Author: Brandon Peoples

MANHATTAN — Three finalists have been named for the position of principal at Marlatt Elementary. USD 383 Manhattan/Ogden Schools announced Friday that Lee Elementary Assistant Principal Erica Bammes, Marlatt Assistant Principal Sheila Stephens and Junction City Middle School Assistant Principal Dr. Gilbert Davila will meet with community members, employees and students at three separate meet-and-greets this week at the school’s library. Bammes has over 17 years of educational experience as a classroom teacher and assistant principal. Stephens has over 20 years of educational experience as a classroom teacher and assistant principal. Dr. Davila has been in education for over 30…

SALINA — An anonymous letter by three men alleges sexual abuse at the hands of a Manhattan Catholic priest who was superintendent of Seven Dolors Grade School and Luckey High School in the 1950s and 1960s. William H. Merchant, who died in 1975, is alleged by the three men to have molested and assaulted them and other boys at the school. Merchant’s name was released with 14 other clergy members within the Catholic Diocese of Salina following an audit. None of the 14 priests are in active ministry today. Two are still living and have been laicized, meaning they are…

FORT HOOD, Texas — The U.S. Senate on Friday confirmed Lt. General Paul E. Funk II for appointment to the rank of general. He’s assigned as commanding general of U.S. Army Training and Doctrine Command at Joint Base Langley-Eustis, Virginia. Funk, a former Fort Riley commanding general, has served as commanding general of III Corps and Fort Hood since March 2017. He was in Fort Riley Thursday attending the Distinguished Service Cross ceremony for Sgt. Robert Debolt. A date for a change of command has not been finalized. A successor at Fort Hood has not been announced.

JUNCTION CITY — Geary County Sheriff Tony Wolf has been arrested, for the second time in less than six months by the Kansas Bureau of Investigation. Wolf was taken into custody Friday afternoon on two new counts of felony theft. The charges allege Wolf used county funds to purchase items that were then sold for personal profit, or maintained for personal use. He also appeared Friday morning at a pretrial conference regarding the charges he was previously arrested for on Oct. 18, 2018. In that case, Wolf is accused of gifting a county-owned firearm to someone, and also unlawfully using…

Friday’s guest on In Focus was Riley County Police Department Capt. Tim Hegarty, who updated us on upcoming budget information for 2020, a change in the RCPD’s vehicle purchase program and crime prevention in the area.

MANHATTAN — Kansas State University students engaged with Manhattan City Commissioners Thursday at a town hall discussion where concerns were raised on a lack of safe and affordable housing in the city. The forum was hosted by the Kansas State University Student Governing Association along with Renters Together MHK. Hosted by the K-State Student Governing Association, students asked commissioners what their rights are as tenants. One student says she’s lived in Manhattan for eight years and had numerous code violations at each of the rental units she’s lived. She says her air conditioning unit had a chemical fire last year…

MANHATTAN — Strong beer is coming to grocery and convenience stores beginning April 1. The new law was signed in 2017 by former Gov. Sam Brownback which will allow retailers to sell beer with an alcoholic content of 6 percent. Currently those retailers can only sell beer that has 3.2 percent alcohol. From a grocer’s perspective it means they can offer a larger variety of alcohol products. Liquor stores expect more of a hit to their bottom line, according to Kevin Neitzel, who owns and operates Manhattan liquor store The Fridge. Liquor stores will see increased competition from those other…

MANHATTAN — The Manhattan Fire Department says a fire at an apartment complex was accidental due to improperly disposed smoking materials. The fire originated on the third floor balcony of the  building at 3128 Lundin Drive and quickly spread to the attic. The three-story, 12-unit building sustained an estimated $45,000 in damage to the structure and contents. Visible damage could be seen on the building’s east side shingles. No injuries were reported. All occupants got out safely and a dog found in the building was unharmed. The owner is listed as Strata Properties LLC, with the resident agent listed as…

A strategic plan is being put in motion by Pottawatomie County Public Works as it attempts to timely and efficiently make repairs to the miles of gravel roads within the county’s jurisdiction. On KMAN’s In Focus Tuesday, Public Works Director Peter Clark said asphalt roads, for the most part, stayed in good shape. But after numerous freeze and thaw cycles this past winter, Clark says many of the roads saw loosened compaction and became soft on the surface. Clark says the strategic plan includes approving more overtime for road crews, working with the six rock quarries in the county and…

Update 9 p.m. Wednesday GEARY COUNTY — The Kansas Highway Patrol has identified three Alabama residents as the victims of a single-vehicle crash Wednesday morning on Interstate 70 at the junction of Kansas 177. According to the KHP crash log, 58-year-old LeRoy Allen Myers of Arab, Ala., 18-year-old Joey Brannon Tidwell of Albertville, Ala. and 20-year-old Halie Marie Davis of Madison, Ala. died at the scene. The three were westbound on I-70 around 5:30 a.m. when the Chevy Camaro they were traveling in entered the median, struck a guard rail, vaulted over K-177 and then came to rest on an…