Local News

Updated as of 11 a.m. Wednesday Junction City Police and the Geary County Sheriff’s Office are investigating a threat made against Spring Valley Elementary School Wednesday morning. According to a release from JCPD Chief John Lamb, the threat was posted on social media and police immediately evacuated students and staff from the building upon learning [...]

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Former Pottawatomie County commissioner Stan Hartwich died suddenly Aug. 6 at the age of 65. Hartwich served 12 years on the commission in District 3, winning his initial election to the board through a write-in campaign. The longtime businessman owned and operated his own construction company and farmed and ranched in the area for many [...]

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Three months ago, following the end of perhaps the most unusual school year in recent times, masks were coming off, restrictions were being lifted and the end of the COVID-19 pandemic seemed in sight. School administrators now though are wrestling with the harsh reality of a continuation of restrictions, due to rising COVID numbers, fueled [...]

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Housing-study representation The Pottawatomie County Commission has requested representation on a Manhattan housing study steering committee. The discussion came up during Manhattan city manager Ron Fehr’s monthly update to the Pott County Commission. Fehr described during the discussion what exactly will be looked at during the study. The request for representation came after Commissioner Pat Weixelman [...]

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The Manhattan-Ogden school board will vote Wednesday whether to mandate mask wearing in district buildings through at least mid-September. An indoors mask requirement was announced two weeks ago but didn’t list an end date. The plan being reviewed and likely approved Wednesday would see masks required through Sept. 24 regardless of a person’s vaccination status. [...]

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Courtesy K-State Research & Extension MANHATTAN, Kan. – Representatives of two state organizations said that current programs are making headway in addressing Kansas’ looming housing crisis. “We know there are people who are unsheltered across the state and we know that many people are facing evictions,” said Ryan Vincent, the executive director of the Kansas Housing [...]

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Hot and humid weather can spark disease outbreaks on ornamental and garden vegetable plants. Riley County Extension Horticulture Agent Gregg Eyestone says fungicide treatments can only do so much. Eyestone goes on to emphasize the importance of letting the plants dry out after a bout of moisture as a preventative measure against disease. Fungicides are [...]

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The superintendent of schools in Geary County will be in place for another three years. USD 475 school board members voted Aug. 2 to extend Dr. Reginald Eggleston’s contract for three years, the maximum length allowed by Kansas statute. According to a district release, the decision was based on results of Dr. Eggleston’s leadership in [...]

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The former First Christian Church property Saturday was designated an historic site, following a ruling by the Kansas Historic Sites Board of Review. The 112-year-old building is currently owned by Riley County, who have previously expressed an intent to demolish the building. County Chair John Ford tuned in to the hearing Saturday held by the [...]

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Travelers have kept the Manhattan Regional Airport busy this summer with July statistics comparing more closely to its pre-pandemic levels. Director Jesse Romo says more people traveled out of Manhattan in July than in any month during the pandemic. Romo says those numbers not only rival July 2019 enplanement numbers, but also reflect a strong [...]

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