Author: Brandon Peoples

Street and utility improvements will resume next month in Aggieville, as part of the ongoing multi-year redevelopment of the business district. Manhattan city officials in February approved the next phase of a $5.4 million construction project along 12th Street between Moro and Laramie, in addition to alley improvements from North Manhattan Ave. to 12th Street. “We’re basically taking that block of 12th Street between Bluemont and Moro and moving it south between Moro and Fremont,” said Brian Johnson, Manhattan City Engineer. To view the full article visit theMercury.com. Click here for more local news.

A red flag warning is in place across the area Friday as a strong storm system approaches. K-State meteorologist Chip Redmond says a “bomb cyclone” will elevate the risk for fires developing throughout the region. “That combination of 60 plus mile per hour winds and that low humidity can result in significant fire activity,” he said. “We could have fires blow up very fast.” Redmond says strong southwesterly winds will shift to a northwesterly flow as a cold front moves in Friday night through Saturday, creating additional fire weather concerns Saturday. “That wind shift also becomes a very big problem…

High school basketball’s ultimate prize is up for grabs this week as state tournaments get underway across Kansas. After a one year hiatus, due to scheduling conflicts with Kansas State University, the Class 2A tournament has returned to Bramlage Coliseum. Visit Manhattan Executive Director Marcia Rozell said her office is excited to host the tournament again. To view the full article visit theMercury.com. Click here for more local news.

The Manhattan city government is considering changing its policy to publish legal notices on its own website, taking advantage of a loophole in state law. The change was part of a discussion at Tuesday’s city commission work session about streamlining the ordinance adoption process for developers. City governments are required to notify the public about certain legal changes by publishing them in the local newspaper of record. They also go to the newspapers’ websites and the Kansas Press Association website in a searchable database, which is free to access. To view the full article visit theMercury.com. Click here for more…

Manhattan city staff are proposing a change to the city’s ordinance adoption process. City code (Sec. 2-18 a) requires two readings of an ordinance at city commission legislative meetings before official adoption. At Tuesday’s city work session, City Manager Danielle Dulin said the current process puts developers at a disadvantage. “We understand the importance of that community engagement, that neighborhood engagement, so we don’t want to limit that, but wondering if there’s not an opportunity to maybe reduce two weeks at the end of that process by just doing one reading,” she said. To view the full article visit theMercury.com.…

The chair of the Riley County police board says the Riley County Police Department appeared to have more control over Fake Patty’s Day festivities this year. John Matta, chairman of the Riley County Law Enforcement Agency Board, said Monday on KMAN that he received no complaints from weekend activities. “I was there at 8 in the morning to do a walkthrough,” he said. “There were maybe a dozen kids in front of Yard Bar. I don’t think they really opened until 9. I know in years past, like in that 2011 period, there’d be people there at 7 a.m. and…

A Manhattan man is jailed in Riley County, facing multiple charges of violating terms of the offender registration act. The Riley County Police Department says 43-year-old Daniel Logsdon was arrested Monday afternoon in the 700 block of Allen Road. He’s charged with five counts of violating the offender registration act as well as two aggravated counts. An RCPD spokesperson tells KMAN and The Mercury it’s believed Logsdon is originally from Oregon and has never registered in Kansas. An online search of Oregon court records shows Logsdon has numerous felony convictions dating back to 2004, including convictions for rape, sexual abuse,…

Andy Weiner, with Houston-based Rock Step Capital, said last week the company, which purchased the mall in November 2023, has been successful luring new retail tenants. “We bought this property with 19 vacancies,” he said. “We have filled 12 of them. We have seven left and they will be filled this year.” Rock Step Capital is currently in negotiations with two prospective tenants. Weiner said unlike other communities where retail is struggling, the demand remains strong in Manhattan. To view the full article visit theMercury.com. https://youtube.com/live/K6pKaYEg7VE Click here for more local news.

Longtime Manhattan city commissioner John Matta said Monday he still has no intentions of seeking re-election. “It’s more just a personal decision,” he said. “It’s eight years on the commission, three stints as chairman of the law board and serving on the housing authority.” Matta hinted in November he would not be seeking another term. On Monday’s edition of “Within Reason” with Mike Matson on KMAN, he said it has been more challenging to accomplish some of his key agenda items, given the current commission makeup. “I know when I’ve run before, I’ve always brought that up, we need three…

Two weeks after being sentenced on convictions of sexual exploitation of a toddler, a former Kansas State University maintenance worker was back in Riley County District Court Wednesday for a motions hearing. William Hynek, 63, of Manhattan, was sentenced to 32 months on all three counts at a May 28 hearing for possessing over 8,200 sexually explicit images of children and over 500 GIF videos on his laptop computer, flash drives and an SD card. A detective also examined CDs and floppy disks, finding countless additional images on those storage devices as well. In court Wednesday, Judge Grant Bannister denied…