Author: Brandon Peoples

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…

Hospitals are desperately trying to keep up with the influx of cases of COVID-19, the novel coronavirus. Dr. David Pauls, a general surgeon with Ascension Via Christi Hospital in Manhattan has volunteered to become the hospital’s senior triage officer. Surgeons like Dr. Pauls are trained in triage through mass disaster situations. “Fortunately I’ve never been in a situation where I’ve had to do a major, big type triage situation. Part of it is that I’ve been here for a long time. It’s my way of doing what I can to help the community,” he said. While the situation isn’t dire…

The Manhattan Regional Airport continues to operate, albeit with very minimal traffic in and out of the terminal. “Yes we’re still open. American still has flights scheduled. We still have flights that are going out, but that schedule is very fluid, it’s changing daily,” said Airport Director Jesse Romo. The daily 5:50 p.m. departure to Dallas-Fort Worth has been cancelled and will not be on the schedule between April 7 and March 5. Romo says the economic impact caused by the pandemic will be significant. “Our revenue sources have definitely taken a tumble as well as a lot of businesses…

Riley County saw three new positive cases of COVID-19 reported Tuesday. Pottawatomie County also reported one new case. 7 p.m. update Late Tuesday, the Riley County Health Department learned that a 22-year-old K-State student who traveled to England in the group with a K-State journalism professor tested positive. The professor, Drew Smith, was released from the hospital and is recovering at home. Health officials say the student has been in quarantine in their Manhattan home since returning to the community March 18. The health department has been in daily contact with them. The student has been sick for the last…

Kansans needing to file unemployment benefits due to loss of income related to COVID-19 are being encouraged to do so online to alleviate the high volume to its call center. Gov. Laura Kelly announced Tuesday that the Kansas Department of Labor is receiving over 230,000 calls everyday. “We went from an average of 1,800 unemployment claims per week at the beginning of March to over 60,000 as of Sunday,” she said. As a result, Kelly says the state has doubled its capacity at the call centers. Employees are working extended hours and additional phone lines are being added while employees…

UPDATE: 7:45 a.m. Tuesday A third person in Riley County has tested positive for COVID-19. The Riley County Health Department received information late Monday night that a 57-year-old man tested positive. He presented to Ascension Via Christi Hospital Friday, March 27 and was tested the same day. The man is currently in the Intensive Care Unit at Via Christi and is considered an imported case, and not an instance of community spread. The patient had recently traveled to a church meeting in the Kansas City area. His family members are currently in quarantine at their home in Riley County. The…