A structure fire that occurred near Manhattan Friday evening forced residents to evacuate the building. Fire crews responded to reports of suspected electric fire at around 10 pm Friday at a residence northwest of Manhattan on Fawn Circle. Crews responding to the call arrived to flames inside the residence and emerging from the chimney. Although there was limited damage, crews were able to restrain the fire to the living room, attic, areas close to the fireplace and some of the basement. The fire also caused minor smoke damage to the structure. Residents were able to evacuate from the structure before…
Author: KMAN Staff
It is not every day that Manhattan can claim one of its own as the winner of a nationally televised game-show. But this very thing happened when Fred Nelson, a former Manhattan High School science teacher, became a Jeopardy champion in late 2020. With the final episodes of Jeopardy featuring Alex Trebek as its host set to air next week, former Manhattan resident and Jeopardy champion Fred Nelson recently reflected with KMAN on his time on the show. Nelson, who is currently a professor at California State University, Fresno, took part in the Dec. 3 and 4 episodes, bringing home…
Despite an ongoing pandemic for the majority of 2020, local area state parks saw an increase in traffic and rentals. State Park Manager Todd Lovin says 2020 saw the highest revenue and visitation numbers for state parks across the entire country. Lovin attributes the increase to the outdoor activities being an outlet for people while still social distancing. “The number of people we saw with registering boats and buying new campers was just crazy good this year. We expect that to continue since they bought all new equipment,” says Lovin. Lovin says this year provided an opportunity for people to…
Ascension Via Christi President and CEO Bob Copple joined KMAN in the 7am hour to provide a COVID-19 update.
WICHITA, Kan. — A Kansas police officer fatally shot a man suspected of killing his mother-in-law and shooting his wife. Wichita police say 37-year-old Jason Williams was killed after a confrontation at his mother-in-law’s home Wednesday. Police say he and his wife were divorcing and he was served Tuesday with a protection from abuse order. After a confrontation that included Williams firing at least 25 shots, he agreed to allow his wife and the children to leave. Police say Williams, who was armed with two handguns, followed them and tried to prevent his wife from going, prompting the officer to…
WICHITA, Kan. — The Kansas Geological Survey says one of two earthquakes that rumbled Wednesday morning in Kansas was the largest in a recent series of quakes. The Wichita Eagle reports that the 3.9 magnitude earthquake that hit at 5:04 a.m. Wednesday also was the 32nd strongest in Kansas data. The other quake Wednesday was a 2.0 magnitude at 5:23 a.m. The epicenter of the first earthquake was near Greenwich. The second quake’s epicenter was in Wichita. KGS senior scientist Rick Miller believes the 18 quakes to hit Wichita recently are a natural event that will subside once the suspected…
TOPEKA, Kan. — An 18-year-old and two juveniles have been taken into custody in connection with a fire at an abandoned Topeka mall that authorities believe was intentionally set. The Topeka Capital-Journal reports that a tip led to the arrests on Wednesday. It wasn’t immediately clear on Thursday if charges had been filed. The fire on Tuesday morning at White Lakes Mall caused an estimated $100,000 in damage. The mall opened in 1964. Its popularity waned after the larger West Ridge Mall opened in west Topeka in 1988.
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 burglary and criminal damage to property in the 400 block of S. Clay St. in Riley on December 30, 2020, at approximately 6:39 a.m. Officers listed the City of…
Tuttle Creek State Park Manager Todd Lovin and Kansas Department of Wildlife, Parks & Tourism game warden Ben Jedlicka joined us for some outdoor news at Tuttle Creek. Former Manhattan resident Fred Nelson joined In Focus with Dave Lewis to discuss his recent appearance on Jeopardy where he discussed his winning performance. Dave Lewis and Brandon Peoples spent the final segment of In Focus recapping some of the top news stories and events that took place in 2020.
A winter weather advisory goes into effect at midnight Friday we ring in the new year. It remains in effect until 6 p.m. New Year’s Day. The National Weather Service says a wintry mix will move into southeast and east-central Kansas tonight and precipitation including ice and snow accumulation will spread northward early Friday. For our area, it will be primarily a snow event with 2 to 4 inches possible. Ice accumulations are expected south of I-35. Travel is likely to be impacted throughout the day. The advisory impacts Riley, Pottawatomie, Geary and Wabaunsee counties.