Author: Rhonda Zellweger

Update: 8:30 p.m. Sunday Two people have been charged in connection to a suspected double homicide in Junction City. The Junction City Police Department says 33-year-old Steven Pierce and 29-year-old Kallie Peters, both of Junction City, were located in Michigan and arrested on two counts of felony murder, two counts of aggravated robbery and one count of felony theft. Investigators say the pair are suspected of killing 75-year-old Valerie Krissman and 80-year-old Roland Krissman, whose bodies were discovered by JCPD following a welfare check Saturday evening, in the 700 block of West 1st Street. Autopsies will be conducted later this…

Manhattan’s popular Third Thursday has some improvements this year. Downtown Manhattan Executive Director Gina Snyder says the first change is the event’s start date. The event series will begin in June instead of May but will still run for five months. Snyder says the normally outdoor-only party is also changing for the better. Artists will now be located inside vendor’s establishments; but music, dancing and other entertainment will remain on the sidewalks. Snyder says the changes are a result of the unpredictable Kansas weather, but says there’s more good news. Performers and Artists interested in entertaining at Third Thursday can apply at:…

Aggieville’s popular Fill the ‘Ville with Green Road Race enjoyed a record setting 1,500 participants Saturday morning, despite the bitter cold wind. It’s Manhattan’s oldest running event, and a home-town man crossed the finish line at 32 minutes 14 seconds, winning the 10K. Joe Moore says he moved away for awhile but again lives in the area. Moore says he’s run in the Saint Patty’s Day race about 25 times and has won the race five or six of those years. He ran with his parents as a child and says he’s participated in the Aggieville race since he was…

Riley County Commissioners are supportive of creating a task force to determine the future of the Riley County Fairgrounds. The KSU Foundation has proposed using their future livestock arena near the Stanley Stout Center as a centerpiece for what could become the new home of the Riley County Fair as well as the Kaw Valley Rodeo. The new 3,000 seat climate-controlled arena will break ground in January 2024. Riley County Extension Director Gary Fike noted Monday that fair board members in January decided that addressing current parking issues and maintenance with its facilities at CiCo Park, including Pottorf Hall are…

Ice on top of the water at Tuttle Creek State Park didn’t stop plungers Sunday. The annual Polar Plunge to support Special Olympics topped $10,000 just as teams began jumping into the frigid water. Junction City Police entered a team dressed as their main food group. Chief John Lamb explains.   Lamb says the event is enjoyable and a lot of fun, but there’s another reason for the freezin’.  RCPD’s new Director Brian Peete enjoyed his first day at the beach in his new hometown.  Members of his agency were dressed in costumes with a Rock ‘n Roll theme. After receiving…

The Flint Hills Breadbasket celebrated the Manhattan Souper Bowl on Saturday. The event began in 1995 and encourages residents to give canned goods to help stock the pantry’s shelves with warm soup for cold months. St Thomas More Knights of Columbus member, Kelly Adams, was helped collect donations at Dillons Saturday morning. Some of the Manhattan High Boys Basketball team was at Dillons helping out. Landon Knopp explains.   Their cart was filling up so quickly, they were moving donations to pallets. Miles Braxmeyer says he’s impressed with the community’s generosity.   Jason Kim explains why it’s important for the team…

The Riley County Attorney’s Office presented an odd request to the Board of County Commissioners Thursday County Attorney Barry Wilkerson says the prolonged closure of trial courts during the pandemic created a large backlog of cases. While he says his office has made progress getting the most serious felony cases through the system, a backlog of other lower level cases still remain. “We don’t usually come to the commission in February and ask for help, but this is something I think in the short term would be beneficial to us and also I believe it would be beneficial to the…

Elected officials are required to review districts to ensure equal population rates. Riley County residents comprise three districts, each represented by a commissioner. The districts were contiguous to each other years ago. County Clerk Rich Vargo explains. Vargo says the districts must be less than a 5% variation in population, and the current districts are within that range. However, District 1 (John Ford’s district) has current population of 21,683, which is 30.13% of the county population. District 2 (Greg McKinley’s district) has 24,981 and District 3 (Kathryn Focke’s district) has 25,295 residents; which is 34.72% and 35.15% respectively. The County Commissioners…

K-State students are very involved with the community, and the Hope Ranch Therapeutic Riding Center in Manhattan had some special guests Saturday. Program Coordinator and Barn Manager Tre Holmes talks about the students. He said Saturday was about honoring Dr. Martin Luther King Jr’s. Day of Service but noted that K-State students are often at the ranch volunteering. Holmes says riding lessons at the ranch are available for all ages and abilities.  When asked if the horses help with physical or emotional needs, Holmes responded:  He says therapy horses can help people cope with feelings, learn trust, gain confidence, overcome fears…

K-State’s Riley County Extension Office is volunteering for the IRS’s Volunteer Income Tax Assistance Program (VITA) again this year. They are offering free basic tax return preparation to qualified individuals starting Thursday, January 26th at the Manhattan Public Library. Extension Agent Director Gary Fike just returned from this year’s training and says there are a lot of changes this year which are going to negatively affect refunds.   Last year, VITA volunteers filed 724 returns. This year they’re prepared to file returns for active duty military and reserves.   The free service is by appointment only. Call 785- 565-6426 or email…