Author: Brandon Peoples

Update Thursday 3 p.m. Riley County Police say a second person has died from an apparent drug overdose involving heroin containing fentanyl. New details released Thursday afternoon show that one of two people who were hospitalized earlier this week died at a medical center. That person, a 50-year-old Manhattan man was discovered after a medical emergency call Tuesday evening. The other person, a 35-year-old Manhattan man was found dead at a residence Tuesday night. Their names have not been released. Police also responded to a medical emergency in Ogden March 2 where a 27-year-old Emporia man was transported to a…

Update Thursday 2 p.m. MANHATTAN — The Manhattan Fire Department is offering tips after a clothes dryer sparked a fire at a Manhattan home Tuesday afternoon. Fire officials on Thursday corrected the loss estimate from the fire to $10,000 to the structure and $5,000 for the contents (A previous loss estimate released Wednesday noted a $60,000 property loss and $30,000 content loss estimate). The fire occurred at a two-story dwelling at 1114 Vattier Street. An investigation determined the fire was accidental due to a malfunction of the dryer. No injuries were reported. The Fire Department reminds citizens to always clean…

Tuesday’s guests included Manhattan Mayor Mike Dodson and City Manager Ron Fehr with a preview of the Manhattan City Commission legislative meeting.

MANHATTAN — The man who photographed both President Ronald Reagan and Barack Obama was at McCain Auditorium Tuesday evening discussing his traveling exhibit “Two Presidents, One Photographer.” Pete Souza was the official White House photographer during Reagan’s second term from 1985 to 1989 and both terms under President Obama. Prior to the speaking engagement, Souza met with reporters about his agenda with the exhibit to highlight two very different politicians. He says both men respected the office of the presidency and treated others with respect. Souza says despite the political differences between Obama and Reagan, the two men were very similar…

MANHATTAN — Mardi Gras was celebrated Tuesday night at Early Edition East in Manhattan as pancakes were served up for Pawnee Mental Health. Pawnee Development Manager Diane Hinrichs says this event will just be the start of many planned fundraisers in the future. The event raised funds for Pawnee’s new crisis stabilization center. Hinrichs says it’s a core part of their mission to serve people in crisis regardless of their ability to pay, a key need in Manhattan and across Kansas. Early Edition owner Marcy Uphoff and her husband Dave say they were more than happy to help support the…

BOISE, Idaho — Kansas State Dean of the College of Engineering Darren Dawson is one of five finalists to become the seventh president at Boise State University. Dawson heads the largest engineering program in the state of Kansas and rose to the level of Dean in 2014. Prior to his time at K-State, he also was professor and chair of the electrical and computer engineering department at Clemson University. As a researcher, Dawson has targeted the design and experimental validation of advanced model-based controllers for mechatronic systems. He has a doctorate in electrical engineering as well as a Bachelor of…

MANHATTAN — Riley County Police have released new details regarding an early Saturday morning shooting at the Blue Hills Shopping Center at 2300 Tuttle Creek Blvd. Police say an aggravated battery report was filed listing two 24-year-old Kansas City area men as victims from a shots fired call just before 2:30 a.m. Saturday. Both victims were life-flighted to Stormont-Vail in Topeka and are in stable condition. The victims and suspects were not known to each other. RCPD says because of this, no further identifying information about the victims is being released due to safety concerns. RCPD personnel have been in…

MANHATTAN — Pawnee Mental Health will be joining in on Mardi Gras celebrations taking place next week. Executive Director Robbin Cole says they’re celebrating Mardi Gras for Mental Health through a special pancake feed fundraiser to help support the organization.  It’s the first year for the event. The pancake feed will take place from 5 to 8 p.m. Tuesday at Early Edition. Tickets are available at pawnee.org. Part of Pawnee’s mission is to improve access to mental health in the Manhattan area. Recently a new office opened in Wamego, even though Cole says for years they’ve been serving Pottawatomie County…

MANHATTAN — Severe Weather Awareness Week kicks off on Monday as the changing of the seasons draws closer. Among the activities, emergency management coordinators are busy educating the public. That includes a statewide tornado drill happening at 10 a.m. Tuesday. Riley County Emergency Management Coordinator Laurie Harrison says it’s a good reminder for everyone to stay alert. Because of the statewide tornado drill Tuesday, the monthly tornado siren test Monday won’t take place. Harrison explains why everyone should have a severe weather safety kit on hand. According to the National Weather Service in Topeka, in 2018 there were 353 total…

MANHATTAN — The USDA’s Kansas January 1 cattle inventory numbers were released on Friday, showing 6.35 million cattle and calves, an increase of 1 percent from the previous year. Here’s how those numbers are broken down. *All cows and heifers that had calved totaled 1.69 million head, up 2 percent from last year. *Beef cows totaled 1.53 million head, up 3 percent. *Milk cows totaled 161,000 head, up 3 percent from Jan. 1, 2018. *All heifers 500 pounds and over totaled 1.87 million head, down 2 percent from last year. *Steers weighing 500 pounds and over totaled 2.01 million head,…