Author: Brandon Peoples

With two weeks to go until the official start date of the Riley County Fair, yet another adjustment is being made due to COVID-19 restrictions. Earlier this year, the Kaw Valley Rodeo and carnival along with several vendors pulled out of this year’s fair. Riley County K-State Extension Director Gary Fike on Wednesday also announced “Plan B” for its 4-H exhibits in Pottorf Hall, amid the city commission’s new face mask mandate. “They will bring in their static projects and they will get them judged and receive a placing and those that are held back maybe for a champion award…

A Riley man was arrested Tuesday on three aggravated charges of violating the offender registration act. RCPD arrested 46-year-old Frank Gibson after a warrant was issued last week. Online court records show Gibson failed to comply with provisions of the Kansas Offender Registration Act from October 2018 through March 2020, three consecutive six-month periods. KBI’s offender registry notes that Gibson was convicted in 2012 in the state of Maine for unlawful sexual contact with a victim from a 2011 incident. He remains jailed on a $20,000 bond.

Kansas State University says it’s evaluating new guidance announced Monday by Immigration and Customs Enforcement, including modifications to temporary exemptions for some non-immigrant students taking online classes due to the pandemic for the fall 2020 semester. The U.S. Department of Homeland Security plans to publish the procedures and responsibilities in the Federal Register as a Temporary Final Rule. The exemptions said non-immigrant students attending school operating entirely online may not take a full online course load and remain in the United States. Several universities are making the decision to transition to online courses for the fall already. Provost Charles Taber,…

A Manhattan restaurant owner bound over last month on 26 charges of sexual abuse against three minors maintains he’s innocent. Bob’s Diner owner Robert Iacobellis entered the not guilty plea during an arraignment hearing Monday in Riley County District Court. Judge Kendra Lewison has set an Aug. 17 status hearing. Riley County Attorney Barry Wilkerson tells KMAN that motions will likely be set at that hearing to proceed to trial. At a preliminary hearing last month, prosecutors noted they intended to try Iacobellis on 16 counts against the first victim, including charges of rape and sodomy. He also faces six…

The Kansas Supreme Court reaffirmed last week the child abuse and first-degree murder convictions of a 29-year-old Riley County man. During a 2018 trial, Andrew Gibson was found guilty of both counts in relation to the death of 3-month-old Serenity Reich. The infant was the daughter of Gibson’s ex-girlfriend. Detectives revealed during trial that Gibson suffocated the child in a sleep-deprived stupor. Gibson had appealed his convictions stating that the trial court erred when it held he waived a privileged communication with a defense-hired psychologist, there wasn’t evidence to support the convictions and that the jury instruction on the State’s…

Kansas State University is planning to announce additional administrative furloughs later this week. An 8 a.m. virtual town hall is scheduled for Friday. K-State President Richard Myers and Vice President for Human Capital Services Jay Stephens will be available. It will be available via YouTube Live. Access will require a K-State eID to view the session, available on the Human Capital Services website. It’s unclear how the next round of furloughs might impact fall classes, nor how deep the cuts may go, but could be as high as 10 percent in some of the higher end positions. The university has…

Fireworks are blamed for damaging a garage in a Junction City duplex over the weekend. Junction City Fire crews got the call just before 4:30 a.m. Sunday in the 900 block of White Tail Court. The blaze caused an estimated $10,500 in damage. It was caused by improper disposal of fireworks inside a plastic trash receptacle. The fire department says two adults, two children and two dogs were removed from the home. Two cats were also said to be inside, and crews were able to locate at least one of them in a bedroom. No injuries were reported. The fire…

A structure fire north of Manhattan early Sunday morning was likely fireworks related according to Riley County Fire Chief Pat Collins. Fire District No. 1 responded around 12:40 a.m to a fully engulfed 50 X 70 foot shop building located at 3787 High Plains Ranch, just north of Manhattan, east of Seth Child Road. More than two dozen volunteer firefighters from six stations helped bring the fire under control. No injuries were reported. Collins says it took several hours for crews to get a handle on the fire as they had to bring in more than 14,000 gallons of water…

Phase two of the bridge replacement project over Wildcat Creek on K-18 is expected to get underway Tuesday, weather permitting. The Kansas Department of Transportation says work will occur from west of Richards Drive to east of Poliska Lane and is expected to be completed in late 2021. The three phase project includes replacement of two bridges with a single bridge for all lanes. Phase three is expected toward the end of this year. During construction, east and westbound traffic on K-18 will be reduced to one-lane in both directions. Rosencutter Road will be closed at the K-18 intersection. The…

A Manhattan woman has been appointed by the Kansas Supreme to the state’s Continuing Legal Education Board for the next three years. Tracey Lee’s term began July 1 and ends June 30, 2023. The board oversees continuing legal education requirements for lawyers licensed to practice in Kansas. Attorneys must earn a minimum of 12 credit hours each year. In addition to being a graduate of the University of Texas School of Law, Lee is also the pre-law advisor at Kansas State University. She succeeds David Moses, a Wichita lawyer who served on the board since 2014. Other members of the…