75 new positive cases of COVID-19 and 86 recoveries have been reported in Riley County since Wednesday. This brings the county’s total number of active cases to 761 and recoveries to 807. 1199, or 76.08 percent, of the positive cases that have been reported in Riley County have involved patients who are 18 to 24-years old. Ascension Via Christi Hospital currently has three patients who have tested positive. Pottawatomie County is reporting nine new positive cases and nine new recoveries, bringing its total number of active cases to 25 and recoveries to 187. This also means Pottawatomie County has had…
Author: KMAN Staff
TOPEKA, Kan. — Kansas’ health department has suspended its reporting on individual businesses and other locations where clusters of coronavirus cases have occurred after only a week. The agency says it wants to make sure the data does not include cases that aren’t current. The Kansas City Star reports that top department administrator Dr. Lee Norman acknowledged that the data the agency began releasing Sept. 9 about coronavirus clusters could leave the impression that some outbreaks currently are more severe than they are. Norman said the department wants the data to better reflect current cases. The department said it expects…
TOPEKA, Kan. — The city of Topeka’s independent police auditor has found that two officers didn’t violate excessive force policies while arresting a Black woman in a case that angered a local Black Lives Matter group. The city announced Thursday that the auditor thoroughly reviewed officer and witness statements and seven police body camera videos before making the determination. At issue is the Aug. 23 arrest of Tamiko Mitchell, who says she was slammed to the ground, leaving her with a fractured nose and eye injuries. WIBW reports that a sergeant at the scene asked her to exit her vehicle…
CHERRYVALE, Kan. — A 35-year-old man is dead after being struck by a vehicle as he walked along a Kansas highway. KAKE-TV reports that Derrin Kebert Jr. was walking on the shoulder of U.S. 169 near Cherryville around 8 p.m. Thursday. The Kansas Highway Patrol says a northbound Dodge Journey sought to avoid an airborne object and struck Kebert. A Chevrolet Impala then struck the SUV. Kebert, of Cherryvale, died at the scene. The drivers were unhurt, as were two children in the SUV. The patrol did not identify the airborne object the SUV was avoiding.
OLATHE, Kan. — A baseball field in suburban Kansas City is being named after a longtime coach who recently died after battling the coronavirus. WDAF-TV reports that Derek Leppert was an assistant baseball coach and a front office staff member at Olathe West High School in Olathe, Kansas. He died Sept. 10 from complications related to COVID-19. On Thursday, the high school announced it was naming its baseball field Derek Leppert Memorial Field. The Kansas Baseball Coaches Association also plans to present the Derek Leppert Assistant Coach of the Year Award every year in his honor.
TOPEKA, Kan. — A bill introduced in Congress would create additional historic sites to honor the U.S. Supreme Court’s landmark Brown v. Board of Education case that banned racial segregation in schools. The National Park Service maintains just one historic site linked to the 1954 ruling, in Topeka. The Topeka Capital-Journal reports that Democratic Sen. Chris Coons of Delaware and House Majority Whip Jim Clyburn, a South Carolina Democrat, on Thursday announced their effort seeking historic site designations in four other places. While the Brown case was out of Topeka, it was actually combined with four similar cases for the…
On Friday’s edition of In Focus we spoke with K-State Riley County Research and Extension Director Gary Fike. We also spoke with Riley County Senior Center Program Coordinator Liz Nelson. K-State Police Chief Ronnie Grice and Lt. Brad Millington also joined the program. In our final segment we spoke with Ascension Via Christi Licensed Clinical Psychotherapist Dr. Tony Kubina.
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 aggravated assault in the 3000 block of Tuttle Creek Blvd in Manhattan on September 17, 2020, at approximately 9:44 am. Officers listed a 27-year-old male as the victim and…
A new program in the Manhattan area looks to help entrepreneurs. Spark Manhattan is a new nonprofit organization with a vision to connect, resource, and successfully launch new entrepreneurs in the Greater Manhattan region. Sarah Siders, Executive Director of Spark tells KMAN about the overall mission of Spark. “We’re wanting to grow innovation locally. We want to invest in those businesses and those ideas and that talent that’s building our community and bringing in outside dollars, and we want to keep the talent that we’re growing. We have so many great learning institutions right here in our area, and a…
The new Riley County emergency services radio system is now up and running. Emergency Management Director Pat Collins says the system went live Thursday morning even with just a few glitches. “We are live, it’s working great,” Collins told the Riley County Commission Thursday. “The coverage is phenomenal compared to what we have now.” The roughly $5.2 million project has been in the works for nearly five years. The 800 megahertz system will provide more coverage throughout the county for radios used by area emergency services. Preliminary tests show a 97.1% coverage in Riley County and the area 3 miles…