Fleet Maintenance Facility After weeks of discussion, Pottawatomie County Commissioners have entered into an agreement with Schultz Construction of Manhattan for the construction of the Public Works Fleet Maintenance Facility. The project has a base cost of about $1,130,000, which is about $300,000 under the original budget. County Clerk Nancy McCarter says the agreement includes a number of changes to the original design of the facility. The commission also decided to add larger concrete aprons and to increase the thickness of the concrete floor from 6 to 8 inches. These changes will add about $150,000 to $160,000 in construction costs…
Author: KMAN Staff
Riley County Commission Chair Marvin Rodriguez joined us to discuss happenings in Riley County government.
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 forgery and theft in Manhattan on February 10, 2020, at approximately 12:20 AM. Officers listed a 71-year-old female as the victim when it was reported a known female suspect…
A Cottonwood Falls woman running for Kansas’ big 1st District congressional seat was in Manhattan Monday visiting with constituents. Democrat Christy Cauble Davis is hoping to turn blue the historically republican leaning district in her favor. Davis spoke on several issues, including healthcare. She is a supporter of the Affordable Care Act. She says she knows she faces an uphill battle but remains optimistic. “There are some people who don’t think a democrat can get elected but I think because I have some crossover appeal and because I’ve worked in so many rural communities that there is an opportunity. The…
A man pleaded guilty today to illegally distributing instructions through social media on how to make explosive devices while stationed at Fort Riley. Jarrett William Smith, 24, pleaded guilty to two counts of distributing information related to explosives, destructive devices and weapons of mass destruction. In September of 2019, Smith sent instructions for making explosive devices and improvised napalm to a person working undercover for the FBI. Smith had also previously expressed a desire to join a violent and politically extreme military group in Ukraine. He could potentially receive up to 20 years in federal prison and a fine up…
The construction of the National Bio and Agro-defense Facility means a number of employees at the Plum Island Animal Disease Diagnostic Laboratory in Plum Island, NY, will soon be working in Manhattan One such employee is Foreign Animal Disease Diagnostic Laboratory Director Kimberly Dodd. Here, Dodd lists some of the diseases FADDL handles. She says the move from Plum Island to Manhattan will allow her study more diseases. Before working at Plum Island, Dodd worked for the Center for Disease Control in the Viral Special Pathogens Branch. Dodd also spoke to KMAN about a few college programs NBAF is offering.…
TOPEKA, Kan. — Authorities say one of two people who were hurt in a house fire in Topeka has died. Topeka fire officials said Monday that 53-year-old Kristen Edmonston died from injuries she suffered in the fire Saturday. Deputy fire chief Kelly Adams said in a news release that 65-year-old James Edmonston remains hospitalized Monday. He is in stable condition. Adams says the fire was accidental. The likely cause is improper handling of smoking materials.
WICHITA, Kan. — A Wichita woman has been charged with sex trafficking in federal court. Prosecutors say Kelly Lee Grounds posted dozens of ads online offering sex acts. The ads were for herself and other people offering to perform sex acts. Grounds was arrested in September and January on suspicion of similar charges. She was initially charged in state court last fall, but those charges were dropped after she was indicted in federal court in late January. Local prosecutors had said that Grounds posted ads on behalf of a 17-year-old who was offering to have sex in exchange for compensation.
BELLE PLAINE, Kan. — Authorities say a Hutchinson man was killed in a crash on the Kansas Turnpike in south-central Kansas. The Kansas Turnpike Authority says the crash happened Friday afternoon, when the southbound car 58-year-old Gilberto Benitez-Garcia was driving went of the road near Belle Plaine. Station KFDI reports that the crashed was reported around 12:30 p.m. Friday. Investigators say Benitez-Garcia’s car traveled 900 feet after leaving the turnpike and hit a tree. Benitez-Garcia, who was the only person in the car, was pronounced dead at the scene.
WICHITA, Kan. — The city of Wichita is considering banning plastic bags or implementing a city-wide tax to curb their use. The Wichita Eagle reports that the City Council voted for a new task force to consider reducing or eliminating single-use plastic bags. Either option would make Wichita the first city in Kansas to pass a plastic bag ordinance. Other cities in the U.S. have banned plastic bags or imposed taxes on them. The task force is scheduled to meet this month to discuss what such a move could end up costing businesses and the city to implement.