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The Other Manhattan Project

Harvest Public Media | By Laura Ziegler,

Brian Grimmett

Published April 1, 2019 at 5:13 AM CDT

The National Bio and Agro-Defense Facility construction site in February 2019.

In the wake of Sept. 11, federal officials said the United States needed a new, state-of-the-art facility to defend against bioterrorism and stop diseases that could devastate the country’s farm economy and threaten human lives. They chose Manhattan, Kansas, as the site of the National Bio and Agro-Defense Facility.

The plan was to have it up and running last year. But that date has fallen ever deeper into the future. At best, it’ll open in 2022, at a price that surpasses the original budget by $800 million.

Part I: The Complex by Laura Ziegler Part II: The Research by Brian Grimmett Part III: The Community by Laura Ziegler

The Other Manhattan Project

The Other Manhattan Project

Copyright 2019 Harvest Public Media

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HPPR Environment Harvest Public Media bioterrorism National Bio and Agro-Defense Facility K-State

Laura Ziegler

Laura Ziegler began her career at KCUR as a reporter more than 20 years ago. She became the news director in the mid 1980's and in 1988, went to National Public Radio in Washington, D.C. as a producer for Weekend Edition Saturday with Scott Simon.

See stories by Laura Ziegler

Brian Grimmett

Brian Grimmett comes to KMUW after taking a year break from journalism, but he’s excited to jump back in to the fray. Previously, Brian spent almost five years working at KUER 90.1 FM in Salt Lake City. He worked his way up, starting as an intern and sticking around long enough until they relented and gave him a full-time job. At KUER, Brian covered a wide range of topics, but mainly focused on covering the Utah state legislature.

See stories by Brian Grimmett

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