Pottawatomie County will be expanding its board of county commissioners from three to five seats in the next general election, but getting to this point has been anything but simple. Voters approved expansion in November 2022, and many presumed expansion would occur during the next election cycle in 2023. However, complexities within state statute prompted [...]

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Riley County officials agreed Thursday to hold a future work retreat to further discuss facility upgrades and funding. Commissioners were presented with several ways to pay for the upgrades, either by bonding or possibly utilizing sales tax, but decided to have a more in-depth discussion first on what upgrades were needed. Commission Chair John Ford. Commissioners came [...]

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Riley County Police Department Director Brian Peete spoke to the Riley County Commission Thursday about a large scale active shooter training he’s planning in the area later this year. No date has been scheduled for when that will take place, but Peete says he has meetings scheduled this week with several top officials, including the head of [...]

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A Manhattan High School employee was battered Wednesday while trying to break up a fight between two students. The Riley County Police Department says a report for aggravated battery was filed just before 11:30 a.m. A 36-year-old woman and a 14-year-old boy were listed as victims. The woman had been intervening and was battered in [...]

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Authorities say the shooting incident at the Kansas City Chiefs’ Super Bowl celebration appeared to have stemmed from a personal dispute and not an act of terrorism. Kansas City Police Chief Stacey Graves confirmed during a Wednesday news conference that there are 23 victims, including one fatality. “The victims’ ages range between 8 years old and [...]

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A Manhattan woman was arrested on a Riley County District Court warrant Wednesday charging her with aggravated assault. The Riley County Police Department says 41-year-old Nicole Mallett was taken into custody in the 800 block of Dondee Drive. The warrant stems from an alleged incident last June, where Mallett is accused of driving an SUV [...]

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Spring burning season is just around the corner and Riley County Fire District #1 is teaming up with the Kansas Forest Service for some fire safety education later this month. A free Prescribed Fire & Controlled Burn class will take place at 6 p.m. Feb. 28 at Pottorf Hall, located within Manhattan’s CiCo Park. Registration [...]

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Riley County announced this week that private property has been secured for a non-discharging sewer lagoon in Keats. The purchase allows the county to begin an environmental assessment for the project. Commissioner Greg McKinley says it’s a long-time coming, following years of discussion and planning. Deputy County Counselor Shelley Woodard negotiated an agreement with Keats [...]

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A local school official says there never was any threat to the safety of students and staff at Rock Creek High School after a poem was found Tuesday that caused concern. Rock Creek USD 323 Superintendent Joan Simoneau spoke about the incident on KMAN’s In Focus Wednesday. School officials weren’t aware the poem was part [...]

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Manhattan city commissioners heard a progress report on the Beyond Tomorrow Downtown Plan at Tuesday’s work session. Senior Planner Ben Chmiel, with Manhattan’s Community Development Department, presented several different models, showing potential changes for downtown based on future growth and public feedback. Commissioner Karen McCulloh says she wants the city to be future focused when [...]

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