Author: Brandon Peoples

It was a big win Tuesday night for the USD 383 Manhattan-Ogden school district after the passage of a $129.5 million bond referendum. The bond passed by a 63 percent margin with 11,179 votes in favor. Board member Leah Fliter says she was cautiously optimistic heading into election night and says she believes the business community ultimately recognized the value in supporting the measure. As a result, the district will be able to make some much anticipated improvements to safety and security concerns at each building and construct a new elementary school in Blue Township which is anticipated for opening…

Riley County saw a 52 percent voter turnout while Pottawatomie County saw a 62 percent voter turnout for the 2018 general election. Final unofficial tallies are as follows. Local races are listed first, followed by state races. Final election totals from Riley and Pottawatomie counties * – Denotes incumbent LOCAL RACES USD 383 Manhattan Ogden School Bond Yes: 11,179 (63%) No: 6,506 (37%) __________________________________________________________________________________ Riley County Commission – District 1 *John Ford (R) :  3,637 (86%) Write In: 274 (16.21%) __________________________________________________________________________________ Pottawatomie County Commission – District 1 *Dee McKee (R): 1,646 (47%) Sage TeBeest (D): 1,356 (39%) Nathaniel Gotsch (I):…

As voters head to the polls Tuesday, local election officials are hoping a good advanced voting turnout this election season also translates to a high volume of voters at the polls for Election Day. Riley County Clerk Rich Vargo says the number of advanced voters this election cycle has been nearing historic levels. While official numbers won’t be known until all mail-in ballots are received this Friday, Vargo says they easily have surpassed more than 8,000 advance votes this year. To put that in perspective, in 2016 a total of 9,111 advance votes were tallied, including mail ballots. Overall turnout…

Monday’s guests included Kristi Ingalls, Ray and Maxine Coffey discussing the Nov. 15 & Nov. 16 Kevin Coffey Memorial Blood Drive. The show also featured pre-recorded interviews with the two candidates for Kansas’ First Congressional District, incumbent Roger Marshall (R) and challenger Alan LaPolice (D).

A Manhattan man is in custody following a shooting incident early Saturday morning that sent another man to the hospital. At approximately 2 a.m. Riley County Police officers on patrol in the Aggieville Business District responded to a gunshot wound victim in an alleyway in the 1100 block of Moro. There they found 34-year-old Adam Donaldson of Junction City with a gunshot wound to his leg. Donaldson was transported to Via Christi for treatment of his injuries. He was later released. Police arrested 23-year-old Charlie Coronado-Villaescuza in connection. He was arrested on suspicion of aggravated battery and interference with a…

The Manhattan Fire Department is investigating after a house fire developed late Friday night in northeast Manhattan. Crews were dispatched shortly before 9:30 p.m. to 820 Church Ave. for a report of fire and multiple explosions. Upon arrival, crews found a one-story single family home with heavy fire showing from the rear. The fire reportedly reached a second alarm before it was contained within 30 minutes. No injuries were reported. The occupant of the home was outside when firefighters arrived on scene. Loss is estimated at $80,000 to the structure and $20,000 for the contents inside the home. The cause…

Riley County Police are investigating after an apparent aggravated burglary took place earlier this week in a residential area just east of Aggieville in Manhattan. Officers responded shortly before 10 p.m. Thursday to the 900 block of Moro Street. Officers listed the victim, 22-year-old Qiang Zheng of Manhattan after he reported an unknown suspect took shoes from his apartment. The estimated total loss is valued at around $2,696. Police are asking the public for help in solving this case. Anyone with information is asked to contact RCPD or the Manhattan Riley County Crime Stoppers.

Kansas State welcomed U.S. Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue to campus Thursday as the 179th speaker for the Landon Lecture series. The speech was filled with optimism, one of the key bullet points he says he learned as a young farmer. Perdue also spoke about how at the USDA he wants to improve efficiencies. A major part of that has been the announcement of relocating some of the USDA’s research offices outside of Washington, D.C. Manhattan is among the 136 cities interested in absorbing those offices. As for the timeline, Perdue says the process of selecting that location is ongoing. Perdue…

A research building on the Kansas State University campus had to be evacuated for a brief time Wednesday afternoon. The Manhattan Fire Department was dispatched shortly before 3 p.m. to Burt Hall at 1220 North 17th Street for a reported chemical spill. Crews located a small chemical container that had over-pressurized on the building’s second floor. Two people possibly exposed to the chemical were evaluated by Riley County EMS and released. As a result of the hazardous materials alarm, Burt Hall was evacuated as a precaution while crews identified and neutralized the chemical. The building was deemed safe and the…

Kansas utility customers behind on their utility payments can avoid disconnection now through March 31 thanks to the Cold Weather Rule. First enacted by the Kansas Corporation Commission in 1983, the rule prevents utility companies from disconnecting a customer’s natural gas or electric service during periods of extreme cold. KCC Public Affairs Director Linda Berry explains. Customers must notify their utility if interested in participating in the repayment plan. Berry says utility companies in the KCC’s jurisdiction are prohibited from disconnecting service when temperatures are forecast to be at or below 35 degrees. More information is available by visiting the…