Author: KMAN Staff
The Riley County Police Department took the top prize in the 17th annual Battle of the Badges blood drive. The American Red Cross blood drive, which took place at St. Thomas More Catholic Church this year, gives people the opportunity to donate blood while also voting for a local emergency-services department. With 97 votes, RCPD beat out the Manhattan Fire Department, which came in second place with 67 votes, and Riley County Emergency Medical Services, which came in a close third place with 64 votes. The friendly competition was originally created to bring in donations during a time of year…
A convicted sex offender and former U.S. Marine from Manhattan was sentenced Tuesday to eight years in federal prison for possessing child pornography. According to a release from U.S. Attorney Stephen McAllister, 35-year-old Bryan S. Duncan pleaded guilty to one count of possession of child pornography. In his plea, he admitted that undercover investigators downloaded child pornography from his account through a peer-to-peer file-sharing program. In a search of his Manhattan home, investigators uncovered electronic devices containing 450 video files. A sentencing memo states Duncan’s underlying offense was not isolated or impulsive. In 2005, he was convicted of possession and…
An accidental cooking fire that occurred at a 2-story apartment building in the Brookfield Residences in Manhattan Tuesday resulted about $3,000 in estimated losses. The Manhattan Fire Department responded to reports of a structure fire at 415 Walters Dr., apartment number 408, where they found light smoke coming from a fire that had already been mostly put out by a Riley County Police officer using a fire extinguisher. Fire crews would go on to ventilate the building and finish putting the fire out. The extent of kitchen damage caused the residents to be displaced. The fire resulted in an estimated…
The Pottawatomie County Sheriff’s Office is investigating multiple burglaries that took place between July 17 and July 21 in the Green Valley area of rural Manhattan at new-home construction sites. Three burglaries involving the theft of several DeWalt cordless handheld tools have resulted in an estimated loss of over $4,000. Those with information related to these incidents are encouraged to call the Pottawatomie County Sheriff’s Office at 785-457-3353 or leave a Crime Stoppers tip at ptsheriff.com.
Information from K-State Today Kansas State University will offer an online bachelor’s degree in mass communications this fall. The A.Q. Miller School of Journalism and Mass Communications said in a release Tuesday its launching the 120 credit degree program Aug. 17 with new classes starting every eight weeks. It includes specific coursework in journalism or strategic communications. The journalism sequence prepares students for work in broadcast, news reporting and media design. Strategic communications focuses on advertising and public relations with an emphasis on social media. The school says the program is ideal for students who started courses on any campus…
A member of the Riley City Council is running for the District 2 seat of the Riley County commission. Council Member Greg McKinley is taking on incumbent commissioner Marvin Rodriguez and Candidate Phil Mattox in the upcoming primary. Candidate Fanny Fang is running unopposed in the democratic primary. McKinley has been serving on the Riley City Council for 10 years and decided to run for the commission last year. When asked about what makes him different from the other candidates, he says he is a resident of north county. “I’ve planned for a long time to do this because I…
Potential delay of jury trials The Pottawatomie County Attorney’s Office currently has three jury trials scheduled to begin in August, but those may be delayed due to the ongoing pandemic. “Right now, our Supreme Court does not want us to hold any jury trials unless it is a constitutional violation of speedy trial, which we are not (in violation) on any of our current cases,” Sherri Schuck, Pottawatomie County attorney, said. The right to a “speedy trial” is laid out in the sixth amendment of the U.S. Constitution and ensures that a defendant will be granted a trial within a…
TOPEKA, Kan. — Another surge in coronavirus cases has pushed the number reported in Kansas during the pandemic past 23,000 and reported COVD-19-related deaths past 300. The report of another increase in cases came as Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly prepared to issue an order aimed at delaying the reopening of the state’s K-12 public schools for three weeks from mid-August to after Labor Day. The state health department said Monday that Kansas’ total cases grew by 6.2% since Friday. The department said there were 1,369 new cases to bring the total to 23,334. The agency reported eight new COVID-19-related deaths…
TOPEKA, Kan. — A civil rights group says it has resolved a lawsuit challenging a blanket ban on signs and restrictive permits for protests at the Kansas Statehouse. The American Civil Liberties Union of Kansas said Monday in a news release that under the terms of the dismissal, individuals and groups no longer need a permit or a legislative sponsor to reserve space. Hand-held signs are no longer banned. And a person can only be banned from from the Statehouse if they break the law, not just for a rules violation.