Let’s get cracking: the local food pantry is need of egg cartons. Executive director Karla Hagemeister, who is also a member of the Manhattan-Ogden School Board, shared Wednesday that the Flint Hills Breadbasket has a ton of eggs and would welcome empty cartons. “We’re getting four pallets eggs that are bulk packed, so they need to be repacked by the dozen,” she said, and someone made a gasp. “It’s OK. We can do hard things,” she said, laughing. She said the Breadbasket also will need volunteers to help pack on Wednesday, Jan. 14, and Monday, Jan. 19. Given the fragile…
Author: Megan Moser
Wednesday was the last meeting for USD 383 school board members Christine Weixelman and Karla Hagemeister. Next week the board will welcome new board members Courtney Jane Hochman and Lew Faust. Board member Jayme Morris-Hardeman also won in November’s election and will continue her tenure. Morris-Hardeman also was nominated to be the new board president. The vote will take place at the next meeting, but no one nominated any other candidates. Board member Greg Hoyt volunteered to serve as vice president. To view the full article visit theMercury.com. Click here for more USD 383 news.
Nearly the first hour of Wednesday’s meeting went to people pleading the USD 383 school board to reconsider its changes to school start times. About a dozen parents and teachers spoke during public comment, hoping for the board to reverse its Dec. 17 decision to have elementary students start class earlier and high school students start later. The board took no action toward revisiting the issue. “I believe in the process,” said board member and former MHS principal Greg Hoyt. “I believe in the work of the committee. I believe in respecting the work of the committee.” To view the…
Riley County on Monday approved the hire of a new coroner. County commissioners voted unanimously to name Dr. David Dupy of Salina the medical examiner for this district, which includes Riley and Clay counties. Dupy is also the coroner for Saline, Ottawa and a few other counties. The previous coroner, Dr. Susan Speaks, is retiring. To view the full article visit theMercury.com. Click here for more Riley County news.
The Manhattan-Ogden Board of Education didn’t violate state public meeting rules in changing the district’s start times, the board president says. The board at its Dec. 17 meeting voted 5-2 to change schedules for next school year, pushing elementary start times more than an hour earlier, and moving middle and high school start times later. The main impetus was a bus driver shortage; the district doesn’t need as many drivers if it uses a system with three different start times instead of two. Since then, number of parents are complaining that the USD 383 school board violated procedural rules to…
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…
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…