Author: Brandon Peoples

MANHATTAN — The Prairiewood Retreat and Reserve will be setting up a conservation easement in the tallgrass prairie. This easement, in partnership with the Kansas Land Trust, will cover over over 200 acres of the native tallgrass prairie . This will prohibit any future development on the historic grasslands. To celebrate this easement, Prairiewood will be holding a Non-groundbreaking ceremony on July 7th during their Open Trail Day. The event will begin at 5:45 pm with a guided walk through the prairie led by Courtney Materson, a Lawrence based ecologist. Then the dedication will take place at 7:30 pm with…

JUNCTION CITY, Kan. — A Geary County man is behind bars after police say he attempted to kill a man Monday morning. Junction City Police were dispatched around 9 a.m. to 223 North Washington Street for a report of a battery that occurred hours earlier. The victim, 49-year-old Francisco Correa reported he was battered with a pipe. He sustained injuries to his head, legs and torso. He was treated at Geary Community Hospital. A few hours later, JCPD arrested 40-year-old Juan Pablo Flores of Grandview Plaza on charges of attempted murder and criminal threat. Flores is being held without bond,…

WESTMORELAND, Kan. — The Pottawatomie County Commission is one step closer to determining how codes are established moving forward for residents and businesses in the Blue Township Sewer District County Counselor John Watt spoke Monday about how the area is in the process of adopting same codes that match what’s in place in the City of Manhattan. It will encompass a geographical area of the township’s benefit sewer district. Watt says it was dovetailed so that city officials can seamlessly jump into the enforcement process, or code inspections. The codes are set to go into effect Jan. 1, 2020. Watt…

After a weekend of heavy rains, the outlook for the next week shows some reprieve for the region. Numerous flood warnings were posted over the weekend after river levels rose into flood stage across much of northeast and north-central Kansas. Most have since been lifted in the Manhattan area. The Kansas River, which remains high, was pulled from a flood warning early Monday morning. Tuttle Creek Lake levels have been steadily rising, with the latest observation at 1,131.62 Monday morning. The three-day forecast shows the lake level rising above 1,133 feet. Outflow was reduced Sunday from 10,000 cubic feet per…

A Junction City woman will spend the next five years in federal prison for possessing child pornography. U.S. Attorney Stephen McAllister said Thursday that 24-year-old Kayla Michelle Simpson pleaded guilty to one count of possessing child pornography. Simpson’s iPhone was seized by FBI officials in September 2016. In her plea, Simpson admitted her phone contained images of her having sex with an underage girl. The case was prosecuted by the Justice Department’s Project Safe Childhood Initiative.

Country Stampede is moving to Topeka for at least the next three years. Along with that will be a name change, which Topeka Mayor Michelle De La Isla announced at a news conference Thursday. (Audio courtesy KSNT-TV) Organizers of the event say rising costs have made the event no longer feasible to have in Manhattan. The Kansas Department of Wildlife, Parks and Tourism and Country Stampede, LLC mutually agreed to terminate the Special Event Permit Addendum signed in March 2018. Under the termination agreement, KDWPT will refund the operator’s payment of $81,500 and the operator is no longer obligated to…

Manhattan Area Chamber of Commerce President and CEO Jason Smith joined us for the hour, commenting on the future of Country Stampede, a recent Chamber visit to Washington, D.C. and upcoming budget requests planned for July before the Riley County Commission.

Five people were involved in a motor vehicle accident south of Manhattan Wednesday. According to the Riley County Police Department, just before 7 p.m. a vehicle was leaving the area near Pillsbury Crossing on Deep Creek Road when it left the roadway. As a result, two of the five passengers became trapped inside the vehicle. Police say thanks to an observant driver, emergency help was able to arrive quickly and rescue those passengers who were then transported to the hospital for treatment. Riley County EMS, Riley County Fire District No. 1, the Manhattan Fire Department and Life Star assisted on…

TOPEKA, Kan. — As Country Stampede gears up for its 2019 event this weekend, the Topeka venue hosting it has planned a “major announcement” Thursday morning regarding the music festival. Heartland Motorsports Park has planned an 11 a.m. news conference ahead of the festival which starts later in the day along with Topeka Mayor Michelle De La Isla and other city officials. There’s been no official word on what the announcement will entail, but speculation has been rising that a permanent move may be imminent. The Topeka Capital-Journal was already reporting Wednesday that “multiple sources” have confirmed the move. On…

MANHATTAN — Riley County Police are investigating after a domestic incident led to an arrest for attempted murder. Officers responded shortly after 6:30 a.m. Tuesday to a residential address in the Crestwood Apartments of Stagg Hill in southwest Manhattan, for a report of a past domestic altercation. A 38-year-old woman reported she was physically assaulted by her boyfriend. An investigation led to the arrest of 39-year-old Shawn Henderson of Manhattan. He was charged with attempted 2nd degree murder (intentional). Bond has been set at $250,000 and he remains in jail. The woman was transported to a local medical facility for…