By Scott Edger&nbsp; Little Apple Post&nbsp;

Riley County Commissioners addressed emergency response in the&nbsp;northern&nbsp;part of the county at their meeting Monday morning&nbsp;

David&nbsp;Adams, Riley County EMS director,&nbsp;informed commissioners about&nbsp;initial discussions regarding a long-awaited expansion of emergency response&nbsp;capabilities&nbsp;in north Riley&nbsp;County.&nbsp;EMS station in north Riley County&nbsp;&nbsp;

Adams’ data analysis reveals&nbsp;that the&nbsp;northern&nbsp;part of the county&nbsp;experiences&nbsp;its highest number of calls during times when volunteer responders in rural Riley County are least available, according to Adams.&nbsp;

EMS from the station would respond in an SUV that would be fully arrayed&nbsp;with life-saving equipment, but patients would&nbsp;still have to wait for an ambulance for actual emergency transport.&nbsp;

According to Adams, staffing&nbsp;he facility with two emergency workers, seven day a week, 12&nbsp;hours a day&nbsp;would cost an estimated $230,000 annually&nbsp;- including benefits and training.&nbsp;&nbsp;

Adams acknowledged that the concept does not address every need, but would enhance EMS capabilities,&nbsp;lower&nbsp;response times and improve&nbsp;immediate care.&nbsp;

Commissioner John Ford said he recognizes the desire for greater service in the&nbsp;area and is open to the idea of stationing responders&nbsp;in Leonardville, but the&nbsp;limited number of calls in the area would make creating a full ambulance&nbsp;station “a hard sell,” he said.&nbsp;&nbsp;

Stationing&nbsp;two&nbsp;full-time responders in Leonardville would complicate&nbsp;changes&nbsp;planned by Riley County Emergency Services and&nbsp;other&nbsp;agencies.&nbsp;Russell Stukey,&nbsp;director&nbsp;of&nbsp;Emergency Management, said&nbsp;there are several other options available that his department could pursue.&nbsp;

Commissioner Greg McKinley was responsive to the plan. However, he&nbsp;said&nbsp;the area needs&nbsp;a&nbsp;more comprehensive emergency service&nbsp;and&nbsp;worried&nbsp;that the&nbsp;limited-service&nbsp;plan would be&nbsp;more&nbsp;than a temporary fix.&nbsp;

“I’m worried it&nbsp;will become permanent,” he said, but we need to add something&nbsp;up in the north part of the county.”&nbsp;

Commissioners asked Adams to&nbsp;nail down&nbsp;financial&nbsp;details&nbsp;and&nbsp;logistical issues for the proposed Leonardville service.&nbsp;Commissioners want to see details by early spring.&nbsp;

“In the grand scope of things,&nbsp;we can justify it in next year’s budget,” Ford said.&nbsp;“Having&nbsp;some service&nbsp;up there&nbsp;is long overdue.”&nbsp;

By Scott Edger&nbsp; Little Apple Post&nbsp;Riley County Commissioners addressed emergency response in the&nbsp;northern&nbsp;part of the county at their meeting Monday morning&nbsp;David&nbsp;Adams, Riley County EMS director,&nbsp;informed commissioners about&nbsp;initial discussions regarding a long-awaited expansion of emergency response&nbsp;capabilities&nbsp;in north Riley&nbsp;County.&nbsp;EMS station in north Riley County&nbsp;&nbsp;Adams’ data analysis reveals&nbsp;that the&nbsp;northern&nbsp;part of the county&nbsp;experiences&nbsp;its highest number of calls during times when volunteer responders in rural Riley County are least available, according to Adams.&nbsp;EMS from the station would respond in an SUV that would be fully arrayed&nbsp;with life-saving equipment, but patients would&nbsp;still have to wait for an ambulance for actual emergency transport.&nbsp;According to Adams, staffing&nbsp;he facility with two emergency workers, seven day a week, 12&nbsp;hours a day&nbsp;would cost an estimated $230,000 annually&nbsp;- including benefits and training.&nbsp;&nbsp;Adams acknowledged that the concept does not address every need, but would enhance EMS capabilities,&nbsp;lower&nbsp;response times and improve&nbsp;immediate care.&nbsp;Commissioner John Ford said he recognizes the desire for greater service in the&nbsp;area and is open to the idea of stationing responders&nbsp;in Leonardville, but the&nbsp;limited number of calls in the area would make creating a full ambulance&nbsp;station “a hard sell,” he said.&nbsp;&nbsp;Stationing&nbsp;two&nbsp;full-time responders in Leonardville would complicate&nbsp;changes&nbsp;planned by Riley County Emergency Services and&nbsp;other&nbsp;agencies.&nbsp;Russell Stukey,&nbsp;director&nbsp;of&nbsp;Emergency Management, said&nbsp;there are several other options available that his department could pursue.&nbsp;Commissioner Greg McKinley was responsive to the plan. However, he&nbsp;said&nbsp;the area needs&nbsp;a&nbsp;more comprehensive emergency service&nbsp;and&nbsp;worried&nbsp;that the&nbsp;limited-service&nbsp;plan would be&nbsp;more&nbsp;than a temporary fix.&nbsp;“I’m worried it&nbsp;will become permanent,” he said, but we need to add something&nbsp;up in the north part of the county.”&nbsp;Commissioners asked Adams to&nbsp;nail down&nbsp;financial&nbsp;details&nbsp;and&nbsp;logistical issues for the proposed Leonardville service.&nbsp;Commissioners want to see details by early spring.&nbsp;“In the grand scope of things,&nbsp;we can justify it in next year’s budget,” Ford said.&nbsp;“Having&nbsp;some service&nbsp;up there&nbsp;is long overdue.”&nbsp;

Leonardville EMS station proposed

Cinnamon Toast Crunch upside the head On December 18, two females reported that a 21- and an 18-year-old female were in an altercation with them, and the 21-year-old female suspect hit the 18-year-old victim in the head with a toaster. Officers filed a report for aggravated battery and domestic battery in Manhattan. Lakesha Randolph, 21, of Manhattan was arrested in connection for aggravated battery. Randolph is currently confined in the Riley County Jail on a total bond of $5,000.&nbsp;

At least the 13 is out now On December 19, an 18-year-old female reported that a 17-year-old male had broken her Apple iPhone 12 Pro. Officers filed a report for attempted domestic battery and criminal damage to property in Manhattan. The estimated loss is $1,200.&nbsp;

Blackmail On December 19, a 22-year-old female reported that a 23-year-old male threatened her with a gun and blackmailed her out of $2,000. Officers filed a report for aggravated assault, domestic battery, blackmail and breach of privacy in Manhattan.

Cinnamon Toast Crunch upside the head On December 18, two females reported that a 21- and an 18-year-old female were in an altercation with them, and the 21-year-old female suspect hit the 18-year-old victim in the head with a toaster. Officers filed a report for aggravated battery and domestic battery in Manhattan. Lakesha Randolph, 21, of Manhattan was arrested in connection for aggravated battery. Randolph is currently confined in the Riley County Jail on a total bond of $5,000.&nbsp;At least the 13 is out now On December 19, an 18-year-old female reported that a 17-year-old male had broken her Apple iPhone 12 Pro. Officers filed a report for attempted domestic battery and criminal damage to property in Manhattan. The estimated loss is $1,200.&nbsp;Blackmail On December 19, a 22-year-old female reported that a 23-year-old male threatened her with a gun and blackmailed her out of $2,000. Officers filed a report for aggravated assault, domestic battery, blackmail and breach of privacy in Manhattan.

Police Briefs

On December 19, Officers responded to the intersection of Wreath and Dickens Avenues in Manhattan around 3:19 p.m. 

When officers arrived on scene, they found a 2013 Hyundai Sonata driven by Mehmet Celebi, 60, of Manhattan had failed to yield the right of way at a stop sign and collided with a 2011 Kia Sportage driven by Tessa Henry, 22, of Manhattan. 

Henry was transported to Via Christi for evaluation of shoulder and side pain. 

Celebi was issued a citation for failure to yield right of way at a stop sign.&nbsp;

On December 19, Officers responded to the intersection of Wreath and Dickens Avenues in Manhattan around 3:19 p.m. When officers arrived on scene, they found a 2013 Hyundai Sonata driven by Mehmet Celebi, 60, of Manhattan had failed to yield the right of way at a stop sign and collided with a 2011 Kia Sportage driven by Tessa Henry, 22, of Manhattan. Henry was transported to Via Christi for evaluation of shoulder and side pain. Celebi was issued a citation for failure to yield right of way at a stop sign.&nbsp;

Accident sends Manhattan woman to hospital

The RCPD is looking&nbsp;for&nbsp;two&nbsp;individuals in connection with a string of burglaries&nbsp;

The RCPD would like to speak with anyone who can help identify the people in these pictures concerning burglaries of eight storage units at Taylor Self Storage in Manhattan on December 18 between 1:00 - 2:00 a.m.&nbsp;&nbsp;

The&nbsp;two people were seen driving a red Jeep Grand Cherokee.&nbsp;

If you have any information about these people or the&nbsp;burglaries&nbsp;please contact the Riley County Police Department at (785) 537-2112 or Crime Stoppers at (785) 539-7777.&nbsp;

The RCPD is looking&nbsp;for&nbsp;two&nbsp;individuals in connection with a string of burglaries&nbsp;The RCPD would like to speak with anyone who can help identify the people in these pictures concerning burglaries of eight storage units at Taylor Self Storage in Manhattan on December 18 between 1:00 - 2:00 a.m.&nbsp;&nbsp;<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/12/1640019271954.jpeg" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>The&nbsp;two people were seen driving a red Jeep Grand Cherokee.&nbsp;If you have any information about these people or the&nbsp;burglaries&nbsp;please contact the Riley County Police Department at (785) 537-2112 or Crime Stoppers at (785) 539-7777.&nbsp;

Riley County PD searching for burglary suspects 

Manhattan’s Ward and Brenda Morgan are once again&nbsp;financial spearheads in&nbsp;the improvement of the city and campus of&nbsp;Kansas State University.&nbsp;&nbsp;

The Kansas Board of Regents approved the university’s&nbsp;request to name its new band hall in honor of Frank Tracz, longtime professor of music and director of bands at K-State.&nbsp;The gift to name the band hall&nbsp;was made by&nbsp;Ward and Brenda Morgan.&nbsp;

The Tracz Family Band Hall,&nbsp;which will be on the northwest side of Memorial Stadium following renovation work,&nbsp;will provide the Pride of Wildcat Land, the university's marching band, with designated rehearsal, storage and office space next to the Memorial Stadium field where the band practices.&nbsp;&nbsp;

Tracz is looking forward to the band's equipment, offices and practice areas all in one location and said that the band hall has been a goal of his since he came to K-State in 1993.&nbsp;

"To have the entire athletic band program, including Classy Cats, color guard, twirlers, drumline, Cat bands, volleyball band, pub crawl band and the marching band, all rehearse in one building is amazing," Tracz said.&nbsp;

"I was at the dedication of the Bill Snyder Family Stadium, and I will always remember Coach Snyder talking about his family and the football family,” he said. “I feel the same about my family and the band family. I am humbled, honored and so very proud to have this band hall named after my 'family.' I am so very grateful to all the donors who made this possible. We play for you. Thank you."&nbsp;

The Morgans' gift, along with other philanthropic support, will fund the renovation, expected to begin in spring 2022 and be completed by the end of the year.&nbsp; &nbsp; Ward Morgan graduated from K-State in 1993 with a degree in management. The Morgans have supported a variety of programs at K-State, from&nbsp;the College of Business Administration to&nbsp;athletics&nbsp;and&nbsp;McCain Auditorium.&nbsp;Their love for the K-State Marching Band inspired them to give to the band hall project.&nbsp; &nbsp; "We are so blessed at Kansas State to have such an amazing band and to have Frank Tracz be the one who directs it all," the Morgans said. "To see The Pride all under one roof fills our hearts with joy.&nbsp;To see the new facility named for the Tracz family is more than deserving."&nbsp; &nbsp;

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/12/1639763611986.jpeg" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>Manhattan’s Ward and Brenda Morgan are once again&nbsp;financial spearheads in&nbsp;the improvement of the city and campus of&nbsp;Kansas State University.&nbsp;&nbsp;The Kansas Board of Regents approved the university’s&nbsp;request to name its new band hall in honor of Frank Tracz, longtime professor of music and director of bands at K-State.&nbsp;The gift to name the band hall&nbsp;was made by&nbsp;Ward and Brenda Morgan.&nbsp;The Tracz Family Band Hall,&nbsp;which will be on the northwest side of Memorial Stadium following renovation work,&nbsp;will provide the Pride of Wildcat Land, the university's marching band, with designated rehearsal, storage and office space next to the Memorial Stadium field where the band practices.&nbsp;&nbsp;Tracz is looking forward to the band's equipment, offices and practice areas all in one location and said that the band hall has been a goal of his since he came to K-State in 1993.&nbsp;<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/12/1639763890309.png" alt="Frank Tracz" />
 <figcaption>Frank Tracz</figcaption>
 </figure>"To have the entire athletic band program, including Classy Cats, color guard, twirlers, drumline, Cat bands, volleyball band, pub crawl band and the marching band, all rehearse in one building is amazing," Tracz said.&nbsp;"I was at the dedication of the Bill Snyder Family Stadium, and I will always remember Coach Snyder talking about his family and the football family,” he said. “I feel the same about my family and the band family. I am humbled, honored and so very proud to have this band hall named after my 'family.' I am so very grateful to all the donors who made this possible. We play for you. Thank you."&nbsp;The Morgans' gift, along with other philanthropic support, will fund the renovation, expected to begin in spring 2022 and be completed by the end of the year.&nbsp; &nbsp; Ward Morgan graduated from K-State in 1993 with a degree in management. The Morgans have supported a variety of programs at K-State, from&nbsp;the College of Business Administration to&nbsp;athletics&nbsp;and&nbsp;McCain Auditorium.&nbsp;Their love for the K-State Marching Band inspired them to give to the band hall project.&nbsp; &nbsp; "We are so blessed at Kansas State to have such an amazing band and to have Frank Tracz be the one who directs it all," the Morgans said. "To see The Pride all under one roof fills our hearts with joy.&nbsp;To see the new facility named for the Tracz family is more than deserving."&nbsp; &nbsp;

New K-State band hall will honor Tracz

Somebody&nbsp;really&nbsp;wanted&nbsp;inside...&nbsp; On December 16, a 24- and a 65-year-old male reported&nbsp;that someone&nbsp;attempted to break into their car,&nbsp;damaging the driver's door, trunk lid, and tail light.&nbsp;Officers filed a report for criminal damage to property in the 3000 block of Tuttle Creek Boulevard&nbsp;in Manhattan.&nbsp;

The&nbsp;loss is approximately $1,500.&nbsp;&nbsp;

Stolen Camry: A Mystery on Moro On December 17, an 18-year-old female reported that someone stole her green 2007 Toyota Camry.&nbsp;Officers filed a report for theft in the 900 block of Moro Street&nbsp;in&nbsp;Manhattan.&nbsp;

The&nbsp;estimated loss is $6,000.&nbsp;&nbsp;

Anyone with information can contact RCPD or the Manhattan Riley County Crime Stoppers. Using the Crime Stoppers service can allow you to remain anonymous and could qualify you for a cash reward of up to $1,000.&nbsp;

Police briefs

It was bell-to-bell for the Manhattan Fire Department during Wednesday’s wind storm.&nbsp;

The MFD responded to 63 calls Wednesday.&nbsp;The daily number is typically seven or eight, according to&nbsp;Deputy Fire Chief Ryan&nbsp;Almes.&nbsp;&nbsp;

The&nbsp;immediacy and intensity&nbsp;of yesterday’s storm were&nbsp;peculiar, Almes said.&nbsp;“We’ve been through&nbsp;a lot of severe&nbsp;weather events,” he said, “but we’ve never dealt&nbsp;with such strong, sustained winds. This was something entirely different.”&nbsp;

Almes said things&nbsp;were happening so fast&nbsp;yesterday that, rather than driving&nbsp;back to the station after a call,&nbsp;fire crews&nbsp;were&nbsp;finding&nbsp;space to park the equipment and await the next call.&nbsp;

“When that smoke rolled in,” Almes said, “it smelled like everything was on fire. The smoke made it very&nbsp;hard to see,&nbsp;and&nbsp;having to re-route around&nbsp;entire roads&nbsp;blocked by branches and debris blowing all around made&nbsp;things so slow... it was definitely surreal.”&nbsp;

The department was deluged with reports&nbsp;of structure fires&nbsp;all evening, but&nbsp;crews were unable to report a single confirmed structure fire.&nbsp;The only fires MFD responded to were trees and vegetation ignited by downed power lines.&nbsp; &nbsp; Due to the high call volume, the department instituted the Adaptive Response Plan for several hours in the late afternoon. The plan prioritizes all calls based on the hazard and location, lowers the number of units responding to each call for service, and stops our emergency medical first response program.&nbsp;&nbsp;

At the height of the event,&nbsp;MFD&nbsp;had&nbsp;10 apparatus,&nbsp;three&nbsp;battalion chiefs, and 41 personnel assisting with responses&nbsp;-&nbsp;double the&nbsp;typically scheduled personnel.&nbsp;&nbsp;

It was bell-to-bell for the Manhattan Fire Department during Wednesday’s wind storm.&nbsp;The MFD responded to 63 calls Wednesday.&nbsp;The daily number is typically seven or eight, according to&nbsp;Deputy Fire Chief Ryan&nbsp;Almes.&nbsp;&nbsp;The&nbsp;immediacy and intensity&nbsp;of yesterday’s storm were&nbsp;peculiar, Almes said.&nbsp;“We’ve been through&nbsp;a lot of severe&nbsp;weather events,” he said, “but we’ve never dealt&nbsp;with such strong, sustained winds. This was something entirely different.”&nbsp;Almes said things&nbsp;were happening so fast&nbsp;yesterday that, rather than driving&nbsp;back to the station after a call,&nbsp;fire crews&nbsp;were&nbsp;finding&nbsp;space to park the equipment and await the next call.&nbsp;“When that smoke rolled in,” Almes said, “it smelled like everything was on fire. The smoke made it very&nbsp;hard to see,&nbsp;and&nbsp;having to re-route around&nbsp;entire roads&nbsp;blocked by branches and debris blowing all around made&nbsp;things so slow... it was definitely surreal.”&nbsp;The department was deluged with reports&nbsp;of structure fires&nbsp;all evening, but&nbsp;crews were unable to report a single confirmed structure fire.&nbsp;The only fires MFD responded to were trees and vegetation ignited by downed power lines.&nbsp; &nbsp; Due to the high call volume, the department instituted the Adaptive Response Plan for several hours in the late afternoon. The plan prioritizes all calls based on the hazard and location, lowers the number of units responding to each call for service, and stops our emergency medical first response program.&nbsp;&nbsp;At the height of the event,&nbsp;MFD&nbsp;had&nbsp;10 apparatus,&nbsp;three&nbsp;battalion chiefs, and 41 personnel assisting with responses&nbsp;-&nbsp;double the&nbsp;typically scheduled personnel.&nbsp;&nbsp;

Emergency calls fast and furious

During yesterday’s wind storm,&nbsp;Riley County&nbsp;Fire District 1&nbsp;had to their own fires as&nbsp;racing&nbsp;grass fires&nbsp;from as far west as Hays&nbsp;churned up&nbsp;walls of&nbsp;soot and ash. 

The&nbsp;tremendous&nbsp;wind speeds prevented the&nbsp;smoke&nbsp;from&nbsp;rising&nbsp;and dissipating&nbsp;into the&nbsp;upper atmosphere.&nbsp;

By late afternoon,&nbsp;the haze was a dusty patina and&nbsp;burnt grass from a&nbsp;hundred&nbsp;miles away&nbsp;stung&nbsp;noses&nbsp;and eyes all over the county.&nbsp;

Riley&nbsp;County&nbsp;Fire District 1&nbsp;responded&nbsp;to fires around the&nbsp;county, the largest of&nbsp;which&nbsp;was north of Randolph on Hilltop Road.&nbsp;&nbsp;

Despite&nbsp;calls to contain&nbsp;numerous&nbsp;grass fires&nbsp;throughout the storm,&nbsp;Riley County&nbsp;Emergency&nbsp;Management&nbsp;Director&nbsp;Russell Stukey said that he was not aware of any significant structure&nbsp;damage&nbsp;in the county.&nbsp;&nbsp;

“All 15 of our stations responded to&nbsp;calls,” Stukey said, “some of them&nbsp;went&nbsp;back twice.”&nbsp;

Sparks from downed powerlines caused most of the fires. “There is significant damage to&nbsp;power lines and large numbers of fallen trees and&nbsp;poles,” Stukey said&nbsp;

Stukey&nbsp;said he does not have&nbsp;specific figures for downed power lines, but he&nbsp;is now gathering damage assessments for all&nbsp;county facilities.&nbsp;

During yesterday’s wind storm,&nbsp;Riley County&nbsp;Fire District 1&nbsp;had to their own fires as&nbsp;racing&nbsp;grass fires&nbsp;from as far west as Hays&nbsp;churned up&nbsp;walls of&nbsp;soot and ash. The&nbsp;tremendous&nbsp;wind speeds prevented the&nbsp;smoke&nbsp;from&nbsp;rising&nbsp;and dissipating&nbsp;into the&nbsp;upper atmosphere.&nbsp;By late afternoon,&nbsp;the haze was a dusty patina and&nbsp;burnt grass from a&nbsp;hundred&nbsp;miles away&nbsp;stung&nbsp;noses&nbsp;and eyes all over the county.&nbsp;Riley&nbsp;County&nbsp;Fire District 1&nbsp;responded&nbsp;to fires around the&nbsp;county, the largest of&nbsp;which&nbsp;was north of Randolph on Hilltop Road.&nbsp;&nbsp;All fires have been extinguished.&nbsp;Despite&nbsp;calls to contain&nbsp;numerous&nbsp;grass fires&nbsp;throughout the storm,&nbsp;Riley County&nbsp;Emergency&nbsp;Management&nbsp;Director&nbsp;Russell Stukey said that he was not aware of any significant structure&nbsp;damage&nbsp;in the county.&nbsp;&nbsp;“All 15 of our stations responded to&nbsp;calls,” Stukey said, “some of them&nbsp;went&nbsp;back twice.”&nbsp;Sparks from downed powerlines caused most of the fires. “There is significant damage to&nbsp;power lines and large numbers of fallen trees and&nbsp;poles,” Stukey said&nbsp;Stukey&nbsp;said he does not have&nbsp;specific figures for downed power lines, but he&nbsp;is now gathering damage assessments for all&nbsp;county facilities.&nbsp;

Fire District 1 battles fires, haze

Evergy&nbsp;announced that&nbsp;Wednesday's&nbsp;massive wind storm created&nbsp;the company’s&nbsp;the highest-ever power outage event.&nbsp;

As of 5 a.m. this morning, more than 1000 customers are still without power, according to Evergy.

This announcement came at 8:30 p.m. Wednesday after&nbsp;unrelenting winds surged&nbsp;out of southwest&nbsp;Kansas, across the state&nbsp;and into Missouri.&nbsp;&nbsp;

Gusts over 100 mph&nbsp;took&nbsp;down&nbsp;many power lines&nbsp;and tree limbs, causing over 200,000 people&nbsp;in the area to lose power.&nbsp;

Evergy&nbsp;said the unique thing about this storm&nbsp;was&nbsp;its&nbsp;sheer breadth –&nbsp;spreading&nbsp;out from Nebraska&nbsp;to Oklahoma and across&nbsp;the company’s&nbsp;entire service territory.&nbsp;

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/12/1639655179050.jpeg" alt="Many trees on the K-State campus were damaged by Wednesday's ferocious winds" />
 <figcaption>Many trees on the K-State campus were damaged by Wednesday's ferocious winds</figcaption>
 </figure>Evergy&nbsp;announced that&nbsp;Wednesday's&nbsp;massive wind storm created&nbsp;the company’s&nbsp;the highest-ever power outage event.&nbsp;As of 5 a.m. this morning, more than 1000 customers are still without power, according to Evergy.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/12/1639657830223.png" alt="Power outages across the region. --from Evergy" />
 <figcaption>Power outages across the region. --from Evergy</figcaption>
 </figure>This announcement came at 8:30 p.m. Wednesday after&nbsp;unrelenting winds surged&nbsp;out of southwest&nbsp;Kansas, across the state&nbsp;and into Missouri.&nbsp;&nbsp;Gusts over 100 mph&nbsp;took&nbsp;down&nbsp;many power lines&nbsp;and tree limbs, causing over 200,000 people&nbsp;in the area to lose power.&nbsp;Evergy&nbsp;said the unique thing about this storm&nbsp;was&nbsp;its&nbsp;sheer breadth –&nbsp;spreading&nbsp;out from Nebraska&nbsp;to Oklahoma and across&nbsp;the company’s&nbsp;entire service territory.&nbsp;<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/12/1639654694996.jpeg" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>

Storm spawns record power failures

A little eager to open gifts...&nbsp; On December 14, UPS reported a 21-year-old male opened packages and stole six cell phones and other electronic devices.&nbsp;Officers filed a report for theft in the 1100 block of Hayes Drive in&nbsp;Manhattan.&nbsp;The estimated loss is still to be determined.&nbsp;

Don’t hide cash in your mattress.&nbsp;Also&nbsp;don’t hide your mattress in your house, evidently On December 14, a 31-year-old male reported that someone broke into his unoccupied home and stole two Samsung televisions, clothes, dishes, nail gun, air compressor,&nbsp;a mattress,&nbsp;and $3,500 in cash.&nbsp;Officers filed a report for burglary in the 3000 block of Tuttle Creek Boulevard&nbsp;in&nbsp;Manhattan. The&nbsp;estimated loss is approximately $9,450.&nbsp;&nbsp;

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/11/1635959253549.jpeg" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>A little eager to open gifts...&nbsp; On December 14, UPS reported a 21-year-old male opened packages and stole six cell phones and other electronic devices.&nbsp;Officers filed a report for theft in the 1100 block of Hayes Drive in&nbsp;Manhattan.&nbsp;The estimated loss is still to be determined.&nbsp;Don’t hide cash in your mattress.&nbsp;Also&nbsp;don’t hide your mattress in your house, evidently On December 14, a 31-year-old male reported that someone broke into his unoccupied home and stole two Samsung televisions, clothes, dishes, nail gun, air compressor,&nbsp;a mattress,&nbsp;and $3,500 in cash.&nbsp;Officers filed a report for burglary in the 3000 block of Tuttle Creek Boulevard&nbsp;in&nbsp;Manhattan. The&nbsp;estimated loss is approximately $9,450.&nbsp;&nbsp;Anyone with information can contact RCPD or the Manhattan Riley County Crime Stoppers. Using the Crime Stoppers service can allow you to remain anonymous and could qualify you for a cash reward of up to $1,000.&nbsp;

Due to the high winds and dry conditions, no burning will be allowed in Riley County today, according to the Northeast Kansas Regional Notification System.

The rangeland fire danger index will be in the extreme category this afternoon. Extreme fire danger means that fires start quickly...spread furiously and burn intensely. All fires are potentially serious. 

All outdoor burning should be avoided in areas with extreme fire danger.

RED FLAG WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT FROM NOON TO 9 PM&nbsp;

Due to the high winds and dry conditions, no burning will be allowed in Riley County today, according to the Northeast Kansas Regional Notification System.The rangeland fire danger index will be in the extreme category this afternoon. Extreme fire danger means that fires start quickly...spread furiously and burn intensely. All fires are potentially serious. All outdoor burning should be avoided in areas with extreme fire danger.RED FLAG WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT FROM NOON TO 9 PM&nbsp;

Extreme fire danger today

Drivers are urged to stay alert because strong winds can result in sudden periods of limited or zero visibility due to blowing dust.&nbsp;The&nbsp;National&nbsp;Weather Service issued a High-Wind Warning for&nbsp;Wednesday, and&nbsp;sustained&nbsp;straight-line&nbsp;winds&nbsp;of&nbsp;more than 40 mph.&nbsp;&nbsp;

Thanks to relative humidity levels&nbsp;below&nbsp;20 percent and widespread gusts over 70 mph, the wind will certainly&nbsp;kick up&nbsp;the loose soil.&nbsp;

The KHP says people simply staying in place is the safest bet. People should avoid driving, especially&nbsp;into or through an active&nbsp;dust storm.&nbsp;

Understand that driver judgment is the most important factor when driving in adverse conditions,&nbsp;and&nbsp;if you&nbsp;encounter a low-visibility dust storm, make sure to have your headlights on.&nbsp;

Above all,&nbsp;if you have to drive&nbsp;do not wait until poor visibility makes it difficult to safely pull off the roadway. Completely exit the highway safely while you still can.&nbsp;

If you start to lose&nbsp;visibility, do&nbsp;not stop in a travel lane;&nbsp;quickly&nbsp;look for a safe place to pull completely off the paved portion of the roadway.&nbsp;Stop the vehicle in a position ensuring it is a safe distance from the main roadway and away from other vehicles.&nbsp;

Authorities urge drivers to resist the urge to park with the vehicle’s emergency flashers turned on.&nbsp;If you have parked off the roadway, your lights&nbsp;will likely&nbsp;confuse other drivers.&nbsp;Always turn off all vehicle lights, including your emergency flashers, while parked.&nbsp;&nbsp;

Stay in the vehicle with your seatbelt buckled and wait for the storm to pass.&nbsp;&nbsp;

Drivers of high-profile vehicles should be especially aware of changing weather conditions and travel at reduced speeds.&nbsp;

A driver's alertness and safe driving ability is still the number one factor to prevent crashes.&nbsp; &nbsp;

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/12/1639566436900.jpeg" alt="For up-to-date road closures and road conditions, please call 511 or check travel information online at the <a href="https://www.ksdot.org/offTransInfo/511Info/511traffictravel.asp">Kansas road conditions website</a>, or the <a href="https://www.kandrive.org/kandrive/@-101.43512,39.04521,6?show=roadReports,constructionReports,trafficSpeeds,winterDriving,weatherRadar">Kansas Department of Transportation website</a>.&nbsp;" />
 <figcaption>For up-to-date road closures and road conditions, please call 511 or check travel information online at the <a href="https://www.ksdot.org/offTransInfo/511Info/511traffictravel.asp">Kansas road conditions website</a>, or the <a href="https://www.kandrive.org/kandrive/@-101.43512,39.04521,6?show=roadReports,constructionReports,trafficSpeeds,winterDriving,weatherRadar">Kansas Department of Transportation website</a>.&nbsp;</figcaption>
 </figure>Drivers are urged to stay alert because strong winds can result in sudden periods of limited or zero visibility due to blowing dust.&nbsp;The&nbsp;National&nbsp;Weather Service issued a High-Wind Warning for&nbsp;Wednesday, and&nbsp;sustained&nbsp;straight-line&nbsp;winds&nbsp;of&nbsp;more than 40 mph.&nbsp;&nbsp;Thanks to relative humidity levels&nbsp;below&nbsp;20 percent and widespread gusts over 70 mph, the wind will certainly&nbsp;kick up&nbsp;the loose soil.&nbsp;The KHP says people simply staying in place is the safest bet. People should avoid driving, especially&nbsp;into or through an active&nbsp;dust storm.&nbsp;<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/12/1639566772566.png" alt="Climate elements are converging over the central U.S. This map reveals the extent of potential weather system energy today." />
 <figcaption>Climate elements are converging over the central U.S. This map reveals the extent of potential weather system energy today.</figcaption>
 </figure>Understand that driver judgment is the most important factor when driving in adverse conditions,&nbsp;and&nbsp;if you&nbsp;encounter a low-visibility dust storm, make sure to have your headlights on.&nbsp;Above all,&nbsp;if you have to drive&nbsp;do not wait until poor visibility makes it difficult to safely pull off the roadway. Completely exit the highway safely while you still can.&nbsp;If you start to lose&nbsp;visibility, do&nbsp;not stop in a travel lane;&nbsp;quickly&nbsp;look for a safe place to pull completely off the paved portion of the roadway.&nbsp;Stop the vehicle in a position ensuring it is a safe distance from the main roadway and away from other vehicles.&nbsp;Authorities urge drivers to resist the urge to park with the vehicle’s emergency flashers turned on.&nbsp;If you have parked off the roadway, your lights&nbsp;will likely&nbsp;confuse other drivers.&nbsp;Always turn off all vehicle lights, including your emergency flashers, while parked.&nbsp;&nbsp;Stay in the vehicle with your seatbelt buckled and wait for the storm to pass.&nbsp;&nbsp;Drivers of high-profile vehicles should be especially aware of changing weather conditions and travel at reduced speeds.&nbsp;A driver's alertness and safe driving ability is still the number one factor to prevent crashes.&nbsp; &nbsp;

KS Highway Patrol warning against travel during wind storm 

Hot and cold air masses are crashing together in southwestern Kansas and weather experts are expecting Wednesday morning’s dawn to see&nbsp;damaging winds&nbsp;raging&nbsp;across&nbsp;north central and northeast Kansas.&nbsp;&nbsp;

The National Weather Service has issued a&nbsp;High-Wind&nbsp;Warning in effect from 9:00 AM to 9:00 PM Wednesday.&nbsp;

Emergency management officials are warning people&nbsp;to&nbsp;take this weather event seriously.&nbsp;

According to the NWS,&nbsp;sustained&nbsp;southwesterly&nbsp;winds of over 40 mph&nbsp;with&nbsp;frequent&nbsp;gusts above 70 mph.&nbsp;

Officials say the volatility will&nbsp;create isolated, unstable thunderstorms. Trees and power lines will be blown down and widespread power outages are expected.&nbsp;

Andrew Baker, senior communications manager for&nbsp;Evergy,&nbsp;said the utility company has a full complement&nbsp;of&nbsp;crews in place ready to respond.&nbsp;Baker said&nbsp;that&nbsp;Evergy has&nbsp;an active tree trimming and vegetation management program that, in addition to&nbsp;regular maintenance work, is the&nbsp;company’s&nbsp;best defense against high winds.&nbsp;

“With 70 mph winds, we could still experience wind-caused outages,” Baker said, adding that&nbsp;If customers experience an outage, it can be reported online at evergy.com or called in at 888-544-4852.&nbsp;Evergy&nbsp;has automated outage reporting that&nbsp;processes&nbsp;reports&nbsp;from many customers at once without a hold time.&nbsp;

The ferocious winds and low humidity&nbsp;combine to pose a severe fire danger as well. The NWS has issued a&nbsp;Fire Weather Watch for Wednesday, as&nbsp;critical fire weather conditions&nbsp;are forecast to persist.&nbsp;&nbsp;

Manhattan and Riley County are&nbsp;in FEMA wind zone IV, the highest inland wind category.&nbsp;

People should avoid being outside in forested areas and around trees and branches. If possible, remain in the lower levels of your home during the windstorm, and avoid windows. Travel will be difficult, especially for high profile vehicles. Officials are urging&nbsp;caution if you must drive.&nbsp;

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/12/1639518331305.jpeg" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>Hot and cold air masses are crashing together in southwestern Kansas and weather experts are expecting Wednesday morning’s dawn to see&nbsp;damaging winds&nbsp;raging&nbsp;across&nbsp;north central and northeast Kansas.&nbsp;&nbsp;The National Weather Service has issued a&nbsp;High-Wind&nbsp;Warning in effect from 9:00 AM to 9:00 PM Wednesday.&nbsp;Emergency management officials are warning people&nbsp;to&nbsp;take this weather event seriously.&nbsp;According to the NWS,&nbsp;sustained&nbsp;southwesterly&nbsp;winds of over 40 mph&nbsp;with&nbsp;frequent&nbsp;gusts above 70 mph.&nbsp;<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/12/1639518580433.jpeg" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>Officials say the volatility will&nbsp;create isolated, unstable thunderstorms. Trees and power lines will be blown down and widespread power outages are expected.&nbsp;Andrew Baker, senior communications manager for&nbsp;Evergy,&nbsp;said the utility company has a full complement&nbsp;of&nbsp;crews in place ready to respond.&nbsp;Baker said&nbsp;that&nbsp;Evergy has&nbsp;an active tree trimming and vegetation management program that, in addition to&nbsp;regular maintenance work, is the&nbsp;company’s&nbsp;best defense against high winds.&nbsp;“With 70 mph winds, we could still experience wind-caused outages,” Baker said, adding that&nbsp;If customers experience an outage, it can be reported online at evergy.com or called in at 888-544-4852.&nbsp;Evergy&nbsp;has automated outage reporting that&nbsp;processes&nbsp;reports&nbsp;from many customers at once without a hold time.&nbsp;The ferocious winds and low humidity&nbsp;combine to pose a severe fire danger as well. The NWS has issued a&nbsp;Fire Weather Watch for Wednesday, as&nbsp;critical fire weather conditions&nbsp;are forecast to persist.&nbsp;&nbsp;Manhattan and Riley County are&nbsp;in FEMA wind zone IV, the highest inland wind category.&nbsp;People should avoid being outside in forested areas and around trees and branches. If possible, remain in the lower levels of your home during the windstorm, and avoid windows. Travel will be difficult, especially for high profile vehicles. Officials are urging&nbsp;caution if you must drive.&nbsp;

Violent windstorm on the way

MANHATTAN, KAN. – Joshua Cummings, 20, of Ft. Riley was arrested without incident this afternoon in connection to the shooting that occurred at Tate’s Bar in Aggieville early Sunday morning.

Cummings was arrested at 3:45 p.m. by RCPD officers, with assistance from Ft. Riley officials, on the charges of attempted second-degree murder and aggravated battery.

He is currently being held in the Riley County Jail in lieu of bond, pending his first appearance in court.

RCPD Detectives continue to investigate this incident. Anyone with information, pictures or videos from the incident to please contact Detective Janelle Compagnone at (785) 537-2112 ext. 2301 orjcompagnone@rileycountypolice.org

MANHATTAN, KAN. – Joshua Cummings, 20, of Ft. Riley was arrested without incident this afternoon in connection to the shooting that occurred at Tate’s Bar in Aggieville early Sunday morning.Cummings was arrested at 3:45 p.m. by RCPD officers, with assistance from Ft. Riley officials, on the charges of attempted second-degree murder and aggravated battery.He is currently being held in the Riley County Jail in lieu of bond, pending his first appearance in court.RCPD Detectives continue to investigate this incident. Anyone with information, pictures or videos from the incident to please contact Detective Janelle Compagnone at (785) 537-2112 ext. 2301 orjcompagnone@rileycountypolice.org

Aggieville shooting suspect arrested

The City of Manhattan Parks and Recreation Department has re-opened Eisenhower Recreation Center.&nbsp;

The facility was temporarily closed yesterday following a break in one of the overhead sprinkler lines.&nbsp;

The issue was repaired and staff was able to clean up with little to no permanent damage. All courts are open and available for use.

Eisenhower Rec is located at 2850 Kirkwood Drive, and is open Monday-Thursday 8AM–8PM,&nbsp;Fridays 8AM–6PM,&nbsp;Saturdays 9AM–2PM, and&nbsp;Sundays Noon–6PM&nbsp;&nbsp;

The City of Manhattan Parks and Recreation Department has re-opened Eisenhower Recreation Center.&nbsp;The facility was temporarily closed yesterday following a break in one of the overhead sprinkler lines.&nbsp;The issue was repaired and staff was able to clean up with little to no permanent damage. All courts are open and available for use.Eisenhower Rec is located at 2850 Kirkwood Drive, and is open Monday-Thursday 8AM–8PM,&nbsp;Fridays 8AM–6PM,&nbsp;Saturdays 9AM–2PM, and&nbsp;Sundays Noon–6PM&nbsp;&nbsp;

Rec Center towels off, re-opens

The Geary County Sheriff's Office is seeking the public’s help locating the person or person&nbsp;involved in a gruesome act of animal cruelty.&nbsp;

Officers are&nbsp;investigating&nbsp;two&nbsp;deceased dogs that were found with gunshot wounds around Burley Hill area. The animals,&nbsp;a black and tan shepherd mix and a chocolate lab,&nbsp;were found&nbsp;a week apart from each other&nbsp;in late November and early December.&nbsp;&nbsp;

Anyone with&nbsp;information&nbsp;is asked to&nbsp;contact&nbsp;the Junction City Animal Shelter&nbsp;at 785-238-1359 or the Geary County Sheriff’s Office 785-238-2261.&nbsp;

The Geary County Sheriff's Office is seeking the public’s help locating the person or person&nbsp;involved in a gruesome act of animal cruelty.&nbsp;Officers are&nbsp;investigating&nbsp;two&nbsp;deceased dogs that were found with gunshot wounds around Burley Hill area. The animals,&nbsp;a black and tan shepherd mix and a chocolate lab,&nbsp;were found&nbsp;a week apart from each other&nbsp;in late November and early December.&nbsp;&nbsp;Anyone with&nbsp;information&nbsp;is asked to&nbsp;contact&nbsp;the Junction City Animal Shelter&nbsp;at 785-238-1359 or the Geary County Sheriff’s Office 785-238-2261.&nbsp;

Investigators search for dog killers

On December 13, a 28-year-old male reported that someone stole a Dewalt impact driver, drill, oscillating saw, batteries and a charger; Milwaukee drill and driver bits; a Craftsman socket wrench; a Vaughn hammer; and a pry bar from the bed of his truck. Officers filed a report for theft in the 2600 block of Buttonwood Drive&nbsp;in Manhattan.&nbsp;The estimated loss&nbsp;is $830.&nbsp;&nbsp;

On December 13, a 28-year-old male reported that someone stole a Dewalt impact driver, drill, oscillating saw, batteries and a charger; Milwaukee drill and driver bits; a Craftsman socket wrench; a Vaughn hammer; and a pry bar from the bed of his truck. Officers filed a report for theft in the 2600 block of Buttonwood Drive&nbsp;in Manhattan.&nbsp;The estimated loss&nbsp;is $830.&nbsp;&nbsp;Anyone with information can contact RCPD or the Manhattan Riley County Crime Stoppers. Using the Crime Stoppers service can allow you to remain anonymous and could qualify you for a cash reward of up to $1,000.&nbsp;

On December 10, Howie’s Recycling Trash Service, the City of Manhattan,&nbsp;Evergy, Fortress, Inc.,&nbsp;Centruri&nbsp;Group, Inc., and a 49-year-old male reported someone damaged and vandalized multiple construction sites and buildings.&nbsp;Officers filed five reports for criminal damage to property&nbsp;in the 3900 block of Victory Drive in Manhattan.&nbsp;The&nbsp;estimated&nbsp;total loss is $16,200.&nbsp;&nbsp;

On December 11, a 21-year-old female reported an unknown suspect posing as a police deputy told her a friend needed $2,000 in money packs for a bond payment and to give them the information for the money packs.&nbsp;Officers filed a report for theft by deception.&nbsp;

On December 12,&nbsp;a 65-year-old male as the victim when it was reported an unknown suspect stole his black&nbsp;flatbed&nbsp;single axle H&amp;H trailer in the 2000 block of Tuttle Creek Boulevard in Manhattan.&nbsp;Officers filed a report for theft.&nbsp;The estimated loss is $2,300.&nbsp;&nbsp;

On December 10, Howie’s Recycling Trash Service, the City of Manhattan,&nbsp;Evergy, Fortress, Inc.,&nbsp;Centruri&nbsp;Group, Inc., and a 49-year-old male reported someone damaged and vandalized multiple construction sites and buildings.&nbsp;Officers filed five reports for criminal damage to property&nbsp;in the 3900 block of Victory Drive in Manhattan.&nbsp;The&nbsp;estimated&nbsp;total loss is $16,200.&nbsp;&nbsp;On December 11, a 21-year-old female reported an unknown suspect posing as a police deputy told her a friend needed $2,000 in money packs for a bond payment and to give them the information for the money packs.&nbsp;Officers filed a report for theft by deception.&nbsp;On December 12,&nbsp;a 65-year-old male as the victim when it was reported an unknown suspect stole his black&nbsp;flatbed&nbsp;single axle H&amp;H trailer in the 2000 block of Tuttle Creek Boulevard in Manhattan.&nbsp;Officers filed a report for theft.&nbsp;The estimated loss is $2,300.&nbsp;&nbsp;Anyone with information can contact RCPD or the Manhattan Riley County Crime Stoppers. Using the Crime Stoppers service can allow you to remain anonymous and could qualify you for a cash reward of up to $1,000.&nbsp;

Shortly&nbsp;after 1 p.m. on&nbsp;Sunday,&nbsp;December 12, emergency crews responded to&nbsp;the intersection of East&nbsp;Marlatt Avenue&nbsp;and Casement Road&nbsp;in Manhattan.&nbsp;&nbsp;

Upon arrival, officers&nbsp;found a&nbsp;dirt&nbsp;bike&nbsp;driven by Konrad Stein, 24, of Michigan had hit a 2013 Hyundai Elantra driven by Samantha King, 30, of Manhattan as she was turning at the intersection. Stein, a lieutenant at Fort Riley,&nbsp;was transported to Via Christi for treatment of serious lacerations and later life-flighted to Stormont Vail’s trauma center in Topeka.&nbsp;

Shortly&nbsp;after 1 p.m. on&nbsp;Sunday,&nbsp;December 12, emergency crews responded to&nbsp;the intersection of East&nbsp;Marlatt Avenue&nbsp;and Casement Road&nbsp;in Manhattan.&nbsp;&nbsp;Upon arrival, officers&nbsp;found a&nbsp;dirt&nbsp;bike&nbsp;driven by Konrad Stein, 24, of Michigan had hit a 2013 Hyundai Elantra driven by Samantha King, 30, of Manhattan as she was turning at the intersection. Stein, a lieutenant at Fort Riley,&nbsp;was transported to Via Christi for treatment of serious lacerations and later life-flighted to Stormont Vail’s trauma center in Topeka.&nbsp;

Dirt bike hits vehicle, rider flown to critical care center

A little before 8&nbsp;a.m.&nbsp;on Monday, crew from the Manhattan Fire Department was dispatched to Howie's Recycling&nbsp;at&nbsp;625 S. 10th Street&nbsp;in Manhattan,&nbsp;for a report of a structure fire. Crews found a pile of items for recycle including vehicles and appliances on fire. It was quickly extinguished with no injuries. The smoke was visible for miles.&nbsp;

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/12/1639408521233.jpeg" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure><figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/12/1639408560892.jpeg" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure><figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/12/1639408689334.jpeg" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure><figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/12/1639408593708.jpeg" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>A little before 8&nbsp;a.m.&nbsp;on Monday, crew from the Manhattan Fire Department was dispatched to Howie's Recycling&nbsp;at&nbsp;625 S. 10th Street&nbsp;in Manhattan,&nbsp;for a report of a structure fire. Crews found a pile of items for recycle including vehicles and appliances on fire. It was quickly extinguished with no injuries. The smoke was visible for miles.&nbsp;--courtesy Manhattan FD

Garbage fire at Howies 

Power companies discover&nbsp;21st&nbsp;century&nbsp; More than 50 power companies have&nbsp;<a href="https://www.theverge.com/2021/12/7/22822454/power-companies-utilities-ev-fast-charging-network" target="_blank">announced the&nbsp;National Electric Highway Coalition</a>, with a plan to all contribute to a national coast-to-coast electric charging network.&nbsp; &nbsp; The meeting (and your job) was ended by the host&nbsp; The CEO of mortgage company better.com has apologized after&nbsp;<a href="https://www.theguardian.com/business/2021/dec/08/bettercom-boss-vishal-garg-apologises-firing-staff-zoom-call" target="_blank">firing 900 employees over Zoom</a>.&nbsp; &nbsp; Thumbs up&nbsp; Data&nbsp;on the most-used&nbsp;emoji&nbsp;of the year?&nbsp;<a href="https://www.theverge.com/2021/12/3/22816001/most-popular-emoji-2021-face-with-tears-of-joy" target="_blank">That would be here</a>.&nbsp;

But you promised...&nbsp; More than&nbsp;90,000 Russian troops&nbsp;are believed to be&nbsp;<a href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-59567377" target="_blank">massed near Ukraine's border</a>. Some&nbsp;fear a potential invasion, despite a two-hour video call between Biden and Putin in which Putin promised otherwise.&nbsp; &nbsp; Partly cloudy day for Amazon&nbsp; Amazon's cloud computing unit&nbsp;Amazon Web Services&nbsp;was&nbsp;<a href="https://www.cnbc.com/2021/12/07/amazon-web-services-outage-causes-issues-at-disney-netflix-coinbase.html" target="_blank">hit with an outage on Tuesday</a>, which caused disruption&nbsp;to services like Netflix, Slack, Disney, Ticketmaster and Amazon itself.&nbsp;

Power companies discover&nbsp;21st&nbsp;century&nbsp; More than 50 power companies have&nbsp;<a href="https://www.theverge.com/2021/12/7/22822454/power-companies-utilities-ev-fast-charging-network" target="_blank">announced the&nbsp;National Electric Highway Coalition</a>, with a plan to all contribute to a national coast-to-coast electric charging network.&nbsp; &nbsp; The meeting (and your job) was ended by the host&nbsp; The CEO of mortgage company better.com has apologized after&nbsp;<a href="https://www.theguardian.com/business/2021/dec/08/bettercom-boss-vishal-garg-apologises-firing-staff-zoom-call" target="_blank">firing 900 employees over Zoom</a>.&nbsp; &nbsp; Thumbs up&nbsp; Data&nbsp;on the most-used&nbsp;emoji&nbsp;of the year?&nbsp;<a href="https://www.theverge.com/2021/12/3/22816001/most-popular-emoji-2021-face-with-tears-of-joy" target="_blank">That would be here</a>.&nbsp;But you promised...&nbsp; More than&nbsp;90,000 Russian troops&nbsp;are believed to be&nbsp;<a href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-59567377" target="_blank">massed near Ukraine's border</a>. Some&nbsp;fear a potential invasion, despite a two-hour video call between Biden and Putin in which Putin promised otherwise.&nbsp; &nbsp; Partly cloudy day for Amazon&nbsp; Amazon's cloud computing unit&nbsp;Amazon Web Services&nbsp;was&nbsp;<a href="https://www.cnbc.com/2021/12/07/amazon-web-services-outage-causes-issues-at-disney-netflix-coinbase.html" target="_blank">hit with an outage on Tuesday</a>, which caused disruption&nbsp;to services like Netflix, Slack, Disney, Ticketmaster and Amazon itself.&nbsp;

Info bites

The latest&nbsp;World Inequality Report&nbsp;hit the headlines this week, reporting that the poorest 50% of our global population earn just 8.5% of global income, and own just 2% of global wealth.&nbsp;

At the other end of the spectrum, the top 10% of income earners earned 52% of global income, and the wealthiest 10% own 76% of global wealth.&nbsp; &nbsp; Other snippets from the report:&nbsp;The Middle East &amp; North Africa is the most unequal region in the world, with the top 10% earning 58% of the labor income.&nbsp;Female share of labor income globally&nbsp;has grown from 31% in 1990 to 35% today.&nbsp;Billionaires now own 3% of global wealth, up from 1% in 1995.While inequality has increased&nbsp;within most countries, over the past two decades, global inequalities&nbsp;between countries&nbsp;have&nbsp;declined.&nbsp;If&nbsp;you're interested in&nbsp;more,&nbsp;we recommend checking out the&nbsp;<a href="https://wir2022.wid.world/executive-summary/" target="_blank">World Inequality Report Summary</a>&nbsp;(it's got quite a lot of charts).&nbsp;

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/12/1639396865014.jpeg" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>The latest&nbsp;World Inequality Report&nbsp;hit the headlines this week, reporting that the poorest 50% of our global population earn just 8.5% of global income, and own just 2% of global wealth.&nbsp;At the other end of the spectrum, the top 10% of income earners earned 52% of global income, and the wealthiest 10% own 76% of global wealth.&nbsp; &nbsp; Other snippets from the report:&nbsp;The Middle East &amp; North Africa is the most unequal region in the world, with the top 10% earning 58% of the labor income.&nbsp;Female share of labor income globally&nbsp;has grown from 31% in 1990 to 35% today.&nbsp;Billionaires now own 3% of global wealth, up from 1% in 1995.While inequality has increased&nbsp;within most countries, over the past two decades, global inequalities&nbsp;between countries&nbsp;have&nbsp;declined.&nbsp;If&nbsp;you're interested in&nbsp;more,&nbsp;we recommend checking out the&nbsp;<a href="https://wir2022.wid.world/executive-summary/" target="_blank">World Inequality Report Summary</a>&nbsp;(it's got quite a lot of charts).&nbsp;

Chart of the Day: Wealth distribution global snapshot 

The Riley County Health Department will be closed to the public this Tuesday, December 14 for staff training. 

The COVID-19 Screening Line will still be available during this time, but the vaccine appointment line will not. If you have symptoms of COVID-19, have been in close contact with someone who tested positive, or would like information about a COVID-19 test, please call us at (785) 323-6400.&nbsp; &nbsp; Thanks for your patience. RCHD be open again for regular hours on Wednesday.&nbsp;

The Riley County Health Department will be closed to the public this Tuesday, December 14 for staff training. The COVID-19 Screening Line will still be available during this time, but the vaccine appointment line will not. If you have symptoms of COVID-19, have been in close contact with someone who tested positive, or would like information about a COVID-19 test, please call us at (785) 323-6400.&nbsp; &nbsp; Thanks for your patience. RCHD be open again for regular hours on Wednesday.&nbsp;

Riley Health Department closed tomorrow

By&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wibw.com/authors/kimberly.donahue/">Kimberly Donahue</a>,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wibw.com/authors/reina.flores/">Reina Flores</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wibw.com/authors/Isaac.French/">Isaac French</a> WIBW TV

MANHATTAN, Kan. (WIBW) - The Riley Co. Police Department (RCPD) is asking for the public’s help in regard to a shooting at Tate’s Bar in Aggieville Sunday morning.

A source familiar with the situation told 13 NEWS a K-State football player was among two injured in the Aggieville Bar.

<a href="https://247sports.com/college/kansas-state/Article/Kansas-State-RCPD-releases-statement-on-Aggieville-incident-football-player-178108597/" target="_blank">GoPowerCat reports the player was attempting to stop the shooter:</a>&nbsp;“According to social media reports, at least one player on the Kansas State football team was wounded in the incident and while the investigation is ongoing, one source said it appeared that the player was attempting to stop the person with the gun.”

According to RCPD, the shooting took place just before 1:30 Sunday morning at the bar.

RCPD says officers arrived on the scene immediately after the shots were fired and found a 24-year-old male suffering from an apparent gunshot wound and a second 24-year-old male suffering from a minor head injury (concussion). Both victims were transported to Via Christi for treatment of their injuries. The victim suffering from the gunshot wound was later life-flighted to Stormont Vail for further treatment.

Police said there was no longer a threat by 3:00 am.

Law enforcement is looking for any pictures or videos inside or around Tate’s leading up to, during, or immediately after the shooting.

Anyone with information can contact RCPD at (785) 537-2112 or email any content they have to Detective Compagnone at&nbsp;<a href="mailto:jcompagnone@rileycountypolice.org" target="_blank">jcompagnone@rileycountypolice.org</a>.

Sunday Afternoon, a University Official told 13 NEWS that a student was injured during the shooting.

Kansas State University issued a statement on their Facebook page offering support to students who may have been affected by the shooting.

“Students who are affected by the shooting in the Aggieville business district are encouraged to contact Counseling and Psychological Services at 785-532-6927 or the Office of Student Life at 785-532-6432 or via email at&nbsp;<a href="mailto:stulife@k-state.edu" target="_blank">stulife@k-state.edu</a>. Both offices will be open at 8 a.m. on Monday, Dec. 13. A wide range of university support resources is available to the K-State community, if you or someone you know is experiencing distress, please seek help.”

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/12/1639393558285.jpeg" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure> By&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wibw.com/authors/kimberly.donahue/">Kimberly Donahue</a>,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wibw.com/authors/reina.flores/">Reina Flores</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wibw.com/authors/Isaac.French/">Isaac French</a> WIBW TVMANHATTAN, Kan. (WIBW) - The Riley Co. Police Department (RCPD) is asking for the public’s help in regard to a shooting at Tate’s Bar in Aggieville Sunday morning.A source familiar with the situation told 13 NEWS a K-State football player was among two injured in the Aggieville Bar.<a href="https://247sports.com/college/kansas-state/Article/Kansas-State-RCPD-releases-statement-on-Aggieville-incident-football-player-178108597/" target="_blank">GoPowerCat reports the player was attempting to stop the shooter:</a>&nbsp;“According to social media reports, at least one player on the Kansas State football team was wounded in the incident and while the investigation is ongoing, one source said it appeared that the player was attempting to stop the person with the gun.”According to RCPD, the shooting took place just before 1:30 Sunday morning at the bar.RCPD says officers arrived on the scene immediately after the shots were fired and found a 24-year-old male suffering from an apparent gunshot wound and a second 24-year-old male suffering from a minor head injury (concussion). Both victims were transported to Via Christi for treatment of their injuries. The victim suffering from the gunshot wound was later life-flighted to Stormont Vail for further treatment.Police said there was no longer a threat by 3:00 am.Law enforcement is looking for any pictures or videos inside or around Tate’s leading up to, during, or immediately after the shooting.Anyone with information can contact RCPD at (785) 537-2112 or email any content they have to Detective Compagnone at&nbsp;<a href="mailto:jcompagnone@rileycountypolice.org" target="_blank">jcompagnone@rileycountypolice.org</a>.Sunday Afternoon, a University Official told 13 NEWS that a student was injured during the shooting.Kansas State University issued a statement on their Facebook page offering support to students who may have been affected by the shooting.“Students who are affected by the shooting in the Aggieville business district are encouraged to contact Counseling and Psychological Services at 785-532-6927 or the Office of Student Life at 785-532-6432 or via email at&nbsp;<a href="mailto:stulife@k-state.edu" target="_blank">stulife@k-state.edu</a>. Both offices will be open at 8 a.m. on Monday, Dec. 13. A wide range of university support resources is available to the K-State community, if you or someone you know is experiencing distress, please seek help.”Copyright 2021 WIBW. All rights reserved.

K-State football player injured in Aggieville shooting

Unfortunately for the travel sector (and all of us personally),&nbsp;Omicron&nbsp;put a dampener on the&nbsp;travel&nbsp;revival.&nbsp;<a href="https://www.npr.org/2021/12/06/1061363707/omicron-holiday-travel-airlines-recovery" target="_blank">Now even continued holiday travels are in doubt</a>.&nbsp;

Almost overnight, travel restrictions were tightened or re-introduced,&nbsp;just as air travel, and airlines’ balance sheets, were getting back to normal.&nbsp;Many of those restrictions targeted&nbsp;South Africa&nbsp;(and its neighbors) which was the first country to detect and then report the variant to the WHO, although many other countries —&nbsp;19 to be exact&nbsp;— have now&nbsp;<a href="https://edition.cnn.com/2021/11/29/world/covid-omicron-variant-countries-list-cmd-intl/index.html" target="_blank">reported cases</a>&nbsp;of the variant.&nbsp;

International travelers, and government authorities around the world,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.advisory.com/daily-briefing/2020/09/22/covid-flights#:~:text=Major%20airlines%20have%20said%20passengers,%E2%80%94spread%20on%20planes." target="_blank">are questioning</a>&nbsp;airlines’ insistence that sitting in a plane is not an increased risk.&nbsp;&nbsp;

It might be 2022, or probably even beyond, until air travel is fully feeling itself again.&nbsp;

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/12/1638890196589.jpeg" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>Unfortunately for the travel sector (and all of us personally),&nbsp;Omicron&nbsp;put a dampener on the&nbsp;travel&nbsp;revival.&nbsp;<a href="https://www.npr.org/2021/12/06/1061363707/omicron-holiday-travel-airlines-recovery" target="_blank">Now even continued holiday travels are in doubt</a>.&nbsp;Almost overnight, travel restrictions were tightened or re-introduced,&nbsp;just as air travel, and airlines’ balance sheets, were getting back to normal.&nbsp;Many of those restrictions targeted&nbsp;South Africa&nbsp;(and its neighbors) which was the first country to detect and then report the variant to the WHO, although many other countries —&nbsp;19 to be exact&nbsp;— have now&nbsp;<a href="https://edition.cnn.com/2021/11/29/world/covid-omicron-variant-countries-list-cmd-intl/index.html" target="_blank">reported cases</a>&nbsp;of the variant.&nbsp;International travelers, and government authorities around the world,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.advisory.com/daily-briefing/2020/09/22/covid-flights#:~:text=Major%20airlines%20have%20said%20passengers,%E2%80%94spread%20on%20planes." target="_blank">are questioning</a>&nbsp;airlines’ insistence that sitting in a plane is not an increased risk.&nbsp;&nbsp;It might be 2022, or probably even beyond, until air travel is fully feeling itself again.&nbsp;

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