Author: Brandon Peoples

Two people are dead and one person is in custody following a shooting in Manhattan Friday. Riley County Police say 19-year-old Montrell Vassar is jailed on two counts of second-degree murder. Police were alerted to shots fired in the 700 block of Allison Ave. shortly before 5:30 p.m. Friday. Bond has been set at $500,000. Police say no other arrests are anticipated. Police say the two men found dead at the scene were known acquaintances of Vassar. They were identified as 19-year-old Skyler Havens and 23-year-old Javon Gray, both of Manhattan. Police continue to investigate and are not releasing any…

Spooktacular, the annual Sunset Zoo Halloween celebration, will go on this year with some changes implemented to keep trick-or-treaters safe. The event typically draws in thousands of children with their families over a weekend. Marketing and Development Officer Melissa Kirkwood tells KMAN it will look a little different this year. “We will do some crowd control, so we are extending our time frame to more of a two-hour activity during several evenings that last week of October,” she said. Candy will be pre-bagged rather than at candy stations. Trick-or-treaters will receive the candy as they exit the zoo. Dates for…

A Manhattan felon is jailed on new charges in Riley County. According to its activity report, Riley County Police Department say a 25-year-old woman reported Wednesday that a suspect kidnapped and injured her. The suspect was identified as 25-year-old Aaron Lewis. Officers arrested Lewis in connection to several charges including aggravated kidnapping, aggravated domestic battery, domestic battery, violation of a protection order, interference with law enforcement, criminal trespass and aggravated intimidation. He’s also charged with seven counts of failure to appear. Lewis is being held on a bond of $63,750. Lewis has previous convictions for burglary, criminal threat and domestic…

The Rural Education Center in the Kansas State University College of Education has received its largest grant in history to improve distance learning. The $451,480 Distance Learning and Telemedicine (DLT) grant will be administered by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Rural Utilties Service and will support the center’s Rural Enhancement of STEM Education through Tele-Presence (a.k.a Project RESET). With the grant they will expand an innovative robot distance learning program. K-State College of Education Dean Debbie Mercer shared details Wednesday on a Zoom conference call about the Center’s Project RESET. “Through Project RESET, we partner with 20 schools and supply…

A ninth Riley County resident has died after having tested positive for COVID-19. The Riley County Health Department confirmed Wednesday that the 72-year-old man died Wednesday after testing positive less than two weeks earlier, on Sept. 25. Health officials say he was not associated with any outbreaks in the county. The ninth death comes as Riley County added just four new positive cases since Monday’s report. Ascension Via Christi is monitoring one COVID positive patient. As of Wednesday afternoon, active cases totaled 134, with 1,794 listed as recovered. The health department reminds those showing symptoms or who is a close…

Pottawatomie County Commissioners on Monday approved a $40,000 cap on funding for small business grants, through its federal CARES act allotment. Businesses that have incurred expenses as a result of the coronavirus pandemic can apply up to that amount. That leaves the county with just under $435,000 available to those businesses. That’s approximately $118,000 more than what officials had recommended, with the previous $25,000 per business cap. County Operations Officer Andrea Umscheid says businesses that qualify would have until the end of the year to apply through a straightforward process. “With the grant program, they’re not having to submit all…

First responders from the Riley County Police Department, EMS and Manhattan Fire Department hosted a modified version of National Night Out Tuesday. Led by RCPD, the event aims to bring the community together. Officers served up hamburgers and hot dogs to go while residents drove thru Hulburt Arena and posed their emergency vehicles for display. Officer Rachel Pate says the event, while different from years’ past still accomplished its goal. “We’re really happy to get to see everybody again. I know we had to do it a little differently with a drive thru and walk through with masks and gloves…

Fort Riley says it is contacting property owners near Marshall Army Airfield seeking permission to test drinking water quality in wells along those properties. The wells may have been impacted due to operations at the Army installation. Testing will look for concentrations of Perfluorooctanoic acid and Perfluorooctane sulfonic acid. They’re part of a larger group of chemical compounds known as per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances or PFAS. PFAS are used in aqueous film-forming foam (AFFF), a critical firefighting agent used to quickly suppress petroleum fires at airports and military installations. AFFF has been used at Fort Riley. PFAS are also found in many…

Pottawatomie County authorities are searching for a suspect in a recent alleged aggravated assault. The incident was reported Friday evening just after 9 o’clock near the intersection of Kelly and Allen Lane in St. George. Police from the St. George Police Department, Pottawatomie County Sheriff’s Office and Kansas Highway Patrol searched for over two hours but were unable to locate him. The man is described as 5 foot 10 inch white man in his mid-to-late 30’s with facial hair, glasses, weighing about 170 pounds. He was seen that night wearing a hat, khaki pants, and a dark (possibly green) shirt.…

Riley County Police are seeking the public’s help after a motor vehicle struck a pedestrian Sunday near downtown Manhattan. Police say the incident happened shortly after 4 p.m. Sunday near the intersection of North 6th and Leavenworth Street. A Ford F-150 pickup struck 34-year-old John Schum of Manhattan as he was crossing the street. He was transported to Ascension Via Christi for treatment of minor injuries. RCPD says the driver fled the scene and has not been identified. They’re asking anyone with information to contact RCPD or Crime Stoppers. Doing so could result in a reward up to $1,000.