Author: Brandon Peoples

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.

An Army veteran and CEO of the SAVE Farm is hoping to unseat longtime State Senator Tom Hawk in the 22nd district. Craig Bowser (R-Manhattan) says he’s running as a common-sense conservative and wants to curb the state’s spending. He says he’ll draw on his own business experience to accomplish that. “We’ve got to get government out of the way so that our economy can begin growing again. The economy, job growth and recovery from the pandemic will be my No. 1 priority as your next state senator,” he said. Bowser says there are other ways to grow the economy…

A trial in the sexual abuse case involving a former Manhattan restaurant owner likely won’t happen until early next year. At a Monday status hearing, Riley County Judge Kendra Lewison granted defense attorneys for Bob Iacobellis until mid-December to review the more than 2,000 pages of Department for Children and Families records tied to the case. Attorneys Lora Ingels and Brenda Jordan are both preparing for a trial outside of Riley County and have not had adequate time to review the DCF documents as a result. Riley County Attorney Barry Wilkerson noted his office has also received word of a…

A major reconstruction of the US 24/Green Valley Road intersection is going back to step one after Pottawatomie County commissioners decided Monday to rebid the project. The move comes weeks after initial bids came in more than 20 percent higher than the engineer’s estimate of $3.3 million. Hamm Construction submitted the low bid in early September, which was just over $4 million. Public Works Director Peter Clark informed the commission that the Kansas Department of Transportation has agreed to chip in an additional $250,000 to bring its total contribution to $2.75 million. Commissioners Dee McKee and Greg Riat both supported…

Local health officials say a wedding held in Riley County is the latest source of a COVID-19 outbreak, responsible for 22 of the 27 confirmed positive cases since Wednesday’s report. The wedding took place Oct. 17 and contact tracing staff are calling all known contacts in Riley County, but most guests were residents of other counties. The newlyweds have contacted all wedding guests to inform them of the outbreak. The health department also reported 16 additional recoveries. There are currently 82 active cases in Riley County and no patients currently in the hospital. Anyone who has symptoms, is a close…

Courts in the 8th and 21st Judicial Districts will briefly stop taking electronic filings and payments next week as the state begins moving all court case data to a single web-based platform. The courts will go offline from 5 p.m. Oct. 28 to noon Oct. 29. The courts are known collectively as “Track 1” in the Kansas eCourt Statewide Rollout Plan. The 21st Judicial District encompasses Riley and Clay counties. The 8th Judicial District encompasses Geary, Dickinson, Marion and Morris counties. The new system was adopted last year and more courts are transitioning to Track 1. Courts will remain open…

Manhattan City Commissioner Aaron Estabrook has tested positive for COVID-19. Estabrook notified city officials Thursday of his diagnosis. Estabrook reportedly began experiencing symptoms Saturday and was tested Tuesday afternoon. Estabrook has remained in isolation at home since Saturday and took part remotely in Tuesday’s city commission meeting via Zoom. In a release late Thursday, Estabrook stated the exposure likely occurred between Oct. 10 and Oct. 17 as a result of community spread. He says he did not have close contact with a positive patient, nor did he have close contact with any other commissioners. Anyone who had close contact with…

Students at Manhattan-Ogden schools will continue in the hybrid mode of in-person and remote learning through winter break. The 5-2 decision came Wednesday as the school board heard recommendations from administrators and heard comments from students, staff and community members who spoke of challenges bringing back students now. They also heard comments from those in favor of returning to the more traditional school setting. One of the concerns the board shared moving forward was making sure students are doing more than just checking in on remote days. Teaching and Learning Executive Director Dr. Paula Hough says they have a solid…

Seven months in to the coronavirus pandemic, more than 115 patients infected with COVID-19 have been cared for at Ascension Via Christi. Those figures were reported from a recent op/ed penned by Bob Copple, president of the Manhattan hospital. Copple says local physicians have done a great job adjusting, learning and taking great care of people and said the same of his associates. He also commented that Via Christi has access to Remdisiver – having administered more than 70 doses, in addition to other new and evolving therapeutics. He says the hospital is also participating in the Mayo Clinic’s convalescent…

A Manhattan man was injured Tuesday after his vehicle was struck by a drunk driver. Riley County Police say the crash happened just after 8:30 a.m. near the intersection of Scenic Drive and Fort Riley Blvd. Officers reported finding a passenger car driven by 29-year-old Gabriel Ramos had struck a second car in the rear. That car was driven by 51-year-old Johnny Taylor. The crash caused Taylor’s vehicle to strike a third car driven by 44-year-old Kern Francis, from the rear. Taylor was transported to Ascension Via Christi for treatment of injuries. The crash report did not list any injuries…