By Emma Loura/Manhattan Mercury With District 51 Rep. Kenny Titus making a run at the Kansas Senate this year, there’s a spot open for a new Republican candidate to take over. Voters on Tuesday will choose between Eli Kormanik of Alta Vista and Megan Steele of Manhattan to represent the GOP in the race for District 51, which encompasses Wamego, the east side of Manhattan, Wabaunsee County and portions of rural Pottawatomie County. Steele is a doctorate-level registered nurse who is listed as the school nurse at Flint Hills Christian School. Kormanik is a 2022 graduate of Council Grove High…
Author: KMAN Staff
Donnithan Maurice Jones, of Dodge City, was arrested shortly after noon on Friday for possession of heroin with the intent to distribute. The 31-year-old Jones was in the Riley County Jail for violating post-release orders on a separate drug distribution case where he spent over two years in various state prisons. Online records show Jones has many other arrest on his record including failure to register on the violent offender registry, making false criminal threats, and possession of various narcotics with the intent to distribute. He is currently being held on $40,000 bond, and was still confined in the RCJ…
The City of Manhattan announced Friday that the City Commission will vote this Tuesday to appoint Danielle Dulin to serve as Manhattan’s newest City Manager. A contract will also be considered by the City Commission during the August 6th meeting, and Dulin has an anticipated start date of Monday, October 14. Dulin was selected after a nationwide search conducted by Strategic Government Resources that produced a field of 50 candidates and then four finalists who visited Manhattan. “I am honored to be selected as the next City Manager for Manhattan,” Dulin said. Dulin has more than 10 years of municipal leadership…
By Emma Loura/Manhattan Mercury There’s been an increase in musk thistle this year, and Riley County officials want residents to know how to identify and get rid of it. Michael Boller, the county’s director of noxious weeds and household hazardous waste, told the Riley County commission Thursday evening that people should spray for the biennial weed this fall to prevent an outbreak this spring. All counties in Kansas consider musk thistle, with its purple flower and spine-tipped bracts, a noxious weed. Boller said many people who are new to the county don’t know what musk thistle is and may think…
Andrea Freeman, 38, of San Marcos, Texas, was arrested in the 1000 block of S. Seth Child Road on August 1, 2024, at approximately 9:00 AM. Freeman was arrested on a Riley County District Court warrant for failure to appear. The original charge in this matter was for burglary. Total bond was set at $10,000. Freeman was confined at the time of this report. Anyone with information can contact Crime Stoppers. Using Crime Stoppers allows you to remain anonymous and could qualify you for a cash reward of up to $1,000.
Updated 8/2/24: The Kansas Highway Patrol recently revealed the identity of the man killed Thursday in a crash on I-70. The KHP reports that Brycen Chance Ronk, 21, of Fort Riley, died at the scene of the crash. A 2023 KTM RC390 motorcycle driven by Ronk was traveling onto eastbound I-70 at Grandview Plaza at a high rate of speed on the on-ramp and passed a vehicle on the right shoulder of the ramp. The motorcycle swerved back into the eastbound lane of Interstate 70, continued to swerve and crossed through the center line entering the westbound lanes of the…
One person is injured following a car versus e-bike crash that happened just after 3 p.m. Wednesday in Manhattan. The Riley County Police Department reported that a vehicle driven by an 83-year-old Frederick Bammes of Manhattan struck an e-bike driven by 25-year-old Zackary Murphy of Manhattan at the corner of Osage and N. 5th Street. EMS transported Murphy to Via Christi, and he was later air-lifted to Stormont Vail for further treatment of his injuries. The driver of the vehicle, Frederick Bammes, was cited for failure to yield the right of way.
The local brewery announced Wednesday it will open an additional permanent location in Wichita later this month. Under the name MBC Lounge, the new location is set to start business Aug. 23 at 117 North Handley Street in the Delano District of Wichita. It will be open on the weekends, including from 5 to 10 p.m. on Fridays, noon to 10 p.m. on Saturdays and noon to 8 p.m. on Sundays. Monday through Thursday, it will be open for private events after 6 p.m. MBC Lounge will have a taproom and lounge with more than 10 beers, margaritas, sangria, cocktails…
AJ is joined by Marcia Rozell of Visit Manhattan, Gary Fike from the Riley County Extension Office and Gen. Perry Wiggins from the Governor’s Military Council.