Author: Peter Rice

Riley County saw its rural roots come out in full force this weekend as the fair, carnival, and rodeo highlighted the week’s events. County Extension Director Gary Fike said this was the most people he’s ever seen for the event since he’s been involved. “The turnout has been amazing, ” he said “This is my sixth fair here. And I think this Thursday night was the biggest Thursday night I’ve ever seen here. The Rodeo crowd was unbelievably large for Thursday. Friday night was really good. And as you can see here tonight, the whole fairgrounds is just packed with…

Read More

A Manhattan man is being held on a $250,000 bond at the Riley County Jail after being arrested on almost 100 counts of child sex crimes. 39-year-old Thomas Michael Quinn was arrested Friday night around 8:48 p.m. at “The Pointe on College” apartments. His full list of charges include: – Aggravated criminal sodomy of a child younger than 14 years old (1 Count) -Rape; victim is younger than 14 years old (22 Counts) -Aggravated indecent liberties with a child; Intercourse with a child between 14 and 16 years of age (17 Counts) -Abuse of a child; knowingly impeding breathing (2…

Read More

A Clay Center man is being held in the Riley County Jail after a night of alcohol-fueled reckless driving. Tucker Lee Lamore, 21, was arrested around 2:20 a.m. on probable cause offenses of aggravated battery, driving under the influence of drugs/alcohol, and reckless driving. His total bond was set at $12,000. Lamore was still confined at the time of this report.

Read More

City Commissioners will hear an update, next week, from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and City staff regarding the ongoing Manhattan Levee Project. The first phase of the project is nearly complete, and city staff are looking for direction on how to proceed with the next phases as projected costs have increased over $15 million since the 2019 project partnership agreement. The city has spent over $23 million in year to date expenses on the base project, with $2.6 million being generated from the storm water surcharge from 2021-2023. No action will be taken on the matter, as Tuesday…

Read More

A Manhattan teen is behind bars following a Wednesday morning arrest. 18-year-old Laynie Marie Perez was arrested at the Hilton Garden Inn around 9 a.m. and charged with aggravated assault and aggravated robbery; with both including the use of a deadly weapon. The apprehension stems from an incident that occurred in April of this year where a female was shot in the abdomen in Manhattan, Perez’s bond for these charges was set at $25,000, and she was still confined in the Riley County Jail as of Thursday.

Read More

A Manhattan resident is dead following a Sunday crash on Interstate 35 in Missouri. Four people were inside a Kia Sorento at the time of the crash. Victor B. Imad, 31, of Manhattan, died in the crash, and the three other occupants, all from Minnesota, were seriously injured in the crash. The crash occurred around 5 p.m. about seven miles north of Eagleville Missouri near the Iowa border. The vehicle was traveling north on the highway when it went off of the west side of the road and into the median. The Kia hit an emergency crossover, went airborne, and…

Read More

Penny Marie Webster, 59, was arrested in the 1100 block of Garden Way Sunday at 10 p.m. and is being held at the Riley County Jail on a bond of $125,000. Webster was booked on an another charge of distributing an unknown quantity of narcotics, in addition to the distribution causing death charge, and was still being held in the RCJ as of Monday.

Read More

In a social media post, President Joe Biden announced that he is dropping his reelection bid against Donald Trump. The announcement throws more turmoil into the election just months before voters go to the polls. Kansas Rep Tracey Mann responded to Biden’s decision saying… “I am confident that the November elections will give Republicans success up and down the ballot. No matter the Democratic nominee, Republicans have better ideas to unite Americans and save the country.” Biden’s decision comes after a poor debate performance that prompted many lawmakers to urge him to withdraw from the race. The president said he…

Read More

The average homeowner will see an increase of up to 13.6% in their Manhattan city property taxes next year, following a commission vote Tuesday. City commissioners at their meeting approved a resolution to levy a property tax exceeding the “revenue-neutral rate,” which is the rate at which the city would generate the same property tax revenue as the previous year using the current year’s assessed valuation. The state requires the city government to take certain steps to exceed that rate. Commissioners did not set a specific rate but passed the maximum increase at 52.929 mills, which they said would provide…

Read More

By Emma Loura / The Manhattan Mercury: Riley County officials are looking to fill a few positions. The county commission on Monday approved requests to hire a customer service provider in the treasurer’s office and a deputy chief position in the fire department. County treasurer Shilo Heger said the previous customer service worker in the department resigned. “We really need to have that front counter staffed fully in order to cover for illnesses, vacation days,” Heger said. “We do have one person’s driver’s license every day so I feel it’s a much-needed position in order to provide the customer service…

Read More