Update 6/3/20 at 5 p.m. By Nick McNamara Junction City police Wednesday announced the arrest of an Alabama man accused in the murder of two Junction City men in May. 18-year-old Dontavion Wright of Talladega, Alabama, was arrested on a Geary County warrant for two charges of first-degree murder. He’s accused of shooting and killing 21-year-old Dillon Spencer and 19-year-old Aaron Villarreal in the early morning hours of May 7. Wright is currently held on $2 million bond in Talladega County Jail awaiting extradition to Geary County. Police are still searching for an additional suspect, Nathaniel Holmes. They ask anyone…
Author: KMAN Staff
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — A Kansas food plant temporarily shut down Wednesday after several workers tested positive for the coronavirus. The Reser’s Fine Foods plant in Topeka, which makes prepared entrees and side dishes sold at grocery stores, will close for two weeks while all employees get tested, KSNT-TV reported. Reser’s didn’t specify how many employees have tested positive for the coronavirus and the company didn’t immediately reply to an Wednesday request for further information, including how many people work at the site. Meanwhile, Kansas health officials want to randomly test Sedgwick County residents to track the spread of coronavirus…
A Wamego construction company was chosen to extend Kirkwood Drive north in anticipation of a new recreation center co-located at Eisenhower Middle School. Manhattan City Commissioners Tuesday unanimously awarded Ebert Construction the nearly $1.6 million contract, though altogether costs for the project including design and easement acquisition are estimated just over $2 million or $2.25 million with contingency funds. Previous estimates put the project at a $1.2 million price tag. Officials also approved additional costs for design revisions and a power pole relocation, included in the total cost. Manhattan is planning to start work on the project in July to…
WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — Kansas health officials want to randomly test Sedgwick County residents to determine the spread of coronavirus in the area. KSNW-TV reports the local health department will offer testing to 1,600 random residents next week. Residents who get a call from the health department will be offered testing regardless of whether they have symptoms of COVID-19. For most people, the new coronavirus causes mild or moderate symptoms, such as fever and cough that clear up in two to three weeks. For some, especially older adults and people with existing health problems, it can cause more severe illness,…
Riley County has confirmed one new positive case of the coronavirus, bringing the total to 67. This case involves at 61-year-old male who is considered a household contact of a separate positive patient. This brings the total number of active cases in Riley County to eight. The county so far has had 58 recoveries, 55 pending test results, 1,215 negative test results and one death. Ascension Via Christi Hospital currently has 2 positive patients and zero Patients Under Investigation. Statewide, there have been 10,170 positive cases, 97,883 negative test results, 890 hospitalizations and 222 deaths.
Kansas State University has announced a third round of emergency furloughs, which will occur in June and July. This round includes a total of 15 employees, three of which are from Enrollment Management, five from International Student and Scholar Services and seven from Education Abroad. Doing so is expected to save the university about $80,000 in expenses. The departments involved in this round of furloughs have also reduced external funding and cut back on workloads. The K-State Division of Human Capital Services is helping impacted employees with federal and state benefit options. K-State previously announced furloughs for about 350 employees…
After closing for 51 days due to COVID-19, Manhattan will abate one quarter of the Manhattan Town Center’s annual rent. Manhattan City Commissioners narrowly approved the abatement by 3 to 2 vote, though only one third of the abatement requested by mall ownership. The nearly two months that businesses were mandated to shut their doors amid the pandemic caused substantial economic damage nationwide, not sparing Manhattan’s mall. Two of its businesses have gone under and despite MTC’s May 6 re-opening roughly half remain closed estimates Donna Jacobson, who represented the mall’s ownership company UrbanCal Manhattan Town Center, LLC. According to…
USD 383 Manhattan/Ogden Superintendent Dr. Marvin Wade and school board member Kristin Brighton joined us to preview Wednesday’s school board meeting. Manhattan Fire Department Assistant Chief of Risk Reduction Ryan Courtright updated us on building permits and the recent demolition of property at 3003 Anderson Avenue.
WICHITA, Kan. — Kansas Gov. Laura Kelly is no longer shielding renters and homeowners who are financially strapped because of the coronavirus pandemic from being evicted or having lenders foreclose on their mortgages. Kelly allowed an executive order banning new evictions and foreclosures to expire May 26. The Wichita Eagle reports that her office confirmed Monday that the executive order no longer was in place. Renters’ advocates warned that unemployment benefits and one-time federal stimulus checks won’t be enough to keep people in their homes. Landlords and apartment owners said evictions are likely weeks away and that they’re willing to…
TOPEKA, Kan. — Fire officials in Topeka say a blaze that destroyed an unoccupied business on the south side of the city was intentionally set. The Topeka Fire Department said Wednesday in a news release that the fire at the payday loan business was reported around 11:30 p.m. Tuesday. Arriving firefighters found smoke and flames coming from the building, which was once a gas station. A fire report says initial investigation showed the fire was the result of arson. No one was injured. Fire officials say it was the second fire at the business in recent months. A fire in…