Author: Brandon Peoples

Northern Riley County residents now have better access to emergency medical services 24 hours a day, thanks to a new EMS station in Leonardville. Riley County officials cut the ribbon Saturday on the new station, a project some believed wasn’t  possible. Commissioner Greg McKinley and former Riley Mayor Tim Sharp had been pushing for a north county ambulance station since 2018. McKinley, who campaigned on the issue in 2020, recalled a turning point at a February 2022 community meeting where north county residents packed the Leonardville Community Building, urging county officials to do something. The new facility will have a…

Robert Ott, the long time Director of Public Works for the City of Manhattan, died Wednesday, following a five year battle with cancer. He was 50. Ott began his career with the City in 2005, serving as City Engineer until 2014, when he was promoted to Director of Public Works. His service to Manhattan included a number of accomplishments, as he led redevelopments of the Downtown and Aggieville districts, utility relocations for the National Bio and Agro-Defense Facility, expansion of major roadways along the Edge Collaboration District, and years of partnership with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to bolster…

A ribbon cutting and open house are planned this weekend for the new Emergency Medical Services Station in Leonardville. For years residents in northern Riley County have pushed for a facility, boiling over into a community meeting in early February 2022, where residents packed the Leonardville Community Building, sharing stories like this one about experiencing poor ambulance response times. The new station will house a full-time ambulance and crew, providing faster response times to residents in northern Riley County. Commissioner Greg McKinley, campaigned in 2020 on the promise of a north county EMS station and has been vocal about the…

One person was injured Wednesday following a crash in northern Riley County. The Kansas Highway Patrol says a semi collided with an SUV shortly before 10:30 a.m. at the four mile corner, the junction of US 24 and US 77. Authorities say the semi was attempting a northbound turn left at the stop sign and pulled in front of the SUV which was unable to stop and struck the semi’s trailer. The SUV driver, 68-year-old Rebecca Giesbrecht, of Hanover, was transported to Ascension Via Christi with a possible injury. The truck driver, a 58-year-old Iowa man was uninjured.

A Silent Witness Ceremony was held at the Riley County Courthouse Plaza Wednesday over the lunch hour. The event, hosted annually by the Crisis Center in recognition of Domestic Violence Awareness Month, serves as a remembrance to those who have lost their lives to domestic violence in our communities and across Kansas. Executive Director Kathy Ray says nationally one in four women and one in 10 men are victims of intimate partner violence, domestic violence, sexual assault and stalking by an intimate partner. Riley County Attorney Barry Wilkerson says his office continues to work to hold offenders accountable and connect…

The previously condemned Royal Towers property along North Manhattan Ave. has a new owner. Back 9 Development recently acquired the complex for an undisclosed purchase price and are intending to convert the space into high-end condos. In a Facebook post, Back 9 says the property, which it calls “The Lofts at 1700,” will be available next summer, with sale prices starting at $249,000. According to the Manhattan Mercury, Back 9 President TJ Vilkanskas says the renovated facility will feature 56 two-bed, two-bath condo units. Royal Towers was previously owned by Nevada-based TD Invest LLC. It was condemned in March by…

Candidates running for a seat on the Manhattan City Commission have differing views on how to grow the economy. During this past weekend’s League of Women Voters Forum on KMAN, candidates were asked what the city’s role should be in spurring development of jobs that provide a livable wage. Nine candidates are seeking one of four seats on the city commission this November. Seven took part in the forum Saturday at the Manhattan Public Library, hosted by the League and co-sponsored by the local chapter of the American Association of University Women and the Manhattan Area Chamber of Commerce. Susan…

Juneteenth will be designated a state holiday in Kansas starting in 2024. Gov. Laura Kelly announced Tuesday that Kansas will join 28 other states and the District of Columbia in recognizing June 19 as an official state holiday. In a statement, the governor says establishing Juneteenth as a state holiday provides an opportunity to celebrate the state’s diversity and honor ongoing struggles for racial equality. Juneteenth commemorates June 19, 1865, when the last enslaved Americans received word that President Abraham Lincoln had signed the Emancipation Proclamation, abolishing slavery more than two years after the end of the Civil War. The…

A Manhattan man was arrested a short time after noon Monday in the 2000 block of Tuttle Creek Blvd. on charges of criminal threat and criminal damage to property. RCPD says 55-year-old David Combs was arrested after a 38-year-old man reported Combs threw a coffee cup at a wall and made threats after being denied a ride, near the Short Stop convenience store on Tuttle Creek Blvd. The estimated total loss associated with the case is not currently listed. Combs was arrested on probable cause offenses of criminal threat, and criminal damage to property. He remains jailed on a $5,000…

Authorities are investigating a pair of Monday crimes for burglary and aggravated assault. The Riley County Police Department says a 21-year-old man and 22-year-old woman reported an unknown suspect stole household goods and electronics from their home in the 1100 block of Claflin Road. The estimated total loss is less than $1,000. Anyone with information is asked to call Crime Stoppers. Later in the day, RCPD was called out to the 200 block of North 9th Street after a 25-year-old man reported a woman battered and assaulted him. Police arrested 39-year-old Dania Decoteau, of Manhattan on probable cause offenses of…