Local News

Riley County officials are calling for an increase in the 2026 budget that would be a 17% property tax hike for the average homeowner. Commissioners on Thursday had their first budget work session and proposed a $58.35 million budget for 2026. That’s an increase of 5% over the 2025 budget, which was $55.46 million. Under [...]

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A Hutchinson man was hospitalized following a single-vehicle crash Friday afternoon on K-13 near Cedar Creek Road. According to the Kansas Highway Patrol, 43-year-old Zachary Lynn Stinson was driving south around 2 p.m. when his 2003 Toyota entered a curve near mile marker 3. The vehicle crossed into the northbound lane, then swerved back into [...]

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Junction City Police say all three suspects involved in a Wednesday night pursuit and subsequent manhunt are in custody. Deputies arrested 23-year-old Desmond Gragston and 23-year-old Derrick Givens, both of Kentucky, Thursday morning without incident. Both are charged with felony possession and distribution charges and interference with law enforcement. They are being held in the [...]

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Junction City Police say all three suspects involved in a Wednesday night pursuit and subsequent manhunt are in custody. Deputies arrested 23-year-old Desmond Gragston and 23-year-old Derrick Givens, both of Kentucky, Thursday morning without incident. Both are charged with felony possession and distribution charges and interference with law enforcement. They are being held in the [...]

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The National Job Corps Association was allowed to continue its operations after a federal judge on Wednesday granted a preliminary injunction to stop the U.S. Department of Labor from shutting it down. Melissa Graf is the executive director of Life Skills Connection, an organization that contracts with Job Corps in other parts of the country. [...]

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A Kentucky man was arrested Thursday morning after an overnight manhunt, stemming from a high speed chase on Interstate 70. According to the Junction City Police Department, 24-year-old Robeon Downs and two other suspects fled after their vehicle became disabled near McDowell Creek Road, shortly before midnight. A search of the suspect vehicle found 84 [...]

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A Kansas City woman is in custody after police allege she made a bomb threat at a Manhattan restaurant. The Riley County Police Department says 41-year-old Tisha Steenrod walked into the Taco Bell at 1155 Westport Road at around 5 p.m. Wednesday and told employees she had an explosive device. Officers were called to the [...]

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Deputy city manager Jason Hilgers presented a detailed overview of property valuations as the city prepares its 2026 budget. “We had about a 3.7% growth in Riley County and we had about a 5.5% growth in Pottawatomie County,” he said. “Together that made up about a 3.82% increase. So we grew by $27,540 per mill.” [...]

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City commissioners on Tuesday received a comprehensive overview of Manhattan’s utility rates, budget planning and property valuations, with city staff outlining the city’s financial health and future challenges. Director of public utilities Kevin Niles is recommending a 3% increase in water and wastewater rates to keep up with rising costs, fund critical maintenance and avoid [...]

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More than two dozen arrests have been made in connection to a year-long investigation into the distribution of methamphetamine and fentanyl within Junction City and Manhattan. According to a Tuesday news release from the Junction City Police Department, 28 warrants were executed out of Geary County District Court on June 16. Six individuals from Manhattan [...]

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