Author: Brandon Peoples

WESTMORELAND — A slew of capital improvement projects are on the horizon in Pottawatomie County, to the tune of approximately $290,000. Many of those projects were approved at Monday’s meeting and are underway. Some of the projects also will begin after the start of the new year. During this week’s meeting of the Pottawatomie County Commission, Administrator Robert Reece spoke about some of the details surrounding a handful of those projects. Commissioners have also approved improvements to move forward on the justice center, as well as transferring court service offices to the new justice center. Some projects will be revisited…

Thursday’s guest was Manhattan Area Chamber of Commerce President and CEO Lyle Butler discussing the importance of shopping local, especially with Little Apple Dollars.

MANHATTAN — The new head of the Riley County Police Department will be officially sworn in later this month. Incoming Director Dennis Butler will take the oath during a special ceremony at 10 a.m. Dec. 31. Riley County District Court Judge Meryl Wilson will preside. Butler will succeed Brad Schoen who is retiring. Butler has been chief of police in Ottawa since 2004 and prior to that, worked with the Alexandria, Virginia Police Department for 25 years, retiring in 2004 at the rank of Captain. Butler was hired as the fifth director of the RCPD during last month’s Riley County…

MANHATTAN — Christmas will be a little brighter for four individuals who located the second G. Thomas Jewelers Manhattan Running Company Jingle Bell Rock. Mitch and Tim Innes, Philip Braddock and Matt Prather located the second rock hidden and claimed their winnings Wednesday morning at the KMAN studios. The four have been lucky enough to find the rock now twice, having also won eight years ago. Braddock explains how they were able to find the rock based on the clues. It’s become an annual tradition for them to get together. Mitch Innes says he’s become somewhat of a professional detective.…

Wednesday’s guests included USD 383 Assistant Superintendent Eric Reid and board member Jurdene Coleman previewed the final 2018 school board meeting for Manhattan-Ogden schools. We also spoke to Manhattan Area Technical College’s Tracy Geisler with updates on the end of semester, buildings and charitable giving.

JUNCTION CITY — A new superintendent has been named for USD 475 Geary County Schools. At a meeting Monday, board members announced they had selected Dr. Reginald Eggleston to lead the district. The decision was unanimous (7-0). Dr. Eggleston will begin his position as Superintendent in April. Eggleston has spent more than 24 years in public education and currently serves as a Lieutenant Colonel in the Army Reserves. His time in the classroom as a Special Education teacher he says is the foundation for his core beliefs and success as an educator. He currently serves as the Commander of the…

MOUNTAIN HOME, Ark. — A Kansas man stationed at Fort Riley is under investigation in Arkansas after allegations surfaced over the weekend that he tried to meet up with a 16-year-old girl for sex. According to a release from the Baxter County, Arkansas Sheriff’s Office, 31-year-old Andrew O’Brien of Junction City was arrested early Saturday at a Mountain Home, Arkansas parking lot near the girl’s home. The Sheriff’s Office says O’Brien had requested and received explicit photos and texts from the unidentified teen. He was booked on felony counts of engaging children in sexually explicit conduct for use in visual…

MANHATTAN — In an effort to mitigate the economic impact of a foreign animal disease event, officials with the Kansas Department of Agriculture are leading an annual preparedness event at the Manhattan headquarters. This year’s mock scenario involves the introduction of foot-and-mouth disease in the United States. KDA Emergency Management Coordinator David Hogg says the department has several state agencies, federal and local government, industry and university officials participating in the four-day exercise. Those agencies then coordinate a planned multi-level response to help mitigate the economic impact of such an incident. Hogg says if such an incident actually occurred it…

MANHATTAN — Riley County Police are seeking the public’s help identifying five individuals allegedly linked to recent thefts at Manhattan Town Center. The police department says its interested in speaking to four African-American females and one African-American male individual seen in surveillance footage at the store following a Dec. 13 theft at Foot Locker. Images can be found on the RCPD Facebook page. Anyone who can help identify these individuals is urged to call Riley County Police at 785-537-2112 or Crime Stoppers at 785-539-7777.

RILEY — The community of Riley came together Sunday to send hundreds of balloons into the air in honor of 9-year-old Isabella “Bella” Plemons. Pastor David VanBebber led the community in the balloon release, seen in the video below. The teal balloons,were Bella’s favorite color. Bella died Dec. 5 after the car she was riding in was struck by another vehicle at the intersection of Highway 24 and Highway 77. Her mother and four siblings, who were also in the car, survived. One younger sister is still recovering from her injuries. Following the balloon release, the community gathered for a reception…