Author: Brandon Peoples

Riley County Police are investigating a pair of thefts reported this week at a few Manhattan retailers. According to Tuesday’s activity report, officers were called out to Menards Monday morning after store officials reported two known male suspects replaced UPC codes on security camera systems for a lesser price. The estimated total loss was around $530. Later Monday afternoon, RCPD filed a report for criminal use of a financial card and theft after a 52-year-old man reported an unknown suspect used his credit card information to make purchases at Target, The Home Depot and Shop Quik, totaling about $700. Anyone…

City officials say Ebert Construction is closing the 600 block of Poyntz Ave today and tomorrow, in order to install the string light poles that will flank the mid-block crosswalk. The street will reopen in time for Third Thursday festivities. The work was not able to be completed with the rest of the project due to the very long lead time needed for fabrication of the poles, which are to be installed today. Lights will be strung tomorrow and city officials say the two Flint Hills ATA bus stops in the 600 block of Poyntz will be closed both days.…

Judge William Malcolm, the longtime magistrate judge for the 21st Judicial District, which encompasses Riley and Clay counties, died Sunday from injuries he sustained in a car wreck earlier this month. He was 74. In a statement Monday, Chief Judge Grant Bannister remembered Malcolm as a kind hearted human-being and valued colleague. “He was a dedicated public official that served the people of Kansas well. Particularly, the citizens of Clay and Riley County. He was good natured and often ready with a good story to lighten the day.  He presided over some of the most serious criminal preliminary hearings during…

Riley County Police are investigating a couple of weekend incidents involving weapons. On Saturday, officers filed an aggravated battery report in the 800 block of Colorado Street after a 43-year-old man reported that a man known to him cut him with a knife. Early Sunday morning, officers investigated an incident in the 1100 block of Moro Street after an unknown male suspect reportedly pulled a gun out after an argument with two 22-year-old men. The suspect also reportedly made physical contact with one victim and the weapon. In a separate incident early Sunday, officers filed an aggravated robbery report in…

Kansas State University President Richard Linton is back in Manhattan, having recently completed his seven-week cancer treatment. In a Monday statement, Linton said he packed up his remote office in Kansas City on Friday after completing chemotherapy and radiation treatments. He says he’s ready to start conducting much of his work from his campus residence as he regains his strength. Linton thanked the medical team for the “incredible care” he received throughout the diagnosis, treatment and now, recovery. He also thanked his immediate family and the entire Wildcat community for support that helped him through the process, saying he feels truly blessed…

The Kansas Department of Transportation will begin replacement of the Mill Creek bridge on U.S. 77 Monday. The structure is about eight miles south of Randolph. KDOT says initial work will consist of constructing a shoofly detour to carry traffic around the existing bridge. The shoofly is expected to be completed by early December, with traffic then shifted to the detour while demolition and reconstruction take place. Traffic impacts are expected to be minimal, however, speed will be reduced to 50 mph through the work zone for the duration of the project. Work will occur weekdays during daylight hours and…

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.