Author: Brandon Peoples

Riley County firefighters had their hands full Tuesday with as a grass fire burned nearly 800 acres according to Emergency Management Director Pat Collins. Collins says the cause of the fire is unknown but believed to have started on the Konza Prairie near I-70 in Geary County around 3 p.m. It eventually crossed into Riley County. It took close to five hours to bring the fire under control. Collins tells KMAN there were about 20 trucks and some 30 to 45 firefighters from both counties as well as members of the Konza Prairie Research Department. No injuries were reported. A…

Update 4:45 p.m. Wamego High School will in fact switch to a hybrid learning model as a result of rising numbers of students in quarantine. The hybrid model will be adopted for at least the next three weeks. Superintendent Tim Winter confirmed to KMAN late Tuesday afternoon the district’s decision after the high school saw its number of quarantined students rise from 13 Friday to 62 on Monday. The increase in quarantines were a direct result of three positive student cases within the high school. At least two dozen students reportedly were feeling ill on Monday. The high school is…

Junction City High School Principal Melissa Sharp has been suspended with pay following an incident last month involving a student wearing a hijab (a head covering worn in public by Muslim women). The board’s decision Monday was unanimous (7-0). Board President Rina Neal issued the following statement. “The board of education has thoroughly reviewed the results of the investigation concerning the incident at Junction City High School. An acting principal will be appointed. We will use this as an opportunity to rededicate our efforts to create an inclusive environment for all. We appreciate your support of our students and school…

Here’s what’s at stake for local and state races Tuesday. Polls will be open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Tune in to News Radio KMAN and follow NewsRadioKMAN.com Tuesday night for election results. MANHATTAN Voters are weighing in on a proposed .05 percent sales tax extension beyond 2022. RILEY COUNTY Republican Greg McKinley of Riley is up against Democrat Fanny Fang for the 2nd District seat currently held by Marvin Rodriguez, who was defeated in the primary. Republican John Matta of Manhattan is taking on Democrat Kathryn Focke for the District 3 seat currently held by Ron Wells, who…

One-third of all registered Pottawatomie County voters cast their ballots early for the general election. A total of 5,610 ballots had been received Monday as advanced voting wrapped up for the 2020 cycle. That more than doubles the 2016 figures which saw 2,451 advance vote in person or by mail. County Clerk Nancy McCarter says her office saw 2,307 walk-in voters and have received 3,303 of the 4,008 mail ballots returned (82%). The numbers equate to 33 percent of the nearly 16,887 registered to vote in Pottawatomie County. Monday was Election Worker Appreciation Day. Commissioner Pat Weixelman read a proclamation.…

In its latest update Friday, the Riley County Health Department reported 37 new positive COVID-19 cases since Wednesday and 10 additional recoveries, bringing the active case count to 127 and the number of recoveries to 2,076. Two patients are currently experiencing symptoms severe enough to require hospitalizations. The health department also continues to monitor four active outbreaks and says three additional cases have been attributed to an Oct. 17 wedding held in Manhattan. The number of active cases from that wedding has grown to 40. In Pottawatomie County, 41 were added to the recovered list, as the active case count…

Clay Center continues to celebrate strong sales tax collections. For the fourth month in a row, the outlook was positive, with city officials saying collections since July are up 16 percent compared to a year ago. The reporting period, which lags two months behind shows collections from May, June, July and August. Mayor Jimmy Thatcher in a news release Friday said he was not surprised by the continued trend, noting traffic in the community was strong throughout the summer, with recreation activities, the open swimming pool and schools opening on time. Clay County Commissioners also reported 2020 home sales prices…

Campaign finance reports filed Monday showed Democrats leading Republicans in the area legislative races in terms of fundraising. Incumbent 22nd District State Senator Tom Hawk began the July 24 to Oct 22 reporting period with over $69,000 cash on hand and raised over $84,000 the past three months, spending just over $104,000 on his re-election campaign. Republican Craig Bowser’s campaign contributions tallied over $11,000 and he spent nearly $27,000 of his $35,000 plus in cash available this period. In the race for the open 67th District House seat, Democrat Cheryl Arthur raised over $41,000 this period and spent over $39,000…

Campaign finance reports were filed Monday, detailing money raised and spent by local candidates between July 24 and Oct. 22. Among the four candidates running for seats on the Riley County Commission, Democrat Fanny Fang, who is running for the District 2 seat, raised by far the most, receiving $13,700, more than twice the amount of any other candidate. The other Democratic candidate, Kathryn Focke raised $5,835. As of Monday, Fang still had just over $4,500 in cash on hand, while Focke’s campaign had just under $1,800. John Matta, the Republican candidate in District 3, raised $3,426 over the past…

Riley County Police say a man was found dead early Thursday morning at a Manhattan home. Officers were reportedly trying to make contact with a 21-year-old man they believed had information about an ongoing criminal investigation. When officers’ attempts to make contact with him were ineffective, a search warrant was issued for a home in the 2000 block of College Ave. Police found the man deceased upon entering the home. Foul play is not suspected. Police are not releasing any further information due to the ongoing investigation.