Author: Brandon Peoples

Kansas State University recently was awarded $25 million in matching funds for the university’s Agriculture Innovation Initiative. The university announced Tuesday morning that the threshold set by the Kansas Legislature for the one-to-one fundraising match was met earlier this year and the award was granted this month. So far, officials say $176 million of the $210 million goal has been raised to improve aging infrastructure within the College of Agriculture. Dean Ernie Minton spoke recently with News Radio KMAN about the fundraising to date. The university broke ground on May 17 on a new Global Center for Grain and Food…

Authorities say one person was injured Monday afternoon following a motorcycle crash near the Manhattan Regional Airport. According to the Riley County Police Department, 40-year-old Roselin Lee, of Dwight, lost control while traveling along Wildcat Creek Road at around 4:30 p.m. Lee was transported by Riley County EMS to Via Christi with serious injuries. An update on her condition wasn’t immediately available.

Officials with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers have temporarily closed the stilling basin at Tuttle Creek Lake for a pair of construction projects that will take place over the next few months. The first, a rock overlay project, will require work on the upstream side of the upper portion of the dam. Operations Manager Brian McNulty says much of the project has been completed. Work on the west side of the channel will require much of the upper rock from the roadway, requiring the shutdown of the west entrance to to the park through Outlet Park. According to a…

Four people were hospitalized Sunday evening following a two-vehicle crash in Geary County. According to the Sheriff’s Office, the crash occurred just after 8 p.m. on K-57 near mile marker 5, when a Chevy Silverado reportedly failed to yield right of way and struck a Toyota Rav 4, driven by Haily Zuniga, of Loveland, Colorado. She and three passengers were transported to Stormont Vail Hospital for medical treatment of injuries. Both vehicles had to be towed from the scene. Additional details weren’t immediately available Monday morning.

Fatal crashes were reported across the region this past weekend in Morris and Dickinson counties. In Morris County, three people from Minnesota were killed in a head-on collision on a rural road west of the Council Grove Wildlife area Saturday afternoon. That crash killed the 33-year-old driver, Troy Sabean and two passengers, including 69-year-old Ann Porter and 33-year-old Emma Porter, according to the Kansas Highway Patrol. The crash also seriously injured two others in that vehicle as well as a White City couple in the other vehicle. In Dickinson County, a motorcyclist from Georgia was killed Friday evening when his…

The longtime director of the Flint Hills Discovery Center was recognized at a Thursday retirement reception. Susan Adams took on that title in 2016, but her history with the Discovery Center dates back to October 2011, first working in a temporary construction trailer prior to the opening of the facility in April 2012. Adams says she was overwhelmed by the reception she received. “It’s just a reassuring feeling that it’s not done because I’m walking away, they will still continue to support the Discovery Center. That’s important to me,” she said. Adams says there are a number of highlights from…

Riley County Police have made an arrest in connection to an inmate’s alleged overdose at the jail earlier this year. In a Friday release, RCPD noted 30-year-old Joseph Keehn, of Junction City had been arrested Thursday at the jail on a warrant charging him with trafficking of contraband and distribution of a controlled substance, causing great bodily harm. Keehn has been in custody since his March 11 arrest for possession of opiates, criminal possession of a weapon and other drug-related offenses. The incident occurred in the early morning hours of March 13 after dispatchers received a call from the jail…

Authorities are investigating a report of a missing firearm. According to the Riley County Police Department, an 87-year-old woman reported Thursday that a Holland & Holland Rifle was taken from the vault where it was being stored. The alleged theft was reported in the 800 block of Poyntz Ave. The total estimated loss is $32,000. Anyone with information is asked to contact Crime Stoppers.

After receiving five submittals for consulting on an upcoming Comprehensive Plan, Riley County commissioners have narrowed that list to two potential firms and are targeting early next month to have a selection in place. The county opted to move forward with Olsson and Stantec, based on the selection committee’s evaluation scores and discussion. Commission Chair John Ford says both made good presentations in their request for qualification (RFQ submittals) to the county initially. “I think to get to where we want to end up with all of this and what’s important, I think they (Olsson and Stantec) had the best…

A local nonprofit organization has outgrown its facilities and announced Tuesday a move is coming later this year. Flint Hills Breadbasket Executive Director Karla Hagemeister didn’t say where the new location will be when speaking at Tuesday’s city commission meeting, but noted how many more families have been receiving help in the past two years. Founded in 1982, the Breadbasket partnered with the City of Manhattan to construct its original building in 1987 and added a warehouse in 2001. Hagemeister says the Breadbasket hosts between 90 and 100 new families each month, a trend she doesn’t see turning around anytime soon.…