Author: Brandon Peoples

Nearly $12.7 million is being distributed to Kansas State University from the federal government, half of which is directly aimed at student financial assistance. The funding, announced Thursday, is one branch of the $2.1 trillion federal Coronavirus Air, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act, passed by Congress and signed by President Donald Trump in late March, in response to the ongoing health crisis. The CARES Act includes $14 billion to support post-secondary education students and institutions. Colleges and universities are required to use the $6.28 billion made available to provide cash grants to students for expenses and technology as well…

Residents of Washington County are being mandated 14-day quarantine and isolation if they recently traveled to Riley County. The Washington County Health Department announced this week the new measure which applies to any Washington County resident who traveled into Riley County on or after April 7. The measure is in place to limit the spread of COVID-19 into the rural northern Kansas county with a population of about 5,500 people. The list also includes the Kansas counties of Johnson, Wyandotte, Douglas, Leavenworth, Sedgwick, Coffey and Shawnee. States included in that order include California, Colorado, Connecticut, Florida, Illinois, Louisiana, New Jersey,…

Kansas House Representative Ron Highland says the state has done a good job so far responding to guidelines from health officials related to coronavirus. The 51st District Republican Representative from Wamego was critical of Gov. Laura Kelly’s executive order which mandated churches to comply with the 10-person gathering minimum ahead of Easter – traditionally the most well-attended church day of the year. “We have a constitution both the U.S. and state where those rights are protected and always have been,” he said. Highland says the executive order was not necessary to mandate since most congregations are taking the steps to…

A Manhattan man is jailed after an early Friday morning domestic incident. Riley County Police have charged 21-year-old Kono Desoto Smith with two counts of battery, two counts of domestic battery and one count of aggravated burglary. Police were called out just before 4 a.m. Friday to the Gramercy Apartment complex at College and Kimball Ave. Due to the nature of the crime no further details have been released. Smith remains jailed on a $10,000 bond. — Riley County Police arrested a 23-year-old Manhattan resident for a weapons charge. Shelby Moffith was arrested just before 2 a.m. Friday at Top…

Kansas 51st District Representative Ron Highland of Wamego joined KMAN Friday during the 8 a.m. hour to discuss COVID-19 related matters, the Legislative Coordinating Council’s decision to rescind Gov. Kelly’s executive order on church gatherings and how different state departments are responding.

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…