UPDATE AS OF 4:30 PM (3/26/2020): Riley County now has two confirmed positive cases of COVID-19. The first patient is a 57 year-old Manhattan woman who visited the Kansas City area last weekend and returned to her private residence in Topeka, where she remains in home isolation. “She was tested in Topeka on Monday and has been in isolation in that location ever since. She did not travel anywhere in the Manhattan area since being exposed,” Riley County Health Department Director Julie Gibbs said Thursday at her daily news conference. The second patient is a Fort Riley soldier who resides…
Author: KMAN Staff
MEDICINE LODGE, Kan. — The Kansas National Guard has sent two helicopters to help local firefighters battle wildfires burning about 20-25 miles southwest of Medicine Lodge in Barber County. The agency says in a news release that the UH-60 Black Hawk helicopters from the Kansas National Guard’s 1st Battalion, 108th Aviation out of Salina are equipped with collapsible 660-gallon water buckets. The Kansas Forest Service has also deployed an air tanker to make water drops. Gov. Laura Kelly has issued a disaster declaration for the fires.
TOPEKA, Kan. — The number of jobless workers in Kansas who filed initial unemployment claims last week was 12 times as high as it was the week before as measures to control the spread of the new coronavirus took their toll on the economy. The U.S. Department of Labor reported Thursday that Kansas had almost 23,700 initial claims for unemployment for the seven-day period ending Saturday. The department said the figure for the previous week was less than 1,800. The increase was 1,250%. It was easily the largest percentage jump in at least 20 years. Some 60% of the state’s…
The USD 383 Manhattan/Ogden School Board approved an emergency purchase Wednesday of Internet hot spots and iPad insurance, during a special meeting. Doing so will allow students in the district without Internet be able to complete necessary school work to finish out the year from home. This purchase is part of the continuous learning program. Director of Business Services Lew Faust says the district is using contingency funds. “We have adequate funds there and should be able to replenish those funds at the end of the year when we get the year-end balances. We have a lot of unknowns right…
Release from the Kansas Department of Health and Environment. In response to the COVID-19 pandemic currently impacting all states, including Kansas, the Kansas Department of Health and Environment and the Kansas Department of Agriculture strongly encourage all land owners and managers to voluntarily reduce the number of acres that they intend to burn this spring. “With the potential for this pandemic overwhelming the state’s medical facilities, any additional respiratory concerns that could be produced from breathing smoke from prescribed fire need to be mitigated,” Dr. Lee Norman, KDHE Secretary, said. Common health problems related to smoke can include burning eyes,…
Thursday’s program featured Dr. Tim Shaffer, Assistant Director for the Institute for Civic Discourse and Democracy who was recently promoted to the time of Associate Professor of Communication Studies at K-State. Pawnee Mental Health Executive Director Robbin Cole also joined us to discuss best practices for managing mental health during the COVID-19 pandemic.
As COVID-19 cases rise across the country, the need for further manpower in the health-care industry has resulted in calls for retired medical professionals to re-enter the workforce. Bob Copple, President of Ascension Via Christi Hospital, says a similar trend is occurring locally. Copple says their help is largely being used to help run a COVID-19 screening hotline, which helps provide guidance for those potentially experiencing symptoms. The screening-hotline phone number is 785-323-6400.
CLAY CENTER, Kan. — Clay County had its first confirmed positive case of COVID-19 Wednesday. The case involves a resident with a recent known, travel-related exposure. The Clay County Health Department says that individual is currently self-isolating at home and is stable. The individual is reportedly not considered in the high risk category and contracted the virus from recent international travel. All known contacts of the patient are being notified by health officials and will be monitored routinely for fever and respiratory symptoms. No further information about the patient is being released at this time. As of late Wednesday, Kansas…
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 4600 block of Eureka Dr. in Manhattan on March 25, 2020, at approximately 12:40 PM. Officers listed Flint Hills Job Corps as the victim when it…