Kansas State University has been swept up in a nationwide cybersecurity attack affecting approximately 8,800 educational institutions. Canvas, the college’s learning management system, is currently inoperable. The hackers claiming responsibility demand payment, or they say they’ll leak all information on the site. In a message sent around 4 p.m. Thursday to students and staff, K-State officials said that Instructure, the parent company of Canvas, notified them of the issue. To view the full article visit theMercury.com.
Author: Cole Bertelsen
Manhattan city commissioner Andrew Von Lintel left his day job after a mental breakdown in January brought on by stress and lack of sleep. Von Lintel was employed at Big Lakes Developmental Services for two years. In interviews this week with The Mercury and News Radio KMAN, he said the decision was necessary to improve his mental health. “Pretty much everybody told me — Big Lakes told me, my wife told me, my therapist told me — pretty much everyone said that Big Lakes was getting to me,” he said. To view the full article visit theMercury.com.
The Manhattan City Commission got an early look at the city’s finances Tuesday as it begins work on the 2027 budget. Consultant Benjamin Hart of Baker Tilly Municipal Advisors presented a preliminary budget to commissioners during the work session. “Any time you have an ability to look out into the future, make changes now that will make changes into the future, that’s not a critical situation,” Hart said. “You’re in a good position, and you’ve got really good news with both the operating budget and that debt budget.” To view the full article visit theMercury.com.
City commissioners on Tuesday approved accepting $781,185 in federal funds for use in local street maintenance. City engineer Brian Johnson said the city will again utilize the federal fund exchange program, calling it “federal gas tax reimbursement that comes back from the federal government to the states,” which can then be passed on to cities. Johnson explained Manhattan can either spend those dollars on federal highways or exchange them for local use at a 90/10 split. “The state keeps 10, we get 90,” he said, noting the city typically chooses the exchange option to avoid costly federal requirements. To view…
Manhattan city commissioners unanimously agreed Tuesday to eliminate all fees from the Aggieville parking garage to compensate for the loss of parking spaces during Moro Street’s 2027 reconstruction. The city will remove parking fees, suspend use of the ParkMobile system and no longer require vehicles to park nose-in. A 48-hour maximum limit will be added for cars left in the garage. The changes are set to take effect June 1 and are intended to encourage increased use of the garage before Moro Street construction begins. Deputy city manager Jason Hilgers said he anticipates work on Moro will start in the…
Riley County commissioners on Monday implemented a temporary moratorium on data centers and battery energy storage systems. A moratorium is a temporary pause on a specific activity or legal obligation — in this case, local investment in data centers — while officials study potential impacts before making a more firm policy decision. Data centers are physical facilities housing an organization’s IT infrastructure to process large amounts of data. Opponents of data centers primarily state concerns over high electricity consumption leading to higher utility bills and potentially vast amounts of water used for cooling. To view the full article visit theMercury.com.
The Manhattan City Commission approved agreements with BHS Construction Inc. and Olsson Inc. to design and construct the Moro Street improvement project, despite one commissioner’s objections. The decision includes a construction manager at risk agreement with BHS in the amount of $22,500 and an agreement with Olsson for $442,979 for design and pre-construction services. To view the full article visit theMercury.com.
City commissioners on Tuesday will decide whether to change their meeting policies concerning public comment. They will vote on a resolution which repeals existing policy and proposes changes to how residents may address the commission. Each speaker would still have three minutes per item, but the mayor or majority could modify the length of time per speaker. Agenda items would have no cap on total duration of public comment, except that open public comment is capped at 30 minutes. The mayor or majority retain the flexibility to cap total duration on any item, or to extend open public comment. Public…
Manhattan city commissioners on Tuesday weighed their options on addressing street conditions and related funding decisions. Pavement Condition Index values provide a rating of pavement conditions and integrity through a 0-100 range. Manhattan city roadways were generally found to be in fair condition, averaging a 60 rating. City engineer and public works director Brian Johnson said the city’s current “backlog” of road maintenance has reached 18%, meaning those roads require full or partial reconstruction. To view the full article visit theMercury.com.
Manhattan city commissioners heard February’s crime statistics and compared Fake Patty’s Day results to prior years during Tuesday’s work session. Riley County Police Department director Brian Peete said overall crimes last month were 16.5% below the five-year average for that time of year, but there was a 30% increase compared to last year. “We were unfortunately 63.6% above the five-year average for violent crimes,” he said. “For the month of February, we had 12 aggravated assaults or batteries. Fortunately, no rapes. Unfortunately, five robberies and one homicide that was reported during February of 2026. This is the highest number of…