As March rolled around this year, Professor Andrew Smith of the A.Q. Miller School of Journalism and Mass Communications said the anniversary of his COVID-19 diagnosis comes with a lot of baggage but he is grateful to see how the community has came together, and how people responded with wanting to keep their friends and neighbors safe by wearing masks, “because that’s the right thing to do.” “It doesn’t protect me, it protects you. The other thing was that my family and I lived through this, and so we have not spent another minute in fear for the last year,…
Author: KMAN Staff
WELLINGTON, Kan. — The carcass of an American alligator has been found in a south-central Kansas river, and wildlife officials say the animal was likely being kept as a pet before being released into the wild when it got too big. Kansas City television station WDAF reports that a Kansas Department of Transportation worker recently discovered the carcass in the Ninnescah River in Sumner County as he worked along the river bank. A zoologist determined the reptile, which is native to the southeastern U.S., was about 3 years old. Alligators can’t survive the harsh winters of the Midwest and Plains…
TOPEKA, Kan. — The parents of a man who was shot and killed by Topeka police are asking a judge to reinstate two officers as defendants in a lawsuit they filed over his death. Attorneys for the family of Dominique White filed a motion seeking to add a wrongful death count against officers Justin Mackey and Michael Cruse. A federal judge last September removed the two officers from the lawsuit. The officers shot White after a struggle in September 2017. Attorneys for the city said in a motion March 1 that they object to the officers being reinstated to the…
MISSION, Kan. — Businesses that were ordered to shut down or limit capacity because of the pandemic could receive financial relief under two bills in the state Legislature that would address pending litigation but have riled up county leaders who could be forced to pay out millions. Both bills provide businesses the chance to apply for property tax reimbursements, although the details vary. Eric Stafford, a lobbyist for the influential Kansas Chamber of Commerce, said Thursday at a hearing that a lawsuit is pending. He said the state could be “on the hook for a significant amount of money if…
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 600 block of Highland Ridge Dr. in Manhattan on March 11, 2021, at approximately 1:45 p.m. Officers listed a 21-year-old male as the victim when it…
On Friday’s edition of In Focus we spoke with Ascension Via Christi Speech Language Pathologist Peggy Wiens. We also spoke with Ascension Via Christi Clinical Dietitian Britney Petty. In our final segments we spoke with Biosecurity Research Institute Director Dr. Stephen Higgs.
A city-wide spring cleanup will take place in Manhattan from March 29 through April 2. “The city will pick up yard waste, tree limbs and branches if they’re properly bagged and stacked at the curb,” Jake Powell, Manhattan Fire Department fire marshall, said. “Yard waste needs to be in paper yard waste bags. [There also needs to be] separate piles of tree limbs and branches.” He says the city will not pick up other items, such as construction scraps and trash. According to Powell, the cleanup is a way of preventing fires during a time that is traditionally considered the…
Riley County has received an invitation by the state Senate Public Health and Welfare Committee on an upcoming hearing. The hearing is not on current legislation, but for a pending bill giving counties the authority to follow their own vaccine pathway. County Counselor Clancy Holeman says this is spawned from recent events involving both Riley and Sedgewick Counties. The issue stems from the vaccination phases currently ongoing in the county. Originally, the county health department believed the guidance coming from the Kansas Department of Health and Environment were just that, and not perceived to be mandates. “There was a webinar…
Riley County high-school-age students gathered at Manhattan High School Wednesday to compete in the fifth annual Youth Entrepreneurship Challenge. The event gave local students an opportunity to show off their business ideas and presentation skills to a panel of judges. “I kind of liken it to Shark Tank for high-school-age students,” John Jobe, K-State Research and Extension agent, said. “Winners can actually take home some prize money.” Cash prizes were awarded to the top-three placers and a “People’s Choice Trade Show Award.” Participants were judged on their executive summary/business plan, formal presentation and trade-show presentation. MHS sophomores Juan Avila and…