Riley County seeing declines in number of COVID infections
Riley County COVID numbers continue to improve, with state health officials lowering the weekly incidence rate to a moderate level Wednesday. According to data provided by the Riley County Health Department Wednesday, 18 new COVID-19 cases were recorded the week of Sept. 17 through Sept. 23. That lowered the incidence rate per 100,000 people to [...]

The Little Apple Pilot Club recently received a $2,500 grant to support Oliver Brown Elementary School with a makerspace. The grant comes from the Pilot International Founders Fund. Little Apple Pilot Club member Ann Knackendoffel explains. Pilot International is a foundation which aims to influence positive change in communities throughout the world. The local Club [...]
There’s a new exciting exhibit at the Beach Museum of Art in Manhattan. The must-see installation opens to the public today. Visitors can explore ancient art of India through a captivating, immersive multimedia installation. Museum Curator Aileen June Wang explains: The Project’s Producer Rosey Guthrie and Director David Lebrun aligned and sequenced high-resolution photographs of [...]
An Illinois man convicted earlier this year for assaulting his former girlfriend two years ago at a Manhattan hotel, to the point she sustained temporary hearing loss, has been sentenced to 30 years in prison. Isain Lopez, 26, was sentenced Tuesday by Riley County District Court Judge Kendra Lewison to 272 months on his conviction [...]
No injuries were reported after a tractor caught fire Tuesday afternoon near Leonardville. Volunteer crews with Riley County Fire District No. 1 were dispatched around 1:30 p.m. to a rural area near Fairview Church and Walnut Creek Roads. Upon arrival, they found a John Deere silage chopper tractor fully engulfed in flames. Seven volunteer firefighters [...]
A Manhattan man convicted of killing two men will spend the next 32 years behind bars. Montrell Vassar was sentenced by Riley County District Court Judge John Bosch Monday, to 387 months in prison for his role in the shooting deaths of 23-year-old Javon Gray and 19-year-old Skylar Havens. The pair were gunned down from [...]
October is National Community Planning Month. The American Planning Association Foundation says, “Planning is more important than ever as communities continue to navigate the disruptive changes brought about by the pandemic.” Each October, the Association celebrates the role that planning plays in creating great communities. Riley County Commissioner Chair Greg McKinley proclaimed, “Community planning provides [...]
A status hearing for Robert Iacobellis was held Monday, as the defendant appeared yet again without counsel, weeks after dismissing his court-appointed attorneys. Iacobellis, who stands charged with 27 counts of sexual abuse involving four individuals, informed Judge Kendra Lewison that he has been unable to secure funding to hire Lawrence-based attorney Christopher Joseph. He [...]
Riley, Geary, and Pottawatomie Counties have joined forces as The Wildcat Region to apply for a grant. Riley County Health Department Director Julie Gibbs explains to the Riley County Commissioners Thursday morning. The grant is offered by KDHE and is intended to help support efforts to prevent opioid abuse. The counties plan to use the possible grant by [...]