Author: Brandon Peoples

Kite’s Bar and Grill in Aggieville has closed its doors until after the 4th of July and says in a social media post, food at the popular establishment, won’t be served until the fall. Kite’s will reopen on July 6 at 4 p.m. with bar service only, and will suspend all kitchen services and switch bar hours to 4 p.m. to 9 p.m. Tuesday through Sunday until the fall. Owner Scott Sieben tells KMAN in a statement, the decision was a strategic move to ensure the sustainability of the business into the fall. He says they will continue to offer…

Authorities continue to investigate several cases involving fentanyl-related overdoses in Riley County. On Wednesday, leadership from RCPD, the Kansas Highway Patrol and Drug Enforcement Administration gathered at the Riley County Attorney’s Office building to announce four more arrests as part of their ongoing investigation. Riley County Attorney Barry Wilkerson.. RCPD Director Brian Peete says it highlights the attention the department and its partners are giving to the deadly epidemic. Charges were read against 59-year-old Ronald Ince and 37-year-old Nathan Reeves, both of Manhattan, suspected in an August 2021 fentanyl-related overdose death. A third person charged in that incident remains at…

Kansas will receive over $451 million in federal funds to support broadband expansion across the state. The U.S. Department of Commerce’s National Telecommunications and Information Administration announced the state allocations Monday as part of a roughly $42 billion High Speed Internet grant program to connect areas lacking access to affordable, reliable high-speed Internet service. Sen. Jerry Moran pledged to continue oversight of federal broadband deployment programs. He spoke on the Senate floor earlier this month. Sen. Roger Marshall also spoke on the Senate floor earlier this month about the need for continued broadband expansion into rural areas. He also co-sponsored…

The Riley County Law Board narrowly approved the 2024 Riley County Police Department budget in a 4-3 vote Monday, which includes a 6.5% increase in overall expenditures, while maintaining a 6.5% cost of living adjustment for employees. The $26.6 million budget includes over $1.8 million in added funds, but subtracts over $220,000 from the remaining 50% of a 2-year salary survey implementation, conducted by The Arnold Group in 2023, intended to bring wages to a more competitive rate with neighboring law enforcement agencies. As a result of Monday’s action, just 37% of the remaining survey will be funded in 2024…

The Riley County Police Department says a six-month homicide investigation by detectives led to the arrest of a 32-year-old Manhattan man Friday, in connection to the January murder of 42-year-old Takeera Griffin. Caleb Perry, already jailed on unrelated charges, now faces charges of first-degree murder, criminal use of a financial card and three counts of interference with law enforcement. Investigators were dispatched Jan. 8 to the 1300 block of Flint Hills Place for a welfare check. Arriving officers found Griffin dead in her apartment and Perry on scene. RCPD says Griffin’s death was initially unclear, but an autopsy later determined…

Riley County Police say three people have been taken into custody on Pottawatomie County District Court warrants in connection to the suspected fentanyl-related death of an 18-year-old man at a Manhattan hotel March 11. Those arrested include 19-year-old Noah Baker, of Junction City; 21-year-old McKaine Farr, of Wamego; and 22-year-old Shawn Samuelson, of Manhattan. Each have been charged with distribution of a controlled substance, causing death. The Junction City Police Department and Pottawatomie County Sheriff’s Office assisted in the arrests. Samuelson was already confined on unrelated charges. Baker was arrested Thursday, as KMAN previously reported. Police say a subsequent search…

The Riley County Law Board has scheduled a special meeting Monday afternoon where it’s expected to adopt the 2024 Riley County Police Department budget. The meeting comes after board members on Tuesday tabled a decision, directing RCPD leadership to make cuts within the budget in order to maintain a 6.5% cost of living adjustment for employees and no greater than a 6% overall increase on the realized budget. The most recent budget proposal included a 7.4% increase totaling $26.9 million on the realized budget. RCPD will propose three additional options that trim that down to approximately 7%, 6.5% and 6%.…

A Junction City man was arrested early Thursday morning on a Riley County warrant in connection to a Fentanyl-related overdose death. The Riley County Police Department has charged 19-year-old Noah Baker with a single count of distribution of a controlled substance, causing death. According to an online criminal complaint, filed June 15, Baker is accused of distributing Fentanyl to Thomas Deloach sometime between March 10 and 11, who died from an apparent overdose. Baker remains jailed in Riley County on a $25,000 bond.

The Riley County Police Department is seeking the public’s help in identifying a man who is a person of interest in a recent span of fraudulent purchases. Surveillance images from the Manhattan Best Buy show the suspect who is believed to have used a woman’s credit card to purchase up to $4,600 of merchandise. The card was reported stolen at Marshall’s on May 23. Anyone with information about the identity of the person or the crimes is asked to call RCPD or Manhattan Riley County Crime Stoppers.

Local legislators targeted by threatening letters last week say there’s no place for that kind of rhetoric in public discourse. As of Wednesday close to 100 letters had been received by Republican legislators and other public officials that included a white powdery substance. Preliminary testing by the Kansas Bureau of Investigation has indicated the substance poses no threat. 51st District State Rep. Kenny Titus, of Manhattan, received one of the letters at his home address last Friday, opening it part of the way before realizing what it was and immediately contacting authorities. The letters appear to be politically motivated, tied…