Author: Brandon Peoples

Construction on a key section of Kimball Ave. begins this week on a project that will continue well into the summer. The Manhattan Public Works Department is expected to close Kimball Ave. Monday to vehicular and pedestrian traffic west of Denison Ave., to near the Grain Science Center and K-State rowing facility. The closure will allow crews to begin the second part of the final phase of a replacement and reconstruction of the Denison/Kimball Ave. intersection. City Engineer Brian Johnson… North-south traffic will remain in place through the intersection until mid-May, when the entire intersection will close for the summer,…

A Junction City woman was injured Friday morning after rolling her vehicle in rural southern Geary County. According to the Kansas Highway Patrol, 29-year-old Andrea Raye Linn, was northbound on U.S. 77 about seven miles south of Junction City when she lost control of her pickup due to icy conditions. The truck entered the west ditch and overturned. Linn was transported to Stormont Vail Hospital with only minor injuries.

Pottawatomie County will be expanding its board of county commissioners from three to five seats in the next general election, but getting to this point has been anything but simple. Voters approved expansion in November 2022, and many presumed expansion would occur during the next election cycle in 2023. However, complexities within state statute prompted delays, pushing back expansion until November 2024, when county commissioners are typically up for election. This created a potential violation of state law, which currently requires counties to have no more than a simple majority of its commissioners on the ballot during an election cycle.…

Riley County officials agreed Thursday to hold a future work retreat to further discuss facility upgrades and funding. Commissioners were presented with several ways to pay for the upgrades, either by bonding or possibly utilizing sales tax, but decided to have a more in-depth discussion first on what upgrades were needed. Commission Chair John Ford. Commissioners came to consensus that the issue of courtroom space was the likely top priority. No date was scheduled for the work session. The first discussion item will be to determine if the former First Christian Church building, which the county owns, can be used to help…

Riley County Police Department Director Brian Peete spoke to the Riley County Commission Thursday about a large scale active shooter training he’s planning in the area later this year. No date has been scheduled for when that will take place, but Peete says he has meetings scheduled this week with several top officials, including the head of the Kansas Bureau of Investigation, as well as officials from Fort Riley and the FBI. In the near term, Peete says police are coordinating their response ahead of Fake Patty’s Day. As noted earlier this week, police opted not to ask for additional help from…

A Manhattan High School employee was battered Wednesday while trying to break up a fight between two students. The Riley County Police Department says a report for aggravated battery was filed just before 11:30 a.m. A 36-year-old woman and a 14-year-old boy were listed as victims. The woman had been intervening and was battered in the process by a 15-year-old boy. No arrests were noted and police released no other details, due to the age of the victims.

Authorities say the shooting incident at the Kansas City Chiefs’ Super Bowl celebration appeared to have stemmed from a personal dispute and not an act of terrorism. Kansas City Police Chief Stacey Graves confirmed during a Wednesday news conference that there are 23 victims, including one fatality. “The victims’ ages range between 8 years old and 47 years old. At least half of our victims are under the age of 16,” she said. Three people are currently detained, two of whom are juveniles, according to the police chief. No charges have been filed as of yet, but Graves announced they do expect…

A Manhattan woman was arrested on a Riley County District Court warrant Wednesday charging her with aggravated assault. The Riley County Police Department says 41-year-old Nicole Mallett was taken into custody in the 800 block of Dondee Drive. The warrant stems from an alleged incident last June, where Mallett is accused of driving an SUV at two women. Mallett is no longer in custody after posting a $5,000 bond.

Spring burning season is just around the corner and Riley County Fire District #1 is teaming up with the Kansas Forest Service for some fire safety education later this month. A free Prescribed Fire & Controlled Burn class will take place at 6 p.m. Feb. 28 at Pottorf Hall, located within Manhattan’s CiCo Park. Registration is not required and the class is recommended to anyone who conducts controlled agricultural burning in Riley County. The course does not include a live fire, but aims to educate on the safe and effective use of fire as a land management tool. The course…

Riley County announced this week that private property has been secured for a non-discharging sewer lagoon in Keats. The purchase allows the county to begin an environmental assessment for the project. Commissioner Greg McKinley says it’s a long-time coming, following years of discussion and planning. Deputy County Counselor Shelley Woodard negotiated an agreement with Keats resident Stanley Schurle’s trust to buy roughly 13 to 15 acres west of Keats Park at $20,000 per acre. A finalized price won’t be determined until the county has determined just how much land it will need. Commissioners voted 2-1 in December to pursue eminent…