Author: Brandon Peoples

A Manhattan man was injured Saturday afternoon in a crash on I-70 in Wabaunsee County. The Kansas Highway Patrol says 67-year-old Richard Stitt was westbound near the K-99 exit when his Chevy Equinox entered the median and struck a culvert. The impact caused his vehicle to travel into the eastbound lanes before crossing back through the median and coming to rest. Stitt sustained a suspected minor injury and was transported to Ascension Via Christi. Stitt is the co-executive director of local nonprofit Morning Star Inc.

A Manhattan chiropractor has been charged with misdemeanor sexual battery. According to the Riley County Police Department, 50-year-old Kenyon Erickson was arrested March 30 in Pottawatomie County on a warrant filed by the Riley County Attorney’s Office March 23. Erickson remains free after posting a $2,000 bond. An online criminal complaint alleges the crime from April 14, 2022 against a then 46-year-old victim. Erickson will make his first court appearance at 1:30 p.m. April 17 in front of Judge John Bosch. Erickson is the owner of Erickson Chiropractic in Aggieville.

Easter egg hunts will be happening across the area this weekend. The Manhattan Lions Club hosts a hunt annually at City Park. This year’s event is scheduled for 10 a.m. Saturday and will include 3,000 eggs, as well as donated Easter egg baskets for children who don’t have one. Age groups are as follows: Area 1 – south side of City Park (2-3 year-olds) Area 2 – southwest corner of City Park (4-5 year-olds) Area 3 – northwest corner of City Park (6-8 year-olds) Kids can line up on the sidewalks near Poyntz Ave. and on the south and 14th…

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…