Author: Brandon Peoples

Temporary e-cards are being remotely issued to Manhattan residents who don’t currently have access to a Manhattan Public Library card. Those temporary e-cards will allow users to access thousands of downloadable books, hundreds of quality streaming movies and a wide array of databases. This is being done until further notice while the library remains closed to the public. Patrons 13 and older can obtain an e-card by filling out the online registration form at mhklibrary.org. Children under the age of 13 should have their parent or guardian contact the Circulation Department to create an account.

Funerals have shifted drastically since stricter measures have been implemented around social gatherings. Families of loved ones who have recently passed are being faced with uncertainty for when they can hold memorials or a funeral in the traditional sense. “Most families have chosen cremation, then they’re going to do something later on their own. We have about 12 pending cases,” said Brian Waddington, business partner with Yorgensen-Meloan-Londeen Funeral Home in Manhattan. Cremation rates are normally about 40 percent in Manhattan, but currently they are closer to 60 percent, according to Waddington. He says their doors remain open as well and…

A junior physics student at Kansas State University is this year’s recipient of the Barry M. Goldwater Scholarship. Blaine Fry, of Topeka, is one of 396 students in the nation to receive the scholarship awarded annually to those interested in research careers in engineering, mathematics or the natural sciences. Fry is mentored by Cortelyou-Rust University distinguished professor of physics Chris Sorensen. He is researching light scattering from fractal aggregates. Fry’s work is specifically researching backscattering: the light that scatters back to the source. It can be very dim, making it hard to measure. Fry says understanding things like soot from…

A new hearing date has been announced for a Manhattan businessman accused of more than 100 counts of sexual abuse with minors. Robert Iacobellis was initially due in Riley County District Court April 2, but due to the COVID-19 pandemic, that hearing has been pushed to 9 a.m. on May 14. Iacobellis faces 130 total counts of sex-related crimes against three alleged victims, all under the age of 18. He was arrested in early August 2019 and remains in custody on a $400,000 bond. Online court records show Iacobellis served an eviction notice in late February against his daughter and…

Heartland Stampede appears as though it will go on as scheduled. Plans are still in place for the annual music festival, formerly known as Country Stampede, which runs June 25-27 in Topeka. Headliners include Luke Combs and Toby Keith. The event was initially moved from the Manhattan area to Topeka last year due to concerns with flooding and accessibility before organizers later announced the permanent move to the new site at Heartland Motorsports Park. In a statement on its Facebook page, organizers said Sunday they are “keeping a close watch on developments surrounding COVID-19 and will abide by any precautions…

Manhattan parks remain open during the pandemic, but not to the extent they normally would be. Playgrounds are fenced off to thwart off the spread of germs, social gatherings of more than 10 people are discouraged and spring activities remain on hold. On KMAN’s In Focus Monday, Parks & Recreation Director Eddie Eastes described the likelihood of public swimming pools not opening on time for Memorial Day weekend. “The training that has to occur takes quite a bit of time and certainly a lot of that training we cannot accomplish that without maintaining a proper social distancing. There are some…

A Wamego man was seriously injured Sunday following a two-vehicle crash in Wabaunsee County. The Kansas Highway Patrol says 28-year-old Cody Boggs was southbound on Highway 99 near Paw Paw Creek Road when his Ford Escape rear ended a semi that had come to an almost complete stop due to low visibility caused by smoke. Boggs was transported to Wamego Health Center with a suspected serious injury. The truck driver was not injured. The crash happened just before 11 a.m. Sunday and closed the roadway for about two hours.

A lot of questions remain from a legislative perspective amid the COVID-19 pandemic. State Sen. Tom Hawk of Manhattan says he hopes the National Bio and Agro Defense Facility (NBAF) will play a key role going forward with any future pandemics with animal disease, knowing well that many diseases can be transferred from animals to humans. NBAF Communications Director Katie Pawlosksy says that while NBAF will largely focus on animal diseases, it could play a supporting role in future public health crises with respect to livestock research, diagnostics, countermeasure development, training and response. “Some studies have pointed to the fact…

Riley County confirmed a ninth positive case of coronavirus Friday morning. Two of the positive cases are being treated at Ascension Via Christi Hospital in Manhattan. As of Friday morning, the Riley County Health Department had 13 pending tests and over 20 people continuing to be monitored. The number of negative tests is up to 75. Cases in Pottawatomie County meanwhile remain at two. Health Department Director Julie Gibbs says the most recent positive cases are all travel associated and there remains no evidence of community spread to this point. That point was reiterated during the Friday morning update on…

Depending on the length of the COVID-19 pandemic, some questions are beginning to mount over what effect, if any it will have on the 2020 elections. Current state law prohibits all mail ballot elections in an election with a candidate’s name on the ballot. They can only be used for special questions. Kansas State University Department of Communications Associate Professor Dr. Tim Shaffer says if a change is made, it will need to happen quickly. “The reality is, voting by mail is going to require a lot of logistics if we were to do it on a national scale, at…