Author: Brandon Peoples

Officials at Fort Riley have confirmed that Brigadier General Douglas A. Sims II will be the next commanding general of the 1st Infantry Division and Fort Riley. The announcement became official April 30. Sims is currently the Deputy Director for Regional Operations and Force Management, with the Joint Staff. He is a graduate of the U.S. Military Academy and also has a Master’s Degree from Webster University. His career has included multiple deployments to Afghanistan and Iraq. A change of command date for the Big Red One has not been set.

The first phase for reopening businesses in Riley, Geary and Pottawatomie County includes limited dine-in seating at restaurants, reopening of retail stores and libraries. Four-phased plans were unveiled Friday evening by health officers Julie Gibbs (Riley Co.) and Lisa Kenworthy (Pottawatomie Co.) and Tammy A Von Busch (Geary Co.). Phase one begins Monday and allows restaurants in both counties to reopen their dining rooms with a maximum 50 percent capacity, based on fire code and tables must be set six feet apart. No buffet, salad bar, or self-serve, unpackaged food is allowed. No waiting areas within the facilities are permitted…

Update 5/1 4:40 p.m.- The Pottawatomie County patient at Ascension Via Christi has been released from the hospital.  This means there is only one hospitalization at this time.  That patient is a Riley County resident. During today’s daily COVID-19 update, Riley County Health Department Director says while stay at home orders will expire on Sunday, the department is still encouraging people to stay home and only leave their homes for essential travel.  Also, a hotline will be available Monday to answer for businesses who are able to open with the county’s reopening plan. Original story: The availability of testing is…

The T. Russell Reitz Animal Shelter hopes to eventually open its doors once again. For now, the shelter is only open by appointment, but have resumed open hours on Saturday. “We’re going to open back up on Saturdays. So we’ll be open Monday through Saturday 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. by appointment only,” said Deb Watkins, Director of Animal Services with the Shelter. The number of pets in the shelter has been steadily less than it was prior to the pandemic. In April 54 pets were adopted out and 24 animals were claimed by their owners. During the past few…

Kansas State University is set to distribute its $6.3 million in federal CARES Act funding to qualified students experiencing financial hardships amid the pandemic. Vice President for enrollment management Karen Goos said in a letter Friday, the disbursement from the U.S. Department of Education prioritizes reaching as many students as possible with the greatest demonstrated need. The Office of Student Financial Assistance will use data from student FAFSA documents to determine eligibility. Rules require funds be awarded to enrolled undergraduate, graduate and professional students pursuing degrees at K-State. International students, undocumented students, new students or students enrolled in distance-only degree…

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…