Author: Brandon Peoples

Time is ticking for Congress to consider a tentative deal between President Joe Biden and House Speaker Kevin McCarthy to suspend the nation’s debt limit through 2025 to avoid a federal default while limiting government spending. Kansas 1st District Congressman Tracey Mann joined KMAN’s Morning News Tuesday, and says the deal is a mixed bag. According to the Associated Press, the agreement includes provisions to fund medical care for veterans, change work requirements for some receiving government aid and streamline environmental reviews for energy projects. Some conservatives are concerned the compromise doesn’t do enough to cut future deficits. Congressman Mann…

The Wamego Police Department announced last week that Jason Powell has been promoted to Deputy Chief. Powell has been with WPD since 2008 and is currently the department’s taser instructor and a certified field training officer. The St. Joseph, Missouri native has been in law enforcement since 2002 and has received several life saving awards including a Gold Award from the Kansas Police Chiefs Association for “Uncommon Valor.” He succeeds Paul Schliffke as Deputy Chief. Schliffke was promoted to Police Chief last July, a month after the City of Wamego terminated former Chief Mike Baker, for unspecified reasons.

Kansas State University plans to honor Bruce Snead at an upcoming retirement reception. Snead became director of Engineering Extension at K-State in 2011 and has been an extension specialist in residential and renewable energy, indoor air quality and radon since 1982. He’s also a long time former Manhattan city commissioner, from 1995 to 2011, serving as mayor four times during his tenure. The university says Snead has received numerous awards for his accomplishments, including the Lifetime Achievement Award for Mentorship from the American Association of Radon Scientists and Technologists. The retirement reception is scheduled for 3 p.m. June 9 on…

The Riley County Police Department says officers peacefully resolved a situation Monday involving a person experiencing a mental health crisis. Officers were dispatched at around 2:30 p.m. to the 300 block of Hunter Place, after a call concerning a man with a weapon at the Scenic Woods apartments. Arriving officers found a 25-year-old man threatening to harm himself. An emergency Everbridge alert was sent out alerting residents to shelter in place and avoid the area. The situation was resolved within an hour-and-a-half, with no injuries reported and the shelter in place notification was lifted.

The Manhattan Housing Authority and UFM Community Learning Center are receiving a $1.5 million grant to support a local pre-apprenticeship program. The U.S. Department of Labor recently announced $90 million in funds to workforce development programs nationwide. MHA’s YouthBuild program will train young people in construction, allowing anyone from ages 16 to 24 to learn about builds and rehabilitations of affordable housing. Executive Director Aaron Estabrook spoke about the goal of the program on a recent edition of KMAN’s In Focus. The program will be open to young people aged 16 to 24, who will divide their time between classroom…

Earlier this month, Wareham Hall Inc., the nonprofit organization working to revitalize the Wareham Opera House in downtown Manhattan, received a $250,000 grant from the State Park Revitalization & Investment in Notable Tourism (SPRINT) program. President Blade Mages says the funding, part of $30 million in tourism grants from leftover American Rescue Plan Act funds, will go toward some needed facility upgrades. Wareham Hall was one of 18 recipients in Kansas of the tourism grants. Mages says as important as the money is, it’s also good to have a balance in fundraising, between state, private and corporate support. As for how…

AAA is projecting that 42.3 million Americans will travel 50 miles or more for Memorial Day weekend, a 7% increase over last year. In Kansas, it’s estimated that 385,000 people will be traveling for the holiday, a jump of 8% over last year. Driving vacations will make up 88.5% of the travel, with nearly 341,000 people taking to the highways, up 5.4% from last year. More than 32,000 Kansans will fly to their destinations, an 8.3% jump from last year. AAA says its anticipating the third busiest Memorial Day weekend since 2000, when the agency started tracking holiday travel. As…

A seventh candidate has entered the race for one of four seats on the Manhattan-Ogden School Board this fall. In an emailed statement to media Thursday, Courtney Jane Hochman noted she believes in full inclusion of all students, calling it a path to student success and success of the district. If elected, Hochman says she wants to work to expand the school meals program and help better define the aims of public education in USD 383. “I hope USD 383 can follow Topeka in securing free meals for more students, if not all our students. School meals are an invaluable…

The Manhattan Fire Department responded to a fire this (THU) morning at a south Manhattan duplex. Firefighters were dispatched just after 10 a.m. to 1006 Pottawatomie Court, containing the fire within 10 minutes. The occupant was not home at the time. A cat was rescued from the home and treated by firefighters and Riley County EMS. Total loss is estimated at $35,000 to the structure and contents. The property is owned by Manhattan Housing Authority. The cause of the fire is under investigation.

After years of collaboration between the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the Department of Homeland Security Science and Technology Directorate, a ribbon cutting and dedication ceremony was held Wednesday at the National Bio and Agro-Defense Facility. The ceremony lasted close to two hours on the west lawn of the facility and included a panel conversation moderated by Dr. Simon Liu, USDA ARS Administrator. The panel included USDA MRP Under Secretary Jenny Lester Moffitt, USDA REE Under Secretary Dr. Chavonda Jacobs-Young and DHS S&T Office of Innovation and Collaboration Executive Director Julie Brewer. The $1.25 billion laboratory is the first with biosafety…