Author: Brandon Peoples

Several opportunities to get free testing for COVID-19 are coming to Riley County in the next week. The Riley County Health Department is partnering with the Kansas Department of Health and Environment and the Flint Hills Wellness Coalition for three different free drive thru testing stations througout the county. The first will take place from 7 to 10 a.m. Wednesday at the Manhattan Town Center southwest parking lot. The second opportunity is from 5 to 7 p.m. Wednesday at 401 Chase Street in Leonardville. The third opportunity will take place Thursday in Ogden with testing from 7 to 9 a.m,…

Authorities in Pottawatomie County are looking for a vehicle stolen from an east Manhattan dealership recently. Pottawatomie County Sheriff Shane Jager says they’re looking for a stolen Silver 2010 Chevrolet 1500 4-wheel drive extended cab truck. It’s modified with a suspension lift, off-road front bumper, black custom wheels, a roof mounted light bar, black flares and a “Browning” decal in the back window. The truck has a 60-day Kansas temporary tag. Anyone with information is asked to contact Detective Eric Green at 785-457-3353. Tips can be submitted at ptsheriff.com via the crime-stoppers link.

Pottawatomie County Public Works Director Peter Clark will soon be looking for new work. Clark submitted his resignation last week. His resignation is effective Dec. 25. Since his hiring in October 2015, Clark says he’s learned more than he probably would have in a similar role. “The amount of growth that’s happening in Pottawatomie County, the variety of things you get to do as a county engineer in our specific county with urban growth and yet all the bridges and culverts and all the road projects going on, I feel I’ve had the benefit of being here,” he said. Clark’s…

Google Maps imageBids for improvements to the intersection of US Hwy 24 and Green Valley Road have come in more than 20 percent higher than the engineer’s estimate. Hamm Construction submitted the low bid of $4.02 million, roughly 22 percent higher than the $3.3 million estimate put out. The project, which has been delayed several times, is less likely to move forward at this point. Pottawatomie County Public Works Director Peter Clark will return with a recommendation at the Sept. 14 county commission meeting. Clark is also proposing solutions to erosion issues in the Black Jack Estates subdivision, located north…

Kansas State University is reporting the number of students in quarantine in Manhattan tripled in one week after a spike in COVID-19 cases in Riley County. The latest information in K-State’s online dashboard shows the number of students in quarantine as of Aug. 28 was 477, up from 159 a week earlier. The total number of students in isolation was 226 compared to 49 the week before. At least 88 students were cleared from quarantine and 43 were cleared from isolation. Data shows of the 795 weekly tests reported by Lafene Health Center, 213 positives were reported between Aug. 24…

A Riley County judge will allow certain Department for Children and Family records to be presented as evidence in the sexual abuse case of Robert Iacobellis. This comes after defense attorney Lora Ingels filed a motion to deny DCF the opportunity to quash a subpoena. Judge Kendra Lewison ruled Tuesday that records be given to the court for an in camera inspection, which is defined as what happens when a judge reviews evidence (depositions, documents, photos, etc.) to determine whether it should be provided to other parties. It will be up to Judge Lewison to determine what is permissible for…

Consumer confidence doesn’t appear to have been phased by the coronavirus pandemic locally. August sales tax receipts for the City of Manhattan showed a modest early summer from consumers. On Tuesday’s edition of In Focus, City Manager Ron Fehr announced a pleasant surprise in numbers, which were about $40,000 above budget. “Sales tax receipts were $964,429.00. This actually reflects June sales as there’s a two month lag between collecting and receiving numbers for sales tax,” he said. Early projections by city officials had the city estimating 15 to 20 percent downturns in sales tax revenue. Mayor Usha Reddi says seeing…

Kansas State University leadership says two key indicators are being monitored as it weighs the possibility of transitioning to all remote learning. That includes active cases and the positive testing rate, both of which have climbed in the past week. President Richard Myers, Provost Chuck Taber, VP for Student Life Thomas Lane and Lafene Medical Director Kyle Goerl put out a joint statement Tuesday saying the decision-making process takes a holistic approach to what’s happening in the community. K-State says ultimately the off-campus behavior of students will likely steer whether or not in-person learning can continue. A decision to return…

Riley County health officials are now reporting 523 active COVID-19 cases in the county. That number is nearly double what it was one week ago (225) and 112 cases more since Friday’s report. The percent positive rate last week (meaning the number of positive cases divided by the number of tests administered) is around 31.18 percent, meaning of the 914 tests administered last week, 285 of them returned as positive. The adjusted percent positive rate from the week before increased from 11.67 percent as reported last week, to 14.5 percent. (That number includes results that hadn’t become official when the…

Former Manhattan restaurateur Bob Iacobellis is due in court Tuesday in an ongoing court case involving multiple sexual abuse charges. The 11 a.m. hearing is continued from two weeks ago. At that time a motion was made by the defense to deny a motion to quash a subpoena filed by the Kansas Department for Children and Families put forward by Iacobellis’ attorney Lora Ingels. On Aug. 28, Judge Kendra Lewison ordered that subpoena to be sealed. Following Tuesday’s hearing it’s anticipated the case could get set for trial. Iacobellis stands accused of 26 charges including rape, sodomy and multiple counts…