Author: Brandon Peoples

Kansas Insurance Commissioner Vicki Schmidt has announced she’s been diagnosed with breast cancer and is undergoing treatment. The Topeka Republican, who began her second term in January released a statement Wednesday, saying she will continue work at the Kansas Insurance Department with support of her staff and says operations will not be interrupted. “As Insurance Commissioner and a pharmacist, I have often played a supporting role in many Kansans’ fight against cancer.  Now that I am on the other side, their stories, their determination and their strength are the foundation on which I face this fight. I am grateful for the incredible medical team…

4 p.m. update Tuesday The Manhattan Fire Department says fire investigators have determined used staining rags that ignited due to spontaneous combustion, were the cause of a garage fire at a Manhattan home early Tuesday morning. Two cats were rescued from the scene and provided oxygen by Riley County EMS on scene. Another cat died from smoke inhalation. The home’s occupant was able to exit the structure without injury. The estimated total loss was approximately $50,000. According to the fire department, there was heavy fire and smoke in the garage, but it did not extend into the living area of…

Three people were hospitalized Tuesday morning following a car fire and separate crash north of Manhattan. The Riley County Police Department says it happened shortly before 9:30 a.m. in the 6200 block of Tuttle Creek Blvd. near the Public Works Shops. The incident shut down both north and southbound lanes for close to 40 minutes. RCPD noted three were transported to Ascension Via Christi Hospital for further treatment. Names of those injured have not been released and further details are pending from RCPD.

Kansas State University Provost Chuck Taber is calling it a career. In a letter to the university community Tuesday, the provost and executive vice president said he will retire following the 2023 fall semester. Taber came to K-State in 2018, after spending 29 years at Stony Brook, where he served in a variety of roles, including as dean of the graduate school and vice provost for graduate and professional education. Taber says he is immensely proud of the accomplishments over the past five years and intends to spend more time with family and focusing on his music. Taber helped lead…

Junction City fire officials are asking residents to avoid the area of Spring Valley Road at the intersection of McFarland Road, due to a gas line that was struck Monday just before 1 p.m. Fire Chief Jason Lankas says Kansas Gas was notified and crews were said to be evacuating the 100, 200 and 300 block of Spring Valley, as well as three houses along Glenn Dean Road. Barricades were being placed in the area. The fire department is estimating about a four hour timeframe for repairs, meaning residents likely won’t be allowed to return until around 6 p.m. This…

Challenges in corrections are happening across the country. Locally, it’s prompting the Riley County Police Department to consider exploring a feasibility study to look at facilities, most notably its jail space, which has seen a spike in the average daily population in recent months. Director Brian Peete told Riley County Commissioners Thursday, it’s not uncommon to have 110-115 inmates per day at the jail. Peete estimates doing a feasibility study would cost between $20 to $30,000. The Riley County Jail has 147 beds, consisting of seven pods of holding cells, each classified for different levels of offenders. Moving inmates around can…

FRIDAY What: Kansas Cowboy Poetry Contest Championship Competition (free admission) When: 7 p.m. Where: Flint Hills Discovery Center Who: Finalists, Serious category: Betty Burlingham (Manhattan, KS), John Marks (Gypsum, KS), Mary Powell (Longton, KS), Colby Richard (Ellsworth, KS), Kasey Rieff (Sarcoxie, MO), Scott Wiswell (Valley Center, KS). Finalists, Humorous category: Betty Burlingham (Manhattan, KS), Russell Graves (Arkansas City, KS), John Marks (Gypsum, KS), Mary Powell (Longton, KS), Kasey Rieff (Sarcoxie, MO) and Scott Wiswell (Valley Center, KS) What: Arts in the Park (free admission) Who: Johnny Woods When: 8 p.m. Where: Larry Norvell Band Shell, Manhattan City Park Listen: www.johnnywoodsofficial.com…

An Abilene man jailed in Riley County is facing new charges of child sex crimes, stemming from his involvement with a minor online while incarcerated. Alvin Mason was arrested Thursday after officers found the 39-year-old abused his inmate privileges with a tablet, engaging in inappropriate acts with a 15-year-old girl online. Officers identified the crime while monitoring the device’s activity. Public Information Officer Aaron Wintermote noted late in the day Friday that the tablets in the Riley County Jail are an extension of the video kiosks, which are available to inmates for video visitation. They are facilitated through TurnKey Corrections.…

The Manhattan-Ogden School Board held a conversation Wednesday about the role of school resource officers (SRO’s) and the potential for adding officers at each of the two middle schools. Riley County Police Department officials including Director Brian Peete, Captain Greg Steere and resource officer Sonia Gregoire, joined in the conversation. Director Peete noted one of the most important jobs SROs have is building relationships in the schools. RCPD currently employs two resource officers, both at Manhattan High School. Board members have expressed interest in two more officers to be placed at Anthony and Eisenhower Middle Schools. Director Peete says the…

Two people were injured Tuesday following a wrong-way crash on the northbound off-ramp of North Seth Child Road and Anderson Ave. According to the Riley County Police Department, the crash occurred shortly after 9 a.m. when an SUV drove north on the offramp and was clipped by a pickup, driven by 74-year-old Vernon Vandahl, of Manhattan, going the wrong direction. The SUV went off the roadway and into a nearby ditch. The driver of the SUV, 47-year-old Kim Nguyen, and 23-year-old passenger Jenni Ngo, both of Manhattan, were transported to Via Christi for treatment of minor injuries. Vandahl had no…