Brandon Peoples

Riley County commissioners are considering a restructure of county leadership that could see the creation of a county administrator position. The board on Monday heard a presentation from attorney David Cooper, with Topeka-based law firm Fisher, Patterson, Sayler & Smith, LLP. Cooper was hired by commissioners to conduct an investigation into non-elected personnel. Cooper declined [...]

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A Manhattan man found himself back in custody Friday, less than three days after being arrested for a slew of drug charges. It’s his third drug-related arrest since Dec. 30. Scott Marchand, 48, was arrested at 11:17 a.m. near the area of U.S. Highway 24 and Southport Drive after a traffic stop by the Pottawatomie [...]

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Very high fire danger continues across the area with strong winds, low humidity and warm temperatures. Officials continue to post burn bans across the state after fires erupted Tuesday. Officials in Riley and Pottawatomie County confirmed to The Mercury Wednesday morning that there were no local reports of any grass fires caused by the conditions. [...]

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The city of Wamego has been awarded a moderate income housing grant totaling nearly $468,000 from the Kansas Housing Resources Corporation for new housing development. The funds will support construction of 24 multifamily rental units as part of an expansion to the North Ridge apartments on the city’s west side. “Typically, the MIH grants are $650,000,” said [...]

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Manhattan Regional Airport’s long-planned Taxiway Alpha reconstruction continues moving forward, with engineers outlining construction phases and a projected timeline during Monday’s Airport Advisory Board meeting. Olsson engineer Brian Coomes, the project manager for the Taxiway Alpha project, said early design work revealed challenging soil conditions. “Testing results showed some expansive soil and some weaker soil [...]

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Riley County commissioners are eager to move back in to their offices downtown, but public works director John Ellermann said Monday they may need a bit more patience. During his update on county projects, Ellermann said the Courthouse Plaza East window replacement project — which began in July — is completed, but renovations inside the [...]

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Riley County property valuations are going up an average of 3% to 10%, according to current market data, officials said Monday. “That’s the most common increase that we’re seeing on the residential properties,” said Anna Burson, Riley County appraiser. “That’s just reflecting the market, high demand, low supply. It’s driving those price points up again.” [...]

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Bowlers showed up to the K-State Union bowling alley over the weekend to roll strikes and show support for youth mentorship. Big Brothers Big Sisters hosted the Bowling for Kids’ Sake fundraiser Saturday. It was the second annual event since it restarted after the COVID-19 pandemic. North Central area director Michelle Sink said all money [...]

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Riley County officials painted a grim picture of rising employee benefit costs following a new long-term analysis presented to county commissioners Thursday. The county’s human resources and budget and finance departments recently completed a seven-year review of benefit expenses, which concluded that the county’s long-standing estimate is no longer sufficient. Since 2020, Riley County budgeted [...]

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A familiar voice has filed for a seat on the Riley County Commission. Democrat Rob Voelker announced Monday his intent to seek the District 1 seat currently held by Republican John Ford. The 46-year-old former broadcaster says running for public office is a new challenge he wanted to take on. “I am deeply invested in [...]

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