Author: Brandon Peoples

Riley County Police have added a new name to its most wanted list. Montell Warren Jones Jr. is wanted on offenses of aggravated intimidation of a witness, aggravated domestic battery, criminal threat and criminal trespass. Jones is a 35-year-old man, 5 feet 7 inches tall and weighing about 210 pounds. Jones also has a Kansas Department of Corrections warrant. A photo of Jones can be found at NewsRadioKMAN.com. Anyone with information on his whereabouts should call RCPD or Crime Stoppers at 785-539-7777.

A motorcyclist was air lifted to a Kansas City area hospital Thursday following a crash east of Tuttle Creek Reservoir on Highway 13. According to Trooper Ben Gardner with the Kansas Highway Patrol, the crash involved a motorcycle struck by a semi, which happened shortly after 11:30 a.m. east of the Dyer Road intersection. The motorcyclist sustained life-threatening injuries and received life-saving medical help from a fast-acting on-scene Pottawatomie County deputy who formed a tourniquet on the crash victim’s leg. The Kansas Highway Patrol crash log states that the motorcyclist was southbound on a curve along Hwy 13 while the…

Two new positive cases of coronavirus were reported in Riley County, bringing the total number of active cases to 25. The latest cases are a 29-year-old man and 37-year-old woman, both recovering in isolation at their homes. Two people are also under investigation, after exhibiting symptoms but are awaiting test results. There are currently no positive patients from Riley County or any other county hospitalized at Ascension Via Christi. Since March 20, there have been 49 Riley County residents test positive for the virus while 398 people have tested negative. In Pottawatomie County there are now six active cases and…

U.S. Senator Jerry Moran joined Brandon Peoples on the KMAN Morning Show Thursday to update the public on the federal response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Moran touched on the need for more testing statewide, President Trump’s Executive Order to keep meat packing plants open and how the agricultural sector is faring from that decision and the Paycheck Protection Program’s impact on agriculture and other small businesses. What are your thoughts on how safe it is to reopen Kansas businesses and government safely and the ability to ultimately restore our economy in a timely manner? Ideally, would it be your preference…

There will be no Heartland Stampede this summer. Organizers announced Thursday that because of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, they’ve been forced to cancel the 2020 music festival. The three-day festival, formerly known as Country Stampede, made a permanent move from the Manhattan area to Topeka last year following flooding at Tuttle Creek Reservoir. In a statement, organizers said they made every effort to find potential reschedule dates, but those dates and artists were not available. “Initially we had hoped that we could weather this storm and that Stampede fans would be ready to celebrate the end of social distancing at…

Kansas State University is estimated to lose $35 million in revenue by July 31, caused by its move to remote instruction and limited operations attributed to the COVID-19 pandemic. K-State President Richard Myers on Wednesday outlined a fiscal plan for the university moving forward that includes a hiring freeze, salary cuts for top administrators and athletics staff and an implementation of targeted emergency furloughs for areas where a lack of funding exists to continue operations. Myers wrote in a letter to staff and students that uncertainty in state funding as a result of lost tax revenues, near certain enrollment declines…

The first meeting of the 24-member Manhattan Area Regional Recovery Task Force was held Wednesday. Members of the task force were generally united around the idea of consistent communication, noting the messaging businesses receive from elected officials and the local health departments must be uniform, a point echoed by Downtown Manhattan, Inc. Executive Director Gina Scroggs. “The direction needs to be very, very clear to the businesses about what is expected of them, who operates when, the phasing system and everyone needs to be understanding, have the same point of reference and know where to go to get that information,”…

5 p.m. Wednesday update Riley County health are preparing a local plan to re-open businesses closed amid the COVID-19 pandemic, but are waiting the governor’s updated orders Thursday before releasing their draft. Health Department Director Julie Gibbs says that Gov. Laura Kelly’s orders will take precedent and they need to ensure their local re-opening plan is not less strict than the state’s. As a result, they are holding their own tentative plan in case they need to make edits. Regardless of the specifics, Gibbs says residents should expect some current guidelines and mandated restrictions to remain in place in order…

USD 383 Manhattan/Ogden Schools have announced the two principals for its early learning centers. Abbie Wedel will serve as principal at Eugene Field. Stephanie Kabriel will serve as principal at College Hill. The two will begin their new roles with the district on July 20. Wedel is currently a preschool teacher at College Hill, a position she’s held since 2014. She earned her B.S. in Elementary Education, Emphasis: Early Childhood Special Education, in 2009 and her M.S. in Education Administration in 2020 from Fort Hays State University. Kabriel comes to USD 383 from Junction City where she currently serves as…

The Manhattan Fire Department is starting its annual fire hydrant maintenance program this week. Hydrants will be flowing and getting painted throughout the city from now until late fall. Flowing occurs every year to ensure proper operation and to flush out water lines. If you notice yellow or rust-colored water in your home after crews have flowed fire hydrants in your area, the department recommends running water in a bathtub or shower until it clears. If it doesn’t clear up, contact the City of Manhattan customer service office at 785-587-2480 or the fire department at 785-587-4502. Residents are urged to…