Staffing shortages, noncompetitive salaries and unreliable revenue sources Staffing shortages and noncompetitive salaries were among the top issues discussed during the Manhattan City Commission’s 2022 budget work session Tuesday. Department heads spoke about the difficulty of competing with the private sector and other municipalities while attempting to retain employees and fill open positions. Public Works director Robert Ott provided an example of this happening with a water treatment plant operator. City attorney Katie Jackson claims her department has recently experienced similar issues. She also says the number of employees in her office has not increased since she began working there…
Author: KMAN Staff
Former Manhattan Chamber of Commerce Economic Development Director Trent Armbrust has been named to lead the newly created Office of Innovation in the Kansas Department of Commerce. Lieutenant Governor and Commerce Secretary David Toland made the announcement Wednesday, shifting Armbrust from his previous post of Director of Strategy for Bioscience and Technology in the department. Before taking that role with the Department of Commerce, he spent seven years leading the Manhattan chamber’s economic development efforts. “Trent possesses a broad knowledge of innovation in our economy, which along with his practical experience as an economic development professional make him the perfect…
Governor Laura Kelly announced Wednesday amounts of additional federal coronavirus funding smaller communities in the state will be receiving. The monies were to be directed to communities under 50-thousand in population. The relief, which comes from The American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA), supplies $1.9 trillion for economic recovery in the wake of the pandemic. Riley County Riley $ 144,424.69 Leonardville $ 65,385.55 Ogden $ 297,041.53 Randolph $ 23,666.23 $ 530,518.00 Geary County Junction City $ 3,258,961.30 Grandview Plaza $ 231,807.69 Milford $ 77,522.08 $ 3,568,291.07 Pottawatomie County Belvue $ 30,341.32 Emmett $ 28,217.43 Havensville $ 23,514.52 Louisville $ 34,133.99 Olsburg…
On Thursday’s edition of In Focus we spoke with Fort Riley Museum Director Dr. Bob Smith. We also spoke with 1st Infantry Division commanding general Major General Douglas A. Sims with Fort Riley. In our final segments we spoke with Aaron Estabrook Executive Director Manhattan Housing Authority, Glee Myers Commissioner on the Manhattan Housing Authority Board of Commissioners, Josh Brewer Director of the Manhattan Area Habitat for Humanity.
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Authorities have identified the victims of a string of Kansas City area shootings and are asking the public for help. Three of the victims died in separate shootings in Kansas City, Missouri, within an hour Tuesday afternoon. They were identified as 52-year-old Jose Lugo, 31-year-old Lavance Jones and 15-year-old Terrell Bell. There are rewards of up to $25,000 for information leading to arrests in the three cases. Meanwhile, police in neighboring Kansas City, Kansas, also are investigating after 15-year-old Kaden Bauswell was killed Tuesday in a shooting near an elementary school. Police are urging anyone with…
SALINA, Kan. — Authorities say a Kansas Air National Guard airman was killed and two others were injured when their Humvee overturned during a training accident. The Adjutant General’s Department said in a news release Wednesday that members of the 284th Air Support Operations Squadron were training Tuesday afternoon near Salina. Two of the injured airmen were taken to a Salina hospital where they are being treated. One man who was unresponsive at the scene was evacuated by helicopter and died on the way to a Wichita hospital. The cause of the accident is not known and the name, age…
KANSAS CITY, Kan. — Police in Kansas City, Kansas, say a 5-year-old boy who was hit by a car near a city park over the weekend has died. Police said in a news release that the crash happened Saturday evening, when the boy wandered away from adults while playing in Kensington Park. The child then ran into State Avenue, a busy thoroughfare, and crossed the westbound lanes before being hit by an eastbound car. The boy was rushed to a hospital in critical condition and died there on Wednesday. Police say the driver of the car was traveling within the…
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 theft in the 100 block of Bluemont Ave. in Manhattan on June 9, 2021, at approximately 12:14 p.m. Officers listed Walmart as the victim when it was reported an…
The Junction City man arrested late last week on a sexual exploitation of a child charge faces additional charges. Aaron Zachry remains jailed on a bond of 360-thousand dollars after three additional counts of sexual exploitation of a child were put in place against him Wednesday. Riley County Police say the charges were added after further information was collected in their investigation that began when Zachry was accused of suspicious activity at Northview Pool. He was found to have sexual pictures of children on his cell phone. He worked as a special education paraprofessional at Northview Elementary, according to USD…
Geary County USD 475 plans to replace two of its elementary school playgrounds. Both Sheridan and Eisenhower Elementary School’s playgrounds have been selected for replacement based on the ages of the playgrounds. The project, performed by Noah’s Park and Playground, is planned to begin in late October to early November. The current playgrounds will be entirely replaced with new, American with Disabilities Act-supportive equipment. The total cost of both replacements is around 321 thousand dollars.