Not many country folks want to become city folks. At least, that’s what Pottawatomie County leaders learned in 2019 when they asked residents of the Green Valley area whether they wanted to incorporate and create an independent town. At that time, 70% of residents said they didn’t want to form a new city, and 70% said they didn’t want Manhattan to annex Green Valley, either. But the area directly east of Manhattan, roughly the southern part of Blue Township, continues to grow. The population of Blue Township has risen from 4,926 in 2020 to an estimated 5,541 in 2026, an…
Author: Megan Moser
The USD 383 Manhattan-Ogden school board approved the purchase of six new school buses totaling $811,497 during its meeting Wednesday at Robinson Education Center. The board voted 5-0 to purchase three new 71-passenger school buses from Midwest Transit at an estimated cost of $159,400 each, or $478,200 total. The buses will be funded through the district’s capital outlay fund. Board members also unanimously approved the purchase of three new Type A buses for special education through the state purchasing program from Midwest Transit at an estimated cost of $111,099 each, or $333,297 total. The primary funding source for those buses…
The USD 383 Manhattan-Ogden school board voted Wednesday to notify Riley County that it intends to exceed the revenue-neutral property tax rate for the 2027 fiscal year budget while also approving nearly $1 million in funding to keep after-school programs affordable following the loss of a federal grant. The board unanimously approved certifying its intent to exceed the revenue-neutral rate, a required procedural step before adopting a budget that would generate more property tax revenue than the previous year. District officials stressed that rising operating costs and statutory funding requirements make the revenue-neutral rate impractical for school districts. Board members…
The USD 383 Manhattan-Ogden Board of Education voted unanimously Wednesday to begin proceedings to terminate the employment contract of Marlatt Elementary School principal Sheila Henke. The board cited alleged violations of board policy and failure to perform contractual duties. Following an executive session, the board approved a resolution declaring its intent to terminate Henke’s contract. The motion passed 7-0. To view the full article visit theMercury.com.
Riley County commissioners on Thursday signaled preliminary support for a proposal to relocate the Riley County Fairgrounds from CiCo Park to county-owned property west of Manhattan. They did not yet give any official approval for the plan but expressed support for seeking more public feedback. Dave Lewis and Lance Sharp, speaking on behalf of a volunteer task force, presented a conceptual $20.5 million proposal for a new Flint Hills Event Complex on about 39 acres of land near the county shops along Tuttle Creek Boulevard/U.S. Highway 24. The proposal would replace aging fairgrounds facilities at CiCo Park with a larger,…
USD 383 is in the final stages of budget development for the next fiscal year while preparing to cover an estimated $938,000 shortfall in its special education fund, officials told the school board Wednesday. Director of business operations Development Andy Hutchinson said district staff members are moving from preliminary revenue projections to detailed expenditure planning for 2026-27 ahead of budget adoption later this summer. One issue facing the district is a deficit in the special education fund that the district must address before the close of the current fiscal year. To view the full article visit theMercury.com.
USD 383 school board member Katie Allen is seeking more than $6 million in compensation in her lawsuit against Kansas Department of Education officials, according to new court documents. Allen filed a federal lawsuit against her former boss, Randy Watson, commissioner of education, for “demanding” she resign after she made a Facebook post in September. She said it was a violation of her First Amendment right to free speech. She has named Watson in his individual capacity and added Jake Steele, the new education commissioner, in his official capacity. The department itself is no longer listed as a defendant. According…
U.S. Sen. Roger Marshall said Tuesday that he wants to minimize casualties and avoid a “forever war” as the United States negotiates with Iran to end the 100-day conflict. Marshall, a Republican representing Kansas, spoke to reporters in a video call Tuesday morning as U.S. officials continued talks in Switzerland. Marshall recalled Desert Storm in 1991, which he said was the first venture into “this Middle East quagmire.” To view the full article visit theMercury.com.
USD 383 students will be without their phones from the beginning of the school day to the end under a new policy the school board approved Wednesday to align with Kansas law. The Manhattan-Ogden school board at its meeting voted 6-1 to approve a policy prohibiting students from “using or accessing personal electronic communications devices during the school day while on district owned or operated property.” The school district had been developing its own cell phone policy, but officials decided they had to change tack after Gov. Laura Kelly signed into law a more stringent cell phone ban in March.…
We don’t yet know many of the specifics of a large-scale data center proposed for Pottawatomie County, which was presented to the public last month. The developer hasn’t shared the name of the company that would be the end-user, the size of the facility or details about its utility needs. But we’ve gathered some of the basic questions we’re hearing from residents about what could be a very large project and what it will mean for the region. Here’s what we know so far: What is a data center? A data center is really a bunch of computer servers, as…