Author: Brandon Peoples

Aggieville’s Taco Lucha and So Long Saloon have shut down after the business said staff members there came in contact with others who tested positive for the coronavirus. They say out of an abundance of caution and to protect public health, they are closing their doors indefinitely and will reopen once they feel it is safe to do so. The restaurants, which share a kitchen, made the announcement Sunday saying staffers had been near individuals outside the workplace and are continuing to monitor the situation. It’s not clear if any staffers have tested positive for the virus, but the restaurants…

Riley County Police announced Friday that a Junction City woman has been arrested in connection to a 2017 murder in southern Riley County. Bobbie Jo Long was arrested on a Riley County District Court warrant for conspiracy to commit first degree murder and aggravated kidnapping. The arrest is tied to the death of Carrie Jones, a former drug informant. In 2018, Steven Meredith, also of Junction City was arrested in connection to Jones’ death. He was subsequently sentenced to 20 years in prison after pleading guilty to a conspiracy charge last year. Long is confined in the Riley County Jail…

WESTMORELAND — Pottawatomie County is phasing out COVID-19 related limitations and restrictions, despite the health officer’s recommendation to extend the county’s public health order for another 10-14 days. At a Friday morning meeting the Pottawatomie County Commission, acting as the Board of County Health voted 3-0 to not extend Public Health Order No. 6. The reasoning was due to the county still having zero hospitalizations and zero deaths, indicating the steps taken have worked to keep the hospitals from being overwhelmed. Commission Chair Dee McKee says the vote intends to make people responsible for their own health rather than trying…

Riley County Police are investigating a fatal crash that happened early Friday morning near Leonardville. Shortly after 4 a.m. RCPD learned of a man walking, seeming disoriented and asking for a ride near the 12900 block of Barton Road. While en route, a second call reported a man had been found dead in the roadway. That man has been identified as 38-year-old Christopher Day of Leonardville. Police say Day died of head trauma associated with being struck by a vehicle. Police are looking for the suspect vehicle and asking the public for help if they saw anyone driving through the…

There will be no tuition increase at K-State next year. The Kansas Board of Regents Thursday approved the university’s plan to keep a flat rate along with KU. “All this uncertainty from the pandemic, our top priority is making sure students at K-State can finish what they started,” he said. “That’s our contract with them, and not only do we have health impacts with COVID-19, but in many cases with have economic and financial hardship.” K-State President Richard Myers told the board a lot of belt-tightening is happening as the university prepares for a roughly $17 million tuition revenue shortfall.…

Manhattan 22nd District State Senator Tom Hawk hosted a virtual Town Hall meeting Wednesday where he gathered input from local leaders on how best to spend federal dollars appropriated to Kansas through the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act. The forum was moderated by Dr. Timothy Shaffer, Director of the Institute for Civic Discourse and Democracy at Kansas State University. Hawk, who sits on the steering committee for Gov. Laura Kelly’s Strengthening People and Revitalizing Kansas (SPARK) Council, says $400 million has been allotted for distribution to each of Kansas’ 105 counties. A chief concern from counties has…

Boomtown will go on a little later than anticipated this year. Earlier this week, the Wamego City Commission gave the go ahead for the Wamego 4th of July fireworks show to proceed on Sunday, Sept. 6. That’s the Sunday before Labor Day. The annual 4th of July celebration which draws in thousands to Wamego was postponed due to COVID-19 concerns. Organizers say they are planning some new things for this year’s show and are excited to celebrate freedom on Labor Day weekend.

The Riley County Health Department says 11 new positive cases of COVID-19 have been confirmed since Monday, one of the largest spikes in new cases locally since the pandemic began. This is up from a Manhattan city official’s Wednesday-morning report showing there have been 10 new cases since Monday. The new report also shows four of the positive cases are associated with K-State athletics after all returning players were tested, which is down from the initial announcement that six K-State athletes had tested positive. Two of the individuals are women in their 20s, one is a 39-year-old man and the…

One person was arrested Tuesday on an outstanding warrant following a fiery crash northwest of Manhattan. Riley County Police and Riley County Fire responded around 4 p.m. to the 5700 block of Anderson Ave. where they found one vehicle had struck another and caused a fire. No injuries were reported. Police arrested 23-year-old Marcantoni Wood of Manhattan on a Manhattan Municipal Court warrant for parole violation. He was confined in the Riley County Jail on a $500 bond. The area was closed for about an hour while emergency crews worked to extinguish the fire.

A Manhattan restaurant owner has been bound over on 26 charges of sexual abuse against three minors, with arraignment set for next month. The charges against 62-year-old Robert Iacobellis, owner of Bob’s Diner, range from aggravated indecent liberties to rape and sodomy. If convicted, 24 of the counts carry a life sentence. Judge William Malcolm found enough probable cause from testimony Tuesday from the three alleged victims to proceed to trial. Iacobellis will be arraigned at 2:30 p.m. July 6 with Judge Kendra Lewison presiding. At Tuesday’s hearing, the three victims testified Iacobellis touched, fondled, or sexually assaulted them on…