Author: Brandon Peoples

Kansas First District Congressman Roger Marshall is back in Kansas, not for politics, but as a volunteer. The Congressman, who is also an obstetrician, began on-boarding Wednesday at Swope Health Clinic in Kansas City. He’s seen first hand the challenges facing the health care workers on the front lines as well as the challenges the virus poses. “Some people present with a fever, some with a headache, some just weakness or maybe even diarrhea or gastrointestinal symptoms. We do a basic history physical, take their vitals and then do the testing for COVID,” he said. Marshall says even as the…

The Riley County Health Department has a new online survey for community members to report their health condition regardless of if they are showing symptoms for COVID-19. It’s available at rileycountyks.gov/covidsurvey. The information is confidential and will only be used to determine how the coronavirus is spreading locally. The health department says it won’t ask about finances, bank accounts, insurance or any non-health related information. The department says data will help them track the spread of COVID-19 to align response resources as the community begins work toward lifting restrictions and reopening certain businesses. People will be asked to share their…

Riley County continues to see a climb in the number of positive cases of the coronavirus, while more people recover and more testing becomes available locally. As of Saturday, the Riley County Health Department saw three new confirmed positive cases reported in two 23-year-old women and one 22-year-old man. All three are known contacts of positive cases. They are isolating at their homes. So far, 43 Riley County residents have tested positive for the coronavirus since March 20. That’s an average of about 1.2 new cases per day. As of Saturday, 21 of those patients have recovered and 22 are…

Five Ascension Via Christi Hospital certified nursing assistants (CNAs) are volunteering to assist medical officials at Ascension facilities in Illinois and Indiana. Alyssa Jones and Brooklin Stoddard are both traveling to Chicago. Baylee Hogan, Cortney Kipp and Taylor Vandeloo are volunteering in Indianapolis, where outbreaks of the coronavirus have been more rampant. The five were joined in a send off ceremony that included coworkers and families outside the Manhattan hospital Saturday evening. Vandeloo has been a CNA for more than a year, and is studying to become a licensed practical nurse (LPN). “I just really wanted to go help out,”…

  Video – courtesy ABC News A Northeast Kansas farmer made headlines Friday when his letter to New York Governor Andrew Cuomo was read during the governor’s daily news conference on the latest coronavirus statistics. “Enclosed, find a solitary N95 mask left over from my farming days.  It has never been used. If you could, would you please give this mask to a nurse or doctor in your state,” Cuomo said as he read from the letter. The letter signed only “Dennis and Sharon” was written by a retired farmer hunkered down with his diabetic wife, both in their 70s.…

Small towns are adjusting to life amid the coronavirus pandemic. In the City of Riley, Mayor Tim Sharp says facilities are closed, but government continues to operate. “We have two full-time employees that work there (at City Hall), they’re both still working, doing their job and they do let people in sometimes, but if we can do it by phone or drop box for utility payments, we sure try to do it that way,” he said. The Riley City Council, which meets twice a month, last met April 14 via Zoom, taking public comment by email or phone prior to…

Construction crews have begun tunneling work under the Union Pacific Railroad tracks at 5th Street and Fort Riley Blvd. It’s the first phase of a nearly $6.4 million storm sewer drainage improvement project near downtown Manhattan. Crews are installing a 66-inch diameter concrete storm sewer pipe using a horizontal drilling machine to cut a tunnel beneath the tracks and gradually push the pipe into place, according to a release from the City. The project is anticipated to form a bottleneck to help ensure that stormwater has a better path to flow into the river. The project is part of the…

The construction timeline for the National Bio and Agro-Defense Facility is being delayed due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. The Department of Homeland Security and US Department of Agriculture announced jointly the NBAF facility which had been projecting a December 2020 completion date and a May 2021 commissioning, will shift. NBAF Program Manager for DHS Tim Barr. “We are forecasting approximately a 2-and-a-half-month shift in those milestones, but given the current uncertainties we’re dealing with, we’re unable to peg new dates for when those actions will be complete. Barr says work is ongoing with 200 to 250 people on site…

Graduation will look a lot different for area high schools this spring. A number of districts are working on plans to offer some form of ceremony, whether it’s held later or held virtually. USD 384 Blue Valley Superintendent Brady Burton says the school board approved the graduation committee’s recommendation to push the in-person ceremony to a later date this summer. “The first date that was picked was June 27, a Saturday at 3 p.m. If that doesn’t work out the alternate date is July 18 at 3 p.m. which is also a Saturday,” he said. If neither date is a…

Area nonprofits received a welcome boost to funding Wednesday with a record $768,307 raised in 24 hours of online fundraising through the eighth annual Grow Green Match Day. The total surpassed last year’s donations by more than $250,000. The amount of donor gifts also increased from more than 2,600 a year ago to over 4,200 this year. The Greater Manhattan Community Foundation also set up a COVID-19 Recovery Fund where donations were matched at 100 percent. The fund ended the 24 hours of fundraising with over $69,000. Elsewhere, Shepherd’s Crossing raised $51,350, the Crisis Center’s new shelter fund raised $45,902…