A 1st Infantry Division soldier was found dead in an off-post residence in Junction City Monday, according to a press release from Fort Riley sent Wednesday. Spc. Hunter Schmidtke, an infantryman with Company B, 1st Battalion, 16th Infantry Regiment, 1st Armored Brigade Combat Team, 1st Inf. Div., was found unresponsive in an off-post home and later pronounced dead. The Junction City Police Department and Fort Riley Criminal Investigation Command are investigating Schmidtke’s death. “The soldiers of the ‘Iron Ranger’ battalion mourn the loss of Spc. Hunter Schmidtke,” said Lt. Col. Jon Meredith, 1st Bn., 16th Inf. Regt., commander. “We will…
Author: KMAN Staff
MANHATTAN, Kan. (AP) — Barry Brown missed a potential game-winner at Kansas last weekend, an off-balance shot he was never supposed to take, and spent the next couple days ruing the missed opportunity. Kansas State’s gritty junior guard made up for it Tuesday night. Brown poured in 24 points, locked down defensively on Oklahoma star Trae Young, and ultimately led the plucky, defensive-minded Wildcats to an 87-69 upset of the fourth-ranked Sooners. “Barry did everything,” Kanas State coach Bruce Weber said. “He’s taken his game to another level.” On this night, so did the rest of the Wildcats. Dean Wade…
Updated Wednesday, 10:24 a.m. A corrections officer was recognized with a Life Saving Award during Tuesday’s Riley County Law Board meeting. “We don’t give a lot of these out, but the occasion arises every once in a while,” Riley County Police Department Director Brad Schoen told the board. Schoen said Corrections Officer Sharlene Beverly provided critical lifesaving assistance to an inmate at the Riley County Jail on Aug. 1, 2017. He said Beverly was working in the female pod when an inmate informed her that another inmate was attempting to hang herself in her cell. “CO Beverly quickly notified fellow…
The Manhattan Area Chamber of Commerce and the Pottawatomie County Economic Development Corporation announced Tuesday the formation of a regional economic development alliance to be called the Greater Manhattan Economic Partnership, according to a press release from the chamber. Funded entirely through private dollars raised in both Manhattan and Pottawatomie County, this partnership is the result of a decade of discussion and four years of active work among the economic development organizations in the region. Matt Crocker, chair of the MACC board, said regional leaders have been asking for a combined organization to market the area ever since the federal…
A trial begins Tuesday at the Riley County Courthouse for a man accused of murdering a child in 2016. It is slated for four days. Riley County Police Department officers responded to a call of an unresponsive infant on the night of May 5th in 2016 in the 500 block of Stone Creek Drive. First responders found 3-month-old Serenity Reich on her back in the master bedroom, not breathing and pale. They tried to revive the child, but Reich was pronounced dead on arrival at Via Christi. Andrew Gibson, 25, was charged with first degree murder and child abuse. He…
Three people were taken to the hospital following an accident on Highway 24 early Monday evening. According to the Kansas Highway Patrol a Jeep driven by 24-year-old Mayra Perez of Fort Riley was on Hoffman Lane crossing eastbound lanes of Highway 24, failed to yield to right-of-way and was struck by a van going eastbound on 24. The driver of the van was 68-year-old John Blankley of Manhattan. Both were taken to Via Christi for injuries, including 64-year-old Billie Blankley who was a passenger in the van. All three were wearing their seatbelts.
KANSAS CITY, Kan. — A Kansas biker group is helping victims of child abuse as they face their alleged attackers in court in Kansas and Missouri. The Kansas City Star reports the Kaw River Chapter of Bikers Against Child Abuse formed in 2016. The worldwide Bikers Against Child Abuse movement began two decades ago. The group provides free emotional support and act as a safety buffer for children alleging abuse. The approximately 15-member chapter works with hospitals, law enforcement and social service centers to find families in need of support. Members go through criminal background checks to reassure the families…
Today’s guests on In Focus included UFM Community Learning Center Office Coordinator Emma McElhaney, with Manhattan Public Library Adult Services Manager Rhonna Hargett, both on the Talk20MHK Committee. Also appearing was KSU Black Student Union President Darrell Reese. McElhaney & Hargett: Reese:
Richard Pitts and Barbara Hartnett were recognized Saturday as the recipients of the 2017 Spirit of Martin Luther King Jr. Community Service Award. They were recognized at the Martin Luther King Jr. Community Celebration held at the Manhattan Fire Station Headquarters, according to a press release from event organizers. Hartnett was nominated for her tireless work on behalf of homeless families and students who utilize the Families in Transition (FIT) Closet. The FIT Closet is a program of the USD 383 school district that serves children and families from Head Start and Pre-K through high school with the basics necessary…
An injury accident involving a pedestrian earlier reported by KMAN resulted in a Manhattan woman’s passing and the RCPD is reviewing the case, according to a report by the Manhattan Mercury. Hanna Galoso-Estrada, 27, was hit by a van driven by Jennifer Samenus, 47, also of Manhattan, on College Avenue near Dickens Avenue on Dec 21. Estrada was transported to Via Christi Hospital for treatment of her injuries, and then was transferred to Stormont Vail Health in Topeka. Estrada died from her injuries on Dec 28. The Riley County Attorney’s office will review the police investigation report to see if…