Author: Brandon Peoples

MANHATTAN — An Arctic blast will bring the coldest air of the season to portions of northeast Kansas, prompting wind chill advisories for Riley, Pottawatomie, Clay, Marshall and Wabaunsee counties from 9 p.m. Tuesday through noon Wednesday. Dangerously cold wind chills are expected, with some places seeing between 15 below zero to as low as 25 below zero wind chills. The immediate concern is that anyone exposed to these wind chills for an extended period of time will be at risk for frost bite and hypothermia if precautions are not taken. If you must venture outdoors during that time period, you should make sure to…

JUNCTION CITY — The Kansas Department of Health and Environment (KDHE) has issued a boil water advisory for the Rock Springs 4H Center in Junction City. No other water district in the county are in the advisory. The advisory took effect Monday and will remain in effect until the conditions that placed the system at risk of bacterial contamination are resolved. KDHE officials issued the advisory because of a loss of pressure. Failure to maintain adequate pressure may result in a loss of chlorine residuals and bacterial contamination. Customers in the boil advisory should observe the following precautions until further…

MANHATTAN — Crime statistics for Manhattan and Riley County will be officially announced at next month’s Riley County Law Board meeting. On KMAN’s In Focus program Friday, RCPD Capt. Tim Hegarty gave a sneak peek at what he says was a better 2018 in terms of overall crime. Hegarty broke down the more violent crimes, which increased in 2018 by smaller percentage numbers because they happen more infrequently. The most frequently committed crime continues to be larceny, or theft from shoplifting. RCPD has also announced the hiring of a new Victim Assistance Coordinator position to help victims directly affected by sexual…

MANHATTAN — A July trial is now set for a Junction City man accused in the 2017 murder of a confidential drug informant. At an arraignment hearing Monday morning in Riley County District Court, Steven Meredith pleaded not guilty to first-degree murder in the death of 48-year-old Carrie Jones. He also pleaded not guilty to conspiracy to commit murder. If found guilty, Meredith could face up to life in prison on the first-degree murder charge. Jones’ body was found by deer hunters in southern Riley County in October 2017. At a court hearing earlier this month, witnesses testified that Meredith…

MANHATTAN — One person has been hospitalized after a vehicle struck a pedestrian Saturday morning in Manhattan. RCPD officer Rachel Pate says the accident happened near the 1000 block of Westloop Place shortly before 7 a.m. Officers determined that a Dodge Neon driven by 22-year-old Justin Pate of Manhattan had struck 47-year-old Curt Bilinger of Manhattan. Bilinger was transported to Via Christi for treatment of his injuries. The investigation is ongoing. No further details have been released.

MANHATTAN — Area World War II veterans gathered once again in Manhattan Saturday to commemorate 74 years since the end of the Battle of the Bulge. The last major German offensive campaign saw Americans bear the brunt of the attack and the highest amount of casualties from the war. Stories were shared during a panel discussion Saturday at the American Legion. Some of those stories included firsthand accounts of dodging enemy fire from their foxholes, some as small as two feet deep. Veteran Jim Sharp spoke about the helmets, which were used for a variety of purposes on the front line,…

TOPEKA — There’s good news for WIC recipients in Kansas. The Kansas Department of Health and Environment said Thursday it had received additional federal funds from the U.S. Department of Agriculture to keep the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children operational into March. At the time the federal government was still shutdown. As of Friday afternoon, President Donald Trump announced a temporary deal to keep the government open until Feb. 15 while negotiations continue on funding for a border wall. KDHE received just over $1.6 million in food funds and nearly $603,000 in administrative funds. These funds…

MANHATTAN — A woman was pulled from the Big Blue River Thursday after an incident near a railroad bridge. According to the Riley County Police Department, officers responded to a medical emergency near Linear Trail and East Poyntz Ave. just before 4 p.m. Officers found a 29-year-old woman with serious injuries. A police investigation determined the woman had fallen off the railroad bridge just south of US-24 and into the Big Blue River. The woman was transported to Via Christi for her injuries. RCPD says the incident remains under further investigation and is not believed to be suspicious.

MANHATTAN — Riley County Police Department officials are working ahead to ensure they’re prepared for the 2019 Fake Patty’s Day in Manhattan’s Aggieville district. The 2019 event, which will take place March 2, was a discussion point during this week’s Riley County Law Board meeting. Chairman Mike Dodson says over time, some of the participants have started migrating their celebrations out of Aggieville and into the surrounding neighborhoods. RCPD Capt. Richard Fink says keeping control of the celebration is a top priority for officers. Dodson says he’d like to see a culture created around activities other than drinking for the…

MANHATTAN — Travel is improving area-wide as road crews continue to treat some the primary routes in both Riley and Pottawatomie County. Riley County Public Works Director Leon Hobson says sunshine Wednesday helped break up the icy patches on many county roads. Pottawatomie County Public Works Director Peter Clark says roads are clearing there, but not as quickly as in Riley County. There is the potential for roads to refreeze which could pose some problems overnight and early Thursday morning. Riley County Emergency Management Director Pat Collins says it’s something to keep in mind as temperatures drop overnight. Hobson says…