MANHATTAN – Law enforcement authorities in Riley County continue to investigate Monday night’s fatal accident that killed a 6-year-old Riley girl.

Detectives with the Riley County Police Department are asking witnesses of the collision in the 2400 block of Tuttle Creek Boulevard contact RCPD or Detective Joe Ehrlich with the Riley County Police Department Investigations Division.

Detectives with the assistance of the Kansas Highway Patrol were at the crash site Wednesday conducting a follow-up investigation.

Detectives are also looking for witnesses who may have interacted with the driver of the 2001 Ford Ranger, stopped at the accident scene prior to police arrive (and have not yet provided information to authorities), or witnesses that may have observed the vehicle and its driving prior to the collision.

Police reported a 2001 Ford Ranger driven by Joshua Mall, 39, Riley, was traveling in the 2400 Block of Tuttle Creek Boulevard just before 7:30 p.m.

The driver lost control of the vehicle at Northfield Road and collided with a 2013 Chevy Cruz.

Immediately following the initial impact the Ford left the roadway and collided with a tree.

Mall was transported to Via Christi Hospital in Manhattan and transferred a medical care facility in Topeka.

A child in the Ford Madilyn Mall, 6, Riley, was transported to Via Christi where she died.

The driver of the Chevy Cruz was not injured.

According to the National Weather Service of Topeka, patchy dense fog will be possible across portions of east central and northeast Kansas through 8 a.m. Visibilities will drop below one quarter mile down to a few hundred feet at times. Motorist are urged to use caution when driving through dense fog. A cold front passing through the state Thursday afternoon and Thursday night will provide a chance for showers and thunderstorms.

Tonight: Partly cloudy in the evening then becoming mostly cloudy. Lows in the lower 60s. South winds around 5 mph.

Thursday: Partly sunny. Chance of showers and isolated thunderstorms in the afternoon. Highs in the mid 80s. Southwest winds 5 to 15 mph shifting to the west 10 to 15 mph in the afternoon. Chance of precipitation 30 percent.

Thursday Night: Mostly cloudy in the evening then becoming partly cloudy. Chance of rain showers and isolated thunderstorms. Lows in the lower 50s. North winds 5 to 10 mph. Chance of precipitation 40 percent.

Friday: Cooler…sunny. Highs in the lower 70s. North winds 5 to 10 mph.

Friday Night: Mostly clear. Lows in the upper 40s.

Saturday: Sunny. Highs in the upper 70s.

Saturday Night: Mostly clear. Lows in the upper 50s.

Sunday: Sunny. Highs in the mid 80s.

Sunday Night: Clear. Lows in the upper 50s.

Columbus Day: Sunny. Highs in the upper 70s.

Monday Night: Mostly clear. Lows in the lower 50s.

Tuesday: Sunny. Highs in the upper 70s

MANHATTAN, Kan. (AP) — The Governor’s Water Conference next month aims to focus on implementation of the Kansas water vision plan.

The two-day event begins Nov. 18 at the Hilton Garden Inn and Conference Center in Manhattan.

Other major topics slated for discussion include the development of additional water supplies for rural communities. Also up for discussion is how to help the public understand water issues and the value of conservation.

Kansas State Water Office Director Tracy Streeter notes the water vision and recording breaking drought in recent years. She says there is no better time to focus attention in to the state’s water needs and the role water plays in growing the economy.

The deadline for registration is Nov. 2.

The Geary USD 475 Board of Education has given authorization for the District to offer incentive bonuses of up to $3,000 to recruit personnel for difficult to fill positions.

Superintendent Dr. Corbin Witt explained right now those positions would be in Speech Language Pathologists.

“We have three positions that we’re not able to fill, and are doing those through contracts with agencies, and there expensive to have those contracts,” said Witt. “We’d really like to get our own people, and so we asked the board if we could go and entice some people, and if having a small signing bonus would get people to sign on the dotted line that they’ll come work for us, then we feel like that’s an importance.”

The Board of Education was in session Monday night at the Devin Center.

An investigation into the cultivation of marijuana has led to three arrests, and the seizure by the Junction City – Geary County Drug Operations Group of an active indoor marijuana grow consisting of 15 marijuana plants, marijuana, methamphetamine, drug paraphernalia, ammunition, two rifles, and one handgun.

Junction City Police Chief Tim Brown reported that the Drug Operations Group assisted by the Junction City / Geary County SWAT team executed a search warrant at 527 West Pine Street after a two-month long investigation.

Arrested were:

–Lawrence Daniel Nielson II, 46, Junction City,  and Mandy Elizabeth Coffey, 34, Junction City on suspicion of Sale / Cultivation of Marijuana, Possession of Methamphetamine, Possession of Marijuana With Intent to Sell Within 1000′ Feet of a School Zone, No Kansas Drug Tax Stamp, Felon in Possession of a Firearm, and Possession of Drug Paraphernalia.

–Richard Bruce Payne Jr., 44, Kansas City, on suspicion of Possession of Marijuana and Possession of Drug Paraphernalia.

Bond was set at $2,500 for Payne. Nielsen and Coffey were confined without bond at the Geary County Detention Center pending their first appearance in Geary County District Court.

Glen Whitley has been named the October Employee of the Month at Geary Community Hospital.

In a news release GCH stated that Whitley works in Information Systems at GCH. According to coworkers, he has been the Network Administrator at the hospital for nearly three years, has made the network more efficient and ensured that any downtime was kept to a minimum.

The title of an event Monday, Oct. 12 at the Junction City Middle School Auditorium is “Drug Use of Geary County Teens.”  It is scheduled from 5:30 – 8:30 p.m.

The Director of the 8th Judicial District Community Corrections Meredith Butler said the Geary County Prevention Partnership is working with the Kansas Highway Patrol, JCPD, 8th Judicial District Adolescent Resource Center and the Geary County Attorney’s Office to present information during this session.

The agenda includes new trends, signs of use, behavior patterns, legal ramifications, and community resources.

Parents and community members are invited to attend this event to learn more about trends in drug use by Geary County teens. There is no charge to attend.

MANHATTAN – A child died in an accident just before 7:30p.m. on Monday in Riley County.

Police reported a 2001 Ford Ranger driven by Joshua Mall, 39, Riley, was traveling in the 2400 Block of Tuttle Creek Boulevard.

The driver lost control of the vehicle at Northfield Road and collided with a 2013 Chevy Cruz.

Immediately following the initial impact the Ford left the roadway and collided with a tree.

Mall was transported to Via Christi Hospital in Manhattan and transferred a medical care facility in Topeka.

A child in the Ford Madilyn Mall, 6, Riley, was transported to Via Christi where she died.

The driver of the Chevy Cruz was not injured.

The accident remains under investigation.

Hugh Davis
Executive Director of Communications USD 475
Geary USD 475 will hold a ribbon-cutting ceremony for the new Fort Riley Elementary School Friday, October 9, 2015 at 10 a.m.

Hugh Davis, Executive Director of Communications for USD 475, confirmed Tuesday that Governor Sam Brownback is among the dignitaries expected to be in attendance.

The new Fort Riley Elementary School is a $22 million project built to replace the 60-year-old facility. With the growth of Fort Riley over the years, this new school now meets the capacity and condition requirements of today’s military students and families. The new school opened on schedule (Aug. 17)for the 2015/2016 school year.

The new school is 76,700 square feet and is designed to be “LEED Silver” with a number of green initiatives. It has space for 500 K-5 students. The school contains classrooms, large collaboration spaces, an innovative library media center, mobile labs, wireless technology and a gymnasium that can serve as a tornado safe-room, built to FEMA standards to withstand 250 mph winds.

The school was designed by the architecture firm Schaefer, Johnson, Cox, Frey and was constructed by Hutton Construction. The project is a partnership between the Department of Defense, Office of Economic Adjustment, Fort Riley and Geary County Schools USD 475.