Author: Brandon Peoples

Potential parking fees for the downtown garage will be considered at the next Manhattan City Commission meeting. The first reading of an ordinance is scheduled to take place Tuesday, with city officials discussing the potential purchase of license plate reader equipment for the garage, which is attached to the Hilton Garden Inn and Manhattan Conference Center. The new equipment would have an upfront cost of over $63,000 for two pay stations and close to $24,000 for signage. Commissioners will consider a $2 per hour rate for use of the downtown garage with a $10 daily maximum fee. Additional rates would…

Pottawatomie County officials say Onaga Road will be closed Monday afternoon between Pitney and Pauling Run Roads, northeast of Wamego. That stretch of roadway will be closed from noon until 3 p.m. A concrete pumper truck will be positioned on the bridge deck over Coal Creek. County crews will be pouring concrete for structural work below the bridge in preparation of a future deck repair. A detour will be noted around Vermillion Creek via Camp Creek Road.

January revenues for the State of Kansas were about 6.5% below projections, marking the third straight month revenues have been less than estimated, according to the Department of Revenue. Gov. Laura Kelly says it emphasizes that any tax cuts must be done in a fiscally responsible way. The governor vetoed the legislature’s tax package in late January, setting up a showdown for a potential veto override. State Rep. Mike Dodson spoke on the issue during KMAN’s weekly legislative update Friday morning. Dodson says he’s not sure if the Senate has the votes for an override. He is concerned about…

Riley County Police are investigating a report for criminal damage to property Thursday after someone reportedly drove a vehicle into their residence. The incident was reported just after 11 p.m. in the 1300 block of Baehr Place. The victim is a 26-year-old woman and the suspect is a woman known to her. The estimated total loss is estimated to be between $3,000 and $5,000. No arrests had been noted as of Friday morning.

A Manhattan woman was the victim of a scam this week, costing her about $1,100. RCPD says officers filed a report for theft by deception Thursday in the 1500 block of Oxford Place. A 44-year-old woman told police an unknown suspect, claiming to be affiliated with a government agency, used deception to defraud her. Anyone with information can contact Crime Stoppers. Using Crime Stoppers allows you to remain anonymous and could qualify you for a cash reward of up to $1,000.

Manhattan Public Works crews are planning additional road work on Bluemont Ave. today, resulting in some traffic adjustments. City officials say Bluemont will be reduced to one lane in each direction, from about 6th Street to the 4th Street roundabout, until further notice for mill and overlay street repair. Shilling Construction has completed pothole repairs on Sunset and Denison Avenue, as well as 11th Street at the Leavenworth and Moro intersections. City crews reportedly filled potholes on Poyntz, Anderson and Lee as well as Hobbs, Browning, 17th and Anderson, Westport and Claflin. Motorists are advised to slow down in work…

A Junction City woman was hospitalized Thursday after a rollover crash on Interstate 70 in Shawnee County.. According to the Kansas Highway Patrol, the crash happened around 4 p.m., just west of Topeka near the Valencia Road exit, when a passenger car left the roadway, overcorrected and was sent into a roll. The vehicle came to rest on its roof on the north side of the highway. Authorities say 26-year-old Courtney Raab was transported to St. Francis Hospital with suspected minor injuries. A child was also present in the vehicle, but the crash report does not indicate their injury status.

Geary County Schools have received notification from the U.S. Department of Defense Office of Local Defense Community Cooperation that a grant has been approved that pays 80 percent of expansion costs at the new Morris Hill Elementary School on Fort Riley. The new school opened in August, enabling the closure of an aged, nearby elementary school. Superintendent Reginald Eggleston says the expansion project will provide Morris Hill with a student capacity equivalent to two former schools. The announcement of the $8.6 million grant approval ensures the project will be completed in time for the start of the upcoming school year in…

Six students in the Kansas State University College of Veterinary Medicine have been chosen for the state’s largest veterinary scholarship program, including a Wamego student. The university says Laura Carpenter, of Wamego, is among the students selected for the Veterinary Training Program for Rural Kansas. Upon completion of a Doctor of Veterinary Medicine degree, each student is required to work at a full-time veterinary practice in one of the 92 Kansas counties with fewer than 40,000 residents. For each year the student works in rural Kansas, up to $25,000 per year of qualifying student loans are forgiven over a period…

A Junction City school teacher was arrested this week on drug and weapons charges. Destiny Wiser, a fourth grade teacher at Sheridan Elementary, was arrested by Junction City Police Wednesday at the school for possession of drug paraphernalia, possession of marijuana and criminal use of weapons. In a district letter to parents, USD 475 school officials said the incident did not involve any students, nor were any students or staff members in any danger. Wiser has since resigned, according to a district spokesperson. Additional details are pending from the Junction City Police Department. A Geary County Jail officials told KMAN…