Author: Brandon Peoples

A Junction City man accused of murdering a confidential drug informant has pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit first degree murder. Jury selection was planned to begin in Riley County District Court Monday morning. Steven Meredith made his plea late Friday afternoon Steven Meredith was charged with first-degree murder in the death of 48-year-old Carrie Jones, whose body was found by deer hunters in southern Riley County in October 2017. He had initially pleaded not guilty to the charge. In January, witnesses testified that Meredith believed Jones might reveal information about him and others in a 2013 drug-related case. Sentencing…

Riley County Commissioners have approved the purchase of 170 acres to be used for a new firing range for the Riley County Police Department. County Counselor Clancy Holeman says commissioners agreed to the $374,000 acquisition from Tarkio CD Disposal for the property near Zeandale and Tabor Valley roads, adjacent from the current firing range. The money used to purchase the property will come out of the General Fund. The purchase agreement is described as a closed construction and demolition landfill. Holeman tells KMAN the new site is nearly twice the size of its existing shooting range. “The current location and…

Active violence training continued Thursday at Theodore Roosevelt Elementary in Manhattan. Emergency personnel from several agencies including Riley County Police, Manhattan Fire, Riley County EMS and Pottawatomie County Sheriff’s Office participated in the training which involved a mock scenario of an active shooter situation in progress. The exercise is conducted annually to ensure a smooth response should such a situation ever occur here locally. RCPD Lt. Tim Schuck says having USD 383 participation is invaluable. “Without the help of USD 383 and teachers and staff, we could not make this as realistic as we could, we wouldn’t have the location…

School supplies and backpacks are needed to help Stuff the Bus Saturday for the Manhattan-Ogden USD 383 FIT Closet. It will take place at the Walmart parking lot in Manhattan. The 12th annual event aims at providing every student receiving free or reduced lunches in the Manhattan/Ogden USD 383 school district with the necessary supplies for the upcoming school year. It’s a joint effort between Konza United Way, K-State Credit Union and Manhattan Broadcasting. FIT Closet Coordinator Tracy Emery spoke with KMAN this week about the upcoming fundraiser and the some of the specific items they are looking for this…

The City of Manhattan will not receive a much anticipated $25 million in STAR bond money from the state government by expanding the existing district to fund improvements along the north campus corridor around Kansas State University. City officials announced this week that the state had reversed course and is not supporting the proposal. According to City Manager Ron Fehr, the primary reason was the separation distance and the expanded district not being adjacent to the original STAR district in downtown Manhattan. That original area includes Third and Fourth streets as well as the tourism generating Flint Hills Discovery Center.…

Severe storms pushed through the KMAN listening area Wednesday morning and while it brought some heavy rains into Riley and Pottawatomie counties, the storms did significant damage much further to the north. In Washington County, the small city of Linn closed for the day due to multiple streets being blocked and power lines down across several city streets. Local residents were cleaning up Wednesday morning and the community has not asked for any outside help at this time. The Washington County Emergency Management office says residents experiencing outages should call 785-541-0212, or 911 if it’s a medical emergency. Further information…

Stakeholders in Blue Township were presented Tuesday night with the first look at the future vision of Green Valley as part of an open house at Flint Hills Christian School. Over 100 people turned out for the opportunity to learn more about the 20-year-plan, that essentially maps out what the area could look like moving forward. The land use plan identifies five key areas for residents to prioritize moving forward including reduction in traffic and increased road connectivity, an increase in housing availability and affordability, upgrades to public infrastructure including water and sewers, creation of sidewalks and bike trails and…

BELVUE, Kan. — The Kansas Highway Patrol says a truck driver was injured early Wednesday morning after his semi overturned in eastern Pottawatomie County. The semi was westbound on US Hwy 24 just east of Belvue after midnight when it entered a ditch and overturned, trapping the driver inside. Fire and rescue crews extricated 70-year-old Dwight Hartung of Pennsylvania. He was transported to Stormont Vail Hospital with minor injuries. Hwy 24 was closed in both directions for several hours overnight from Belvue to Schoeman Road.

Sunflower CASA will be looking for a new executive director in the near future. Stacy Tidwell, who has led the program in Manhattan since September 2017, announced Monday she is resigning to accept an administrative position with the Kansas Department for Children and Families. Tidwell will serve as DCF’s Deputy Director for Youth Services, providing oversight for the Independent Living Program, services for older youth placed in the state foster care system and helping to develop a recovery and prevention program for youth runaways. Tidwell’s resignation is effective Aug. 2. A search is underway for a new Sunflower CASA director.

WESTMORELAND, Kan. — The Pottawatomie County Commission continues to field requests for the 2020 budget. On Monday commissioners heard a proposal from Pottawatomie County Sheriff Greg Riat. The Sheriff’s Office is requesting a $21,600 increase in capital outlay funds. Commission Chair Travis Altenhofen says additionally, that includes a slight increase in funding for the Pottawatomie County Jail. “We’ve had some increase on housing of inmates as well as food costs. That’s because he (Sheriff Riat) has been taking for pay some inmates when the opportunity presents itself. Otherwise the department budget has been relatively flat,” Altenhofen said. The overall increase…