Author: Brandon Peoples

An open house was held Saturday at the new home of “The Pride of Wildcat Land.” The K-State Marching Band is moving into its new space at the northwest corner of the World War I Memorial Stadium. Director of Bands Dr. Frank Tracz says it’s good to have a centralized location, just footsteps away from where the band practices. For the generations of marching band alumni who utilized space in McCain Auditorium, Tracz says this is something they too can appreciate. The new space pays homage to the past, including a memorabilia room with trophies and artifacts, including instruments recovered…

A 28-year-old Salina woman was arrested Saturday night on charges of driving under the influence. According to the Riley County Police Department, Brittany Holt was taken into custody around 6 p.m. after being pulled over in the 300 block of Fort Riley Blvd. She’s charged with single counts of driving under the influence, driving while suspended (2nd conviction) and two counts of aggravated child endangerment. Holt was no longer jailed Sunday after posting a $5,000 bond.

A 34-year-old Manhattan man was jailed in a weekend rape investigation. The Riley County Police Department says Joshua Adam Jones was arrested around 3:30 a.m. Saturday on single counts of rape, domestic battery and aggravated criminal sodomy. Jones was arrested at a residence in the 3000 block of Kimball Ave. Due to the nature of the crime, no further information will be released. Bond was set at $50,000, causing Jones to remain jailed as of Sunday’s arrest report.

Authorities in Geary County are investigating after several items containing THC (the main active ingredient of cannabis)and drug paraphernalia were seized Thursday from a Junction City vape shop. According to the Geary County Sheriff’s Office, a search warrant was executed at Space Out Smoke and Vape, located at 433 East Chestnut, in reference to an investigation into the distribution of a controlled substance. In doing so, officers seized approximately 1,450 items containing THC and about 1,200 items of drug paraphernalia. Many of the items are packaged similar to legitimate candy which the Sheriff’s Office says easily entice children into wanting…

Area firefighters responded to a grass fire near Tuttle Creek Blvd. and Purcell Road, north of Manhattan Friday morning. Firefighters were called out around 9:30 a.m. and contained the fire shortly after 11 a.m. The fire ignited a wooded area west of the highway, leading officials to block a single lane of southbound traffic on Tuttle Creek Blvd as well as access to Purcell. No word yet on what caused the fire, but Riley County officials say foul play is not suspected. Responding agencies included Riley County Fire District No. 1, Manhattan Fire, RCPD and Riley County EMS.

A massive annual defense spending bill was passed by the Senate Thursday, that would give service members a better than 5% pay raise and investments into Fort Riley’s infrastructure. The vote was 86-11. Sen. Jerry Moran (R-Kan.) applauded the passage of the Senate’s bill, saying it includes “critical investments for the nation’s weapons stockpile and cutting-edge cybersecurity technology.” Locally, Moran says the bill authorizes $105 million for construction of an Aircraft Maintenance Hangar at Fort Riley, $1.6 million for the planning and design of a new Air Traffic Control Tower and $15.6 million in funding for the power generation and microgrid…

Excessive heat continues to grip the region with not much reprieve in sight as temperatures will continue to hover at or above the century mark well into next week. Temperatures overall for the month of July have been about 3 degrees below normal, despite the dramatic shift this week, with Manhattan finally eclipsing 100 degrees Tuesday, Wednesday and again Thursday. Meteorologist and Kansas Mesonet Manager Chip Redmond tells KMAN that days-long streaks of triple digit temperatures are not unheard of in our area, though don’t happen often. Redmond says an excessive amount of heat is being stored in a dome…

Wareham Hall, the nonprofit fundraising arm tasked with the renovation of the Wareham Opera House, has been awarded $115,400 in Community Service Program tax credits. The funds are from a larger initiative, led by Gov. Laura Kelly, that distributed $4.1 million in CSP tax credits to 36 nonprofit agencies in Kansas. In a statement this week, Board President Blade Mages says the award “recognizes the crucial role that arts and culture play in enhancing the community’s qualify of life and enriching shared experiences.” The tax credits provide a substantial deduction from tax tax obligations for donors. Wareham Hall has successfully…

Furniture Amnesty Day is being held Friday at City Park and volunteers are still needed. Those interested in helping should register with HandsOn Kansas State. Information is available on the City of Manhattan Facebook page. The free community event runs from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Friday. Registration for furniture shopping begins at 8 a.m. There are no income guidelines for people to participate as the event is open to anyone. For more information, including items that will not be accepted for donation can be found at cityofmhk.com/furniture.

The Clay Center Police Department is investigating a report of battery and disorderly conduct, stemming from a Monday incident at the Clay County Fairgrounds. Cell phone video, shared to social media, shows a Hispanic woman being thrown to the ground by a female carnival employee following a dispute. According to a police report, the victim is a 40-year-old woman and the suspect is a 28-year-old woman. No charges have been filed. It’s unclear what the dispute was about. The victim is reportedly a former employee of Great Plains Amusements, the carnival operator for the Clay County Fair. Further details are…