The Manhattan-Ogden school district on Wednesday adopted changes to the board member ethics policy. That change follows controversy in September surrounding board member Katie Allen, who commented on a Facebook post related to political influencer Charlie Kirk’s death. The post included a quote from Kirk, who said, “I think it’s worth to have a cost of, unfortunately, some gun deaths every single year so that we can have the Second Amendment to protect our other God-given rights.” Allen commented, “Well deserved.” She later deleted the comment and apologized. The situation drew intense criticism from the community and other board members, who…
Author: Megan Moser
Elementary students will start their days earlier next year, while middle and high school students will start later. USD 383 board members at Wednesday’s meeting voted 5-2 to approve a schedule that pushes elementary start times from 8:45 a.m. for 2025-26 more than an hour earlier to 7:30 a.m. next school year. Middle school students will go from starting at 7:40 a.m. this year to 8:40 a.m. And high school students, who started at 7:40 a.m. this year, will start class at 8 a.m. That also means a change in end times. Elementary schools will go from ending at 3:45…
Three Manhattan women are speaking publicly for the first time about the abuse they suffered at the hands of local chiropractor Clark Petersen, hoping their stories will help others come forward. Kate Cashman, Hjerda McAllister, and Carson Kober were among the 16 victims in a case that led to Petersen’s conviction on 51 sex crimes and a 32-year prison sentence. In an interview with the Manhattan Mercury, Cashman says it was at a book-club gathering where she and friends realized they had all stayed silent too long. “The light started to dawn that, oh, this is endemic,” she said. McAllister reported…
An attorney representing Katie Allen in her First Amendment lawsuit against the Kansas Department of Education said Monday that she still has a good case, despite a response from education commissioner Randy Watson that Allen had resigned voluntarily. Allen, a USD 383 Manhattan-Ogden board of education member, filed a federal lawsuit against her former employer, the state education department, and Watson for “demanding” she resign after a Facebook post. She said it was a violation of her First Amendment right to free speech. In September, Allen had commented “well deserved” in response to a Facebook post with a quote from…
USD 383 school board member Katie Allen at this week’s meeting said she has been the victim of bullying in the weeks since she made a controversial Facebook post. In a 13-minute speech Wednesday night during commissioner comments, she talked about components of bullying and how to counteract it. Though she previously apologized, she also said she had done nothing wrong and that she has First Amendment rights just like everyone else. Allen drew criticism in September after commenting on a Facebook post by board member-elect Courtney Jane Hochman that had a quote from right-wing influencer Charlie Kirk following his…
Shopping carts of belongings abandoned on the street. Tents pitched on trails and in tunnels. Liquor bottles left on park tables. More people facing homelessness are coming to Manhattan, some local officials say, but when they get here they may face higher housing costs and find that they don’t qualify for services. That can leave already desperate folks with even fewer choices. When people can’t find housing, many turn to public spaces, which creates additional challenges for local businesses. To view the full article visit theMercury.com. Click here for more local news.
A USD 383 school board member is suing her former employer, the state department of education, in federal court for forcing her to resign, saying it was a violation of her First Amendment right to free speech. Katie Allen, who is on the Manhattan-Ogden Board of Education, drew criticism earlier this month after commenting “well deserved” in response to a Facebook post with a quote from political influencer Charlie Kirk following his killing. On Sept. 15, the Kansas Department of Education said Allen, who had been a research analyst, was no longer employed there. Allen on Sept. 16 gave up…
An investigator in K-State’s civil rights office is drawing criticism for controversial social media posts in support of Palestine. Derron Borders, an investigative specialist in Civil Rights and Title IX office at K-State, reportedly made pro-Hamas posts on social media that critics say are extremist and anti-Semitic. “F*** your fake outrage at Palestine when you’ve literally been silent about the violence perpetuated by Israel against Palestine every day,” Borders wrote on the day of the invasion by Hamas, which was Oct. 7, 2023. To view the full article visit theMercury.com. Click here for more Kansas State University news.
Falcon Land LLC, a company planning a feedlot northeast of Riley, said in a letter Thursday they have decided not to move forward with the project. Founders Jacob Hagenmaier and Dan Thomson said in the letter their goal was to unite and give back to the community. “Being good neighbors and community members is core to our values,” they wrote. “As such, we’ve made the voluntary decision to not to move forward with our investment in this location but hope to find opportunities with progressive agricultural communities that share our values to build future leaders and opportunities.” To view the…
Neighbors say they are not happy about a proposed cattle feeding operation near the town of Riley. The Kansas Department of Health and Environment last week issued public notice that Falcon Land LLC has filed for a federal water pollution control permit to start a “confined animal feeding operation” (CAFO) on its property at the southeast intersection of 8400 Road and Union Road. The proposal is for a facility with up to 999 head of cattle. By state law, it’s not a feedlot if it’s below 1,000 animals. Operations with more than 1,000 animals at one time require additional measures…