Brandon Peoples

Less than five weeks remain until the return of Fake Patty’s Day, the unofficial drinking holiday celebration for Kansas State University students in Manhattan. Riley County Police Department Captain Scott Hajek told Riley County commissioners Monday that he is “deeply involved” with planning for the day, which is scheduled for March 7. “The patrol division [...]

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The Kansas Supreme Court heard oral arguments this week in a long-running dispute over an amended planned unit development application by the Riley County Commission, which Prairiewood Holdings LLC has appealed. The dispute centers on whether a protest petition from neighboring landowners has met the legal threshold under state law. The county board initially ruled [...]

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Riley County commissioners on Thursday approved several requests from public works, including a recommendation to conduct a space needs assessment for the health department. Commissioners unanimously voted to hire ArchImages to do the study. “They’ve done the EMS station, they’re working on emergency management/fire and they’re familiar with the buildings around here,” public works director [...]

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A former Manhattan city commissioner and school board member has announced he’s seeking a seat in the Kansas Legislature. Aaron Estabrook has announced his candidacy for the Kansas House of Representatives in District 66, a seat held by Democrat Sydney Carlin since 2003. Estabrook will run as a member of the United Kansas party, an [...]

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Riley County commissioners approved a plan to keep the county’s waste transfer station open as it undergoes construction to install a new tipping floor and chute later this year. Assistant county engineer Evan McMillan presented two potential plans to commissioners Thursday. The board ultimately selected a proposal to construct a temporary chute and dumping area [...]

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Rich Vargo will not serve a ninth term as Riley County clerk. Vargo has been in office since 1997 and is in his eighth term as Riley County’s top administrator. “I do not intend to seek reelection in 2028,” Vargo said in an email to KMAN and The Mercury Thursday. He declined to comment further. [...]

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Authorities are investigating a fatal shooting in Junction City. The Junction City Police Department says officers were called to the 300 block of West Fourth Street late Saturday afternoon for a person possibly suffering from gunshot wounds. When officers arrived, they discovered 66-year-old John Day, of Junction City, with an apparent gunshot wound. Day was [...]

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Local government officials will soon get some concrete data on the feasibility of a second river crossing that would connect Manhattan and residents who live in Pottawatomie County. The topic is one that residents, especially those living east of the Big Blue River, have had at least some interest in debating, though it never materialized [...]

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Following Gov. Laura Kelly’s final State of the State address Tuesday night in Topeka, KMAN caught up with members of the local delegation, including State Rep. Sydney Carlin (D-Manhattan) and State Sen. Kenny Titus (R-Manhattan). Both provided their thoughts on the governor’s message and outlook for the 2026 legislative session. State Rep. Sydney Carlin  State [...]

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Riley County Public Works director John Ellermann highlighted a host of upcoming projects that will soon enter design, bidding or construction in the coming weeks. Design work continues for improvements on Marlatt Ave. after his office received drawings from local firm Benesch and the completion of a recent traffic study. “They favored turning lanes where [...]

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