Pottawatomie County employees will get a slight mid-year pay increase following commission action Monday morning in Westmoreland. Commissioners unanimously settled on a 3.5 percent increase, effective July 1 to help assist employees struggling to stay afloat amid rising inflation. The increase was agreed upon after an initial proposal Monday from County Administrator Chad Kinsley, seeking [...]
Local officials will soon be considering annexation of a portion of the Green Valley area into Manhattan as part of the Scorpion Biological Systems development planned near Hwy 24 and Excel Road. Manhattan Area Chamber of Commerce Economic Development Director Daryn Soldan presented a timeline that includes the City of Manhattan planning to consider a [...]
The National Weather Service has confirmed that Saturday’s damage from the Spillway area was part of an EF-1 tornado that began 3 miles east of Olsburg on an 11 mile path toward the southeast side of Tuttle Creek Lake. The tornado was on the ground for about 13 minutes and had estimated peak winds at [...]
Tornadic thunderstorms impacted the Manhattan area Saturday night, producing a confirmed tornado near Tuttle Creek State Park on what was the 14th anniversary of the 2008 tornado, that caused widespread damage in the Little Apple. Numerous trees were uprooted at Tuttle Creek State Park Saturday, in the River Pond area and officials late in the [...]
An Onaga man escaped serious injuries after an accident in Atchison County. The Kansas Highway Patrol says 19-year-old Keegan Wood was southbound on US 73 when a deer ran into the roadway, striking his motorcycle, causing it to overturn. The crash occurred just after 1:30 p.m. about 4 and a half miles south of Atchison. [...]
2022 Cowboy Poetry Contest Finals (Friday 7 p.m. at the Flint Hills Discovery Center) The best cowboy poets in Kansas are taking the stage Friday for the state finals in the 2022 Cowboy Poetry Contest. The Flint Hills Discovery Center serves as the backdrop for the annual event. Poetry contest chair Ron Wilson, of the [...]
Newly installed Flint Hills Regional Council Executive Director Jerry Lonergan, provided his inaugural update to the Pottawatomie County Commission Monday. Lonergan says the council recently received a $500,000 Brownfields grant from the Environmental Protection Agency Region 7. The EPA officially presented the check to the council, during a ceremony Wednesday at the Geary County Commission [...]
Two new superintendents are taking over at Rock Creek and Wamego Public Schools this fall. Both made their debut appearance Wednesday on KMAN’s In Focus. Current Lansing High School Principal Rob McKim was hired Jan. 31 by the Wamego School Board. The Kansas native has spent most of his life involved in education. McKim will [...]
Brandon Peoples and Sam Hennigh contributed to this story Gas prices are no doubt causing adjustments in personal budgets, but what about local governments? Manhattan City Manager Ron Fehr says they fully expect inflation and record-high fuel costs to create challenges in developing next year’s budget. As for any adjustments in the current operating budget, [...]
Pottawatomie County Commissioners heard an hour of public comment Monday regarding a proposed rock quarry near Wheaton by Topeka-based Mid-States Materials. The Planning Commission voted earlier this spring 4-3 to recommend denial of a conditional use permit for the quarry. Concerned landowners spoke about why they are opposed to the project. Travis Ross, a fourth [...]
