Author: KMAN Staff
Riley County is reporting 59 new COVID cases since its last report. This brings the county’s total number of positive cases to 5,886 with 295 of those cases listed as active. Along with the new positives, the county is reporting 20 more recoveries since Monday, bringing the total to 5,561. Ascension Via Christi Hospital in Manhattan is caring for 11 positive patients at this time. Three of the positive patients are in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU). All licensed healthcare professionals and individuals in Phase 1 in Riley County have had the opportunity to be vaccinated. Last week we began…
The following summary of calls for service/reports filed by the Riley County Police Department is a portion of those received by police. Some names, addresses, and case details are withheld to follow local, state, and federal law as well as in an attempt to protect community members from being victimized further. Those arrested are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. MANHATTAN, KAN. – Officers filed a report for criminal damage to property in the 900 block of Anneberg Dr. in Manhattan on January 26, 2021, at approximately 10:11 a.m. Officers listed City of Manhattan as the victim…
Riley County (USD 378) Superintendent Cliff Williams and board vice president Nathan Mead, along with Blue Valley (USD 384) Superintendent John Cox joined us for a discussion on bond projects, legislative matters and other school related issues. Former Riley County Attorney Bill Kennedy previewed changes coming to this years Souper Bowl food drive for the Flint Hills Breadbasket. Collection efforts are underway through Feb. 6. Lastly we spoke to Irwin Army Community Hospital Deputy Commander for Nursing & Patient Services Col. Hyun Kang about Wednesday’s walk-in COVID-19 vaccine clinic for beneficiaries 75 and older.
Parks and Recreation activities The Manhattan Parks and Recreation Department is looking at bringing back a few aquatic features this summer, but in a limited capacity. The proposed plan includes keeping the CiCo Park Pool and Blue Earth Plaza water features closed while decreasing hours at the City Park Pool and Northview Pool. Casey Smithson, park superintendent, says staffing shortages stemming from the pandemic have hampered his department’s ability to prepare the pools for the summer. “We generally have spent about 1,000 hours preparing for pools from September to April,” Smithson said during the Manhattan City Commission meeting on Tuesday.…
The North Central Flint Hills Area Agency on Aging is looking to help eligible renters with their utilities and deposits. The Agency received a 100 thousand dollar grant award to help low-income Kansans who live in north-central Kansas, including Riley, Geary, and Pottawatomie counties. Flint Hills Housing Assistance, a program of the Agency, is now accepting applications for these funds. Applications are available at ncfhaaa.com website or by calling 1-800-432-2703. In 2019 more than 177 low-income Kansans received TBRA help with utility and rent deposits from Flint Hills Housing Assistance.
WICHITA, Kan. — A federal appeals court has upheld the convictions and sentences of three militia members facing decades in prison for their roles in a foiled 2016 plot to massacre Somali Muslims in southwest Kansas. The 10th Circuit Court of Appeals rejected all the arguments raised by attorneys for Gavin Wright, Curtis Allen and Patrick Stein. The appellate court was not swayed by claims the men were entrapped and that the method of selecting jurors was flawed. Jurors convicted them in 2018 of conspiracy to use a weapon of mass destruction and conspiracy against civil rights for a…
TOPEKA, Kan. — A court affidavit alleges a Kansas teenager posted a video on social media showing the setting of a blaze that heavily damaged a Topeka mall in December. The Topeka Capital-Journal reports a tip to provided the next day to Crime Stoppers led investigators to the video posted on messaging service Snapchat. It led to the arrest of 18-year-old Joel Sink and two other youths. They face charges that include arson tied to the Dec. 29 fire that caused an estimated $100,000 in damage at the former White Lakes Mall in Topeka. Snapchat is a messaging service in…
TOPEKA, Kan. — Gov. Laura Kelly has signed a bill to extend the state’s disaster emergency declaration, allowing Kansas to continue to tap into resources for its pandemic response efforts. The legislation signed Monday extends the declaration to March 31. Health officials say 132,145 people, or about 4.5% of the state’s population, have received the COVID-19 vaccine as of Monday. Meanwhile, the state has added another 2,602 COVID-19 cases since Friday, pushing Kansas’ pandemic total to 269,255 cases. It has reported 24 more coronavirus-related deaths since Friday, bringing the state’s death toll to at least 3,622.
TOPEKA, Kan. — Advocates for older Kansans in assisted living facilities are pushing for legislation that would allow them to appeal to the state if a facility evicts them. The Topeka Capital Journal reports that the House Children and Seniors Committee plans to have a hearing Thursday on the measure. It would allow older Kansans who’ve been involuntarily discharged from an adult residential care facility to appeal to the Kansas Department for Aging and Disability Services. While advocates worry about evicted residents having no recourse, a Kansas Adult Care Executives official says the measure would add more burdens to an…