Author: Brandon Peoples

Riley County has temporarily closed the Fairmont Park dog park, after a dog who visited the park was diagnosed recently with canine parvovirus. The highly contagious viral infection affects puppies and unvaccinated dogs and is known to spread through direct contact with an infected dog, as well as through contact with contaminated surfaces or objects. The county closed the park as a precautionary measure. Pet owners are strongly encouraged to keep their dogs away from the dog park during the closure, which is in place through the weekend and follow their veterinarian’s guidance on vaccinations and preventive measures. Any pet…

Source: WalletHub WalletHub is out with its 2023 Best and Worst Community College rankings and a local school is up near the top. It ranked Manhattan Area Technical College No. 2 overall, earning a fifth place nod for career outcomes and eighth place for education outcomes. MATC has consistently ranked among WalletHub’s top community colleges, including a No. 4 ranking last year. WalletHub compared more than 650 community colleges across 19 key indicators of cost and quality. It also conducted a state-level analysis of the best and worst community college systems, ranking Kansas No. 14 in the nation. Source: WalletHub

A Manhattan man was arrested this week on a warrant from Jackson County for drug distribution and possession. The Riley County Police Department says 44-year-old Andrew Jones is charged with unlawful distribution of meth and possession of drug paraphernalia. Jones was already jailed at the time the new charges were filed, following a February arrest in Riley County for unlawful possession of a controlled substance and drug paraphernalia. He remains jailed on a $20,000 bond.

City officials will review and discuss results of a recent community survey at Tuesday’s Manhattan City Commission legislative meeting. Over 11,000 households took the survey which gauges resident satisfaction with city services, quality of life and potential support for future projects. Some of the highlights include a 90% satisfaction with quality of life, 84% satisfaction with the quality of parks. Around 78% support or strongly support development of an indoor aquatics center and 81% support or strongly support rehabilitation of existing homes for workforce housing. The survey also found residents divided on options for Moro Street in Aggieville, with 42%…

Officials say a multimillion dollar runway reconstruction project at the Manhattan Regional Airport is still behind schedule and may not reopen by the targeted Sept. 6 deadline. Engineer Diane Hofer, with design firm Olsson, provided a progress report at Monday’s Airport Advisory Board meeting. Airport officials noted that phase 3, which includes the crosswind runway construction, is about 25 days behind schedule but should wrap up by mid-week. Director Brandon Keazer says they had hoped to have phase 3 done by Monday. Keazer explains some of the reasons for the over three week delay. Hofer says for everyday the project…

City officials say the westbound right-turn lane onto 3rd Street from Fort Riley Blvd will be closed starting Thursday for a construction project. Westbound traffic will still be able to turn right onto South 3rd Street. Construction will not impact eastbound, northbound or southbound traffic. The work and closure are expected to last through Aug. 31.

Motorists are advised that the Manhattan Public Works Department’s Street Division will close the westbound lanes in the 300 block of Bluemont Avenue today for asphalt repairs. Westbound traffic on Bluemont will be detoured north on 3rd Street to Vattier, west to 4th Street and back south to Bluemont. City officials say in addition, the southbound lane of 3rd Street will be closed just north of Bluemont along with the northbound left-turn lane. No timetable has been announced for the project.

A Wakefield man is recovering after a weekend motorcycle crash in Geary County. The Kansas Highway Patrol says the crash occurred just before 8:30 p.m. Friday near the junction of Kansas Highway 82 and U.S. Highway 77, about five miles east of Wakefield. Authorities say the motorcyclist was eastbound on K-82 when the bike failed to negotiate a curve onto US-77 and crashed. David Coulson, 63, of Wakefield sustained a suspected serious injury and was transported to Geary Community Hospital in Junction City. The crash report indicated Coulson was not wearing a helmet.

Riley County Police say a Manhattan business is out about $1,100 after a text messaging scam this week. A report for theft by deception and unlawful computer acts was filed Wednesday listing Fox Home Innovations as the victim. Police say an unknown suspect posing as an employee instructed another employee through text messages to purchase 11 Apple gift cards. Anyone with information can contact Crime Stoppers.

The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs has extended the deadline for Veterans and survivors who applied for PACT Act benefits through Monday. The extension was made out of an abundance of caution after recent reports of technical issues with the VA website and high demand. Benefits will be backdated to Aug. 10, 2022, the date President Biden signed the PACT ACT, which expands VA health care and benefits to Veterans exposed to burn pits, Agent Orange and other toxic substances. Sen. Jerry Moran, who serves on the Senate Committee on Veterans’ Affairs, said in a statement Thursday he will continue…