Author: Brandon Peoples

An investigation is underway after alleged mismanagement of the VA’s Veterans Crisis Line. U.S. Senator Jerry Moran announced Wednesday he initiated the investigation with the U.S. Government Accountability Office after being alerted by current and former Department of Veterans Affairs employees who came forward with solid evidence of mismanagement, creating a danger to the health and safety of veterans across the nation. In a statement, Moran, who serves as a ranking member of the Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee, said “VA’s history with secret waiting lists of veterans in desperate need for care is deplorable. If the Veterans Crisis Line is…

Authorities have arrested a Wamego man in connection to a Tuesday morning shooting near St. George. The Pottawatomie County Sheriff’s Office says 35-year-old Matthew Young was arrested and charged with attempted second degree murder. He’s being held in the Pottawatomie County Jail, awaiting bond. Sheriff Shane Jager issued a news release stating that deputies were dispatched to the 4700 block of Black Jack Road shortly after 6 a.m. The victim, who has not been identified, was found suffering from a gunshot wound. The victim was transported to a Topeka hospital. The extent of injuries are unknown. Jager says Young was…

For two consecutive years, Pottawatomie County voters have turned down a proposal to raise sales tax by a quarter percent to fund certain county road projects. Commissioners on Monday pointed to a lack of ability to educate the public as to the benefits of these projects. County Counselor John Watt says commissioners can’t actively push ballot issues because of state statute, something Dee McKee says she doesn’t agree with. Commissioner Greg Riat believed the issue could’ve been helped if an outside group threw its support around it. County Administrator Chad Kinsley says a big discussion will be needed ahead of…

No changes have been noted in a tight USD 383 school board race. Curt Herrman and Frank Beer remained 33 votes apart Monday morning after no new votes came in to the Riley and Pottawatomie County Clerk’s Offices Friday for either candidate. Advance ballots by mail could be accepted through Friday, per state statute. As it stands ahead of the canvass, Herrman appears to have retained his spot on the board for a fifth term, holding a 2,818 to 2,785 advantage over Beer. The others elected last week included Katie Allen, Kristin Brighton and Greg Hoyt. The results are unofficial.…

Police are investigating an incident of property damage at Manhattan’s Ascension Via Christi Hospital. According to RCPD, a report for criminal damage to property and battery was filed early Saturday morning after a man reportedly grabbed security staff, knocked a phone off the wall and pulled down ceiling tiles. A damage estimate wasn’t immediately available. Police listed a 65-year-old man and the hospital as victims. No further information was provided.

In recent years, some in the community have been signaling the need for an indoor water park in Manhattan. The Manhattan Parks and Recreation Department says previous polling has shown about 70% of respondents support indoor aquatics. Director Aaron Stewart says it’s a major focus of the Move MHK Comprehensive Plan and is included in a survey being sent out to Manhattan residents. Stewart says results from the Move MHK plan should be known in January. Those results will be evaluated to help the city gauge whether residents would support a possible ballot initiative in 2024. Stewart is also encouraging community members to attend…

An arrest was made in Manhattan Thursday for an alleged domestic battery. The Riley County Police Department says officers arrested 42-year-old Eric Fisher, of Bucklin, Kansas, at around 2 a.m. Thursday at the Hilton Garden Inn. Fisher is charged with probable cause offenses of aggravated battery, aggravated domestic battery, criminal threat and aggravated intimidation of a witness. The victim in the case is a 56-year-old woman. Fisher remains jailed on a $250,000 bond. Due to the nature of the crime, RCPD says no further information is being released.

The race for a fourth seat on the Manhattan-Ogden School Board remains tight, though incumbent Curt Herrman extended his lead slightly on Wednesday. After polls closed Tuesday night, Herrman had a 20 vote lead over Frank Beer. More advance mail ballots were added to the election count in Riley and Pottawatomie counties Wednesday, with Herrman picking up an additional 23 votes and Frank Beer picking up 10 additional votes in his favor. As a result, Herrman now leads Beer by 33 votes. Herrman has totaled 2,818 votes to Beer’s 2,785. The Riley and Pottawatomie County Clerk’s Office will continue to…

Kansas farmers and ranchers, as well as area state legislators took part in a roundtable discussion Wednesday in Manhattan centered on how expanding Medicaid would potentially benefit the state’s agriculture industry. Leading the discussion was Gov. Laura Kelly, who is planning yet another attempt to convince the GOP-controlled legislature to debate the issue and ultimately pass an expansion bill. A 2020 report from the Chartis Center for Rural Health found that being in a state that has expanded Medicaid decreases the likelihood of a rural hospital closing by 62 percent. Between Ascension Via Christi Manhattan and the Wamego Health Center,…

Over the past two weeks, police say vandals have caused an estimated $1,500 in damage to a boys bathroom inside Manhattan High School. The Riley County Police Department says it fielded a report Tuesday for criminal damage to property after an unknown suspect damaged items by tagging them with graffiti. MHS has dealt with numerous issues of vandalism in the school bathrooms in the past couple of years. Most recently, in February, a graffiti message perceived as a threat led to a lockdown of the school, though was later determined to not be credible. Anyone with information should report it…