Author: Brandon Peoples

Discussions surrounding taxes were front and center at a Saturday morning legislative coffee hosted at Manhattan’s Sunset Zoo. With the session reaching the halfway point, the tax bill has become the number one issue to be resolved before legislators depart Topeka in May. Sen. Usha Reddi serves on the Senate Tax Committee and says she expects more conversations to come as legislators work through different ways toward meaningful tax relief. “I think that even though the House has sustained the governor’s veto, it has resurrected in Senate, so we’re still going to be talking about it, and the reason that’s…

Students at St. George Elementary were briefly placed on lockdown Friday as authorities investigated a report of shots fired near the school. According to the St. George Police Department, dispatchers received a 911 call shortly before 3 p.m. in the city limits. St. George Police and the Pottawatomie County Sheriff’s Office responded to the school, which was in lock down. An investigation determined there was no threat to the school and students were released. According to Rock Creek Superintendent Joan Simoneau, the lock down, which occurred toward the end of the school day, affected the southern bus routes from the…

Police have identified a Junction City man charged in the drive-by shooting death of a 26-year-old Wichita woman. Sedgwick County jail records show 38-year-old Dennis Leroy Alcox is charged with first-degree murder, criminal possession of a weapon and contempt of court. Wichita Police located the body of Audreanna Hidalgo early Thursday morning in a southeast Wichita neighborhood. She was pronounced dead from a gunshot wound. Alcox was taken into custody a few hours later after he was located in Junction City and transported to Wichita to face formal charges. He remains jailed in Sedgwick County on a $500,000 bond. Original…

Spring begins March 19, but spring construction season is already getting an early start around Manhattan. This week, the second phase of a Kansas Department of Transportation pavement improvement project south of Manhattan got underway. During this phase, traffic will be head-to-head on the northbound/westbound lanes of K-18/K-177, while the southbound/eastbound lanes are reconstructed. The intersections of McDowell Creek Road and Stadel Road will be reconstructed in subphases to keep them open to traffic. The K-18/McDowell Creek Road intersection will be restricted to right-in, right-out turning access only. Northbound K-177 traffic will not be able to turn left at the…

Riley County Police are investigating after two people were injured late Thursday in a crash at Marlatt Ave. and Kirkwood Drive. Officers filed a report for DUI/aggravated battery/collision shortly before 8:30 p.m. The drivers of both vehicles sustained injuries. Police say 61-year-old Tony Curtis was transported to Via Christi for evaluation of his injuries. 19-year-old Caitlyn Smith sustained minor injuries. Police say Curtis was at fault for the crash. Charges had not been filed as of Friday morning, pending his release from the hospital.

A 20-year-old man was cited after police say he accidentally shot himself Thursday afternoon. According to the Riley County Police Department, a report for unlawful discharge of a firearm and possession of stolen property was filed around 3:30 p.m. in the 100 block of Bluemont Ave. near Walmart. Officers listed the man both as the victim and offender. He was transported to Ascension Via Christi for treatment of injuries. Additional details weren’t immediately available as of Friday morning, with police saying it is still an active investigation.

A woman has been charged in connection to a deadly shooting this week on Fort Riley. According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Kansas, 30-year-old Margaret Shafe has been charged with 2nd degree murder in the Monday death of Greg Shafe at their home on post. Margaret made her initial court appearance Thursday before U.S. Magistrate Judge Rachel Schwartz. If convicted, she could face up to life in prison. The Department of Army Criminal Investigations Division and the FBI are investigating the case.

A temporary street closure is in place near the Kansas State University campus. The City of Manhattan says Old Claflin Road, just west of North Manhattan Avenue, will be closed to vehicular and pedestrian traffic through mid-March, as a new crosswalk and traffic signal are installed. This is impacting access to the northeast portion of campus. It’s part of the city’s North Manhattan Avenue pedestrian safety project.  Elsewhere in the city, improvements will begin Monday on Houston Street between 3rd and 4th Streets. The road surface will be reconstructed and the city will do storm sewer and sidewalk replacements in…

A bill that would give Riley County some authority over nuisance properties has cleared the first hurdle toward becoming law. Senate Bill 162 passed the Senate Thursday on a 34 to 5 vote. The bill would grant Riley County the ability to force landowners to clean up nuisance properties in unincorporated areas. Commission Chair John Ford says it adds another tool to bring a relatively small amount of property owners into compliance. Ford says the bill mirrors Sedgwick County law allowing liens to be assessed on properties determined to be in need of cleanup. The county has been working through the…

Fiber broadband is coming to Manhattan. WTC announced Wednesday a $50 million fiber network expansion, bringing broadband to all parts of the city within the next 36 months. CEO Jeff Wick says the project is being 100% privately funded. The announcement preceded the company’s Business After Hours, hosted by the Manhattan Area Chamber of Commerce. Director of Economic Development Daryn Soldan says having broadband changes the dynamic as Manhattan competes for economic growth opportunities. Wick says burying the fiber underground takes time but is much more reliable than aerial deployment. Fiber broadband enables remote working environments, improving educational opportunities, advancing…