Author: Troy Coverdale

Repairs on Fort Riley Boulevard will result in the two inside lanes of the street being closed between 10th Street and Juliette Avenue starting Tuesday. It’s forecast that the repairs could take several weeks as rain might delay work. Also, work on 14th Street and Beach Lane at Anderson Avenue will prompt the closure of the north and south sides of the intersection, beginning Tuesday. Pedestrian access at the intersection will be closed throughout as the city is working on the storm sewer, sidewalks and street. It’s expected the project will be completed in between six to eight weeks.

The coronavirus pandemic and the federal foreclosure moratorium have resulted in what one study says is nine million dollars in outstanding rent being built up in Flint Hills counties. The Manhattan Housing Authority is urging those facing issues tied to rental arrears that the Kansas Emergency Rental Assistance program is sending aid to 500 households statewide each week to help ease the backlog. MHA commissioner Brad Claussen tells KMAN the aid availability covers both ends of rental transactions. The Assistant Executive Director of the Manhattan Housing Authority, Mandy Thomas, tells KMAN that applications can be submitted to the agency online.…

Hospitals throughout the region continue to deal with the stress being placed on the system because of the spread of the COVID-19 Delta variant. Ascension Via Christi Critical Care Director Melanie Haestert tells KMAN that strain is taking a toll on nurses and other health care providers. With the ICU at Ascension Via Christi in Manhattan seeing between two and four COVID patients over the past few weeks, nurse Natasha Duncan tells KMAN treating them doesn’t mean a quick visit at any time. Duncan says that trend of unvaccinated patients claiming they wish they had made a different choice is…

The Manhattan City Commission Tuesday night signed off on city staff entering into a pre-development contract with a group that has proposed a 40 million dollar mixed use project for Laramie and 12th Street in Aggieville. The approval of entering into that deal, though, drew complaint from Commissioner Linda Morse, who feels the city should seek to sell the parking lot for it’s value rather than potentially allow Back 9 to purchase it for a dollar. Back 9 is wanting to build a retail, office and residential development named “FUSE” on the lot, but appraisal of the lot pegs it’s…

The controversy over a lack of a kitchen at the soon to open Eisenhower Recreation Center became part of the discussion over the 2022 Manhattan City Budget. Andrew Elliott used public comment time at the City Commission meeting Tuesday night to express frustration over the status of the Northview area as a “food desert”. Elliott accused city staff of failing to discuss in good faith the potential of placing a kitchen in the rec center to help ease some of the food insecurity issues. Mayor Wynn Butler was blunt in his response. Commissioner Linda Morse floated the idea of providing…

The Manhattan City Commission approved an ordinance on first reading to set the budget for 2022, a budget that will see a 3.499 mill levy increase. Mayor Wynn Butler noted the frustration he’s hearing from property owners as he provided the only “no” vote. Commissioner Aaron Estabrook, though, made clear that he’s concerned with a lack of interest in dealing with current issues bedeviling city operations. Commissioner Mark Hatesohl noted the bulk of that increase is the city’s share to fund the Riley County Police Department and Manhattan Public Library. Usha Reddi noted the increase doesn’t fully meet what city…

A number of interested parties in Manhattan are working to put together a plan of action for aiding Afghan refugees who may move to the community. City Commissioner and Army veteran Aaron Estabrook and Army veteran, K-State student and Afghan native Fatima Jaghoori are spearheading the effort, with a meeting earlier this week taking place to set the early portions of the plan. Estabrook tells KMAN that he was contacted by a number of Afghans already living in the area who had family airlifted from Kabul over the past couple weeks. Estabrook tells KMAN the group put together what they…

The current librarian for the State of Kansas will be taking over as the director of the Manhattan Public Library and the North Central Kansas Library System in time for New Years. Eric Norris will succeed Linda Knupp, who is retiring at the end of the year. He will begin his duties in Manhattan in late December. He has served as the state’s librarian since 2018 and was the director of the Hays Public Library for six years before that. The University of Kansas graduate holds a masters from Fort Hays State and one from Wisconsin-Milwaukee. Knupp has been the…

With Congress currently on a summer recess, First District Congressman Tracey Mann visited four Flint Hills communities for town halls Monday. In his Manhattan stop, the first term Republican from Quinter stated he’s looking for accountability at all levels for what he called “a debacle” in Afghanistan. Mann said there needs to be accountability for what he called the “intelligence failure” that allowed the current situation at the Kabul, Afghanistan, airport to develop. Responding to one constituent’s comments regarding clean energy, Mann said he’s of the belief that those in agriculture need to do more to tell about their efforts…

The City Commission heard Tuesday night that the city’s estimated cost for the reconstruction of the main runway at Manhattan Regional Airport had already gone up six million dollars. Bids are scheduled for April of next year. The majority of the more than 54 million dollar project will be covered by an FAA grant, but the city is currently on the hook for 11 million, 210 thousand dollars or more. Commissioner Usha Reddi asked if there was a way to lock in prices at current levels. The closure between April and early September of 2023 is actually a money saver…