are awaiting confirmation from the state health department on whether each was a resident of the county. Parthemer says contact investigations are ongoing. Any close contacts are advised to quarantine at home and monitor for symptoms. She adds that this is not a time to “let our guard down” as hospitals are seeing an…

Students at all USD 383 Manhattan/Ogden schools will attend classes Nov. 23 and Nov. 24 as full distance learning days. In a letter to staff and families, Superintendent Dr. Marvin Wade gave a one-week notice to all to prepare for the transition for the shortened school week ahead of Thanksgiving. Wade says by going this route it allows the district the opportunity to deep clean all school buildings and keep people from coming in and out of the building for an entire week. Many teachers in the district have been forced into quarantine, causing staffing shortages in some buildings. Specific…

Health experts are urging continued vigilance as Riley County braces for possibly its highest number of monthly infections to date. In Riley County, November has been off to a rough start. Through the first 13 days of the month, the health department added 548 new cases of COVID-19, including 410 cases just this week. To put that in perspective, 364 new cases were added the entire month of October, an average of just under 12 cases per day. Three of the county’s 14 COVID-related deaths have also occurred in November. The November average is currently about 42 cases per day,…

Two Manhattan men are jailed for their roles in allegedly intimidating a witness from testifying in an ongoing court case. Riley County Police Thursday arrested 32-year-old Joseph Trevail at the Dillons Westloop on three charges of aggravated intimidation of a witness, criminal threat, stalking and harassment by telephone. Also arrested was 23-year-old James Medlin on two charges of aggravated intimidation, criminal threat, stalking and harassment by telephone. Court documents filed in court in late October allege Trevail made violent or forceful threats against Andrew Hays, in an effort to prevent Hays from testifying at a trial or preliminary hearing. The…

Fort Riley’s Irwin Army Community Hospital is offering a community flu-vaccine drive thru event Saturday. Hospital commander Colonel Edgar Arroyo says military retirees will be provided a special lane in support of Fort Riley Retiree Appreciation Day. He also explains what will be offered. Arroyo says the hospital currently uses an outdated clinical system that limits the ability to track a retiree’s vaccine records. That will change next year when the system is overhauled with the new MHS Genesis platform, set to go live in April. The new system will make the records interoperable with Veterans Affairs. Col. Arroyo says…

Over 2,500 Riley County residents have tested positive for COVID-19 since March, when the virus first presented locally. For those fortunate not to have had their lives interrupted by the highly contagious virus, it may be a good time to craft a plan for what you should do, if you need to quarantine or self-isolate. Ascension Via Christi President Bob Copple says those plans can vary, depending on circumstances. Similar to having a plan in case of a disaster, Copple says it’s important that If faced with a quarantine you have a way to still carry out everyday tasks. Holidays…

The Riley County Police Department is investigating after four individuals were found suffering from apparent gunshot wounds in Ogden late Saturday night. According to police, a call came in around 11:20 p.m. Saturday for the report of shots fired in the 200 block of Riley Ave. Two male shooting victims were transported to Stormont Vail Hospital in Topeka for treatment of injuries. Additionally, two other victims were also injured. Police say the four men range in age from 19 to 28 years old. As of Sunday, officers filed an aggravated battery report saying an unknown suspect shot at the four…

The Riley County Health Department announced Saturday that Dirty Dawg Saloon, located in Aggieville, has been forced to close after the establishment had multiple violations of the most recent local health order. Violations were obtained by Riley County Police Department body camera footage, and included overcrowding, open dance floors and staying open past midnight. The closure went into effect at 10 a.m. Saturday and will remain in effect until the bar’s owner, Jeffery Hawkinson, takes action to comply with Local Health Order No. 18.  Riley County District Judge Grant Bannister granted the county’s application for a temporary restraining order against…

Friday was the final day mail in ballots could be accepted in Kansas for the general election. That said, the race for Riley County Commission District 3 seat remains within single digits. At the end of business Friday, the Riley County Clerk’s office reported Republican John Matta received one additional vote from Thursday, pushing his advantage to three votes over Democrat Kathryn Focke. Matta has 4,675 votes. Focke has 4,672. As for the District 2 race, the extra votes haven’t altered the outcome as Greg McKinley still remains up by more than 1,200 votes on Fanny Fang. The Secretary of…