Two men confined within the Riley County Police Department were arrested Wednesday afternoon for child sex crimes. Nathan Terpstra, 31, of Manhattan, was arrested on probable cause offenses of indecent liberties with a child and aggravated indecent liberties with a child. He is charged with 20 counts of each offense and his total bond was set at $400,000. Terpstra was still confined as of Thursday morning. Dawson Malone, 19, of Manhattan, was arrested on a Riley County District Court warrant for attempted sexual exploitation of a child and promotion of obscenity. His total bond was set at $15,000 and was…
Author: Peter Rice
Brandon Colson, 38, of Manhattan was arrested on Saturday around Midnight in the 1000 block of Laramie Street. Colson was arrested on the probable cause offense of abusing a child: knowingly torturing, cruelly beating, or striking a child under 6 years old. Colson has previous convictions for burglary, forgery and aggravated escape from custody, according to the Kansas Department of Corrections. His total bond for this case was set at $100,000. Colson was still confined as of Monday morning.
The Flint Hills Discovery Center unveiled its new “Amazing Butterflies” temporary children’s exhibit this weekend. Visitors can identify different butterfly species with puzzles, games, and challenges around every twist and turn. Marketing specialist Deanna Likes detailed the new exhibit… With the Sunflower Summer program, eligible Kansas families can visit for free from May 25 through August 11. Likes previewed the next temporary exhibit… The amazing butterfly exhibit will last until September 8th.
The Manhattan-Ogden USD 383 school board confirmed in a press release late Friday that Amber Cook was named as the new principal of Oliver Brown Elementary School. Cook has served as the Early Childhood Center Principal for Geary County since August of 2021. Prior to that, she was a 5th and 3rd grade elementary classroom teacher in the Gardner-Edgerton School District from 2016-2021. Cook received a Bachelor of Arts from Kansas State University in Elementary Education and a Master of Science in School Leadership from Baker University. Mrs. Cook will begin her new duties as principle starting July 1st. This…
Former Riley County USD 378 superintendent Brad Starnes recently announced he is running for the district 22 seat in the state senate. He dedicated 43 years to life to the education field and is running in the seat currently held by Sen. Usha Reddi who has held that role since Sen. Tom Hawk’s retirement in late 2022. Starnes explains why he believes he’s well-suited for the role… He added that he will hold other representatives accountable, especially when is comes to finances… He also says he believes working with those across the political aisle will help improve our government and…
Manhattan residents were treated on Thursday with perfect weather for the 2024 kickoff to the “Third Thursdays” annual series of street fairs. The event featured an interactive window mural of Vincent van Gogh’s “Starry Night” on the 4th street windows, as well as watercolor art, pottery, wood turning, henna tattoo, cross stitch, a cake walk, and many kids activities. Terry Ripple is a professional potter who has been attending Third Thursdays since the event began. He said he fell in love with pottery after taking a ceramics class at K-State back in 1980… Downtown Manhattan event manager Heather Hnizdill detailed…
Westmoreland Mayor Mark Jack recently updated the relief efforts taking place in Pottawatomie County. He said that city council has not yet decided on how to disperse the raised funds, but noted the council will soon be meeting with local groups and individuals for input. Jack also updated the total amount raised… The next steps for the city, he says, are for residents to reach out to the local government or one of the humanitarian organizations set up if they have major needs. Sen. Jerry Moran hinted last week that Westmoreland wouldn’t qualify for FEMA money, but Jack says they’re…
City Commission discussed their options regarding the Lee Mill Village lots at Tuesday’s meeting. Manhattan purchased 35 lots in 2017 and have sat there since the developer flaked on the city and left infrastructure in place with no plan. Several duplexes are being proposed by Frontier Development Group to be built on the last 10 remaining lots, pending a $260,000 cash incentive from the city. Commissioner Peter Oppelt believes the incentive will be necessary… Frontier proposes to build 12 units, with a total project cost of approximately $3.56 million. The project is estimated to produce more than double the amount…
Segment 1 – Rock Creek USD 323 Superintendent Joan Simoneau. Segment 2 – Wamego USD 320 Superintendent Rob McKim. Segments 3 & 4 – US Army Corps of Engineers Operations Manager Brian McNulty and Tuttle Creek Lake Park Manager Caleb Snider.
The Manhattan City Commission unanimously supported the first reading of an ordinance for a long-term downtown development plan. The Beyond Tomorrow Downtown Plan is a 25-year vision for policy and development in the downtown area, replacing the current plan adopted in 2000. It will serve as a guide for future housing, zoning and commercial activity in the district. Tuesday’s action amends the current Manhattan Urban Area Comprehensive Plan. Commissioners were all in support of how flexible the plan is. “It’s not prescriptive but it’s kind of more imaginative and kind of emphasizing the importance of taking every individual project in…