Author: Brandon Peoples

Temperatures will warm back to near normal this week, but precipitation chances could make travel dicey over the next few days. The National Weather Service has issued a Winter Weather Advisory from Sunday evening through noon Monday, for the potential of freezing rain or drizzle causing a glaze up to one-tenth of an inch of ice on area roadways. Another round will likely build up Monday evening into Tuesday morning with rain and freezing rain both possible as surface temperatures hover near freezing, though forecasters are less certain about precipitation chances Monday night. The Manhattan area will see conditions change…

Business leaders from across the region gathered at the Manhattan Conference Center Friday for the annual Flint Hills Regional Leaders Retreat. Hosted by the Manhattan Area Chamber of Commerce, the event featured community updates from Manhattan, Junction City, Wamego, Kansas State University and Fort Riley. One of the keynote speakers Clint Runge is a founding partner of Archrival, a youth culture agency that helps brands reinvent themselves to be relevant to teens and twenty-somethings. Runge spoke about generational differences and behaviors that exist in today’s workplace. He says most Gen Zers talk to each other about brands and are more bottom up versus…

The Pottawatomie County Economic Development Corporation (ECODEVO) has a new executive director. Local author and small business coach Shanna Goodman, of Wamego, was introduced by the organization during Friday’s Flint Hills Regional Leaders Retreat. The Wamego businesswoman has spent the better part of the last decade working in marketing, public relations and business development. Originally from the Dodge City area, Goodman has a Bachelor’s degree from Kansas State University in Health and Human Sciences and a Master’s from the University of Central Missouri in Mass Communication. She succeeds Jack Allston, who retired in October, after nine successful years on the job and…

Pottawatomie County authorities are investigating after a Salina man fell to his death at a Belvue grain elevator. The Sheriff’s Office says a 911 call came in around 6 p.m. Wednesday from an individual working at the Ag Partners Coop (305 Noble Ave.), who reported a co-worker had fallen from a significant height with severe injuries. The individual was later pronounced dead by Pottawatomie County EMS and identified as 30-year-old Miguel Salvador. The incident remains under investigation. KMAN has reached out to the company’s Safety Director for comment. Responding agencies included the Sheriff’s Office, EMS, as well as the Belvue,…

The Riley County Police Department is planning a series of town hall meetings with Director Brian Peete later this month where he’ll discuss his Crime Reduction Plan. Peete will host three one hour discussions with community members, at the Riley City Hall Jan. 29, at Peace Memorial Auditorium in Manhattan Jan. 30 and at the Ogden Community Center Jan. 31. The meetings will be held at 6 p.m. and are free and open to the public. Director Peete will preview these meetings and other RCPD events during his next appearance on KMAN’s In Focus, Jan. 25.

A Wamego man convicted last month of distributing Fentanyl, resulting in another man’s death, has been sentenced to more than a decade in prison. McKaine Farr was sentenced Thursday by Pottawatomie County Judge Jeff Elder to 13 years and 9 months behind bars for the offense, which led to Jayson Ebert’s overdose death in September 2021. Elder issued the maximum penalty of 165 months for an aggravated charge. Farr is also awaiting a separate trial in March for another Fentanyl-related overdose death at a Manhattan hotel last March. Others charged in that incident include 19-year-old Noah Baker, of Junction City…

Riley County commissioners agreed Thursday to contribute $5,000 toward a grant application to expand public Wi-Fi in the county. The Kansas Office of Broadband Development’s Advancing Digital Opportunities to Promote Technology program will award nearly $15 million to organizations addressing the challenges of broadband availability in the state.  WTC Manhattan Market Manager Jeff Sackrider says his company is preparing an ADOPT grant application to be submitted by the end of the month. The grant requires a 10 percent match. Several places of interest have already been identified across Manhattan. Riley County owned locations, such as the health department, historical museum, as well…

Riley County Police are investigating after a known suspect shot his firearm multiple times near Redbud Estates. According to Thursday’s RCPD activity report, officers were called out just before 11 pm Wednesday to the 2500 block of Farm Bureau Road. Officers did not identify the suspect, but noted he shot the firearm multiple times at an unspecified target. No injuries were reported. City code prohibits the unlawful reckless discharge a firearm within city limits. As of Thursday morning, no arrests have been made.

Junction City officials have sent a message to Geary County, telling them to pay their bills for EMS services or face discontinuation of ambulance services in the county. The city commission approved a motion Tuesday night from Commissioner Jeff Underhill outlining that EMS services due in 2023 are paid in full by Feb. 16, with the county then billed at $165,000 a month for 2024 until a permanent contract is put in place. “We’re not a partnership in this. We provide a service to the county. We provide a bill, they provide payment. That’s all the further the partnership goes.…

Wednesday 12:20 p.m. update The Kansas Department of Health and Environment has lifted the City of Belvue from a boil water advisory that had been in place since early Monday morning. The advisory was issued after the city’s water tower was reported low after a sensor had failed sometime overnight Sunday into Monday. KDHE says the issue has been resolved after testing results came back with no issues. Tuesday 6:30 a.m. update A boil-water advisory continues for the city of Belvue. Pottawatomie County officials say water pressure in the city’s water tower was reported low after a sensor failed sometime…