Brandon Peoples

Residents operating short-term rental properties in unincorporated areas of Riley County now must apply for a license, with yearly renewals, following updated regulations passed by the County Commission May 5th. This applies to Airbnb and Vrbo rentals. Licenses will be granted only once properties are in compliance with a list of requirements in the updated [...]

The Manhattan Area Chamber of Commerce announced Tuesday that a Canadian company will open a new commercial scale manufacturing plant in Manhattan. HydroGraph Clean Power, Inc. will produce graphene, nanomaterial used across many industries, and hydrogen for alternative-energy fuels. The company’s CEO Stuart Jara, cited the company chose to be near its research partners at [...]

Conditional use permits for proposed rock quarries in Pottawatomie County are getting some attention, primarily from local residents uninterested in living too close in proximity. One of them, requested by Mid-State Materials, would be located on Reves Road, south of Wheaton. But the planning commission recently recommended denying approval. The Pottawatomie County Board of Commissioners [...]

Both of Manhattan’s representatives in the Kansas House have filed for re-election. 66th District Representative Sydney Carlin announced this week her intent to seek another term. The 77-year-old Democrat has held the seat since 2003. She currently serves on the House Appropriations Committee and is the ranking member on the Agriculture Committee and Natural Resources [...]

The superintendent at USD 323 Rock Creek Schools is departing the district at the end of the school year. Kevin Logan was offered a contract last month to become superintendent at Hesston, in south-central Kansas. He’ll begin his duties July 1. “This area, this school district Rock Creek, in particular, is amazing. The community has [...]

COVID-19 tests will be available through Friday at the Riley County Health Department’s testing location at 3019 Anderson Ave. Health Department Director Julie Gibbs says free at-home test kits are available at the health department, the public library and the Leonardville City Offices. Several pharmacies, urgent care centers and most doctor’s offices will continue to [...]

Firefighters battled a wildfire Tuesday evening in a rural swath of northern Riley County. It began around 7 p.m. in the area near Bjorling Road, northeast of Randolph, starting near the recent Carlson Road fire. An estimated 180 acres burned into the evening, according to Riley County Fire District No. 1. There were no reports [...]

The Kansas Department of Transportation says it’s beginning a 2-week project south of Manhattan today that will interrupt traffic on the Zeandale Road. Drainage maintenance and concrete box repairs will be taking place on K-18 from the west junction to near the east junction of Harwood Road. KDOT says traffic will be controlled by temporary [...]

A conservative Manhattan business owner and attorney has filed for the 51st District House seat in the Kansas Legislature. Kenny Titus, co-owner of National Sports Network, a nationally syndicated play-by-play broadcast network and has degrees from both the University of Kansas and Kansas State University, the latter of which includes a B.S. in Journalism and [...]

After a decade in the Kansas Legislature, 51st District State Rep. Ron Highland is retiring. The 75-year-old Republican from Wamego stood on the House floor Monday to formally announce his intent, with his wife Linda of 53 years, by his side. “She’s always been my encouragement and my support throughout our marriage, especially these last nine [...]