Author: Brandon Peoples

A Manhattan man now faces first-degree murder charges in the deaths of two people at a west Manhattan residence last Friday. The Riley County Attorney’s office announced the formal charges Wednesday against 19-year-old Montrell Vassar. The charges were upgraded from the initial second-degree murder charges announced by Riley County Police over the weekend. In addition, Vassar has also been charged with possession of stolen property. The formal complaint, filed Wednesday in Riley County District Court, alleges Vassar acted with intent and premeditation in the killings of 19-year-old Skyler Havens and 23-year-old Javon Gray. It also alleges Vassar stole a handgun…

A former Manhattan High student has died after an apparent drowning Tuesday at the Wamego Aquatic Center. Thomas “Wyatt” Balman, a 2018 graduate of MHS, and a member of the high school swim team was identified from an email sent out to USD 383 staff Wednesday. Wamego City Manager Stacie Eichem confirmed the report to KMAN and stated the incident occurred at the facility’s indoor pool. The Aquatic Center is closed until further notice, pending a complete investigation. Wamego Police continue to investigate and were in the process Wednesday of interviewing people who were in the pool at the time…

Pottawatomie County health officials say several staff members who tested positive at the county’s Justice Center have been linked to a funeral in Manhattan this past weekend. Contact tracing has revealed several staff members who tested positive attended a funeral Saturday for one of a long-time coworker who recently passed away. Anyone who attended that funeral or has been at the Justice Center within the last 14 days are encouraged to monitor their health for COVID-19 symptoms. Those who feel sick should seek healthcare and ask to be tested. The Justice Center remains closed to the public. 3 p.m. Tuesday…

Manhattan firefighters battled a weekend house fire which reached a first alarm before it was contained a short time later. The Manhattan Fire Department was called out to 2411 Brook Lane around 11 a.m. Saturday. Crews arrived to find a garage in a single story structure on fire. Everyone inside exited the building prior to firefighters arriving on scene. Crews searched the home and removed two pets, one of which was treated on scene for smoke inhalataion. No other injuries were reported. Damage was estimated at $60,000 to the building and $25,000 to the contents. The cause of the fire…

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…