Demolition of the former Hop & Skip convenience store at the southwest corner of Tuttle Creek Blvd and Kimball Ave. has been approved and the site could soon house a popular fast food restaurant.

A demolition permit was listed on the City of Manhattan’s weekly building receipts detail list on Monday. JRAL Construction is the listed contractor.

According to Deputy Fire Chief Ryan Almes, the Manhattan Fire Department has reviewed building plans for a new McDonald’s at that location. In an email to News Radio KMAN and The Mercury Tuesday, he said the building permit will be issued after the Nov. 4 city commission meeting, if the plat is approved.

McDonald’s operates two other locations in Manhattan, including a restaurant at 800 North 4th Street and at 1011 Westloop Place.

The post New McDonald’s proposed at Tuttle Creek and Kimball appeared first on News Radio KMAN.

No injuries were reported after a brief electrical fire was reported Tuesday morning at the Boys & Girls Club of Manhattan, located at 5th and Pierre Street.

The Manhattan Fire Department was dispatched to the facility around 10:30 a.m. for a structure fire. Staff reportedly used a fire extinguisher to put out the fire in a bathroom. No children were in the facility at the time and all staff had evacuated prior to firefighters arriving on scene.

The fire department said the incident was a good reminder during fire prevention week to ensure fire extinguishers are accessible, but to only try to extinguish fires if it can be done safely.

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City officials will proceed with a roughly $75,000 professional services agreement with Kansas City-based architecture firm WSKF, Inc. to design a new training ground facility for the Manhattan Fire Department.

The item was approved by city commissioners Tuesday on the consent agenda, but not before some discussion over why the city is choosing to bond the project.

“By going out and getting the temp notes or bonding, we have the ability to wrap this into a larger project if we choose to,” fire chief Scott French said.

To view the full article visit theMercury.com.

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City officials will proceed with a roughly $75,000 professional services agreement with Kansas City-based architecture firm WSKF, Inc. to design a new training ground facility for the Manhattan Fire Department.

The item was approved by city commissioners Tuesday on the consent agenda, but not before some discussion over why the city is choosing to bond the project.

“By going out and getting the temp notes or bonding, we have the ability to wrap this into a larger project if we choose to,” fire chief Scott French said.

To view the full article visit theMercury.com.

Click here for more local news.

The post City reaches agreement to design new fire department training facility appeared first on News Radio KMAN.

City officials will proceed with a roughly $75,000 professional services agreement with Kansas City-based architecture firm WSKF, Inc. to design a new training ground facility for the Manhattan Fire Department.

The item was approved by city commissioners Tuesday on the consent agenda, but not before some discussion over why the city is choosing to bond the project.

“By going out and getting the temp notes or bonding, we have the ability to wrap this into a larger project if we choose to,” fire chief Scott French said.

To view the full article visit theMercury.com.

Click here for more local news.

The post City reaches agreement to design new fire department training facility appeared first on News Radio KMAN.

The Manhattan Fire Department is currently on scene at Manhattan High School, investigating an apparent chemical storage concern in the upper level E hall.

Principal Michael Dorst sent out a notification to Parent Square that the situation required an evacuation of that area of the building. MFD is working to rectify the situation. Classes have been sent to other parts of the building.

Additional details will be shared as information becomes available.

The post Students relocated after chemical issue at Manhattan High School appeared first on News Radio KMAN.

The Manhattan Fire Department is currently on scene at Manhattan High School, investigating an apparent chemical storage concern in the upper level E hall.

Principal Michael Dorst sent out a notification to Parent Square that the situation required an evacuation of that area of the building. MFD is working to rectify the situation. Classes have been sent to other parts of the building.

Additional details will be shared as information becomes available.

The post Students relocated after chemical issue at Manhattan High School appeared first on News Radio KMAN.

Manhattan’s Furniture Amnesty Day is set to proceed as planned, after a postponement of the initial July 25 date. The event will take place Friday, August first in City Park.

The event was postponed last Friday due to anticipated flooding in the area.

Furniture Amnesty Day is a free community event that gives people the opportunity to donate or pick up used furniture at no cost. Anyone can participate. There are no income requirements or forms to fill out to choose from the donated items.

To view the full article visit theMercury.com.

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The 2025 Battle of the Badges blood drive wrapped up on Friday with the American Red Cross exceeding its collection goal for blood donations.

The two-day drive was held at St. Thomas More Church in Manhattan, with a goal of collecting 145 pints of blood.

“I am excited to announce that we surpassed that goal and collected 163 lifesaving pints of blood,” Red Cross spokesperson Kristi Ingalls said. “I know that I say it every year, but summer is truly a hard time for us to collect blood, and you all come through for us every year and this year was no different.”

To view the full article visit theMercury.com.

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(Manhattan, Kan., June 13, 2025) — At 4:45 p.m. on Friday, the Manhattan Fire Department was dispatched to 101 Bluemont Ave., Walmart, for a report of a structure fire. Upon arrival, crews found people evacuating and light smoke showing at the doors. Employees were extinguishing the fire as crews arrived at the middle of the store where the fire occurred.  Crews ensured that extinguishment was complete by overhauling the area and taking smoldering material outside. A total of 16 firefighters responded on 6 fire apparatus. Walmart is still closed at the time of this release while fire crews evacuate smoke from inside the building.

No injuries were reported. The fire loss is not yet available, but it is expected to be considerable due to smoke damage throughout the building.  The owner is listed as Wal-Mart Real Estate Business Trust of Bentonville, AR. The fire cause is under investigation at this time.

Riley County Police Department, Pottawatomie County Sheriff’s Office, and Pottawatomie County EMS responded to assist.

The Manhattan Fire Department is an ISO Class I, career fire department, serving the City of Manhattan from five fire stations.  The department provides fire, emergency medical first response, technician-level hazardous material response, and technical rescue including vehicle extrication, trench, high and low angle, surface water, structural collapse, and wide area search.  The department serves as a Type I regional hazardous materials response team through the State Fire Marshal primarily serving 8 counties in the surrounding area.  MFD is part of Northeast Task Force 2, a search and rescue/water rescue team with other area departments, and is tasked to cover 23 counties for urban search and rescue response.

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