Author: Brandon Peoples

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…

Kansas State University will proceed with the creation of the Institute for Global Food, Health and Biosecurity, pending $5 million in funding from the state legislature. At a virtual meeting of the Board of Regents last week, Provost Chuck Taber said the effort would be designed to compliment the global food systems work which is also funded by the state. It also compliments research being done within the College of Veterinary Medicine. “This will be something that we believe will really serve the well-being and interests, both financial and physical of Kansas and Kansas residents,” he said. As a result, the new…

One person was air lifted from a motor vehicle accident Monday near St. George. The Pottawatomie County Sheriff’s Office says the crash, which occurred around 11 a.m. involved two passenger cars at the intersection of Highway 24 and Blackjack Road. Both cars were eastbound at the time of the crash. The drivers of both vehicles were the only occupants involved in the crash. Eastbound lanes were shut down for a little over an hour and a Lifestar helicopter transported one of the unidentified individuals to a Topeka hospital for treatment. The crash remains under further investigation. No other details were…

Facing uncertainty ahead of the 2021 budget year, the Riley County Law Board Monday directed Riley County Police Department leadership to bring back a zero budget proposal to next month’s meeting. Law Board member and Manhattan City Commissioner Wynn Butler says with no sales tax coming in and grim revenue projections, the increase for RCPD must be zero. “The reason is quite simple, who’s paying that free? It’s the citizens we put out of work basically,” he said. “We’ve got most of our small businesses closed, restaurants are closed, the university is closed. Where are we going to get the…

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…