Author: Brandon Peoples

Officers also filed a report for burglary and criminal damage Sunday in the 1100 block of Claflin Road, after three people reported their storage unit was broken into, with over $6,900 in military and fishing equipment stolen from inside. Anyone with information in each case is urged to call Crime Stoppers.

Riley County Police filed a report for theft by deception over the weekend after a 21-year-old man reported someone used his Venmo to transfer money to themselves. The incident occurred Friday in the 1200 block of Moro Street. All told, the victim is out approximately $4,100, according to Tuesday’s police report. Anyone with information in each case is urged to call Crime Stoppers.

A jury trial begins Tuesday in the case of a man accused in the February 2022 murder of a Fort Riley soldier outside an Aggieville bar. Tremelle Montgomery is charged with first degree murder in the death of 21-year-old Joshua Wardi. An amended complaint, filed in Riley County District Court also lists three counts of attempted first degree murder and three counts of aggravated assault. Wardi died from a single gunshot wound February 5, 2022. Two other co-defendants, 24-year-old Jordan Prather and 27-year-old Edward Wright, are also each charged in connection with same aforementioned charges, though prosecutors believe it was…

A Manhattan man died Monday following a crash on K-18 near Ogden. According to the Kansas Highway Patrol, a Mazda 3 driven by 47-year-old Nathan Patrick Grindle, was eastbound on the highway, shortly after 5 p.m., when it left the right edge of the road and stuck a cement bridge pillar. Grindle died at the scene. The crash caused a fire that resulted in a temporary closure of the highway and nearby exit 303 at Interstate 70. Authorities say Grindle was not wearing a seat belt. Monday’s crash was the second of the weekend reported along K-18 near Ogden. On…

Manhattan City Commissioners will host a public hearing regarding the 2024 budget and mill levy rate Tuesday evening.  The total budget authority is nearly $225 million, which includes over $35 million in ad-valorem taxes to be levied on residents. The total budget is 20% higher than last year’s budget, driven largely by property valuations, which are up about 10%, with assessed valuation at over $694,000. The mill levy currently sits at 50.470, which is a 1.68 mill decrease from the year prior, and is above the revenue neutral rate of 47.613. Commissioners will first hold a hearing noting intent to…

August was the hottest month of 2023 in Manhattan with a total of eight days above 100 degrees, including a streak of five consecutive days above 100 from Aug. 22 through Aug. 26. Meteorologist Chip Redmond, with Kansas Mesonet, says despite the streak, it wasn’t something uncommon for the Little Apple. August was also a dry month, with Manhattan measuring just 2.01 inches rainfall, following a July that saw 4.54 inches. Year-to-date totals (19.18) continue to lag well below normal. Redmond says at the moment there are no signs of significant rain in the forecast. Much of northern Kansas got…

A Junction City man was arrested Tuesday in connection to past sex crimes involving a minor. The Riley County Police Department says 37-year-old David Hearlson is charged with three counts each of rape and aggravated indecent liberties with a child, and one count each of attempted aggravated criminal sodomy, aggravated indecent solicitation of a child and criminal threat. The crimes are alleged from between March and May of 2019. The female victim was someone known to Hearlson. He remains jailed on a $200,000 bond. Due to the nature of these crimes, police say no further information will be released.

Officials with the Kansas State University Foundation say donations totaled more than $226.4 million this past year. The total doesn’t quite match last year’s record total of $235 million in private gifts, but does highlight how strong giving continues to be to the foundation. The value of the university’s long-term investment pool reached $952.3 million as of June 30, the end of the fiscal 2023 calendar. The Foundation says its investment performance has consistently outperformed peer institutions, ranking No. 7 among the nation’s university and college endowments in 2022. One of the key highlights from the past year saw the…

The 2024 Riley County Budget was finalized Monday. County Commissioners held hearings to confirm their intent to exceed the revenue neutral rate for the county budget with a mill levy of 39.956, a 2.26 mill levy reduction from what was finalized in 2023. During the public hearing, resident Gary Olds questioned why commissioners couldn’t get closer to the RNR rate of 38.379, despite having substantial money in savings, reserves and other areas. Commissioner Greg McKinley cited prices of services going up as one reason for the increase in taxes. Commissioner John Ford expanded saying most of it is balancing services…

Authorities are investigating after four young women reported to police their drinks were spiked at a party in Manhattan over the weekend. The Riley County Police Department says the victims, ranging between 17 and 19 years old, reported an 18-year-old woman contaminated their alcoholic beverages with an unknown substance at a house party in the 2000 block of College View Road early Saturday morning. All four were treated at Ascension Via Christi after getting sick. Officers filed a report for distribution of a controlled substance, aggravated battery, and criminal threat. So far no arrests have been made. The investigation remains…