Author: Brandon Peoples

The Manhattan City Commission will consider settling a debt agreement of more than $5,000 for city sewer service with Riley County Commissioner Ron Wells. Tuesday’s consent agenda includes the agreement which would resolve connectivity issues after it was discovered in 2017 that a Wells family property was receiving free sewer service at 3605 and 3609 Anderson Ave. According to Wells it was part of an agreement in the late 1960s. He says the family had permission not to pay for sewer fees in exchange for utility easements, but the city has never received documentation related to this. The city assumed…

A federal judge has blocked Gov. Laura Kelly’s executive order limiting religious gatherings to 10 or fewer people to slow the spread of the coronavirus. The decision, which came down late Saturday from U.S. District Judge John Broomes in Wichita prevents the enforcement of the order issued by Gov. Kelly if pastors and congregations observe physical distancing measures. The judge’s decision remains in effect until May 2. He has a hearing scheduled Thursday in a lawsuit filed against Kelly by two churches and their pastors including Calvary Baptist Church in Junction City and pastor Aaron Harris. Last weekend, the Kansas…

Symphony in the Flint Hills has cancelled for the second year in a row, this time due to COVID-19. The event had been scheduled for June 13 in Wabaunsee County. The event typically unites 7,000 people from across the country on a private pasture in the Flint Hills for prairie walks, inspirational talks, cowboy poetry and a sunset concert performed by the Kansas City symphony. “The decision to cancel the 2020 Signature Event is heartbreaking, but the health and well-being of our audience, performers, and the communities of Wabaunsee County and the Flint Hills region are of utmost importance to…

U.S. Senator Jerry Moran is calling for widespread testing to get Kansas and the national economy back on its feet. The Manhattan Senator joined a conference call of medical experts from the University of Kansas Health System and Kansas Department of Health and Environment Secretary Dr. Lee Norman. Moran says he plans to do everything he can to get more people tested in Kansas and across the country. “As someone who is appropriating taxpayer dollars to fight COVID-19 and its consequences, those resources are not unlimited, particularly with an economy that is not generating tax revenues. It can’t go on…

The financial impact of COVID-19 is starting to be felt in the Manhattan area. Goodcents has announced the closure of one of its two Manhattan restaurants. The company said in a release Friday that the financial realities during the ongoing pandemic were too much for the 900 Hayes Drive location to overcome. The last day of business was Thursday, finishing six years of business at that location. Franchisee Jim Jacobs says they did so with a heavy heart, but will continue to keep the Aggieville location open. Goodcents becomes one of the first Manhattan area businesses to announce a permanent…

A body found in Wildcat Creek over the weekend has been identified as that of a Manhattan man missing since late February. The Riley County Police Department said Thursday that following an autopsy it was determined to be 39-year-old Robert Weixelman. He hadn’t been seen by his family since February  21. RCPD’s Emergency Dispatch Center received a 911 call Saturday from a person canoeing in the creek, stating they found what appeared to be a body in the 1100 block of Temple Lane, south of Manhattan. Following the autopsy, detectives and crime scene investigators confirmed the identification and determined there…

Social gatherings aren’t happening for the foreseeable future, but event organizers with Heartland Stampede are proceeding with this year’s show, at least for now. The concert is planned in Topeka’s Heartland Motorsports Park June 25-27. On Thursday, event organizers inadvertently sent out an email blast urging the public to hurry and buy tickets before prices increase May 1, including an exclusive VIP package. About an hour and a half later, Heartland Stampede organizers sent out a second email blast apologizing for the inadvertent email, noting it was not planning to increase prices due to COVID-19. Organizers say they’re still planning…

The first round of Manhattan Business Emergency Assistance Loans were distributed this week from the City of Manhattan’s Economic Development Fund. All told, 47 local businesses have received $208,840 in assistance. Most of those were directly deposited this week, within 10 days of the city commission approving the half million dollar loan request from the Manhattan Area Chamber of Commerce to create a relief fund. Chamber President and CEO Jason Smith explains how businesses will utilize those funds. “Those were primarily to take care of immediate bills like rent, utilities, things that would have potentially created a long-term detrimental impact…

A Manhattan woman who admitted trying to hide fentanyl from police during a 2019 wellness check on her husband could be headed to federal prison. At a sentencing hearing Tuesday in U.S. District Court in Topeka, Chanel Toliver was handed a seven month prison sentence, followed by two years of probation. However, due to her asthma, a judge recommended home confinement since she’s high-risk for the coronavirus, according the Centers for Disease Control. Toliver pleaded guilty to one felony count of removal of property to prevent seizure. She was one of 54 indicted last summer in a three-year drug trafficking…

An employee at the Manhattan Asian Market has been diagnosed with the coronavirus. Manager Fanny Fang in a video message on the market’s Facebook page said the employee has been in self-quarantine since Sunday when the symptoms began. “The last time this employee worked at the store was on Saturday. This employee’s duties do not require them to be customer facing. They’re more of a floater, meaning whatever we need them to do, they are the ones we go to,” she said. She says health officials have determined it is highly unlikely the employee was able to spread the virus…