MFPD Fire Station Updates on Schedule
By Stephanie Irvine The Manhattan Fire Protection District Board met on April 15, whereupon the board discussed regular business and updates regarding the Manhattan and Peotone fire stations. Peotone Remodel/Manhattan New Construction Updates District Fire Chief Steve Malone reported the district is officially in Phase 2 of the Peotone Station 81 remodel, expected to be…
Traffic Study and Planning Dominate Village Discussion
By Stephanie Irvine Traffic studies and a comprehensive plan for the village dominated discussion at the Manhattan Village board meeting. The board was set to approve an updated boundary agreement with the Village of Frankfort that would extend the boundary agreement another 20 years, which is typical of boundary agreement durations. “Previously, the boundary agreement…
Project Fire Buddies Holds Spa Day for Peotone Girl Amid Father’s Cancer Battle
By Stephanie Irvine The Manhattan Chapter of Project Fire Buddies came through for a local Peotone girl, Dixie Mae Barclay, with the gift of a spa day, but the family needs help from the community now that Dixie’s dad and sole income provider for the family, Tony, has been diagnosed with terminal cancer. Dixie lives…
Manhattan Honors Veterans with Banner Program
By Stephanie Irvine Manhattan American Legion Post 935, in cooperation with the Village of Manhattan, will honor Manhattan veterans with the Hometown Heroes banner program. Applications for a limited number of banners are being accepted through April 30. The banner program, which is new to the village this year, will feature a photo of the…
Budget, Property Lines, and Safety Topics at Village Meeting
By Stephanie Irvine At the Village of Manhattan’s bimonthly meeting on April 2, the board held a public hearing for its Fiscal Year 2024-2025 budget, attended to new business, and held an executive session. The village’s budget has been a topic of discussion as the board worked through changes at previous meetings. A presentation was…
Manhattan Board Approves New Well House, Works Toward Finalizing Budget
By Stephanie Irvine The Village of Manhattan Board of Trustees met on Monday, March 18, for their bimonthly board meeting, holding the meeting a day earlier than usual to accommodate voting for the 2024 general election. The mayor and all trustees, except for Tom Doyle, were present, with Trustee Justin Young attending virtually. Discussion regarding the…
Manhattan Fire Board Reviews Consolidation, Talks 2023 Data at March Meeting
By: Stephanie Irvine The Manhattan Fire Protection District’s Board of Trustees met on Monday, March 18, where they had a brief presentation from the district’s accountant James Howard, followed by a detailed review of 2023, presented by Chief Steve Malone and Deputy Chief Dave Piper. Monthly Accounting Report Howard reported the district is well within…
Police Chief Wold Selected for FBI Command Course
Among select group chosen nationwide. Manhattan Chief of Police Jeff Wold was selected, along with 99 other police chiefs from across the nation, to attend the Federal Bureau of Investigations (FBI) National Command Course (NCC) in Quantico, Virginia, May 6 – 10. Wold was notified of the prestigious honor in a recent letter from the…
Manhattan the Latest to Adopt Streetscape Plan
By Andrea Arens Just last week, the Village of Manhattan unanimously approved an expansive streetscape plan. The plan, designed by the Farnsworth Group, encompasses all of their downtown area and improvements to U.S. Rt. 52. The entire plan is a concept broken into phases, with the plan being paid for entirely by private investment and…
Vietnam Moving Wall Brought Plethora of Emotions
By Karen Haave The Vietnam Moving Wall, on display in the Village of Manhattan, drew hundreds of visitors and a plethora of emotions, as well. Some said they came to honor the more than 58,000 service members whose names are etched on the memorial and who gave their lives between 1957 and 1975. Some said…
Manhattan Police Chief Announces Retirement
Manhattan Mayor Mike Adrieansen announced on June 8 he has received notice from Police Chief Jeff Wold that he intends to retire on Friday, June 30. Mayor Adrieansen informed village officials and staff earlier on June 8 about the unexpected announcement. “I am saddened to get the news Chief Wold is leaving, but I appreciate…
Former Manhattan Resident Turned Multi-Discipline Professional Combat Sports Athlete
By: Madeleine Willis Muay Thai, kickboxing, boxing, and mixed martial arts, are the skill sets for amateur fighter Jeremiah Truhlar. From Manhattan, Truhlar was used to play-fights breaking out between his brothers, as he grew up in a household of 12 kids, and was the youngest of nine boys. “Leading into my teenage years, I…
Manhattan School District 114 Super Says New Building Needed; Voters to Decide June 28
By Stephen Nelson The Superintendent of Manhattan School District 114, Russell Ragon, says there has been significant growth in the school-age population, and existing buildings cannot house any more students. Ragon says that’s why the district is seeking authorization from voters participating in the June 28 Illinois statewide Primary Election within the District 114 boundary,…
Pandemic Takes Tolls on Schools
Report card reflects impact COVID has had on districts! By Bob Bong and Peter Hancock One year after COVID-19 scrambled the state’s public school system with schools alternating between in-person and remote learning because of uncertainty caused by the pandemic, the Illinois State Board of Education has released its school report card for public schools.…
