Author: Brandon Peoples

A 43-year-old Manhattan man was jailed this week following allegations of sex crimes involving minors. RCPD says Giovanny Ayala was arrested Monday morning on charges of indecent solicitation of a child and breach of privacy. The arrest stems from an investigation involving Ayala and two female victims known to him aged 15 and 16, dating back to late January 2022. (Case No. 22-000531). Ayala was jailed but released after posting a $15,000 bond. RCPD says due to the nature of the case, no further information will be released.

High school basketball season is drawing to a close and the Manhattan Convention and Visitors Bureau is once again playing host to the Class 2A state tournament at Bramlage Coliseum. “We’ll have eight teams come in from across the state on Wednesday. Games will be played at 2 p.m., 4 p.m., 6 p.m. and 8 p.m. We certainly encourage the community to come out and cheer them on,” says Marcia Rozell, Sports/Leisure Sales Manager with Manhattan CVB. Rozell is managing this year’s tournament for CVB, which is hosting the event for the 34th consecutive year. She takes over for longtime…

The City of Manhattan is inching closer to naming its next Director of the Parks and Recreation Department. The four finalists will be on hand at a Monday public reception following an all-day visit with department heads and city staff. Manhattan partnered with Strategic Government Resources on a national search, which produced 43 candidates from 16 states. Deputy Manhattan City Manager Jason Hilgers says it’s been a long process over the last 10 months. Hilgers says despite some of the turnover experienced within Parks & Rec, those who stayed have played a key role in keeping the department moving forward,…

An arrest has been made following a February hit-and-run crash that left a pedestrian with serious injuries. The Riley County Police Department says 34-year-old Kristopher Mackey has been charged with failure to stop at an accident resulting in great bodily harm and two counts of interference with law enforcement officers. He remains jailed in lieu of bond, pending a first court appearance. The incident occurred the evening of Feb. 11 in the 4700 block of Skyway Drive, near the Manhattan Regional Airport. According to police, a 30-year-old man was found on the side of the road with injuries following the…

Manhattan High School will have a new assistant principal this fall. Lisa Julian was appointed by the USD 383 school board Wednesday and will succeed Larry Myers, who is retiring this summer. Her start date is July 1. Julian currently serves as a Gifted Facilitator and Night School Coordinator at Manhattan High School. She previously was a sixth grade teacher at Amanda Arnold Elementary. According to agenda documents, Julian will earn an annual salary of $80,000.

The Manhattan-Ogden School District has named its next Director of Business Services. Andrew Hutchinson will assume that role July 1 and will succeed Lew Faust, who is retiring. Hutchinson is the district’s Assistant Director of Early Learning and Coordinator of Grants and Compliance. He previously was the program director for Head Start and Early Head Start. Hutchinson was appointed to the position Wednesday by the school board. According to agenda documents, he’ll earn an annual salary of $83,000.

The Riley County Police Department has arrested a teenager in connection to the burglary of the Casey’s Convenience Store in Ogden. Just after 3 a.m. Thursday, a report for burglary and criminal damage was filed after it was determined someone broke into the store, using a baseball bat to break the window. Police arrested 16-year-old Estevan Rochin, who is accused of stealing around $250 worth of vaping pods. Damage to the building was estimated at $500. Police processed Rochin through juvenile intake and noted he would be released to a guardian. Rochin was also arrested in November in connection to…

Manhattan-Ogden School Board members spoke briefly Wednesday about safety and security within the district. Board President Karla Hagemeister noted Wednesday she is working with administrators on ways to further conversations at future meetings, complimenting work by district leadership on managing controllable factors related to school safety. Board member Darell Edie expressed a desire to potentially beef up security at Anthony and Eisenhower Middle Schools. Board member Brandy Santos commented she’s visited district buildings over the past week and been cognizant of safety efforts in place. The board will hold its next meeting after Spring Break, on March 22. In other…

The Riley County Police Department says it received a single call Wednesday morning on its administrative line of an active shooter at Manhattan High School’s west campus, which was identified as a potential swatting call. The call came in around 8:30 a.m. and RCPD dispatched its School Resource Officer who immediately found the information to be false. USD 383 Superintendent Marvin Wade was on In Focus Wednesday morning. Swatting refers to a harassment technique which entails generating an emergency law enforcement response against a target victim under false pretenses. Similar calls were made at high schools across the region including…

A bill that has passed out of the Kansas Senate would strip local health departments of their power to quarantine or isolate infected people. It would also no longer require schools to report infectious diseases. Pottawatomie County Health Department Director Leslie Campbell shared concerns about the bill Monday with commissioners. The bill did not receive enough votes to be veto-proof. While it limits power of local health departments, those officials would still be able to make recommendations. Commissioner Pat Weixelman. Campbell says she has written a letter to Sen. Dennis Pyle expressing her concern. Pottawatomie County is currently seeing a…