Author: Brandon Peoples

MANHATTAN — The Manhattan Housing Authority continues to seek interested parties for the Apartment Towers at 300 North 5th Street. The complex, which features one bedroom and studio apartments reopened in November after undergoing major renovations to remove mold and replace windows in the facility. Improvements were made to plumbing and to the heating, ventilation and air conditioning. MHA Board Vice Chair Phil Anderson says the rental units are as nice as any rental units in the city. The City of Manhattan loaned the Housing Authority $1 million to complete renovations last year after some issues arose with getting renovations completed.…

MANHATTAN — Riley County Police are investigating after an aggravated battery incident left a Manhattan man injured over the weekend. Officers were called out to the 400 block of Laramie around 11 p.m. Saturday where they found the victim, 24-year-old Drew McDowell reportedly injured by unknown male suspect. McDowell was life-flighted to a medical facility for treatment of his injuries. His condition was not released. Police say the two did not know each other. Further details have not been released. The case remains under investigation.

MANHATTAN — A Texas woman arrested last month in connection to a 2017 killing of a Junction City woman is now in custody in Riley County. Samantha Bland, 29, of Laredo, Texas was arrested Feb. 19 on a warrant for aggravated intimidation of a witness. Bland’s brother 32-year-old Steven Meredith is charged with first-degree murder in the death of 48-year-old Carrie Jones in October 2017. Her body was found by deer hunters in southern Riley County. Bland is accused of intimidating witnesses who testified against Meredith in his preliminary hearing in mid-January. At that hearing, witnesses testified that Meredith believed…

MANHATTAN — The luck of the Irish was in Aggieville Saturday as Manhattan residents gathered for a soggy day of St. Patrick’s Day themed activities, including the 40th annual parade. The rain let up just in time for the parade, which lasted just under a half hour. Numerous sponsoring businesses greeted crowds of children along the streets with candy. The Commanding General’s Mounted Color Guard from Fort Riley led the parade. Runners braved the cold rains Saturday morning for the 41st annual Marvin Hachmeister 10K Road Race. The soggy conditions didn’t deter Hachmeister either, who celebrated his 88th birthday at…

MANHATTAN — Death related to heroin overdoses and fentanyl have risen dramatically nationwide just over the last few years. According to the Centers for Disease Control nationwide more than 15,000 overdose deaths involving heroin occurred in both 2016 and 2017. More than 5,000 of those deaths were attributed to heroin and other synthetic narcotics and those numbers have been increasing steadily over the past decade. Riley County Health Department Director Jennifer Green says the rise is common among men and women of all age groups and income levels. Fentanyl is an synthetic opioid pain reliever, often prescribed for advanced cancer…

Friday’s show featured two segments with Kansas Farm Bureau First District board member Glenn Brunkow discussing Senate Bill 32 which would create an alternative health care coverage option for its members. The bill has passed the Senate and is currently working its way through a House committee. Big Brothers Big Sisters Special Events Coordinator Torie Foster joined us to preview its upcoming Bowl for Kids’ Sake fundraiser. The Dusty Bookshelf owner Diane Meredith and store manager Sarah Wilson joined us to preview the store’s planned reopening timeline and highlighted events leading up including donation needs for the bookstore after the…

MANHATTAN — Riley County Police responded to 172 calls for service during the 2019 Fake Patty’s Day activities in Manhattan. The official statistics were released Friday morning. The 172 calls decreased significantly from 2018’s activities which saw 287 calls for service. Complaints ranged from, but are not limited to parking problems, welfare checks, disturbing the peace and non-injury accidents. Police took just one report of violent crime and filed 52 reports total, not including alcohol related crime. Police took 122 reports last year. A total of 39 physical arrests were made, including 19 for DUI, six for disorderly conduct, three…

LAWRENCE — The Kansas Highway Patrol says a Manhattan man was hospitalized Thursday after an injury crash on the Kansas Turnpike in Leavenworth County. The crash report says 55-year-old Carl Burton was westbound on Interstate 70 just after 8 p.m., when his SUV struck a tow truck that was attempting to turn through the median. The tow truck had its emergency lights activated and was pulled to the inside shoulder when it was struck in the rear. Burton was transported to Lawrence Memorial Hospital with a suspected minor injury. He was wearing a seat belt. The tow truck driver, 21-year-old…

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…