Author: Brandon Peoples

AAA is projecting that 42.3 million Americans will travel 50 miles or more for Memorial Day weekend, a 7% increase over last year. In Kansas, it’s estimated that 385,000 people will be traveling for the holiday, a jump of 8% over last year. Driving vacations will make up 88.5% of the travel, with nearly 341,000 people taking to the highways, up 5.4% from last year. More than 32,000 Kansans will fly to their destinations, an 8.3% jump from last year. AAA says its anticipating the third busiest Memorial Day weekend since 2000, when the agency started tracking holiday travel. As…

A seventh candidate has entered the race for one of four seats on the Manhattan-Ogden School Board this fall. In an emailed statement to media Thursday, Courtney Jane Hochman noted she believes in full inclusion of all students, calling it a path to student success and success of the district. If elected, Hochman says she wants to work to expand the school meals program and help better define the aims of public education in USD 383. “I hope USD 383 can follow Topeka in securing free meals for more students, if not all our students. School meals are an invaluable…

The Manhattan Fire Department responded to a fire this (THU) morning at a south Manhattan duplex. Firefighters were dispatched just after 10 a.m. to 1006 Pottawatomie Court, containing the fire within 10 minutes. The occupant was not home at the time. A cat was rescued from the home and treated by firefighters and Riley County EMS. Total loss is estimated at $35,000 to the structure and contents. The property is owned by Manhattan Housing Authority. The cause of the fire is under investigation.

After years of collaboration between the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the Department of Homeland Security Science and Technology Directorate, a ribbon cutting and dedication ceremony was held Wednesday at the National Bio and Agro-Defense Facility. The ceremony lasted close to two hours on the west lawn of the facility and included a panel conversation moderated by Dr. Simon Liu, USDA ARS Administrator. The panel included USDA MRP Under Secretary Jenny Lester Moffitt, USDA REE Under Secretary Dr. Chavonda Jacobs-Young and DHS S&T Office of Innovation and Collaboration Executive Director Julie Brewer. The $1.25 billion laboratory is the first with biosafety…

Manhattan City Commissioners on Tuesday were presented a six-year review of street maintenance and Safe Routes to Schools projects. Public Works Director Rob Ott says the city has a current Pavement Condition Index (PCI) of about 70, meaning most of the city’s paved arterials are at a fair to satisfactory level. But questions remain over whether the current two-tenths percent sales tax is generating enough funds to help the city address a $57 million backlog of future projects, and the tax scheduled to sunset in 2026. City Manager Ron Fehr says commissioners need to start thinking about renewal or potentially seeking voter…

Pottawatomie County Treasurer Lisa Wright informed commissioners Monday of a clerical error, made by the County Clerk’s office, involving two local townships. Wright says a member of one of the two impacted township boards informed her office recently that the money being distributed to them from the county was going into the wrong funds. “We saw that the levies had been flopped and one of them had miscalculated values,” she said. Wright says Assistant County Administrator Heather Gladbach has reached out to the State of Kansas about a potential fix, but estimates it will likely not get corrected for another…

Work toward a new Riley County Comprehensive Plan is moving along. During Monday’s commission meeting, Planning Director Amanda Webb noted she had planned on having a committee together to work through a plan by late May or early June. However, she says delays, such as not having a readily-available consultant just yet to not having a survey completed, have caused that deadline to be pushed back. “So looking at probably July at this point. I have reached out to the folks who have expressed interest. I want to keep them aware and to have them please let me know if that…

Kansas State University has announced that Brad Behnke will serve as interim dean in the College of Health and Human Sciences, effective July 1. Behnke, a professor and associate dean of research and graduate studies, was appointed following an internal search, replacing Craig Harms, who is stepping down after serving in the interim role since July 2021. A national search will be conducted to fill the deanship. As interim dean, Behnke will serve as chief academic and administrative officer of the college. The Cherokee Nation citizen is an award-winning researcher, recognized with many university and professional honors, including the 2021…

A third candidate has officially filed for the Manhattan City Commission election this fall. Peter Oppelt announced his candidacy Friday. The 35-year-old received his bachelor’s degree in Economics from Kansas State University, after serving eight years in the U.S. Army. In an emailed statement to KMAN, Oppelt says he’s running because he thinks he can bring a newer perspective to the commission, saying Manhattan is primed for growth, and he wants to ensure that the commission plans responsibly for that growth. As a parent, Oppelt says he also wants to ensure that the programs families depend on like parks and…

The Oz Museum and Columbian Theatre Foundation recently was awarded a $17,600 Attraction Development Grant from Kansas Tourism and the Department of Commerce.  The Wamego-based foundation was one of 10 entities statewide to receive over $400,000 in funding to develop new tourism attractions or enhance existing sites. Kansas Tourism Director Bridgette Jobe explains what made the Oz Museum an attractive candidate for this funding… “Number one, this museum is just a gem for Kansas. We liked the idea of making things more interactive. We know that’s what museum-goers want to see,” she said. Oz Museum and Columbian Theatre Executive Director…