The USD 475 Geary County School Board recently voted to allow the district to enter a lease-purchase agreement to acquire the funds necessary to build the new Early Childhood Center on the site of the former Junction City High School. The vote occurred at the school board’s Dec. 4 meeting. Superintendent Dr. Reginald Eggleston joined KMAN this week and noted the financial benefits to the district that the current agreement provides. Eggleston also discusses how the center will create more room around the district by pooling the early childhood classrooms in elementary schools into the new facility. Eggleston emphasized the…
Author: Kolby Van Camp
With Christmas just around the corner, Manhattan Fire Department has tips to help the Manhattan community stay safe with Christmas trees and festive ornaments for the season. Manhattan Fire Department Fire Marshall, Jake Powell, provides tips on decorations that will reduce fire hazards: Powell discusses how Christmas lights are clearly marked depending on their indoor versus outdoor uses, and the importance of making sure they are in the right locations: Manhattan Fire Department also recommends the unplugging of Christmas lights when citizens are not at home or when they go to sleep to help reduce the potential for a major…
Two Kansas State University biologists have received more than $1.8 million to fund wild turkey research. David Haukos and Dan Sullins, both assistant professors in the biology department at Kansas State, are researching the decline of turkey populations throughout the state of Kansas. According to the press release from the university: “Their research team will examine wild turkey populations and ecology in Kansas to inform state harvest and habitat management. They will capture and mark Eastern and Rio Grande wild turkeys across Kansas public and private lands and place transmitters and leg bands on them to monitor their locations and…
2:45 p.m. Tuesday update A statewide system was said to be back up and running this afternoon but officials in Pottawatomie County say they are still unable to process new driver’s license and motor vehicle licenses. The issue was from the Kansas Department of Revenue, impacting all counties statewide. County Treasurer Lisa Wright noted to KMAN that their systems were still down as of 2:30 p.m., despite the Department of Revenue systems being back online. Wright says she wasn’t sure if the issue was still impacting any of the other affected counties. It’s unclear how long the issue may continue…
The Geminid meteor shower, an annual astronomical event that occurs during late November to mid-December, is predicted to peak tonight and tomorrow night in the United States. The shower, named for their radiant, or their point of origin in the sky, appears to come from the constellation Gemini which can be found rising tonight from the northeast. The Geminids first began appearing in the mid-1800s and have since become an astronomical staple in the annual, end-of-year astronomical event calendar. Viewing conditions will be poor for most of Kansas tonight and tomorrow night due to cloud cover, but improve the closer…
The Flint Hills Breadbasket is looking to expand their physical presence in Manhattan as food insecurity continues to rise locally. Executive Director Karla Hagemeister notes the need for a larger space is very real after the organization saw more than 3,000 new families helped in 2023, while recognizing the importance of being located near downtown Manhattan. Hagemeister also emphasizes the importance of keeping the experience of visiting the Breadbasket a positive one for both new and returning community members. The Flint Hills Breadbasket board of directors is continuing to explore the organization’s options in Manhattan as they look to expand…
The T. Russell Reitz Animal Shelter will begin a new partnership with Prairie Paws, an animal shelter in Ottawa, at the end of this month.
First reported by KHOU TV in Houston and now confirmed early this morning by Tim Fitzgerald and GoPowercat.com, Kansas State offensive coordinator Collin Klein has accepted the offensive coordinator position at Texas A&M under new Aggie head coach Mike Elko. The K-State signal caller and 2012 Heisman finalist has spent the better part of two decades in royal purple and has been instrumental in bringing two Big 12 Championships to the K-State football program. Klein’s departure signifies the changing times in college football as he had signed a contract extension with the Cats just last year. All eyes now turn…
Manhattan Christian College has seen an increase in their academic enrollment for the semester. After receiving their latest update on student academics, the college reports an increase in not just enrollment but in retention of students as well. Manhattan Christian College President Kevin Ingram: Ingram attributes the success of the college in their post-pandemic academic infrastructure to not only quality recruiting efforts, but to the personalized academic experience that can be found at small, private institutions: Of fourteen academic categories tracked by the college, all are up above average and twelve of the fourteen are up by double digits at…
The US Army Corps of Engineers has officially closed its Tuttle Creek Park campsites and shelters for the remainder of the season as winter begins to set in. The final amenities that the park had open to the public closed at the end of October. Tuttle Creek Park Manager Caleb Snider: Snider also comments that people have already begun taking advantage of the advanced reservation system the park has for the spring: The park will reopen for extensive recreational use on April 15, 2024. The closures do not impact the Tuttle Creek State Park area, which is managed by the…