Author: Brandon Peoples

Legal questions are swirling as the City of Manhattan continues toward a plan of privatizing its animal shelter and shifting animal control to the Riley County Police Department. Deputy Riley County Counselor Craig Cox clarified Thursday why the City of Manhattan has stopped enforcing animal control services in Riley County, which the county noted earlier in the week it had been paying for under a resolution. Cox says the City of Manhattan intends to maintain control of the T. Russell Reitz Animal Shelter. But legally it’s unclear how that impacts the RCPD consolidation. By statute, under the 80/20 split, Riley…

Officials broke ground Thursday morning on a new 80,000 square foot facility to be housed within the K-State Office Park. “This project is going to bring our total to over 300,000 square feet of space and lab space for these corporate partners to do great things for our community. I think over the next couple of years you’re going to see several hundred millions of additional facilities coming into this district, enhancing prosperity and economic growth for Manhattan, and for the region,” said Greg Willems, KSU Foundation President and CEO. The project is anticipated to be completed by July 2024.…

USD 383 has named Abby Bowen its next Director of Human Resources. She’ll replace Interim Director Dr. Cleion Morton in June. Dr. Morton, a former principal at Northview Elementary, stepped into the interim role following the resignation of Drew Montgomery as HR Director in January. Bowen currently serves as assistant principal and school psychologist at Amanda Arnold Elementary. Her prior experience includes time as school psychologist for USD 383, Barton County Special Services Cooperative and Gardner-Edgerton Schools. “As the Director of Human Resources, I look forward to helping the staff in the Manhattan-Ogden School District in a different way,” she…

Officials at the National Bio and Agro-Defense Facility have confirmed that a ribbon-cutting ceremony will take place on May 24. The announcement was first made public during a Senate Appropriations Subcommittee hearing on Agriculture last week by Sen. Jerry Moran to USDA Secretary Tom Vilsack. Vilsack spoke to the importance of the mission at NBAF. The federal government selected Manhattan as the site for NBAF in 2009. Currently no research is happening at the facility as it will still take likely another two years to transfer the full science mission from Plum Island Animal Disease Center in New York.

Kansas has become the 20th state to pass a transgender student athlete ban into law. Kansas lawmakers in both chambers overrode Gov. Laura Kelly’s veto Wednesday of the Fairness in Women’s Sports Act, her third veto in as many years on such legislation. The vote was 84-40 in the House and 28-12 in the Senate, meeting the two-thirds majority for an override. “It certainly is disappointing. I know that there’s some legislators for whom this was a very, very hard vote, and one that I think they will regret as they look back on their time in the Legislature,” Kelly…

Manhattan Kiwanis members are proposing another project at Bluemont Hill near the Manhattan letters. The organization which helped open an ADA accessible overlook platform in 2019 now hopes to install a new picnic shelter nearby. Kiwanis member Kent Foster provided details at Monday’s Manhattan Parks & Rec Advisory Board meeting. Foster says they first approached the Manhattan Parks & Rec Department last fall about doing a new project. The advisory board unanimously agreed to work with Kiwanis on a proposed project and also to begin a master plan process for Bluemont Hill. Kiwanis members are also hoping for additional signage…

Leadership Manhattan’s 2023 graduating class was recognized at a Tuesday ceremony hosted by the Manhattan Area Chamber of Commerce. A group of 18 professionals completed the class which included visits to local and state government functions, in addition to civic engagement, and other community activities. Voice of the Kansas City Chiefs Mitch Holthus delivered the keynote speech at Tuesday’s ceremony, recalling how head coach Andy Reid’s leadership inspired a winning culture after the organization had sunk to its lowest point in franchise history. Holthus noted in his remarks the “secret sauce” to the Chiefs recent winning success, crediting Coach Reid’s…

No structures were lost and no injuries have been reported following three wildfires over the weekend in Riley County. Firefighters from Riley County Fire District No. 1 were called out Friday evening to a blaze near Gehrt Road and Hwy 177, in the southeast area of the county. An estimated four acres of cedar timbers and dense forest burned, fueled by strong winds which blew embers across the highway. The fire threatened multiple homes and in some cases, came within feet of damaging property, according to Emergency Management Director Russel Stukey. “My best advice is to stay aware of the…

Region finalists were named this past weekend for the 2024 Kansas Teacher of the Year award. Among the finalists in Region 1, were St. George Elementary art teacher Erin Pittenger and Smoky Valley High School art teacher Gretchen Elliott. The pair will each receive a $2,000 cash award from Security Benefit, the program’s major corporate sponsor and are eligible for the Kansas Teacher of the Year, which will be announced at a Sept. 23 ceremony in Wichita. Pittenger and Elliott were recognized at a ceremony Saturday in Salina. They were among six Teacher of the Year semifinalists from Region 1,…

Fire danger will be elevated over the next few days, with a Red Flag Warning in place Tuesday, in addition to a Wind Advisory. Kansas Forest Service Assistant Fire Management Officer Eric Ward says his office advocates for the safe use of prescribed burning and using that cautiously, encouraging delayed burning until conditions are safer. He also notes that burns should be checked and rechecked again. Drought conditions have created more dangerous fire conditions as a lot of wheat that was planted hasn’t come up to create buffers for potential fires. Manhattan saw just 0.61 inches of precipitation in March,…