Author: Brandon Peoples

Pavement work is scheduled Monday on a ramp connecting Miller Parkway and Davis Drive to the southbound lanes of K-18. The Kansas Department of Transportation says it will close the ramp from 7 a.m. to 4 p.m., or until work is complete. The closure will be marked by barricades, signs and cones. No detours will be posted for the one-day closure. Motorists are advised to use alternate routes.

Kansas State University is continuing work toward addressing close to half a billion dollars worth of deferred maintenance on campus. In an interview recently with KMAN, President Richard Linton spoke about plans for Ahearn Fieldhouse and the Natatorium. The university is also planning a major infrastructure project for the College of Agriculture, which includes construction of a new Global Center for Grain and Food Research between Call and Weber Hall, as well as new agronomy innovation and research centers’ on the campus’ north side and a new livestock performance arena. Construction is anticipated to be completed by the end of…

The Kansas Court of Appeals will hear three pending appellate cases next week on the K-State campus in observance of Constitution Day. The first case involves a civil appeal involving a violation of zoning regulations from Riley County, between the Board of County Commissioners and local resident Gary Kilner, who contends his property is exempt from the regulations because it’s zoned agricultural. The second case involves a civil appeal out of Pottawatomie County where Employers Mutual Casualty Company is appealing a district court decision dismissing its subrogation lawsuit against Jayhawk Fire Sprinkler Company. The third case case involves legal issues…

Pottawatomie County Commissioner Dee McKee is coming under scrutiny for discrepancies noted in her expenses for trips she took to attend meetings for the Flint Hills Regional Council and other committees she serves on. McKee was initially questioned at the Aug. 28 Board of County Commission meeting by local resident and current planning commissioner Steve Minton if she had attended a FHRC meeting in Council Grove in May, which McKee subsequently affirmed she had. Local resident Michelle Campbell disputed that Monday, citing an expense report McKee turned in noting travel to Council Grove May 16 and the council’s approved minutes.…

Riley County Police say a 58-year-old woman was scammed Monday out of thousands of dollars in an online scam. Officers filed a report for theft by deception in the 100 block of South Dartmouth Drive, when a woman said she was scammed into sending money to an unknown suspect she met online. The estimated total loss is approximately $120,000. Police are asking anyone with information to contact Crime Stoppers.

A Riley County jury has convicted a former Fort Riley soldier of murdering 21-year-old Joshua Wardi, a Fort Riley soldier from Texas, gunned down outside an Aggieville bar in February 2022. Jurors on Monday returned guilty verdicts finding 21-year-old Tremelle Montgomery responsible of first-degree intentional murder, along with three counts of attempted first-degree murder and three counts of aggravated assault against three of Wardi’s friends Donovan Bastien, Jared Musgrave and Tyrece White. The jury deliberated for about an hour and a half, after hearing closing arguments from Deputy Riley County Attorney Trinity Muth and Public Defender Brenda Jordan. Muth portrayed…

A Riley County man on trial for a February 2022 murder in Aggieville will have to wait until at least Monday to learn his fate. Judge John Bosch dismissed jurors Friday afternoon, citing a need for more time to review jury instructions, after discussions with the prosecution and defense.  Former Fort Riley soldier Tremelle Montgomery, 21, is charged with first-degree murder in the death of 21-year-old fellow soldier Joshua Wardi. He also faces three counts each of attempted first-degree murder and aggravated assault.  Testimony was heard Friday from the forensic pathologist who investigated Wardi’s manner of death, confirming that Wardi…

2 p.m. Update Authorities say one person died and another was injured Thursday morning after both were struck by a vehicle on K-18. According to the Kansas Highway Patrol, a pedestrian was checking his vehicle on the left inside shoulder from a non-injury accident just moments before. The incident occurred around 5:30 a.m. A second pedestrian was checking her vehicle on the left inside shoulder, after having also struck a deer just prior. While they were outside their vehicles, a Ford Explorer struck the remains of the dead deer, lost control and struck both pedestrians. Authorities say 20-year-old Jhon Paulo…

The City of Manhattan will spend close to $1 million to purchase land in the Green Valley area for a future fire station. Commissioners agreed Tuesday to authorize city staff to purchase the property at 3830 Excel Road for just over $914,000. The city has no plans to move immediately into design or construction on a facility. Tuesday’s action secures the property as the city anticipates the eventual construction of the multimillion Scorpius Biomanufacturing facility. Deputy City Manager Jason Hilgers says if the fire station project never comes to fruition, he believes the city will have no problem getting its…

The Manhattan City Commission took the first step toward approving its 2024 budget Tuesday night. Commissioners first voted 4-0 to exceed the revenue neutral rate of 47.613, to allow the city to capture economic growth from the previous year. Commissioners then voted 3-1 to lower the overall mill levy from 50.74 down to 49 mills. Doing so would drop the overall increase in property taxes to around 4% versus the 6% city staff initially presented. The total budget authority currently is nearly $225 million, which includes over $35 million in ad-valorem taxes. Commissioner Wynn Butler says the city has to…