The City of Manhattan is looking to grow by just more than 28 acres. The city commission unanimously voted to take the first step toward annexing a plot of land at the intersection of Scenic and Anderson into the city at their Tuesday meeting. The owner, St. Luke’s Lutheran Church, requested the annexation to be able to utilize city water and sewer services. The plot is planned to be the site of a new church. The lot is not adjacent to any city land and by state law the city had to pass a resolution explaining their desire to annex…
Author: KMAN Staff
The City of Manhattan will be running on wind power starting in 2021. The Manhattan City Commission unanimously approved a participation service agreement with Westar energy to utilize power from a new wind energy plant that will be constructed in Northeast Kansas by the end of 2020. Under the agreement, the city will power its facilities by 50 percent using wind-generated power at a locked-in rate of 1.8 cents per kilowatt hour. Depending on how the energy market fluctuates, the city could stand to save between $45,000 to $50,000 per year for the life of the 20-year agreement. The city’s energy…
Our guests Wednesday included Manhattan Mayor Mike Dodson and Downtown Manhattan Executive Director Gina Scroggs previewing Thanksgiving weekend activities including the Thanksgiving meal at Old Chicago, Mayor’s Christmas tree lighting on Friday and Small Business Saturday as well as the upcoming Mayor’s Spirit of the Holidays Lighted Parade. The latter half of the show featured Manhattan Christian College President Kevin Ingram discussing upcoming events at the college.
LAWRENCE — A judge is barring an attorney from representing the man charged with fatally shooting three people and wounding two others in downtown Lawrence. The Lawrence Journal-World reports that Douglas County District Court Judge Sally Pokorny says she has “grave concerns” about the competency of Jennifer Chaffee. Pokorny cited a laundry list of missteps that culminated with a mistrial four days into jury selection in the high-profile case. Chaffee declined to comment. She was representing 21-year-old Anthony Roberts Jr., who is charged with three murder counts and one attempted murder count. Two other suspects face less series charges in…
TOPEKA — A judge has found sufficient evidence for three men to stand trial in a double homicide in Topeka. The Topeka Capital-Journal reports that 19-year-old Matthew Hutto, 31-year-old Richard Showalter and 41-year-old Bradley Sportsman were bound over for trial Tuesday. They’re each jailed on $1 million bond on charges that include first-degree murder in the deaths of Sportsman’s estranged wife, 28-year-old Lisa Sportsman, and her cousin, 17-year-old Jesse Polinskey. Twenty-year-old Cole Pingel testified at the preliminary hearing that the three talked about “taking care of business” while making the two-hour drive from the small town of Greenleaf to Topeka…
GREAT BEND — A Kansas prosecutor is planning to resign, saying the sheriff has been acting like a “bully” since he was acquitted of a misdemeanor for allegedly slapping a handcuffed man. The Wichita Eagle reports that Barton County Attorney Amy Schartz Mellor said in a news release Tuesday that she plans to step down next month. The release cites a letter from Sheriff Brian Bellendir that states his intention to try to have Mellor removed from office. After Bellendir’s acquittal last week, he called the case a “politically motivated witch hunt.” The defense said Bellendir slapped the suspect in…
TOPEKA — Authorities say a statue of a bison calf has been stolen from a popular nature area north of Topeka. The Topeka Capital-Journal reports that Doug Iliff reported that the statue was broken off at the base and taken week from the parking lot at Iliff Commons, a privately owned area that is open to the public. It has several miles of trails for walking, running, cross-country skiing and mountain biking. A replica of Topeka’s original log cabin is situated on the trail. Iliff estimates the statue is worth about $800. The Shawnee County Sheriff’s Office is investigating the…
Joshua Potter, 23, of Shawnee, was arrested while at the Riley County Police Department on November 20, 2018 at approximately 12:50 PM. Potter was arrested on a Riley County District Court warrant for failure to appear. Potter was issued a total bond of $6,000.00 causing him to remain confined at the time of this report. Joseph Hammond, 47, of Junction City, was arrested while in the 400 block of Fremont St. in Manhattan on November 20, 2018, at approximately 10:30 AM. Hammond was arrested on offenses of distribute or possess with the intent to distribute heroin within 1000′ of a…
LEAVENWORTH — A Leavenworth County Commissioner has resigned under pressure after saying at a meeting that he belongs to “the master race.” Louis Klemp said in the letter submitted Tuesday resigning his seat on the Leavenworth County Commission that the remark was “well-meaning” and “not racially motivated.” Klemp cited the master race the Nazi ideology of Aryan supremacy last week while responding to a presentation by a black official, Triveece Penelton. Klemp was appointed to fill a Republican vacancy in the county just west of Kansas City. He said he was identifying a similarity in their appearance, noting both have…
TOPEKA — A Florida nonprofit recently awarded a four-year grant for family preservation services in Kansas has been under intense scrutiny in its home state. Eckerd Connects, which administers foster care in the Tampa Bay area, will serve much of Kansas starting next year. The announcement was made earlier this month by the Kansas Department for Children and Families. But the Kansas City Star reports that Eckerd has been plagued by problems such as foster children roaming unsupervised while skipping school, young people staying in different homes night after night, even children dying of abuse or neglect. Eckerd says it…