The Flints Hills Discovery Center hosted the 12th annual state finals for the Kansas Cowboy Poetry Contest Friday. After advancing through two regional competitions, seven finalists took the stage to perform all-original poems about the cowboy and ranch lifestyle. Scott Wiswell, of Valley City, placed first in the serious poetry category. Tim Keane, of Manhattan, [...]
Riley County crews were out Sunday assessing damage from Saturday evening’s severe storms. Teams from the Riley County Appraiser’s Office and Manhattan Fire Department’s Risk Reduction Division have been tasked with going through neighborhoods. Downed power lines and large tree limbs remain the most reported damages. Riley County’s Public Works Facilities sustained significant damage as [...]
Tornadic thunderstorms impacted the Manhattan area Saturday night, producing a confirmed tornado near Tuttle Creek State Park on what was the 14th anniversary of the 2008 tornado, that caused widespread damage in the Little Apple. Numerous trees were uprooted at Tuttle Creek State Park Saturday, in the River Pond area and officials late in the [...]
More charges were filed Friday against a 44-year-old man who once worked as a nurse at a Manhattan preschool. The Riley County Attorney’s Office has filed eight additional charges against Joshua Penabaz as part of an ongoing investigation. A news release from the Riley County Police Department alleges Penabaz raped a 5-year-old student while employed [...]
An Onaga man escaped serious injuries after an accident in Atchison County. The Kansas Highway Patrol says 19-year-old Keegan Wood was southbound on US 73 when a deer ran into the roadway, striking his motorcycle, causing it to overturn. The crash occurred just after 1:30 p.m. about 4 and a half miles south of Atchison. [...]
2022 Cowboy Poetry Contest Finals (Friday 7 p.m. at the Flint Hills Discovery Center) The best cowboy poets in Kansas are taking the stage Friday for the state finals in the 2022 Cowboy Poetry Contest. The Flint Hills Discovery Center serves as the backdrop for the annual event. Poetry contest chair Ron Wilson, of the [...]
Newly installed Flint Hills Regional Council Executive Director Jerry Lonergan, provided his inaugural update to the Pottawatomie County Commission Monday. Lonergan says the council recently received a $500,000 Brownfields grant from the Environmental Protection Agency Region 7. The EPA officially presented the check to the council, during a ceremony Wednesday at the Geary County Commission [...]
The National Weather Service in Topeka has confirmed two weak tornadoes from Tuesday night storms in Marshall and Republic Counties. A preliminary damage survey shows the Republic County tornado was an EF-1 and on the ground near the small community of Narka for about 3 and a quarter miles. It lasted about 10 minutes. Peak [...]
A bill introduced Thursday aims to open the use of COVID relief money to bolster school security. Called the “Safe Schools Act” and introduced by Sen. Roger Marshall (R-KS) and Rep. Mike Garcia (R-CA), the legislation if passed would allow Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief or ESSER funds approved by Congress to provide a [...]
Two new superintendents are taking over at Rock Creek and Wamego Public Schools this fall. Both made their debut appearance Wednesday on KMAN’s In Focus. Current Lansing High School Principal Rob McKim was hired Jan. 31 by the Wamego School Board. The Kansas native has spent most of his life involved in education. McKim will [...]
