Author: Brandon Peoples

A Manhattan woman was injured in a crash on I-70 Friday afternoon in Wabaunsee County. The Kansas Highway Patrol says a Pontiac G6, driven by 18-year-old Natalie Sheller, drifted into the median, then overcorrected, sending the car into the eastbound lanes of the interstate and eventually into the south ditch where it struck an embankment. The vehicle rolled three times before coming to rest on its top. Officials say Sheller fell asleep at the wheel, causing the crash. She sustained minor injuries and was transported to Ascension Via Christi. The crash report says there was a juvenile in the vehicle,…

A public forum was hosted Thursday night by the League of Women Voters of Manhattan/Riley County to allow the public to learn more about a possible overhaul of City Park and a new indoor aquatics center concept that could end up in front of voters this fall. Local officials close to the project took part in a forum Thursday evening at the Manhattan Public Library, hosted by the League of Women Voters. The League shared its own concerns about City Park as the potential location for an indoor water facility concept. David Dzewaltowski, Professor Emeritus of Kinesiology at Kansas State University,…

No injuries were reported after an airplane made a hard landing Thursday evening at Manhattan Regional Airport. According to the Kansas Highway Patrol, a Piper PA-32R fixed-wing aircraft had some issues with its landing gear indicator, which did not completely deploy for the nose of the aircraft. At about 6:40 p.m. the aircraft made a hard landing onto the runway. The pilot, Jean Oquet De Lara, 67, from the Dominican Republic , was the only person aboard the small plane. He had no apparent injuries.

Riley County Police say new charges have been filed against a registered offender from Junction City. According to the RCPD activity report, 55-year-old Bradford Brown was arrested on a warrant for violation of the offender registration act, 2nd conviction. He was jailed on a bond of $25,000 but is no longer in custody, according to RCPD. Brown’s record includes a 1997 conviction for aggravated sexual battery in Barber County and a 2007 aggravated indecent liberties conviction from Butler County, according to the Kansas Bureau of Investigation. He’s been a registered offender since 2001.

Gov. Laura Kelly has announced the date for the Kansas Legislature to reconvene for a special session. In a statement Wednesday, Kelly said she’s planning to invite state lawmakers back to Topeka on June 18 for “bipartisan collaboration on comprehensive tax relief that does not threaten Kansas’ solid fiscal foundation.” The session will allow for House and Senate members to collaborate on a tax relief bill after the governor vetoed three previous bills, including one that had overwhelming bipartisan support. Kansas House Speaker Dan Hawkins responded to the governor’s announcement stating “The sad reality is this $84,000+ a day special…

A former plumber in the K-State College of Veterinary Medicine building’s maintenance department was sentenced in Riley County District Court this week to prison. The sentence for 63-year-old William Hynek, was the result of his conviction on three counts of sexual exploitation of a child. Judge Grant Bannister sentenced Hynek to 32 months on each count, to be served concurrently. He’s also required to register as a sex offender and will have lifetime post-release supervision. Hynek was arrested by K-State Police in August 2021 after a tip that he had child pornography on his computer that had been discovered when…

Law enforcement officials responded to a rollover crash Wednesday morning in Wamego. The crash was reported just after 7 a.m. in the area of K-99 and US Highway 24. The Sheriff’s Office noted some injuries were reported but noted Wamego Police Department is working the case and so far they have not released any further information. We’ll have additional details as they become available.

Kansas State University recently was awarded $25 million in matching funds for the university’s Agriculture Innovation Initiative. The university announced Tuesday morning that the threshold set by the Kansas Legislature for the one-to-one fundraising match was met earlier this year and the award was granted this month. So far, officials say $176 million of the $210 million goal has been raised to improve aging infrastructure within the College of Agriculture. Dean Ernie Minton spoke recently with News Radio KMAN about the fundraising to date. The university broke ground on May 17 on a new Global Center for Grain and Food…

Authorities say one person was injured Monday afternoon following a motorcycle crash near the Manhattan Regional Airport. According to the Riley County Police Department, 40-year-old Roselin Lee, of Dwight, lost control while traveling along Wildcat Creek Road at around 4:30 p.m. Lee was transported by Riley County EMS to Via Christi with serious injuries. An update on her condition wasn’t immediately available.

Officials with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers have temporarily closed the stilling basin at Tuttle Creek Lake for a pair of construction projects that will take place over the next few months. The first, a rock overlay project, will require work on the upstream side of the upper portion of the dam. Operations Manager Brian McNulty says much of the project has been completed. Work on the west side of the channel will require much of the upper rock from the roadway, requiring the shutdown of the west entrance to to the park through Outlet Park. According to a…