Author: Brandon Peoples

The first round of Manhattan Business Emergency Assistance Loans were distributed this week from the City of Manhattan’s Economic Development Fund. All told, 47 local businesses have received $208,840 in assistance. Most of those were directly deposited this week, within 10 days of the city commission approving the half million dollar loan request from the Manhattan Area Chamber of Commerce to create a relief fund. Chamber President and CEO Jason Smith explains how businesses will utilize those funds. “Those were primarily to take care of immediate bills like rent, utilities, things that would have potentially created a long-term detrimental impact…

A Manhattan woman who admitted trying to hide fentanyl from police during a 2019 wellness check on her husband could be headed to federal prison. At a sentencing hearing Tuesday in U.S. District Court in Topeka, Chanel Toliver was handed a seven month prison sentence, followed by two years of probation. However, due to her asthma, a judge recommended home confinement since she’s high-risk for the coronavirus, according the Centers for Disease Control. Toliver pleaded guilty to one felony count of removal of property to prevent seizure. She was one of 54 indicted last summer in a three-year drug trafficking…

An employee at the Manhattan Asian Market has been diagnosed with the coronavirus. Manager Fanny Fang in a video message on the market’s Facebook page said the employee has been in self-quarantine since Sunday when the symptoms began. “The last time this employee worked at the store was on Saturday. This employee’s duties do not require them to be customer facing. They’re more of a floater, meaning whatever we need them to do, they are the ones we go to,” she said. She says health officials have determined it is highly unlikely the employee was able to spread the virus…

The shift to online only curriculum has been especially challenging to students in the K-State College of Veterinary Medicine. Assistant Professor of Veterinary Oncology Dr. Raelene Wouda says those fourth year students typically receive hands-on course work for the entirety of their final year. “They spend their time working in the veterinary health center in the teaching hospital on either the small animal side or large animal side. They have rotations outside of the hospital in clinics across Kansas, other states or even overseas,” she said. And the college attempted to keep clinical work as long as they could through…

Two people received minor injuries Tuesday morning after part of the third floor of Hale Library collapsed onto the second floor. According to a release from Kansas State University, two non-K-State employees received minor injuries. They were evaluated by EMS and returned to work. The area of the collapse was about 20-by-20 feet and was part of a new floor being poured by contractors. K-State Police, Manhattan Fire and Riley County EMS responded to the call.

The City of Manhattan has announced some drastic service changes and budget cuts to address the financial impact of COVID-19. All spring and summer recreation programs will be cancelled, including the city swimming pool season, youth and adult sports leagues as well as parks and recreation sponsored camps, activities and events, including Arts in the Parks. City Manager Ron Fehr says with sales tax revenues estimated to be anywhere between $3 to $8 million less, these were difficult but necessary decisions. “It takes a lot of money to open the pools and to run those programs. That’s a significant cost…

As local health officials gear up for the possible peak period of COVID-19 cases, conservation of supplies will be crucial. While much attention has been given to personal protection equipment and other medical supplies, hospitals are now trying to conserve medication that may be needed to treat COVID-19 positive patients. “That’s one of the real reasons that we’ve been trying to explain and trying to encourage health facilities to stop elective procedures because a lot of them are actually done with propofol and so if you can not do those procedures, that frees up that medication for a potentially seriously…

Summer classes at Kansas State University will move online at in-state tuition rates and with significantly reduced fees. The move was announced this (MON) morning in continued response to the COVID-19 pandemic. K-State Provost Charles Taber says students will pay a single standard reduced online fee of $70 per student credit hour for the summer courses. The university is eliminating the campus privilege fee, academic infrastructure fee and the summer school fee. Taber says the decision was made now to give faculty and students enough time to prepare and prevent a disruption similar to what was experienced in March. He…

TOPEKA — The Kansas Supreme Court on Saturday invalidated the Legislative Coordinating Council’s revocation of Governor Laura Kelly’s COVID-19 Executive Order 20-18. The high court heard arguments electronically, meeting via Zoom, ruling swiftly and narrowly, saying it relied on the plain language of House Concurrent Resolution No. 5025. The Court said the revocation could not stand, because the resolution failed to give the LCC the necessary power to override Gov. Kelly’s order. The decision means the public gathering ban on 10 or more people in public places, specifically churches is back in place. The governor’s legal team had pushed for…

ONE Gas Inc, the parent company of Kansas Gas Service plans to present $70,000 in ONE Gas Foundation grants to Kansas nonprofit agencies including a number of Manhattan-area agencies. The grants will go to the Greater Manhattan Community Foundation, in addition to foundations in Wichita, Topeka and the United Way of Greater Kansas City. GMCF President and CEO Vern Henricks says locally, the grant will go to the 2020 COVID-19 Recovery Fund, which organizations can submit applications to for critical assistance. Funds are made available through nonprofits and public entities that are focused on short and long-term recovery efforts by…