Hutchinson Police, Hutchinson Fire Department and Reno County EMS&nbsp;responded to a two-vehicle accident at 25 Street and Monroe Street. &nbsp;This occurred shortly before 10:45 a.m. Monday.&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;

First arriving emergency personnel found a motorcycle operator, identified as Joseph L. Kelly of Hutchinson, unresponsive. Officers on the scene said that Kelly was transported to Hutchinson Regional Medical Center where he was pronounced deceased.&nbsp;

It was determined Mr. Kelly was heading North on Monroe Street and had struck a passenger vehicle, operated by Doris L. Sloup of Hutchinson, who was heading East on 25th Ave. Ms. Sloup had no reports of injuries.&nbsp;

This is an ongoing investigation by the Hutchinson Police Department Traffic Unit and anyone with information to the crash can call Traffic Officers L. Hammond or J. Gilmore at (620) 694-2854

One dead following car vs motorcycle accident at 25 Street and Monroe 

The Hutchinson City Council will meet this evening in a regularly scheduled meeting at City Hall. 

On the council's agenda is an ordinance that will make changes to taxicab regulations in the city of Hutchinson.

 The council will also consider a resolution for a commercial facade Development Program. The program will encourage local businesses and property owners to enhance their properties. The program aims to reduce blight, improve building facades and increase the areas of appeal for residents, customers, tenants and prospective businesses. 

In another item on the agenda, Also, the council will look to approve an agreement between the city and Interfaith Housing that would provide funding to Interfaith to acquire dilapidated residential properties with the goal of demolishing unsafe structures and transferring the cleared lots to the Hutchinson Land Bank for redevelopment. 

The Hutchinson City Council meeting begins at 5:30 p.m. in the commission chambers at City Hall.&nbsp;

Hutch City Council to meet Tuesday evening

Here’s the latest booking activity from the Reno County Jail. This information is provided by the Reno County Sheriff’s Office and is not criminal hi, story. The Hutch Post assumes no legal liability or responsibility for the accuracy, or completeness, of this information. All suspects are considered innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. ——————————————

Damon	Nathan Newton&nbsp;3/17/2025 2:36 PM&nbsp; Failure to Appear, Probation Violation&nbsp;

Tylia	Natee&nbsp;Bruton&nbsp;3/17/2025 6:10 PM&nbsp; Failure to Appear&nbsp;

Jerome	Leslie&nbsp;Lyons&nbsp;3/17/2025 7:27 PM&nbsp;Use or Possess with Intent to use Drug Paraphernalia into Human Body,&nbsp;Possession of marijuana,&nbsp;Possession of opiate, narcotic, or certain stimulant,&nbsp;Distribution of controlled substance; Cause great bodily harm, Probation Violation,&nbsp;

Seth	Carl Hurtt&nbsp;3/18/2025 1:34 AM&nbsp;&nbsp;Possession of opiate, narcotic, or certain stimulant,&nbsp;Use or Possess with Intent to use Drug Paraphernalia into Human Body,&nbsp;Theft; Property or Services; Less than $1,500,&nbsp;Burglary; Dwelling for felony, theft, domestic violence, sex

Daily booking 

Lacey Mills and Carla Stansfield of the United Way of Reno County stopped by the BW Morning Show on Tuesday to talk about the Hub project that will be at the Hutchinson Public Library on March 18. &nbsp;&nbsp;

The Hub Project is where the community can connect with resources in the community &nbsp;

“We've held a couple of these over the last several months, where we bring in partners in the community surrounding a certain topic, and folks who have a need or an interest in learning more about what's available in regards to that topic can come and kind of do what we think of a one stop shop.” said Stansfield &nbsp;&nbsp;

She continued to say, “You know, instead of going to four or five different nonprofits or making four or five different phone calls, you're able to do all of that in one space, in one moment, and meet some needs.”&nbsp;

<a href="https://hutchpost.com/posts/49964549-c4d9-4deb-9c5f-6f1d15f82f93">LINK:&nbsp;BW Morning Show Interview: Carla Stansfield and Lacey Mills, United Way of Reno County</a>

Tuesday’s Hub Project will be on home ownership and home repair. &nbsp;

“Tuesdays is home owning, home ownership. So, if you would like to purchase a home in town or in home repairs too.” &nbsp;

&nbsp;Stansfield added, “in Reno County, there's some additional funds available. And then, if you already own a home, there are some programs here in our community that can help you maintain that or repair that home. If there are needs,&nbsp;

The event is on the second floor of the library on Tuesday between 4 and 6 p.m. &nbsp;

United Way to host Hub Project on home buying and repair on Tuesday 

The Hutchinson Soroptimist Club is sponsoring their annual Women's Show and Health Fair this Saturday at the Meadowlark building on the State Fairgrounds. Jane Holzrichter, the president of the Hutchinson Soroptimist Club for 2025 gave us a few details on the event. &nbsp;

“We consider this a fundraiser, but it's really a service award to the community, or a service program to the community, and we have been having the women's show for many years” said Holzrichter. “I'm not even for sure what year we're on at this point, but many years and we have, we have usually in attendance at first to 1000 that come through our doors, and we're real excited this year. We have over 95 booths for the Women's Show and over 60 booths for the Health Fair.”&nbsp;

&nbsp;Holzrichter&nbsp;told us what to expect at the Women's show. “Yes, we have a lot of vendors that will come in with their cosmetics, jewelry, clothing, garden, cabinetry is going to be there. We have different foods that will be there to sample.”&nbsp;

Holzrichter stated that they have just a huge variety of vendors, if you think about it, it is probably a booth somewhere within the women's show&nbsp;

<a href="https://hutchpost.com/posts/790e6cdc-fbbf-421f-a0de-eec7ae313381">LINK:&nbsp;BW Morning Show Interview: Jane Holzrichter and Kyran Lowsew, Soroptimist Women's Show and Health Fair</a>

They are excited for this year. Because last year, in order for us to be under one roof at the Meadowlark Building they&nbsp;went ahead and made it free to come through the door. They used to sell the tickets&nbsp;

The Health Fair runs from 9am to 1pm and is sponsored by Prairie Star for the third year in a row. Kyran Lowsew&nbsp;of Prairie Star had the details about the Health Fair.&nbsp;

“We are sponsoring the health fair for the third year in a row now, and we're really excited to do so. We think it's a great thing to offer to the community, a wonderful service to bring so we're really excited about that.” said Lowsew. “We are bringing our breast cancer screenings again this year. So, if you need to get that done, we encourage you to come do that.” &nbsp;

They will also have oral cancer screenings. Plus, they are going to have eyeglass cleanings with our vision department. If you know you have some grubby glasses and you want to clean up, they can do that for you. &nbsp;

The Women's show runs from 9 a.m. to 3p.m. and the health fair runs from one 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. both the Women's Show and the Health Fair are in the Meadowlark building at the State Fairgrounds.&nbsp;

Soroptimist Club Women's Show and Health Fair to be held on Saturday 

They say that white cats are mystical, and symbolize wisdom, power and magic.

Letti is a great cat and is current on vaccinations and is spayed. She is a laid back and loves to lay in her cat bed.&nbsp;

But, more is better.&nbsp; Her two other littermates are available. So check out Dominic and Cipher

The shelter is located at 811 East C. They are open 10 a.m. to Noon and 1 p.m. to 4p.m. Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday and 10 a.m. to noon on Wednesday and Saturday.&nbsp;

Adopt a Furry Friend: Letti and more

A guardrail replacement project in Rice County on U.S. 56 will start around March 31, according to the Kansas Department of Transportation.

Installation work will take place at two bridge locations about one-quarter mile apart on U.S. 56 – the first is between 10th&nbsp;Road and 11th&nbsp;Road and the second is just east of 11th&nbsp;Road.

The project is expected to last until around the end of May, weather permitting.

During the work, traffic will be guided with a temporary signal. Motorists should be prepared to slow down in the construction zone and traffic will be reduced to a single lane.

L &amp; M Contractors Inc., of Great Bend, is the primary contractor for the $568,000 project.

KDOT urges motorists to stay alert and follow posted signs in all work zones. For current road conditions, visit&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="http://www.kandrive.gov/">www.kandrive.gov</a>&nbsp;or call 5-1-1. For updates on construction projects in South Central Kansas, visit&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.ksdot.gov/projects/south-central-kansas-projects">https://www.ksdot.gov/projects/south-central-kansas-projects</a>.

Guardrail replacement in Rice County to begin later this month

Monday morning on the BW morning show, we had the opportunity to visit with Hutch CC soccer coach Sammy Lane. Lane has been the head coach at Hutch CC since 2005 and is a native of Ireland coming here in 1986 on a soccer scholarship to Sterling College.&nbsp;

1986 I had just graduated high school in Ireland and got an opportunity to come over to Sterling college on a soccer scholarship, jumped on an airplane like Manny Irish did way back then. And, you know, I've been here ever since. &nbsp;

So what does he remember most about coming to the US ? &nbsp;The humidity. &nbsp;

“And got the shock of a lifetime when I, when I got off the plane in Kansas City, and I just, you know, I still do it now, obviously, with the girls that I recruit to get off, they're like, they'll take that first deep breath of air, and they're like, Oh my God, my lungs are burning.” said Lane. &nbsp;“And I'm like, Yep, I was one of you to the humidity and the heat is obviously something, you know, we never experienced in our life.”&nbsp;

Glenn talked with him about St Patrick's Day in Ireland. Here's what he remembers about the day there. &nbsp;

🎧&nbsp;<a href="https://hutchpost.com/posts/1a4e2915-866f-4264-ade4-c35b4cfcba53">BW Morning Show Interview: Sammy Lane, HutchCC soccer coach on St. Patrick's Day.</a>

“For us, it's still a religious holiday, you know, because St Patrick is credited with converting Ireland to Christianity, and so, so the biggest, you know, the biggest thing corresponds to religious holiday in Ireland. And so a typical St Patrick's Day would would be, you get dressed up for mass.”&nbsp;

Lane continued, “And I still remember this. It's funny, you mentioned that. I remember there's a child like, we there, you get Shamrock, like, real Shamrock. And so then you'd put it with a safety pin on your lapel. So everybody wore a little bit of shamrock on that and went away to mass. &nbsp;

“And then afterwards, if there was a parade in your town, you went to the parade, but, but after that, then there would be a big family dinner, a bit like the way there's Thanksgiving and Christmas dinner. So, it was a big, you know, a bit of that. And then some of the older folks would head to the pub. Drinking pints of Guinness, and that tradition is kind of carried on everywhere.” said Lane &nbsp;

We asked him about getting pinched if you don't wear green, as Elaine said he didn't know where that came from, but here's what he said about the wearing of the green.&nbsp;

“Apparently, if you wore green in St Patrick's Day, and then the leprechauns couldn't see it. So that was another one of the reasons why you wore green, because we didn't want the leprechauns trying to take your soul or whatever it was they were after. So apparently, leprechauns can't see green, so wear green if you're up to any shenanigans today.” said Lane. &nbsp;

St. Patrick’s Day is celebrated on the day that St. Patrick died. &nbsp;&nbsp;

HutchCC's Sammy Lane talks about St. Patrick's Day 

🎧 BW Morning Show Interview: Jane Holzrichter and Kyran Lowsew, Soroptimist Women's Show and Health Fair 

🎧 BW Morning Show Interview: Sammy Lane, HutchCC soccer coach on St. Patrick's Day 

MANHATTAN, Kan. — For Kansas gardeners, St. Patrick’s Day means something much more than donning a favorite green outfit and heading to local celebrations.

Traditionally, the Irish holiday signals the date for planting potatoes.

“Actually, anytime from mid- to late-March is fine for potato planting,” said Kansas State University horticulture expert Cynthia Domenghini.

“Be sure to buy seed potatoes rather than using those intended for cooking. Seed potatoes are certified disease free and have plenty of starch to sprout as quickly as soil temperatures allow.”

Domenghini notes that most seed potatoes can be cut into four pieces – “though large potatoes may yield more,” she said. Each seed should weigh between 1 ½ to 2 ounces, and likely have more than one eye.

Each pound of seed potatoes should yield 8 to 10 pieces, according to Domenghini.

“Cut the seed 2 to 3 days before planting so that freshly cut surfaces have a chance to suberize, or toughen, which provides a protective coating,” Domenghini said. “Storing seed in a warm location during suberization will speed the process.”

Domenghini recommends planting each seed piece 1 to 2 inches deep and 8 to 12 inches apart in rows.

“Though it is important to plant potatoes in March, they emerge slowly,” she said. “It is often mid- to late-April before new plants poke their way through the soil. As the potatoes grow, pull soil up to the base of the plants. New potatoes are borne above the planted seed piece and it is important to keep sunlight from hitting the new potatoes.”

Domenghini said exposed potatoes will turn green and produce a poisonous substance called solanine. Keeping the potatoes covered will prevent this.

St. Patrick's day more than dressing green, it signals time to plant potatoes 

⚾ K-State's Evasco garners Big 12 Newcomer of the Week honors

⚾ KU's Hauge named Big 12 Player of the Week

The Kansas City Royals announced Cole Ragans will get the Opening Day starting pitching nod against the Cleveland Guardians on Thursday, March 27 at Kauffman Stadium.

This marks the second straight season Ragans has toed the rubber on Opening Day for KC. He finished the 2024 season with an 11-9 record and a 3.14 ERA. Ragans pitched in 32 games, making 32 starts and going 186.1 innings pitched, striking out 223 and walking 67.

So far in Spring Training, Ragans has made five starts with a 2-1 record and has 21 strikeouts and five walks in 14 innings of action.

The Royals and Guardians will open the season next Thursday with a 3:10 p.m. first pitch.

⚾ Royals name Ragans Opening Day starter

The American League Central was a surprisingly strong division last season, with four teams finishing above .500.

Then there was the Chicago White Sox —&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/white-sox-loss-record-f573fcb00e937db68255eeeae2262949">who racked up 121 losses for the most defeats</a>&nbsp;in modern Major League Baseball history.

Expect more of the same in 2025. The defending champion Cleveland Guardians, along with the Detroit Tigers, Minnesota Twins and Kansas City Royals all have reason to believe they’ll emerge at the top of the division.

As for the White Sox, there’s pretty much nowhere to go but up, though it still looks like another tough season for Chicago’s South Side.

1. Detroit Tigers. The Tigers are aiming to pick up where they did last season, keeping the key players that put together a late-season surge to end a decade-long playoff drought. Detroit’s rotation is led by AL Cy Young and Triple Crown winner Tarik Skubal and Jack Flaherty, who returned as a free agent after being dealt at the last trade deadline. Two-time All-Star second baseman Gleyber Torres was signed, shifting 23-year-old Colt Keith to first base. The Tigers had four banged-up outfielders in spring training and will possibly start the season without Matt Vierling, Parker Meadows, Wenceel Perez and Akil Baddoo. Spencer Torkelson, the No. 1 pick overall in 2020, is getting a chance to revive his career as a designated hitter and is a potentially pivotal player in a lineup that could get a boost with his bat.

2. Kansas City Royals. The long-suffering club nearly went from worst-to-first last year, earning a wild card and beating the Orioles in the playoffs before losing to the Yankees in four games in the Division Series. They re-signed Michael Wacha and Michael Lorenzen to keep intact the majority of a stellar rotation that includes All-Stars Cole Ragans and Seth Lugo. Their biggest move of the offseason came when they dealt homegrown starter Brady Singer to Cincinnati to land infielder Jonathan India, whom they hope can improve their on-base percentage at the top of the lineup. Kansas City was unable to land the outfield bat that it coveted in free agency, so it will be important for MJ Melendez, Kyle Isbel and Hunter Renfroe to show improvement for the offense to take a step forward. If they can stay as healthy as last year, and All-Star SS Bobby Witt Jr. comes close to matching his near-MVP season, the Royals should be in the mix for their first AL Central title since 2015.

3. Cleveland Guardians. What can Stephen Vogt do for an encore? In his first season, Vogt took the Guardians to the ALCS and won AL Manager of the Year honors. Vogt has one of the best bullpens in the majors led by closer Emmanuel Clase, who was second the majors with 47 saves. The top of the lineup is strong with third baseman José Ramírez, outfielder Steven Kwan and first baseman Carlos Santana back for a third stint in Cleveland. The rotation has some questions until Shane Bieber returns possibly after the All-Star break after having Tommy John surgery last year. The bottom of the lineup also lacks power. Catcher Bo Naylor needs to bounce back after batting only .201 with 13 home runs last season.

4. Minnesota Twins. The Twins had another quiet winter with their payroll in a holding pattern after it was slashed last year in response to the loss of regional television revenue that several of their peers across the game have been grappling with. That raised the collective angst within the fan base following a 12-27 finish to the 2024 season that cost them a spot in the postseason. While they’ll roll out largely the same lineup as last year, banking on better health for stars Carlos Correa and Royce Lewis — the latter was dealing with a hamstring issue in spring training — they did overhaul their entire hitting staff. Matt Borgschulte was hired away from the Baltimore Orioles to be the new hitting coach. The Twins were 10th in the major leagues in runs in each of the last two years despite the series of injuries to several of their key hitters, and their flame-throwing pitching staff that ranked second in baseball in strikeouts in 2024 and first in 2023 features a potentially dominant late-inning trio with Cole Sands and Griffin Jax setting up Jhoan Durán.

5. Chicago White Sox. The team has new leadership in the dugout with Will Venable taking over for Pedro Grifol, who was fired last August in the midst of a brutal 41-121 season. Venable was an associate manager under Bruce Bochy in Texas for the past two years. Chicago dealt pitcher Garrett Crochet to Boston, but the White Sox hung onto Luis Robert Jr. for now coming off an injury-riddled season. Outfielder Andrew Benintendi was expected to miss four to six weeks after breaking his right hand when he was hit by a pitch during a spring training game in late February. It’s going to be another rebuilding year for the franchise. Chicago has restocked its minor league system, but help still appears to be a couple years away.

Detroit’s Skubal emerged as one of the game’s elite pitchers with a brilliant season in 2024, going 18-4 with a 2.39 ERA and 228 strikeouts. The 28-year-old should just be entering his prime years, boasting a 100 mph fastball that’s tough to square up.

If spring training is any indication, he’s primed for another great season. He had a 2.70 ERA with 15 strikeouts in 13 1/3 innings through his first four Grapefruit League outings.

Lewis’ quest for a healthy season in Minnesota is not off to a good start. The third baseman strained his left hamstring on March 16, which could affect his ability for opening day.

The 25-year-old Lewis made his big league debut in 2022, but his development has been slowed by injuries. He missed the 2021 season after he tore his right ACL when he slipped on ice during a winter storm at his Texas home and had ACL surgery on the same knee on June 21, 2022.

He opened the 2023 season on the 60-day injured list while he recovered from his June knee surgery. He also had IL stints that year with a strained left oblique and a left hamstring strain.

Lewis hit .233 with 16 homers and 47 RBIs last year, but played in just 82 games. He had IL stints for a strained right quad and a right adductor strain.

⚾ AL Central Preview: Four solid teams, and then the White Sox

HUTCHINSON, Kan. — It's that time of year again where the NJCAA Division I Men's Basketball Championship tournament returns to the Salt City, as 24 teams travel to the Hutchinson Sports Arena.

The tournament runs Saturday, March 22 through Saturday, March 29 with 23 games taking place over the week-long national tournament.

The action tips off at noon on March 22 with No. 17 Connors State (Okla.) facing No. 16 John A. Logan (Ill.). The championship game will tipoff at noon on March 29.

All 23 games will be broadcasted on EAGLE Media radio stations, between <a href="https://radio.securenetsystems.net/v5/KWBW">KWBW-AM/FM (1450/98.5)</a> and <a href="https://streamdb5web.securenetsystems.net/v5/KHUT">KHUT-FM (102.9)</a>. The day games will be on KWBW, while the evening games will be broadcasted both on KWBW-AM/FM and KHUT-FM.

The first 22 games will be streamed on ESPN+ with a paid subscription, and the national championship game will be live on ESPNU.&nbsp;

Automatic Qualifiers: Columbia State (Tenn.),&nbsp;Brunswick (NC), Columbia State (Tenn.), Connors State (Okla.), Cowley (Kan.), Indian Hills (Iowa), John A. Logan (Ill.), Jones (Miss.), Monroe University (NY), Panola (Texas), Pensacola State (Fla.), Snow (Utah), South Georgia State, South Plains (Texas), Three Rivers (Mo.), Trinidad State (Colo.), Wallace State-Hanceville (Ala.).

At-Large Selections: Angelina (Texas), Barton (Kan.), Chipola (Fla.), Daytona State (Fla.), Frank Phillips (Texas), Trinity Valley (Texas), Triton (Ill.), Vincennes (Ind.).

<a href="https://d2o2figo6ddd0g.cloudfront.net/m/d/vjl5ejn1yywgiw/2025_DI_MBB_Championship_Bracket_-_v1.pdf">FULL BRACKET HERE</a>

🏀 EAGLE to broadcast all 23 games of NJCAA DI Men's Basketball Championship

🎧 EAGLE Media Sports Broadcast Calendar (March 17-March 23)

🥎 Golly launches 4 of Dragons' 7 home runs in sweep of Colby

Eagle Radio Hutchinson Sportscaster Glen Grunwald received the KSHSAA Oscar Stauffer Sportscaster of the Year Award for 2025 Saturday evening at the 3A State Basketball tournament at the Sports Arena. This is the second time that Grunwald has been given this award, winning it for the first time in 2020.

Grunwald is the voice of the Hutchinson High Salthawks and formerly was the lead sportscaster for the Hutchinson Community College Blue Dragon football and men's basketball team broadcasts until stepping away last March after 26 years which included being on the call for the Blue Dragons NJCAA Men's D1 Basketball Championship in 2017 and their first NJCAA Football Championship in 2021.

Grunwald joins a fraternity of the state's finest broadcasters, including former winners, longtime KU voice Bob Davis (1975, current KU voice Brian Hanni (2010 and 2012) and K-State voice Wyatt Thompson (1989).

"To win it once was a thrill, to win it a second time with so many great broadcasters in Kansas....I am just so blessed to be even mentioned in the same breath as Bob, Wyatt an Brian is such a blessing this late in my career. I mean these guys are legends in Kansas Sportscasting history." Grunwald said on winning the award.

Eagle Radio as a company currently employs six winners. Junction City's Dewey Terrill won in 1991, 1995 and 1998. Gerard Wellbrock from Hays won in 1996, 1997 and 2000. Dustin Armbruster from Hays won in 2013 and 2022, Cole Reif from Great Bend won in 2018 and Devin Hanney from Salina won in 2019 prior to Grunwald's 2020 win and again in 2021.

Grunwald was
honored by the Kansas Association of Broadcasters (KAB) in 2017 as the recipient of
the Hod Humiston Award for Broadcast excellence. He was also named the Kansas
Interscholastic Athletic Administrators Association (KIAAA) Sportscaster of the
Year in 2022 and received an honorable mention award along with his broadcast partner Dan Naccarato in 2023 by the Kansas Association of Broadcasters for medium market play-by-play.

Grunwald has
also been honored to be chosen as one of three finalist for the National Sports
Media Association organization as Sportscaster of the Year in Kansas for 2023 and again was in the top five finalist this past December for 2024.

Grunwald will receive his award at one of the KSHSAA state basketball championship events in March.

<a href="https://www.kshsaachamps.org/Shared/FullList/?i=4">KSHSAA Oscar Stauffer Award List of past winners</a>

Grunwald receives KSHSAA Oscar Stauffer award at 3A tournament

🏀 K-State women is No. 5 seed in Spokane 4 Regional

The NCAA DI Men's Basketball Championship tips off on Tuesday with First Four action in Dayton, Ohio. The first and second rounds will take place Thursday through Sunday.

Wichita State will host First/Second Round action at INTRUST Bank Arena in downtown Wichita. The eight teams coming to Wichita include — Drake, Georgia, Gonzaga, Houston, Missouri, SIU Edwardsville, Texas Tech and UNC-Wilmington.&nbsp;

Below you will see the entire First/Second Round schedule with tipoff times and TV designations. The games highlighted and in bold are the games that will be played in Wichita.

🏀 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament daily schedule with tipoff times and TV designations

<a href="https://newsroom.ap.org/home/search/?query=byline:%22JOHN%20HANNA%22&amp;mediaType=text&amp;st=keyword&amp;sortOrder=newest">By JOHN HANNA Associated Press</a>

TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — A gust of wind sweeps over bare soil, kicking up enough dirt and dust to cut visibility to nearly zero, and for drivers, the dust storm seems to come out of nowhere.

Such conditions resulted in a pileup on Interstate 70 last week in western Kansas involving dozens of cars and trucks that&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/tornadoes-wildfires-deaths-eb53f6b2463a96b18a08ca9e2db266ab">left eight people dead</a>. Blinding dust also prompted New Mexico's transportation department to close Interstate 25 from the Colorado border southwest to Las Vegas, New Mexico.

Hazy or dust-darkened skies have recalled the “Dust Bowl” of the 1930s, when millions of tons of blowing soil buried farms and coated towns across the Great Plains. Lesser storms occur every year, particularly in the western U.S., particularly when farmland hasn't been planted yet in the spring. Some scientists worry that many motorists don't take them seriously enough.

“We have a very low level of public awareness of a dust storm and what damage it can cause,” said Daniel Tong, an associate professor of atmospheric chemistry at George Mason University who is among the authors of a 2023 paper on dust storm deaths.

Dust storms have a history of causing fatalities

The High Plains Museum in Goodland displays a photo of a tractor buried in blown soil in the 1930s, a reminder of the consequences of a severe drought across the Great Plains that came after farming had destroyed native grasses.

The fatalities Friday near Goodland were the first in the area in a dust storm since 2014, said Jeremy Martin, the Weather Service meteorologist in charge there.

But they came less than a month after an 11-car pileup on I-25 left three people dead, with heavy dust cited as a factor, according&nbsp;<a href="https://www.krqe.com/news/new-mexico/three-killed-in-11-car-pileup-west-of-lordsburg/">to Albuquerque TV's KRQE.</a>&nbsp;Similarly, a dust storm on I-55 between St. Louis and Springfield, Illinois, in 2023 led to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/illinois-highway-wind-dust-storm-crashes-14cf5174d293741f94a17eed9d8f4a2d">a fatal pileup</a>&nbsp;involving dozens of vehicles.

In 1991, 17 people died in an accident involving more than 100 vehicles on I-5 in California's San Joaquin Valley, blamed on blowing dust.

Tong and four co-authors concluded in their paper published in 2023 in the Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society that there were&nbsp;<a href="https://research.noaa.gov/how-deadly-are-dust-storms/">232 deaths</a>&nbsp;from “windblown dust events” from 2007 through 2017, far higher than the number recorded by National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association data.

<a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41893-024-01506-4">In January,</a>&nbsp;he and four colleagues concluded that the economic damaged caused by wind erosion and dust is four times higher than previously calculated and more than $154 billion a year.

A cold front carries dust through western Kansas

Martin said a cold front moved through the area of the pileup after it had been warm and dry for six hours. Winds that reached 70 miles per hour (113 kph) kicked up dust that then became trapped in the cold front.

“That's when you get that classic wall of dust," he said.

As blowing dust cut visibility on the road to almost zero, drivers slowed down, causing collisions, authorities said.

A preliminary investigation found that 71 vehicles were involved, said Kansas Highway Patrol spokesperson April McCollum. Aerial photos showed at least 10 were semis.

“It was hard to even keep your eyes open outside because there was so much dust in the air,” said Jeremy Martin, the National Weather Service meteorologist in charge in Goodland. “It kind of stung to even breathe out in it.”

Similar conditions in eastern Colorado prompted the Colorado State Patrol to warn drivers: “Zero visibility due to high winds and blowing dirt.”

“You couldn’t see,” said Jerry Burkhart, the fire and emergency services chief in Lamar, Colorado. “The best thing to do is get way off the road in a parking lot or something like that.”

A lack of visibility is not the only problem

Martin said it's hard to tell how thick dust is from a distance, so motorists often don't know they won't able to see until they're in it.

Weather Service forecasters also said some of the advice for motorists in a dust storm is counter-intuitive. Michael Anand, a NWS meteorologist in Albuquerque, said motorists should pull off the road as safely as possible, turn off all lights and never use their high beams.

“You don’t want people behind you to think you’re going in the road,” Martin said. “That light from your tail light might be the only thing they can see. They’re thinking the road suddenly curves.”

High winds make cars harder to control, and a dust storm coats the road with fine particles that slow breaking, and drivers panic, Tong said.

He said dust storms are frequent and widespread enough across the U.S. that states should test prospective drivers on what to do in a dust storm on license exams.

“That could be, actually, a very easy way to educate drivers,” he said.

Highway pileup in western Kan. shows how dust storms can turn deadly

SEDGWICK COUNTY —Law enforcement are investigating a fatal crash and are working to determine if gunfire was involved.

Just before 8:30p.m. Monday., police&nbsp; responded to a report of a crash in the 4600 block of E. Mt. Vernon in Wichita, according to Officer Andrew Ford. Fesponders located two vehicles involved in the collision.

In the first vehicle, emergency personnel attempted life-saving measures on a 46-year-old man, who was pronounced deceased at the scene. The vehicle’s other two occupants, a 45-year-old man and a 40-year-old man, sustained severe injuries and were transported to a local hospital.

The second vehicle had three occupants. EMS transported&nbsp; 40-year-old woman and a 2-year-old girl to a local hospital for treatment. A 24-year-old man declined medical care.

Through further investigation, detectives now believe a possible shooting incident may have contributed to the crash. Police are working to confirm this and determine the circumstances leading up to the incident.

Police: Gunfire may have caused deadly Kansas crash

SEDGWICK COUNTY—Law enforcement continues to investigate weekend vandalism at a church in Wichita. On Monday while meeting with the media during a tour of the&nbsp;Kennedy Center, President Trump was asked about the crime.

Police in Wichita arrested a 23-year-old Saline County man identified as Michael Angel Gonzalez, according to Sedgwick County booking records, for the vandalism.

Just after 8:30 Saturday, police responded to a reported burglary at St. Patrick Catholic Church, located in the 2000 block of N. Arkansas Street in Wichita, according to Wichita Police spokesman Brad Wright.

Officers discovered significant vandalism, including hate speech and damage to items such as statues, candles, and glass. Notably, a United States flag had been burned.

Recognizing the severity of this crime, Wichita Police and investigators—alongside federal law enforcement partners including the FBI and ATF—immediately launched a full-scale investigation. The Wichita Police dedicated Crime Scene Investigation team worked diligently to analyze evidence, leading to the swift identification of a suspect.

Officers from the Wichita Police Field Community Response Teams were provided with critical intelligence and began searching for the suspect. At approximately 2:20 a.m. Sunday, officers located and arrested Gonzalez in the 2800 block of N. Hillside in Wichita without incident.

Gonzalez is being held in the Sedgwick County Jail on a bond of over $500,000 on requested charges of Burglary, Criminal Desecration, and Criminal Damage to Property. The case will be presented to the Sedgwick County District Attorney and federal prosecutors for formal charging considerations.

🎥President Trump comments on church vandalism arrest in Kansas

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) — NASA’s two&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/nasa-stuck-astronauts-butch-wilmore-suni-williams-432d8c3ebf8d617d2df4d3ae53db51c3">stuck astronauts</a>&nbsp;headed back to Earth with SpaceX on Tuesday to close out a&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/stuck-astronauts-nasa-boeing-starliner-1929d955463291701b99d4862b2c45ef">dramatic marathon mission</a>&nbsp;that began with a bungled&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/nasa-stuck-astronauts-boeing-starliner-92dca67a1fbecf05f5f0e6e2e79afc3b">Boeing test flight</a>&nbsp;more than nine months ago.

<a href="https://apnews.com/article/nasa-stuck-astronauts-spacewalk-2cb2b5897892449f9d4661449a88de1c">Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams</a>&nbsp;bid farewell to the International Space Station — their home since last spring — departing aboard&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/nasa-stuck-astronauts-boeing-starliner-92dca67a1fbecf05f5f0e6e2e79afc3b">a SpaceX capsule</a>&nbsp;alongside two other astronauts. The capsule undocked in the wee hours and aimed for a splashdown off the Florida coast by early evening, weather permitting.

The two expected to be gone just a week or so after launching on Boeing’s new Starliner crew capsule on June 5. So many problems cropped up on the way to the space station that NASA eventually sent Starliner back empty and transferred the test pilots to SpaceX, pushing their homecoming into February. Then SpaceX capsule issues added another month’s delay.

Sunday’s arrival of their relief crew meant Wilmore and Williams could finally leave. NASA cut them loose a little early, given the iffy weather forecast later this week. They checked out with NASA’s Nick Hague and Russia’s Alexander Gorbunov, who arrived in their own SpaceX capsule last fall with two empty seats reserved for the Starliner duo.

“We'll miss you, but have a great journey home,” NASA's Anne McClain called out from the space station as the capsule pulled away 260 miles (418 kilometers) above the Pacific.

Their plight captured the world’s attention, giving new meaning to the phrase “stuck at work.” While other astronauts had logged longer spaceflights over the decades, none had to deal with so much uncertainty or see the length of their mission expand by so much.

Wilmore and Williams quickly transitioned from guests to full-fledged station crew members, conducting experiments, fixing equipment and even spacewalking together. With 62 hours over nine spacewalks, Williams set a new record: the most time spent spacewalking over a career among female astronauts.

Both had lived on the orbiting lab before and knew the ropes, and brushed up on their station training before rocketing away. Williams became the station's commander three months into their stay and held the post until earlier this month.

Their mission took an unexpected twist in late January when President Donald Trump asked SpaceX founder Elon Musk to accelerate the astronauts’ return and blamed the delay on the Biden administration. The replacement crew’s brand new SpaceX capsule still wasn’t ready to fly, so SpaceX subbed it with a used one, hurrying things along by at least a few weeks.

Even in the middle of the political storm, Wilmore and Williams continued to maintain an even keel at public appearances from orbit, casting no blame and insisting they supported NASA’s decisions from the start.

NASA hired SpaceX and Boeing after the shuttle program ended, in order to have two competing U.S. companies for transporting astronauts to and from the space station until it's abandoned in 2030 and steered to a fiery reentry. By then, it will have been up there more than three decades; the plan is to replace it with privately run stations so NASA can focus on moon and Mars expeditions.

Both retired Navy captains, Wilmore and Williams stressed they didn’t mind spending more time in space — a prolonged deployment reminiscent of their military days. But they acknowledged it was tough on their families.

Wilmore, 62, missed most of his younger daughter’s senior year of high school; his older daughter is in college. Williams, 59, had to settle for internet calls from space to her mother. They’ll have to wait until they’re off the SpaceX recovery ship and flown to Houston before the long-awaited reunion with their loved ones.

🎥NASA's stuck astronauts are on their way back to Earth after 9 months in space

KANSAS CITY—Law enforcement investigating two deaths at a home northeast of Kansas City have identified the victims as 33-year-old Dare M. Kinney and 31-year-old Chad D. Wooten, according to a statement from police.

Just after 8:30p.m. March 10, Excelsior Springs police received a 911 call requesting a welfare check for a home in the 200 Block of Woods Avenue, according to media release.&nbsp; A family member of the residents requested the check.

First responders found the residence was secure and a family member then asked officers to force entry into the home to check on the residents. Police found the two men deceased.

Police have not released a possible cause of death but indicated the victims died of unnatural causes.&nbsp;&nbsp;

Police: ID 2 found dead in Kansas City area home

WASHINGTON (AP)—Military leaders say the U.S. airstrikes in Yemen against Houthi targets have struck more than 30 targets since Saturday, including headquarters locations, drone launch sites and weapons storage facilities.

Lt. Gen. Alex Grynkewich, director of operations for the Joint Chiefs of Staff, estimated those strikes have killed “dozens” of militants and would continue in the coming days.

The strikes targeted headquarters positions and drone sites where militants the Pentagon identified as “key leaders” for the Houthis’ drone program were located, Grynkewich told reporters Monday.

During the attacks, the Houthis claimed to fire one-way attack drones and ballistic missiles in response.

At a news briefing, both Grynkewich and Pentagon spokesperson Sean Parnell said the responses “didn’t come anywhere near” U.S. assets in the region, including the aircraft carrier USS Harry S. Truman.

U.S. forces continue strikes against Iran-backed terrorists

ATCHISON COUNTY—Law enforcement are investigating a Kansas man for alleged sex crimes.

On March 9th police began an investigation that focused on crimes committed against a 32-year-old woman that occurred at the Walmart store at 1920 U.S.73.in Atchison, according to Police Chief Mike Wilson.

 The victim had reported that on the late afternoon of March 9th as she was leaving the store she was approached by a man who identified himself as being an asset protection officer with Walmart. 

The man escorted her to a restroom at the back of of the store where he sexually assaulted her. It was quickly determined that the suspect was not working for Walmart. The investigation continued and on at around 4p.m. Sunday, police were notified that the suspect was back at Walmart, walking around the store.

 Officers located&nbsp; 42-year-old Justin Metz inside the store and took him into custody on requested charges of kidnapping, rape, and sexual battery.

Kan. man accused of sex assault of shopper at big box store

PARIS (AP) — Hey, America: Give the Statue of Liberty back to France.

So says a French politician who is making headlines in his country for suggesting that the U.S. is no longer worthy of the monument that was a gift from France nearly 140 years ago.

Local

Region

Sports