The National Night Out Event is Tuesday evening, and RCPD Lieutenant Scott Hajek invites all to attend. He says members from Riley County Police, Fire, EMS, Emergency Management, Manhattan Fire, and Fort Riley will be in attendance. Each agency will have equipment on display, and RCPD will be grilling hamburgers and hot dogs for the community. Hajek also gave some updates on the Riley County Police Department. The agency is conducting a community satisfaction survey. The survey is conducted about every two years, and is now available on their website and Facebook page. Hajek also noted that RCPD has continued…
Author: Rhonda Zellweger
Rhonda Zellweger
Rhonda is a retired public employee from Syracuse, New York; mom to two grown daughters; and a lifelong community volunteer. She was traveling in her camper after retirement when she discovered Kansas, then fell hard for the Flint Hills community. She bought a house in Manhattan, parked her camper, and KMAN taught the old dog new tricks. Being a reporter has only deepened her love of her new hometown. But, she thinks SU Basketball is the best. Go, ORANGE! contact her at: rhonda@1350kman.com
Public Hearings were held Monday for the Riley County 2023 budget, with commissioners ultimately approving the $80.5 million in estimated expenditures. There was a change to the County Fire District #1 budget due to a timing issue with publication. The ad valorem taxes-required rate therefore dropped from 8.153 to 7.633. The Revenue Neutral Rate requires ten days public notice but that isn’t necessary when lowering the rate. Budget and Finance Officer Darrel Edie commented on that. The budget had an additional $10 million in it when published in September, due to internal transfer money that Edie mistakenly included in the…
Big Lakes Developmental Center Director Lori Feldkamp informed the Riley County Commissioners today about a transportation issue they are dealing with. Feldkamp reminded the commissioners that the county matches the costs for buses, and KDOT told her it will cost more than $100,000 once the bus is available. The last bus they purchased was $74,000 in 2020. She says the maintenance costs are also mounting as their fleet ages. They have other vehicles and they do like those for the increased gas mileage and for not needing a commercial drivers license. However, the bus on order is still a necessity,…
As National Emergency Preparedness Month wraps up, Riley County Emergency Management reminds the community there are several reasons it could be unsafe to be outdoors, such as severe weather; hazardous materials; or some other imminent threat. Director Russel Stukey reminds the community that the Outdoor Warning Sirens are used for anytime there is an imminent danger to the public. Public Information Officer Vivienne Uccello understands the public tends to think of the sirens as indication of tornadic activity. But, she stresses the sirens are meant to warn people to go indoors because of a tornado or other imminent threats. She…
The Little Apple Pilot Club recently received a $2,500 grant to support Oliver Brown Elementary School with a makerspace. The grant comes from the Pilot International Founders Fund. Little Apple Pilot Club member Ann Knackendoffel explains. Pilot International is a foundation which aims to influence positive change in communities throughout the world. The local Club matched the grant and awarded it to Oliver Brown Elementary School in Manhattan to purchase equipment and supplies. Oliver Brown’s Library and Media Specialist Megan Morgan explains the Maker’s Space. Both educators agree that hands on learning enhances interest in a variety of career fields.…
There’s a new exciting exhibit at the Beach Museum of Art in Manhattan. The must-see installation opens to the public today. Visitors can explore ancient art of India through a captivating, immersive multimedia installation. Museum Curator Aileen June Wang explains: The Project’s Producer Rosey Guthrie and Director David Lebrun aligned and sequenced high-resolution photographs of sculptures from Southern India. The development and interrelationship of artistic symbols and themes from ancient cultures is displayed by use of intricate animation, and enhanced by music. Wang says the experience is unlike a typical museum visit. The project features images of ancient statues, dating…
October is National Community Planning Month. The American Planning Association Foundation says, “Planning is more important than ever as communities continue to navigate the disruptive changes brought about by the pandemic.” Each October, the Association celebrates the role that planning plays in creating great communities. Riley County Commissioner Chair Greg McKinley proclaimed, “Community planning provides an opportunity for all residents to be meaningfully involved in making choices that determine the future of the community. The full benefits of planning requires public officials and citizens to understand, support, and demand excellence in planning and plan implementation.” He added this is an…
Fort Riley hosted their annual Fall Apple Day Festival Saturday. There were displays and demonstrations throughout the day, in what was the military installation’s largest open house event since before the pandemic. Among the popular draws, families crowded the bleachers to see skills of dogs and their handlers. Staff Sergeant Cameron Thomas Jones with the 523rd Military Working Dog Detachment. Jones’ group demonstrated basic obedience, advanced detection, and law enforcement duties The Commanding General’s Mounted Color Guard based at Fort Riley was another large crowd draw. First Sergeant Roy Walters shares what it personally means to him to be the…
Riley, Geary, and Pottawatomie Counties have joined forces as The Wildcat Region to apply for a grant. Riley County Health Department Director Julie Gibbs explains to the Riley County Commissioners Thursday morning. The grant is offered by KDHE and is intended to help support efforts to prevent opioid abuse. The counties plan to use the possible grant by hiring a part-time community health specialist who will help educate the public. Only fifty percent of the grant can be used toward income. Other plans include streamlining the referral system for those treated at area hospitals for an overdose; and helping addicted persons make an…
The K-State Research and Extension Office recently hosted a poverty simulation at Wamego High School. Tuesday’s event, Living on the Edge – The Realities of Living Paycheck to Paycheck in Today’s World, was attended by about forty community members. Pottawatomie County Family Consumer Science Agent Erin Tynon explains. The decisions involved housing and utilities, clothing and laundry, meals, transportation, childcare, communications, personal care, recreation, and insurance. Each decision created decisions in other areas of the budget. If the family owned a used car, they had to use some of their budget for auto insurance. If they chose work-sponsored health insurance,…