News Flash

6/22/2022 COVID-19 Update

(RILEY COUNTY, KS – June 22, 2022) The Kansas Department of Health and Environment (KDHE) recorded 76 new COVID-19 cases for Riley County between June 11 - 17. The Incidence Rate is 102.4, putting Riley County in the HIGH incidence category with...

6/16/2022 COVID-19 Update

(RILEY COUNTY, KS – June 16, 2022) The Kansas Department of Health and Environment (KDHE) data dashboard was experiencing technical difficulties yesterday and the case number report was delayed. As of this morning, the dashboard has been repaire...

Public Works Buildings and Equipment Damaged in June 11 Storm

(RILEY COUNTY, KS - June 14, 2022) Several buildings at the Riley County Public Works Department sustained heavy damage during Saturday’s storm. The Public Works complex, located north of Manhattan at 6215 Tuttle Creek Boulevard, houses the Hous...

Straight line winds, not tornado, caused storm damage Saturday

After performing an in-person assessment and further analyzing radar data, the National Weather Service of Topeka has determined the storm damage in Riley County on June 11 was caused by straight line winds and not a tornado. Some areas of Manhattan exper...

Storm Damage Estimated at $9.47 Million

The preliminary storm damage assessment for Riley County is estimated at $9.74 million. A team from the Riley County Appraiser’s Office and Manhattan Fire Department’s Risk Reduction Division performed assessments of 41 residential and business properties...

Severe Storms Cause Damage in Riley County

(RILEY COUNTY, KS - June 12, 2022) Teams from the Riley County Appraiser’s Office and Manhattan Fire Department’s Risk Reduction Division are visiting neighborhoods today to perform damage assessments after last night’s storms. Downed power lines and larg...

Danielle Kitt: June Employee of the Month

June’s Employee of the Month comes from a family dedicated to public service. Danielle Kitt, Medical Clerk at the Riley County Health Department Clinic, trained as an EMT and worked as an emergency dispatcher, her father was a paramedic and is c...

6/8/2022 COVID-19 Update

(RILEY COUNTY, KS – June 8, 2022) The Kansas Department of Health and Environment (KDHE) recorded 48 new COVID-19 cases for Riley County between May 28 - June 3. The Incidence Rate per 100,000 is 64.7, putting Riley County in the SUBSTANTIAL incidence cat...

6/7/2022 Structure Fire at Ogden Trailer Home Complete Loss

(RILEY COUNTY, KS - June 7, 2022) At 5:41 a.m. Tuesday morning, Riley County Fire District #1 (RCFD#1) and Manhattan Fire Department were dispatched to a structure fire located at 530 Pine Alley in Ogden. Upon arrival, crews found an unoccupied trailer ho...

5/25/2022 Riley County COVID-19 Update

(RILEY COUNTY, KS – May 25, 2022) The Kansas Department of Health and Environment (KDHE) recorded 43 new COVID-19 cases for Riley County between May 14-20. The Incidence Rate per 100,000 is 57.9, putting Riley County in the SUBSTANTIAL incidence...

RCHD Welcomes Jacob Clarke, MD as Clinic Supervisor

(Riley County, KS - May 23, 2022) Jacob Clarke, MD recently joined the Riley County Health Department as the new Clinic Supervisor. He started work Monday, May 16th. As Supervisor of the Public Health Clinic, Clarke will lead staff in addressing health ne...

Riley County Employees to Receive Mid-Year Pay Increase

(Riley County, KS - May 23, 2022) At their May 23rd public meeting, the Riley County Board of County Commissioners voted unanimously to approve a mid-year pay increase for county employees. The increase will take effect for the July 1 pay date and will in...

5/20/2022 COVID-19 Update

KDHE Identifies 26 New COVID-19 Cases in Riley County

(RILEY COUNTY, KS – May 20, 2022) The Kansas Department of Health and Environment (KDHE) recorded 26 new COVID-19 cases for Riley County between May 7-13. The Incidence Rate per 100,000 is 35.0, putting...

Katharine Hensler Named Director/Curator of the Riley County Historical Museum

(Riley County, KS - May 18, 2022) Riley County Commissioners are pleased to announce Katharine Hensler has been selected as the Director/Curator of the Riley County Historical Museum. Hensler will begin work on May 31st.

As Director/Curator of the Riley Co...

5/13/2022 COVID-19 Update

(RILEY COUNTY, KS – May 13, 2022) The Kansas Department of Health and Environment (KDHE) recorded 37 COVID-19 cases for Riley County between May 2-8. The Incidence Rate per 100,000 is 49.8, putting Riley County in the MODERATE incidence category...

Anna Burson Selected as Riley County Appraiser

(Riley County, KS - May 13, 2022) Riley County Commissioners are excited to announce Anna Burson has accepted the position of County Appraiser. Burson will start on May 16th. As County Appraiser, Burson will establish market values for real estate and per...

New Requirements for Short-Term Rental Properties in Rural Riley County Will Promote Safety

People operating short-term rental properties, such as Airbnb and Vrbo rentals, in the unincorporated areas of Riley County will now have to apply for a license, with yearly renewals, through the Planning and Development Department. To be granted a licens...

FDA Announces Limits to J&J COVID-19 Vaccine Use

On May 5, 2022 the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced it was limiting the authorized use of the Janssen COVID-19 (Johnson & Johnson - J&J) single dose vaccine to individuals 18 years of age and older for whom:

• Had a severe reaction a...

New Budget and Finance Officer Begins Work for Riley County

(RILEY COUNTY, KS – May 6, 2022) Riley County is excited to welcome our new Budget and Finance Officer, Darell Edie. He started work April 20 and is settling into the role. Edie’s primary responsibilities will include preparing and coo...

Victoria Slack Named May 2022 Employee of the Month

One of the friendliest people at Riley County has been selected as the employee of the month for May, 2022. Victoria Slack was hired last July when we recognized that the new online appointment system left a gap in customer service. People arrived at the ...

5/4/2022 Riley County COVID-19 Update

(RILEY COUNTY, KS – May 4, 2022) The Kansas Department of Health and Environment (KDHE) recorded 40 COVID-19 cases for Riley County between April 18-24. The Incidence Rate per 100,000 is 53.9, putting Riley County in the substantial incidence ca...

5/1/2022 Structure Fire at 4618 Freeman Road

UPDATE 5/5/2022

Investigation of the fire at 4618 is complete. The fire originated in the kitchen and was accidental. Loss is estimated at $40,000 to contents and $100,000 to the structure. 

(RILEY COUNTY, KS - May 2, 2022) At approximately 9:38 p....

4/28/2022 Wildfire Update

The two wildfires in Northern Riley County, one near Bjorling Road and the other near Hwy77 and Fancy Creek Road, are now fully contained. Smoke may continue to be visible in the areas for several days, however, as some cedar trees are still smoldering. R...

4/27/2022 Riley County COVID-19 Update

(RILEY COUNTY, KS – April 27, 2022) Riley County identified 4 new COVID-19 cases and 15 additional recoveries in Week 16 (April 17-23). There are currently two known active COVID-19 cases in the county. 

One additional COVID-19-related death has b...

4/26/2022 Bjorling Road Fire

4/20/2022 COVID-19 Update

(RILEY COUNTY, KS – April 20, 2022) Riley County identified 2 new COVID-19 cases and 19 additional recoveries in Week 15 (April 10-16). There are currently four known active COVID-19 cases in the county. 

No (0) COVID-19 patients are cur...

4/13/2022 COVID-19 Update

(RILEY COUNTY, KS – April 13, 2022) Riley County identified 15 new COVID-19 cases and 8 additional recoveries in Week 14 (April 3-9). There are currently 18 known active COVID-19 cases in the county. No (0) COVID-19 patients are current...

4/11/2022 Baldwin Creek Road Fire

4/11/2022 Carlson Road Fire Update

4/11/2022 CARLSON ROAD FIRE UPDATE

The Carlson Road fire is now completely contained. Our crews continued to monitor the burned area over the weekend, checking for hotspots, and we are grateful to be able to consider this fire 100% contained as of Monday m...

4/6/2022 Riley County COVID-19 Update

(RILEY COUNTY, KS – April 6, 2022) Riley County identified nine new COVID-19 cases and three additional recoveries in Week 13 (March 27 - April 2). There are currently 16 known active COVID-19 cases in the county. 

An additional death wa...

3/30/2022 Riley County COVID-19 Update

(RILEY COUNTY, KS – March 30, 2022) Riley County identified 8 new COVID-19 cases and 17 additional recoveries in Week 12 (March 20 - 26). There are currently eight active COVID-19 cases in the county. 

Zero COVID-19 patients are currentl...

Riley County Protective Home Program Recruits 11 Additional Households

(RILEY COUNTY, KANSAS – March 28, 2021) In January, Riley County Community Corrections (RCCC) hosted a series of classes for new Protective Home Program participants. The training resulted in 11 new households joining the volunteer program that gives temp...

3/23/2022 Riley County COVID-19 Update

(RILEY COUNTY, KS – March 23, 2022) Riley County identified 3 new COVID-19 cases and 11 additional recoveries in Week 11 (March 6 - 12). There are currently six active COVID-19 cases in the county. 

Ascension Via Christi Hospital in Manhattan is c...

3/16/2022 Riley County COVID-19 Update

(RILEY COUNTY, KS – March 16, 2022) Riley County identified 15 new COVID-19 cases in Week 10 (March 6 - 12) and 32 new cases in Week 9 (February 27 - March 5) along with a total of 64 additional recoveries. There are 26 active COVID-19 cases in the county...

RCFD#1 Contained Grass Fire During High Winds Saturday

(RILEY COUNTY, KS - March 7, 2022) At 3:30 p.m. Saturday, March 5, Riley County Fire District #1 (RCFD #1) was dispatched to the 6400 block of North 52nd Street, near Sedalia Community Church, for reports of an outside fire. A total of 15 firefighters and...

RCFD#1 Using New Technology for Emergency Response

(RILEY COUNTY, KS - March 7, 2022) Riley County Fire District #1 (RCFD#1) is exploring new technology for incident responses by serving as a pilot test group for the new OpsCentral team software. This software brings several sources of information togethe...

3/2/2022 Riley County COVID-19 Update

(RILEY COUNTY, KS – March 2, 2022) Riley County has identified 188 new positive COVID-19 cases and 386 additional recoveries since the last report on February 16. A total of 132 of those cases were reported in the last 2 weeks, the remainder represent del...

RCFD#1 Contains North County Wildfire

(RILEY COUNTY, KS - March 1, 2022) At 10:00 a.m. Sunday, February 27, 2022 Riley County Fire District #1 was dispatched to the area near Carlson and Rosehill Road near Tuttle Creek Lake for reports of a large outdoor fire. A total of 12 apparatus, 15 volu...

Riley County Mourns the Loss of Greg McHenry, County Appraiser

(RILEY COUNTY, KS – February 25, 2022) Riley County is grieving the loss of longtime community leader Greg McHenry.

McHenry suffered with a prolonged illness in recent years and passed away Thursday evening.

Greg worked for Riley County since 1988 and serve...

2/16/2022 COVID-19 Update

(RILEY COUNTY, KS – February 16, 2022) A 59 year-old, unvaccinated female Riley County resident passed away on January 11 after testing positive for COVID-19 on January 5. Her passing represents the 74th COVID-related death in the county. 

Riley C...

2/9/2022 Riley County COVID-19 Update

(RILEY COUNTY, KS – February 9, 2022) A 74 year-old, unvaccinated male tested positive for COVID-19 January 24 and passed away on February 9 at Ascension Via Christi Hospital in Manhattan. His passing represents the 73rd COVID-19-related death in Riley Co...

2/3/2022 COVID-19 Update

(RILEY COUNTY, KS – February 3, 2022) Riley County has identified 607 new COVID cases and 948 additional recoveries since the last report on January 26. There are currently 638 active cases in Riley County, which represents a decrease of 341 active cases ...

1/26/2022 COVID Update

(RILEY COUNTY, KS – January 26, 2022) Two additional Riley County residents have died after testing positive for COVID-19. A 75 year-old male, fully vaccinated and boosted, tested positive January 14 and passed away at Ascension Via Christi Hospital in Ma...

1/19/2022 COVID-19 Update

(RILEY COUNTY, KS – January 19, 2022) Two additional Riley County residents have died after testing positive for COVID-19. A 68 year-old unvaccinated male tested positive January 7 and died on January 15 at Ascension Via Christi Hospital in Manhattan. A 9...

Free COVID-19 Home Tests Now Available

COVID-19 home testing kits are now available via the United States Postal Service for free to residences in the United States.

1/12/2022 COVID Update: 2 Deaths and 1,202 New COVID Cases in Riley County

(RILEY COUNTY, KS – January 12, 2022) Two additional Riley County residents have died after testing positive for COVID-19. A 40 year-old unvaccinated male tested positive on December 21, 2021 and died January 7, 2022 at Ascension Via Christi hos...

1/5/2022 UPDATE: 14.59% Positive Rate and 161 New COVID Cases and in Riley County

(RILEY COUNTY, KS – January 5, 2022) Riley County has identified 161 new COVID-19 cases and 176 additional recoveries since the last report on Wednesday, December 29, 2021. There are currently 206 active cases in Riley County and the percent of ...

Riley County Health Department Adopts New KDHE Guidelines for COVID Quarantine and Isolation

(RILEY COUNTY, KS – January 4, 2022) The Kansas Department of Health and Environment (KDHE) has updated isolation and quarantine guidance following the recent changes by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) for the general population and h...

Board of County Commission Meetings

The Board of County Commissioners will not be in session on the following dates:

• Thursday, April 28, 2022 (KCCA Conference)
• Thursday, May 12, 2022 (Leaders Retreat)
• Monday, May 30, 2022 (Memorial Day)
• Monday, June 20, 2022 (Juneteenth)
• Monday, July 4, 2022 (In...

12-29-2021 COVID Update

(RILEY COUNTY, KS – December 29, 2021) A 48 year-old Riley County woman died December 24 after testing positive for COVID on December 10. Her passing represents the 66th COVID-related death in Riley County.

Riley County has identified 148 new COVID-19 case...

12-22-2021 Contact Tracing Update

12-22-2021 COVID Update: 131 New Positive Cases

(RILEY COUNTY, KS – December 22, 2021) Riley County has identified 131 new COVID-19 cases and 110 additional recoveries since the last report on Wednesday, December 16, 2021. There are currently 227 active cases in Riley County.

Ascension Via Christi Hospi...

Open Advisory Council/Board Positions

If you are interested in serving as a volunteer on a Riley County Advisory Council/Board, please:

• Fill out an application at the Riley County Clerk’s Office, 110 Courthouse Plaza
• Call (785) 565-6202

A list of board openings is provided here.

North Central Regional Planning Commission

Resources that may be able to assist low-income households in need of services.

The U.S. Department of Energy Weatherization Assistance Program reduces energy costs for low-income households by increasing the energy efficiency of their homes, while ensurin...

Road Construction & Closures

Information about current Riley County Road Construction Projects...

12-16-21 Update: 139 New Positive Cases

(RILEY COUNTY, KS – December 16, 2021) Riley County has identified 139 new COVID-19 cases and 116 additional recoveries since the last report on Wednesday, December 8, 2021. There are currently 170 active cases in Riley County.

Ascension Via Chri...

12-22-2021 COVID Update: 131 New Positive Cases

(RILEY COUNTY, KS – December 22, 2021) Riley County has identified 131 new COVID-19 cases and 110 additional recoveries since the last report on Wednesday, December 16, 2021. There are currently 227 active cases in Riley County.

Ascension Via Chr...