Author: Brandon Peoples

A pursuit which began in Jackson County and ended with a rollover crash in Atchison County resulted in a hospital trip for a St. George man Sunday. The Kansas Highway Patrol’s crash log says 49-year-old Ronald Snowberger of St. George was a passenger in the car driven by 56-year-old Robert Neal Kirk of Topeka. Authorities with the Jackson County Sheriff’s said in a news release that they had initiated a traffic stop around 5 a.m. Sunday. The vehicle failed to yield to the deputy continuing on several county roads before crashing near the K-9, US 159 junction, about three miles…

Longtime Manhattan City Clerk Gary Fees said goodbye Friday to colleagues at a retirement ceremony. “I’m retiring from the city today, but I’m not retiring from other pursuits. I want you all to know how an important part of my dash, that you all have been,” Fees said. Fees, who has served in the role since 1999, announced his retirement recently and was honored during an event at Manhattan City Hall. Esteemed guests included former commissioners, former city officials and members of other entities who worked closely beside him, all of them noting Fees’ professionalism and character. “I never heard…

Update Sunday 6 a.m. The victim from Saturday’s shooting has been identified as Tanner Zamecnik, 24, of Manhattan. Update Saturday 9:18 p.m. A Manhattan man is charged with murder following the death of a shooting victim from an incident late Friday. The Riley County Police Department says 29-year-old Richard Goens was arrested Saturday on charges of first-degree murder, aggravated assault and aggravated robbery. He’s currently jailed on a $1 million bond. Police were called out around 10 p.m. Friday to the sound of a gunshot in the 1400 block of Cambridge Place, near the intersection of Claflin and Seth Child.…

Riley County Police are attempting to locate a suspect who escaped custody early Saturday morning. Police say 33-year-old Cory Ryan Calkins escaped after being arrested on probable cause offenses of aggravated burglary, possession of meth, possession of marijuana and possession of drug paraphernalia. It’s advised that if you see Calkins, do not attempt to approach him, but call 911 or RCPD at 785-537-2112. Tips can also be submitted to Crime Stoppers.

TOPEKA — The Kansas Highway Patrol says a man accused in a Friday kidnapping, who led authorities on a pursuit on Interstate 70, is in custody. Authorities with KHP were alerted by Junction City Police of a kidnapping that reportedly occurred around 2 p.m. They were notified that the armed suspect was reportedly eastbound on I-70 heading toward Topeka. Troopers eventually located the suspect’s truck west of Topeka. After entering the eastbound lanes of the Kansas Turnpike, troopers attempted to stop him, but he initiated a pursuit. Stop sticks were deployed but the suspect was able to maneuver around them.…

One person was killed Friday morning following a head-on crash west of St. Marys on Hwy 24. According to the Kansas Highway Patrol, a pickup driven by 19-year-old Joseph McIntyre of St. Marys was traveling westbound in the eastbound lane and struck an SUV driven by 54-year-old Kathleen Cummings of Belvue. It’s not clear from KHP’s investigation why McIntyre’s vehicle was in the wrong lane. Cummings was pronounced dead at the scene. McIntyre was transported to Stormont Vail Hospital with a suspected minor injury. The crash shut down Highway 24 from Belvue to St. Marys for approximately seven hours. Original…

A multi-vehicle crash near Junction City shut down a portion of Interstate 70 Friday morning Initially, it was reported by Kansas Highway Patrol Trooper Ben Gardner that as many as 10 vehicles may have been involved. It was later confirmed that five vehicles were involved and that multiple others had stopped to assist. It has been listed as a non-injury crash. Traffic was slowed down for almost 3 hours near mile marker 298 near Junction City. The roadway reopened shortly after 10 a.m.

Riley County Police say no arrests have been made in relation to the rumored threat of a shooting scheduled to take place at the Manhattan High School – East Campus Thursday. Capt. Josh Kyle says RCPD was first notified that the Safe School Hotline had received an anonymous call from a person reporting a rumor circulating about students wearing a safe color on Oct. 31 to avoid being shot. Officer presence wa increased at both the East and West campuses. MHS students and parents were notified by USD 383 and as a result, a significant number of parents chose to…

Campaign finance reports filed Oct. 28 with the Riley County Clerk’s Office show significant fundraising disparities among the eight Manhattan City Commission candidates during the third quarter. The report was issued ahead of the Nov. 5 election. Mark Hatesohl led his opponents in fundraising, ending the period from July 26 through Oct. 24 with $15,214 raised toward his campaign, which was nearly double that of second place fundraiser Linda Morse. Hatesohl spent more than $12,500 during the period, finishing the period with $3,108 in his campaign fund. See below PDF: Morse, who began the period with close to $3,800 on…

The Cold Weather Rule officially takes effect on Friday, Nov. 1, and the Kansas Corporation Commission encourages those behind on utility payments to make arrangements as soon as possible. First enacted in 1983, the Cold Weather Rule is in place in Kansas through the colder months to prevent utility companies from disconnecting a customer’s natural gas or electric service during periods of extreme cold. Those companies are prohibited from disconnecting service when temperatures are forecast to be at or below 35 degrees within the following 48-hour period. The Cold Weather Rule also requires utility companies to offer a 12-month payment…