A High Wind Warning is in effect until 7 p.m. Thursday.

North to northwest winds 30 to 35 mph with gusts to  around 58 mph are expected in portions of Central and South Central Kansas until 7 p.m. this evening.

Damaging winds may blow down trees and power lines.

  Some power outages can be expected. Travel will be difficult, especially for high profile vehicles.

People should avoid being outside in forested areas and around trees and branches. If possible, remain in the lower levels of your home during the windstorm, and avoid windows. Use caution if you must drive.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/3/1584551608097.jpeg" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>A High Wind Warning is in effect until 7 p.m. Thursday.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/10/1635416013417.jpeg" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>North to northwest winds 30 to 35 mph with gusts to around 58 mph are expected in portions of Central and South Central Kansas until 7 p.m. this evening.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/10/1635416581402.jpeg" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>Damaging winds may blow down trees and power lines. Some power outages can be expected. Travel will be difficult, especially for high profile vehicles.People should avoid being outside in forested areas and around trees and branches. If possible, remain in the lower levels of your home during the windstorm, and avoid windows. Use caution if you must drive.

High Wind Warning in effect Thursday


HUTCHINSON,
Kan. — 
The annual Sheriff's Tax Sale was held in Memorial Hall in Hutchinson on Wednesday. 

A total of 66 properties of various sizes sold in a public auction. All properties initially were sold for a total of $442,583.00. 

The Sheriff's Office said on Facebook, "Everything went smoothly and we appreciate the public’s patience as Deputies processed their purchase," 

This was also County Counselor Joseph O’Sullivan’s last tax sale. He and his assistant Dorothy will be retiring at the end of the year.

R.E.I.B. Auction assisted the department during the event.

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 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/10/1635415688508.jpeg" alt="" />
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 </figure>
HUTCHINSON,
Kan. — 
The annual Sheriff's Tax Sale was held in Memorial Hall in Hutchinson on Wednesday. A total of 66 properties of various sizes sold in a public auction. All properties initially were sold for a total of $442,583.00. The Sheriff's Office said on Facebook, "Everything went smoothly and we appreciate the public’s patience as Deputies processed their purchase," This was also County Counselor Joseph O’Sullivan’s last tax sale. He and his assistant Dorothy will be retiring at the end of the year.R.E.I.B. Auction assisted the department during the event.

Over $400,000 in property sold at Sheriff's Tax Sale

Clarification: The author has rented a room at the Hutchinson Public Library for his presentation, but the Library is not sponsoring Dr. Keller's appearance.

HUTCHINSON, Kan. — A special presentation on UFOs will be happening in November in Hutchinson at a room inside the Public Library.

Dr. Raymond A. Keller, a.k.a. “Cosmic Ray,” world-recognized authority on the planet Venus and author of the recently-published book "Flying Saucers and the Venus Legacy" will present an illustrated lecture on the subject of “Gray Barker’s ‘Lost Interviews’ with John W. Dean, Interplanetary Traveler” and other extraterrestrial information in his Flying Saucers book on Saturday, Nov. 20, from 1 to 3 p.m.

Dr. Keller, a UFO consultant for the Paranormal Search group headquartered in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, has been researching and writing about UFOs since 1967.&nbsp;&nbsp;

The lecture is free and open to the public.

<a href="https://hutchpost.com/download" target="_blank">CLICK HERE</a>&nbsp;to download the Hutch Post mobile app. <a href="https://hutchpost.com/posts/5e73b532afae0f4d5f5d90ea" target="_blank">CLICK HERE</a>&nbsp;to sign up for the daily Hutch Post email news update.&nbsp;&nbsp;

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/10/1635365258694.jpeg" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>Clarification: The author has rented a room at the Hutchinson Public Library for his presentation, but the Library is not sponsoring Dr. Keller's appearance.HUTCHINSON, Kan. — A special presentation on UFOs will be happening in November in Hutchinson at a room inside the Public Library.Dr. Raymond A. Keller, a.k.a. “Cosmic Ray,” world-recognized authority on the planet Venus and author of the recently-published book "Flying Saucers and the Venus Legacy" will present an illustrated lecture on the subject of “Gray Barker’s ‘Lost Interviews’ with John W. Dean, Interplanetary Traveler” and other extraterrestrial information in his Flying Saucers book on Saturday, Nov. 20, from 1 to 3 p.m.Dr. Keller, a UFO consultant for the Paranormal Search group headquartered in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, has been researching and writing about UFOs since 1967.&nbsp;&nbsp;The lecture is free and open to the public.<a href="https://hutchpost.com/download" target="_blank">CLICK HERE</a>&nbsp;to download the Hutch Post mobile app. <a href="https://hutchpost.com/posts/5e73b532afae0f4d5f5d90ea" target="_blank">CLICK HERE</a>&nbsp;to sign up for the daily Hutch Post email news update.&nbsp;&nbsp;

Author to present lecture on UFOs

HUTCHINSON, Kan. — While the storms last night didn’t amount to a lot in terms of severe weather, there was just enough energy in one area to produce a very short lived EF-0 tornado.

The storm struck the town of Turon just after 10 p.m. knocking over trees and turning over a car port according to Emergency Management Director Adam Weishaar. The National Weather Service was in Turon Wednesday assessing the damage.

The path of the tornado was approximately a quarter mile wide with a maximum width of 275 yards, according to the National Weather Service.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/10/1635364074040.png" alt="Tornado damage photo National Weather Service" />
 <figcaption>Tornado damage photo National Weather Service</figcaption>
 </figure>HUTCHINSON, Kan. — While the storms last night didn’t amount to a lot in terms of severe weather, there was just enough energy in one area to produce a very short lived EF-0 tornado.The storm struck the town of Turon just after 10 p.m. knocking over trees and turning over a car port according to Emergency Management Director Adam Weishaar. The National Weather Service was in Turon Wednesday assessing the damage.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/10/1635364229211.png" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>The path of the tornado was approximately a quarter mile wide with a maximum width of 275 yards, according to the National Weather Service.There were no injuries reported.

NWS: Tuesday storm produced small tornado in Reno County

LYONS — 
Seth Cordell, Libertarian candidate for Kansas Governor, will visit Brew 56 in Lyons from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. Friday to kick off his campaign. The event will include a beer tasting from 7 p.m. to 8 p.m. and ranked-choice voting demonstration.

Free market food, criminal justice reform, and civil liberties are primary issues for Cordell. He also opposes government mandates surrounding COVID protocol. The candidate will take questions after his speech Friday.

Attendees may participate in the beer tasting with a $25 donation to the campaign. Five different brews with corresponding colors will illustrate ranked-choice voting.

The event is free and open to the public.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/10/1635355666413.jpeg" alt="Seth Cordell-Libertarian for Governor" />
 <figcaption>Seth Cordell-Libertarian for Governor</figcaption>
 </figure>LYONS — 
Seth Cordell, Libertarian candidate for Kansas Governor, will visit Brew 56 in Lyons from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. Friday to kick off his campaign. The event will include a beer tasting from 7 p.m. to 8 p.m. and ranked-choice voting demonstration.Free market food, criminal justice reform, and civil liberties are primary issues for Cordell. He also opposes government mandates surrounding COVID protocol. The candidate will take questions after his speech Friday.Attendees may participate in the beer tasting with a $25 donation to the campaign. Five different brews with corresponding colors will illustrate ranked-choice voting.The event is free and open to the public.

Libertarian candidate for Governor holding kickoff event Friday in Lyons

TOPEKA, Kan. — The State of Kansas is paying a man after he served time in prison for a contempt of court charge in Reno County that was overturned by the Kansas Supreme Court.

As first reported by the <a href="https://kansasreflector.com/2021/10/27/kansas-pays-133000-to-former-inmate-unlawfully-subjected-to-reno-county-judges-wrath/">Kansas Reflector</a>, the State Finance Council found out Tuesday that 40-year-old Jose Delacruz would be paid $123,000 and receive one year of state health insurance benefits and a college tuition waiver. Delacruz also qualified for $10,700 to pay for attorney fees.

The council includes Gov. Laura Kelly and leaders of both parties in the House and Senate.

The Supreme Court reversed the Reno County District Court’s finding in 2018 that Delacruz was in direct contempt for refusing to testify at Anthony Waller's jury trial related to the killing of Joshua Haines on April 10, 2010.

Delacruz contended, and the Supreme Court found, that he was entitled to invoke his Fifth Amendment right against self-incrimination, because the state's immunity offer was not broad enough. The court held that the offer did not cover all of the possibilities in which Delacruz’s testimony could have been used against him.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/9/1632997855753.jpg" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>TOPEKA, Kan. — The State of Kansas is paying a man after he served time in prison for a contempt of court charge in Reno County that was overturned by the Kansas Supreme Court.As first reported by the <a href="https://kansasreflector.com/2021/10/27/kansas-pays-133000-to-former-inmate-unlawfully-subjected-to-reno-county-judges-wrath/">Kansas Reflector</a>, the State Finance Council found out Tuesday that 40-year-old Jose Delacruz would be paid $123,000 and receive one year of state health insurance benefits and a college tuition waiver. Delacruz also qualified for $10,700 to pay for attorney fees.The council includes Gov. Laura Kelly and leaders of both parties in the House and Senate.The Supreme Court reversed the Reno County District Court’s finding in 2018 that Delacruz was in direct contempt for refusing to testify at Anthony Waller's jury trial related to the killing of Joshua Haines on April 10, 2010.Delacruz contended, and the Supreme Court found, that he was entitled to invoke his Fifth Amendment right against self-incrimination, because the state's immunity offer was not broad enough. The court held that the offer did not cover all of the possibilities in which Delacruz’s testimony could have been used against him.

State compensating man after Supreme Court overturned contempt conviction

HUTCHINSON, Kan. — There are still a few tickets left for the Hutchinson Chamber of Commerce Annual Meeting. This year's meeting is set for Nov. 4 at the Meadowlark Building on the Kansas State Fairgrounds. According to the chamber, only about 50 tickets remain.&nbsp;

This year's annual meeting will feature Denise Lee Yohn, an expert on brand leadership for national media outlets, an in-demand keynote speaker and consultant, and influential writer.&nbsp; The event will also feature a newly expanded Sponsor Expo for the social and networking portion of the evening in the Sunflower South Building on the Fairgrounds.

Tickets are $80. For more information go to <a href="https://hutchpost.com/">hutchchamber.com</a>.

<a href="https://hutchpost.com/download" target="_blank">CLICK HERE</a>&nbsp;to download the HutchPost mobile app. <a href="https://hutchpost.com/posts/5e73b532afae0f4d5f5d90ea" target="_blank">CLICK HERE</a>&nbsp;to sign up for the daily HutchPost email news update.&nbsp;&nbsp;

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/10/1635351049170.jpeg" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>HUTCHINSON, Kan. — There are still a few tickets left for the Hutchinson Chamber of Commerce Annual Meeting. This year's meeting is set for Nov. 4 at the Meadowlark Building on the Kansas State Fairgrounds. According to the chamber, only about 50 tickets remain.&nbsp;This year's annual meeting will feature Denise Lee Yohn, an expert on brand leadership for national media outlets, an in-demand keynote speaker and consultant, and influential writer.&nbsp; The event will also feature a newly expanded Sponsor Expo for the social and networking portion of the evening in the Sunflower South Building on the Fairgrounds.Tickets are $80. For more information go to <a href="https://hutchpost.com/">hutchchamber.com</a>.<a href="https://hutchpost.com/download" target="_blank">CLICK HERE</a>&nbsp;to download the HutchPost mobile app. <a href="https://hutchpost.com/posts/5e73b532afae0f4d5f5d90ea" target="_blank">CLICK HERE</a>&nbsp;to sign up for the daily HutchPost email news update.&nbsp;&nbsp;

Just a few tickets remain for Chamber annual meeting


HUTCHINSON,
Kan. — 
There's a survey ongoing for Reno County entrepreneurs from the Reno County Entrepreneurship Ecosystem Partnership, according to Jackson Swearer with StartUp Hutch.

"That's a group that StartUp Hutch is involved with that also includes the county, the city of Hutchinson, the community foundation, the chamber of commerce, our friends over at NetWork Kansas out of Wichita and SCKEDD, as well as local entrepreneurs and local bankers and other local resources for entrepreneurs."

This used to be called the entrepreneurship task force, when it started in 2017. They want some new information.

"We're trying to do an update on that survey, to see and compare from 2017," Swearer said. "We're going to keep that survey open through November 15th. You can find information about that on the <a href="https://www.facebook.com/startuphutch">StartUp Hutch Facebook page</a> and on <a href="https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/377KNW3">startuphutch.com</a>."

The goal is to get entrepreneurs that maybe weren't around when the survey started, or those who have ideas but haven't started yet, to respond.

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 </figure>
By
NICK GOSNELL
Hutch
Post
HUTCHINSON,
Kan. — 
There's a survey ongoing for Reno County entrepreneurs from the Reno County Entrepreneurship Ecosystem Partnership, according to Jackson Swearer with StartUp Hutch."That's a group that StartUp Hutch is involved with that also includes the county, the city of Hutchinson, the community foundation, the chamber of commerce, our friends over at NetWork Kansas out of Wichita and SCKEDD, as well as local entrepreneurs and local bankers and other local resources for entrepreneurs."This used to be called the entrepreneurship task force, when it started in 2017. They want some new information."We're trying to do an update on that survey, to see and compare from 2017," Swearer said. "We're going to keep that survey open through November 15th. You can find information about that on the <a href="https://www.facebook.com/startuphutch">StartUp Hutch Facebook page</a> and on <a href="https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/377KNW3">startuphutch.com</a>."The goal is to get entrepreneurs that maybe weren't around when the survey started, or those who have ideas but haven't started yet, to respond.

2021 Entrepreneurship Ecosystem Survey will run through Nov. 15


HUTCHINSON,
Kan. — 
Reno County Commission chairman Ron Hirst notes that there is an opportunity for public input on wind farm regulations again coming up next month before the county's planning commission.

"Basically, there needed to be some wording changes done with both the comprehensive plan and the planning and zoning regulations, so that we would comply with the potential of prohibiting wind conversion systems within the zoned areas," Hirst said. "That seemed to be the direction not only the people in the southeast district, but other folks within the zoned area wanted to have."

The zoning overlay for the rest of the county is another aspect that the public needs to understand.

"If people in the non-zoned areas do want wind energy conversion systems, they would have a say," Hirst said. "Not only they would have a say, the county would have an opportunity to have a say. If we do not have a zoned portion, and that is only for wind, it doesn't apply for anything else, any other zoning, housing or so forth, they would have a say. The county the only say they would have without zoning is a road and bridge contract. With zoning, the county would have some opportunity to have some negotiating strength, if there should be one come in."

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 </figure>
By
NICK GOSNELL
Hutch
Post
HUTCHINSON,
Kan. — 
Reno County Commission chairman Ron Hirst notes that there is an opportunity for public input on wind farm regulations again coming up next month before the county's planning commission."Basically, there needed to be some wording changes done with both the comprehensive plan and the planning and zoning regulations, so that we would comply with the potential of prohibiting wind conversion systems within the zoned areas," Hirst said. "That seemed to be the direction not only the people in the southeast district, but other folks within the zoned area wanted to have."The zoning overlay for the rest of the county is another aspect that the public needs to understand."If people in the non-zoned areas do want wind energy conversion systems, they would have a say," Hirst said. "Not only they would have a say, the county would have an opportunity to have a say. If we do not have a zoned portion, and that is only for wind, it doesn't apply for anything else, any other zoning, housing or so forth, they would have a say. The county the only say they would have without zoning is a road and bridge contract. With zoning, the county would have some opportunity to have some negotiating strength, if there should be one come in."The meeting is set for November 18.

Hirst: Meeting coming up on wind regs before planning commission

HUTCHINSON — Hutchinson Police officers Dalton Leonard and Stephen Jackson were part of the 284th Basic Training Class at the Kansas Law Enforcement Training Center near Yoder that graduated October 22.

Officer Justin Atchison of the Wellsville Police Department was the graduating class president. The speaker for the ceremony was Jeff Hooper, chief of police for the Hutchinson Police Department. James Buettgenbach, KLETC senior instructor of police, was the class coordinator for the 284th Basic Training Class.

Deputy Francisco Guerrero of the Meade County Sheriff’s Office was honored with KLETC’s Fitness Award. Officer Justin Dutcher of the Sac &amp; Fox Tribal Police Department was also recognized during the ceremony for his firearms proficiency as the class “Top Shot.”

Graduates receive certificates of course completion from KLETC and Kansas law enforcement certification from the Kansas Commission on Peace Officers’ Standards and Training, the state’s law enforcement licensing authority. The training course fulfills the state requirement for law enforcement training. Classroom lectures and hands-on applications help train officers to solve the increasingly complex problems they face in the line of duty.

Dennis Zoglmann from the Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks in Pratt was part of the class, as well. The officers began their training in July.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/7/1625261126965.jpeg" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>HUTCHINSON — Hutchinson Police officers Dalton Leonard and Stephen Jackson were part of the 284th Basic Training Class at the Kansas Law Enforcement Training Center near Yoder that graduated October 22.Officer Justin Atchison of the Wellsville Police Department was the graduating class president. The speaker for the ceremony was Jeff Hooper, chief of police for the Hutchinson Police Department. James Buettgenbach, KLETC senior instructor of police, was the class coordinator for the 284th Basic Training Class.Deputy Francisco Guerrero of the Meade County Sheriff’s Office was honored with KLETC’s Fitness Award. Officer Justin Dutcher of the Sac &amp; Fox Tribal Police Department was also recognized during the ceremony for his firearms proficiency as the class “Top Shot.”Graduates receive certificates of course completion from KLETC and Kansas law enforcement certification from the Kansas Commission on Peace Officers’ Standards and Training, the state’s law enforcement licensing authority. The training course fulfills the state requirement for law enforcement training. Classroom lectures and hands-on applications help train officers to solve the increasingly complex problems they face in the line of duty.Dennis Zoglmann from the Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks in Pratt was part of the class, as well. The officers began their training in July.

Two Hutchinson officers hear from chief as speaker at KLETC graduation

HUTCHINSON, Kan. — Hutchinson USD 308 and the union representing its teachers will meet once again on Wednesday to work through two sticking points that stand between them and a new collective bargaining agreement.

The two sides will meet with a mediator after they declared an impasse in August. According to Director of Human Resources Dr. Dawn Johnson, the sticking points have to do with the salary schedule for teachers, a new discipline procedure and how such matters are handled.&nbsp;

Johnson said they expect the meeting to last through the evening and hope both sides can come together on a new contract.

Thursday's meeting begins at 4 p.m. at the USD 308 Administration Center at 1520 N. Plum.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/2/1581820278331.png" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>HUTCHINSON, Kan. — Hutchinson USD 308 and the union representing its teachers will meet once again on Wednesday to work through two sticking points that stand between them and a new collective bargaining agreement.The two sides will meet with a mediator after they declared an impasse in August. According to Director of Human Resources Dr. Dawn Johnson, the sticking points have to do with the salary schedule for teachers, a new discipline procedure and how such matters are handled.&nbsp;Johnson said they expect the meeting to last through the evening and hope both sides can come together on a new contract.Thursday's meeting begins at 4 p.m. at the USD 308 Administration Center at 1520 N. Plum.<a href="https://hutchpost.com/download" target="_blank">CLICK HERE</a>&nbsp;to download the Hutch Post mobile app. <a href="https://hutchpost.com/posts/5e73b532afae0f4d5f5d90ea" target="_blank">CLICK HERE</a>&nbsp;to sign up for the daily Hutch Post email news update.&nbsp;&nbsp;

USD 308 and teachers union meet Wednesday

HUTCHINSON, Kan. — The USD 308 Board of Education heard a presentation from the Hutchinson High School Theater Department during the Program Highlight segment on Monday.

Tobie Henline, theater teacher at Hutchinson High School, presented alongside students Magnolia Foster (junior), Caroline Miller (junior), Mariana Inchauriga (junior), Emily Baker (sophomore), and Noah Buller (senior) about the importance of performing arts in education.

During their presentation, students performed a number from their recent performance of Little Women: The Broadway Musical and Henline gave examples of how theater encompasses other academic subjects.

Also Monday, the board approved the COVID retention bonuses for administrative and classified staff. The funds were set aside in the 2022 budget. The board approved the purchase of a rooftop AC unit for the high school. The board also got an update on the virtual school program that was started by USD 308 this school year. The virtual format was put in place after many studied at home during the pandemic.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/8/1598350401105.jpeg" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>HUTCHINSON, Kan. — The USD 308 Board of Education heard a presentation from the Hutchinson High School Theater Department during the Program Highlight segment on Monday.Tobie Henline, theater teacher at Hutchinson High School, presented alongside students Magnolia Foster (junior), Caroline Miller (junior), Mariana Inchauriga (junior), Emily Baker (sophomore), and Noah Buller (senior) about the importance of performing arts in education.During their presentation, students performed a number from their recent performance of Little Women: The Broadway Musical and Henline gave examples of how theater encompasses other academic subjects.Also Monday, the board approved the COVID retention bonuses for administrative and classified staff. The funds were set aside in the 2022 budget. The board approved the purchase of a rooftop AC unit for the high school. The board also got an update on the virtual school program that was started by USD 308 this school year. The virtual format was put in place after many studied at home during the pandemic.<a href="https://hutchpost.com/download" target="_blank">CLICK HERE</a>&nbsp;to download the Hutch Post mobile app. <a href="https://hutchpost.com/posts/5e73b532afae0f4d5f5d90ea" target="_blank">CLICK HERE</a>&nbsp;to sign up for the daily Hutch Post email news update.&nbsp;&nbsp;

USD 308 approves COVID retention bonuses 

In studio with us this morning, the incumbent running once again for the at-large seat on the Hutchinson city council. Sara Bagwell is with us this morning. Good morning, Sara.

So asking this pretty much as much as I can, the same questions to everybody running for city council, everybody has an issue. That's the reason they're running. Now, granted, this is a time running as an incumbent for you, but when you ran the first time, what was the issue that caused you to say, I want to run for city council?

Well, I really think it was my children. I have three children and I just wanted to make sure that they had an opportunity when they got to my age or in their twenties and they're starting out their life and they have the ability for the American dream and to work hard and get to where they're going. And I felt that the way that some of the policies that were happening within the city were probably going to deter that. And I know that from personal experience, because my mother is a 30 year resident of Hutchinson, Kansas. My father is, or was, he passed away in 2018. But, he was a California resident. So I actually grew up in California in the nineties and the early two thousands. And so I got to see what bad policy can do to an economy and I've seen it firsthand. And so I started kind of seeing those things here in Hutchinson and really decided I needed to just, I was a nine to five mom grinding it out like everybody else. That's why I say I'm here for the hard working people of Hutchinson to represent them. And for those voices that can't be heard because they're busy taking care of their families and just to make sure that our children have a future.

That is a separate issue that we hope to get to later. But just some basic questions. Do you currently owe any obligations to any taxing entities for any years prior to this one?

Did you vote in the last city council election?

I mean, that's an obvious, but obviously got to ask the question anyway...so

Yeah, I think it's very important to vote in local elections, especially when you're running in local elections.

So, what can be done to reduce regulation on businesses coming to town?

To reduce regulation on businesses coming to town? Well, I think a lot of it has to do with our willingness to be flexible. I know just recently there was a business that was wanting to open up and he was needing a variance and I was actually really, I felt bad because he wanted to get a variance. And so the city council actually couldn't give it to them right then and there, it has to go through the committee first. And so then I asked the committee, well, when are you meeting next? And they said, well, if we have, I don't know, because if we don't have enough on our agenda and we're probably won't meet next month. And I thought, well, if there's even one item that can be on the agenda, meet, meet the next week. If you have to publish it today and meet next week, that's what that committee needs to be for and understand that that might be hard, but it's not, if you have light agendas in your council and your council committees in different months, but then we have a month where, you know, you might have to meet four times in one month, because it's a busy season. I think that's what you should be there for. And so it was very disheartening to find out that how long a process can take just to get a variance. And that had just happened recently. And so I definitely think that's something we need to look at, to do in the future to kind of help with not being so dead set on the rules and maybe having a little bit of flexibility because I don't think a one size fits all is good when you're trying to grow.

So what's a proper level of bonding for a city Hutchinson's size? In other words, how much debt should a city carry? What do you think about that after having been through the budget process?

Well, our bonding is actually very healthy and you can see that through our bond rating. So, if you want to get down into the numbers, we actually have less bonded right now than we had in 2018. So in 2018, we had about $76.8 million in total indebtedness. That's with, you know, principal and interest. 2019, we went down to about $ 65.9 million total indebtedness and in 2020, it was $68.9 million. So if you put an average of 40,000 population, that's a debt per person of, um, right now, $1,700 and some change. In 2019, it was a little shy of $2,000 per person. So we have a very good bond rating. I actually will say, I think our problem is what are we bonding and where are we deciding to prioritize our funds? I believe that is the issue at hand.

Sarah, it's important for people to know that the budget process is something that's difficult for lots of folks to understand. So, you at least have taken a somewhat, at least I think a novel approach to trying to figure out how to help with that process.

Yeah. So when I decided to look at the budget, I actually look at the audits. So you have previous year audits that tell you the actual spending dollars. And so I won't look at the budget year to year. I will look at the previous audits. So you have, you can go out there and they have the files. You have your 2018, 2019, 2020 audits, which tell you the real numbers, real things that happen. And I really look at that when deciding on the next budget, because budgets are really just projections and audits are the actual numbers.

So with that in mind, so one of the biggest things that most taxpayers still think cities ought to spend money on is streets. So the city street program is on a schedule. Now, what length should that be? Is eight years, right? More, less, what do we know about that?

Well, I know that it's a good program to want to rotate like that. The problem is that we have a policy in place that we aren't following through with, because we're not funding it at the $3.5 million that's intended for that process to work properly. So that's why you see our roads conditions declining, because if you take the last 10 years and we've underfunded by a million dollars, that's a deficit of $10 million into our infrastructure just on that road piece.

Okay. So with that in mind, are you for or against taking the money from the federal government to put roundabouts in at the Woodie Seat freeway?

So this one's a hard one because I'm just going to let you know that I don't think double roundabout is the solution, but do we need to do something? Absolutely. So I kind of take a different stance on this. I understand that the people...I went out and talked to the people in there and I told him exactly what I, what I thought about how I don't like the roundabouts, but we also need the federal funding. And I had a lot of feedback. So we had I know Garza did two sessions with them. I know the city manager did a session with them and, but it was like the city council already had its mind made up because I'll be honest with you. We need the federal funding, but I don't think we need the roundabouts and why I say that is because I asked them the first time around. So the first time, which would actually be the second time that it was passed through council, I asked them, can we come up with a different proposal, one with a more traditional? And they said, well, it needs to be innovative. So that's why we did the roundabouts to apply, to be able to be applicable for it. Well, I said, can't, we still do something more traditional, but maybe put in some green space or some other, something else that could still fall within the purview of the grant? And it is a dead end of a freeway and, or a highway or sorry. And, um, the Woody seat freeway it's the dead end of it. And a lot of times when they have the dead end of a freeway, they just reduced the speed and they put those ruts in that wake people up and it comes down to a stoplight and you can turn left and you can turn right. And I didn't understand why we couldn't do that. Alleviate both bridges, so future expense costs would be lower and maybe we could create some kind of green space in the area to still fall within the purview of those federal grants. So I thought if we tried it before and it didn't work, why not try a different proposal? And one with more feedback from the community and then apply for the federal grants, but they would not alter their course. So that's what I had a problem with.

Okay. So talk to me about the stormwater utility that's in place. We're still working on that big, long project down toward the south end of town, which Daveline keeps asking about quite frankly. And, uh, so what, what do you see as the future of that? Of using the stormwater utility fee for the long-term drainage uses in the city?

When they implemented it, it was an absolute mistake. You have to realize that we need to get this done, but you know, normally when you hike a fee that high, you would put it in steps so that businesses can have time to adjust their budgets in order to operate. You know, we almost lost a fair over the storm water utility fee when hiked almost a $50,000 annual fee. Walmart went from 12, about $1,300 a year to $12,000 a year in and, and target went up to about $450 a month. And you gotta realize that when you have these businesses, they have a lot of parking area. They have a lot of roof space. So I believe it was structured irresponsibly. I believe that it was implemented irresponsibly. You cannot go from collecting $600,000 a year and then the next year, $2.2 million to $2.4 million on a budget that some of these businesses are operating with slim margins. So I would say that I understand it was meant to catch up basically from poor funding in the past, but sometimes you have to integrate those things in, so businesses have the opportunity to slowly adjust their budgets. So I definitely think we need to restructure it for one, and I understand the need for it, but not at the rate that it's currently at and not at the structure that it's currently at.

Okay. So even if you're reelected, you're going to have at least two other council members that are new. How do you intend to work with the council to try to figure out a way to get some of this stuff done?

I really think we need to have more open meetings. So I don't think the twice a week...because I get the information on Thursday and we have to make decisions on Tuesday. So I have the weekend, and I honestly think that there needs to be better communication about what's coming down the pipeline. So I've always thought that we needed some kind of Google docs so that we have like things that we know are going to come up. So we know about it ahead of time and have a shared thing for the council, like Google docs, but it's not anything that we could communicate with each other, but the city manager and staff can put upcoming agenda items, upcoming bonding projects, things that they have in their works for us to be able to see it and then have the open meeting. So we could have where we have the public meetings, the first and third Tuesday, but then why don't we start also meeting on maybe every other Thursday on the opposite weeks and just have, not a public meeting...

Study sessions over and over, a series of set study sessions where we can sit down and talk about what are our issues in Hutchinson? Where, where do we need to fix this budget? I don't think the budget process is long enough. And I got told a bunch of times when I wanted to implement things early, they told me, well, that's really a budget time session question. So you need to wait until we start the budget season to really start addressing those things. Because I was trying to address things right away. And I was told, well, that's really maybe something we should just get in budget time. And then I get to budget time. And they're like, well, maybe that's something we need to address, you know, during a special session. And I said, which one is it? Because I know there's a lot of work that needs to be done.

Sarah Bagwell running as an incumbent for the at-large seat on the Hutchinson city council.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/11/1606778412552.jpeg" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>Nick Gosnell (00:00):In studio with us this morning, the incumbent running once again for the at-large seat on the Hutchinson city council. Sara Bagwell is with us this morning. Good morning, Sara.Sara Bagwell (00:09):Good morning, Nick. All right.Nick Gosnell (00:11):So asking this pretty much as much as I can, the same questions to everybody running for city council, everybody has an issue. That's the reason they're running. Now, granted, this is a time running as an incumbent for you, but when you ran the first time, what was the issue that caused you to say, I want to run for city council?Sara Bagwell (00:30):Well, I really think it was my children. I have three children and I just wanted to make sure that they had an opportunity when they got to my age or in their twenties and they're starting out their life and they have the ability for the American dream and to work hard and get to where they're going. And I felt that the way that some of the policies that were happening within the city were probably going to deter that. And I know that from personal experience, because my mother is a 30 year resident of Hutchinson, Kansas. My father is, or was, he passed away in 2018. But, he was a California resident. So I actually grew up in California in the nineties and the early two thousands. And so I got to see what bad policy can do to an economy and I've seen it firsthand. And so I started kind of seeing those things here in Hutchinson and really decided I needed to just, I was a nine to five mom grinding it out like everybody else. That's why I say I'm here for the hard working people of Hutchinson to represent them. And for those voices that can't be heard because they're busy taking care of their families and just to make sure that our children have a future.Nick Gosnell (01:50):That is a separate issue that we hope to get to later. But just some basic questions. Do you currently owe any obligations to any taxing entities for any years prior to this one?Sara Bagwell (02:03):No, I don't.Nick Gosnell (02:04):Did you vote in the last city council election?Sara Bagwell (02:07):Yes, I did.Nick Gosnell (02:08):I mean, that's an obvious, but obviously got to ask the question anyway...soSara Bagwell (02:12):Yeah, I think it's very important to vote in local elections, especially when you're running in local elections.Nick Gosnell (02:17):So, what can be done to reduce regulation on businesses coming to town?Sara Bagwell (02:23):To reduce regulation on businesses coming to town? Well, I think a lot of it has to do with our willingness to be flexible. I know just recently there was a business that was wanting to open up and he was needing a variance and I was actually really, I felt bad because he wanted to get a variance. And so the city council actually couldn't give it to them right then and there, it has to go through the committee first. And so then I asked the committee, well, when are you meeting next? And they said, well, if we have, I don't know, because if we don't have enough on our agenda and we're probably won't meet next month. And I thought, well, if there's even one item that can be on the agenda, meet, meet the next week. If you have to publish it today and meet next week, that's what that committee needs to be for and understand that that might be hard, but it's not, if you have light agendas in your council and your council committees in different months, but then we have a month where, you know, you might have to meet four times in one month, because it's a busy season. I think that's what you should be there for. And so it was very disheartening to find out that how long a process can take just to get a variance. And that had just happened recently. And so I definitely think that's something we need to look at, to do in the future to kind of help with not being so dead set on the rules and maybe having a little bit of flexibility because I don't think a one size fits all is good when you're trying to grow.Nick Gosnell (04:00):So what's a proper level of bonding for a city Hutchinson's size? In other words, how much debt should a city carry? What do you think about that after having been through the budget process?Sara Bagwell (04:12):Well, our bonding is actually very healthy and you can see that through our bond rating. So, if you want to get down into the numbers, we actually have less bonded right now than we had in 2018. So in 2018, we had about $76.8 million in total indebtedness. That's with, you know, principal and interest. 2019, we went down to about $ 65.9 million total indebtedness and in 2020, it was $68.9 million. So if you put an average of 40,000 population, that's a debt per person of, um, right now, $1,700 and some change. In 2019, it was a little shy of $2,000 per person. So we have a very good bond rating. I actually will say, I think our problem is what are we bonding and where are we deciding to prioritize our funds? I believe that is the issue at hand.Nick Gosnell (05:16):Sarah, it's important for people to know that the budget process is something that's difficult for lots of folks to understand. So, you at least have taken a somewhat, at least I think a novel approach to trying to figure out how to help with that process.Sara Bagwell (05:34):Yeah. So when I decided to look at the budget, I actually look at the audits. So you have previous year audits that tell you the actual spending dollars. And so I won't look at the budget year to year. I will look at the previous audits. So you have, you can go out there and they have the files. You have your 2018, 2019, 2020 audits, which tell you the real numbers, real things that happen. And I really look at that when deciding on the next budget, because budgets are really just projections and audits are the actual numbers.Nick Gosnell (06:06):So with that in mind, so one of the biggest things that most taxpayers still think cities ought to spend money on is streets. So the city street program is on a schedule. Now, what length should that be? Is eight years, right? More, less, what do we know about that?Sara Bagwell (06:25):Well, I know that it's a good program to want to rotate like that. The problem is that we have a policy in place that we aren't following through with, because we're not funding it at the $3.5 million that's intended for that process to work properly. So that's why you see our roads conditions declining, because if you take the last 10 years and we've underfunded by a million dollars, that's a deficit of $10 million into our infrastructure just on that road piece.Nick Gosnell (06:53):Okay. So with that in mind, are you for or against taking the money from the federal government to put roundabouts in at the Woodie Seat freeway?Sara Bagwell (07:03):So this one's a hard one because I'm just going to let you know that I don't think double roundabout is the solution, but do we need to do something? Absolutely. So I kind of take a different stance on this. I understand that the people...I went out and talked to the people in there and I told him exactly what I, what I thought about how I don't like the roundabouts, but we also need the federal funding. And I had a lot of feedback. So we had I know Garza did two sessions with them. I know the city manager did a session with them and, but it was like the city council already had its mind made up because I'll be honest with you. We need the federal funding, but I don't think we need the roundabouts and why I say that is because I asked them the first time around. So the first time, which would actually be the second time that it was passed through council, I asked them, can we come up with a different proposal, one with a more traditional? And they said, well, it needs to be innovative. So that's why we did the roundabouts to apply, to be able to be applicable for it. Well, I said, can't, we still do something more traditional, but maybe put in some green space or some other, something else that could still fall within the purview of the grant? And it is a dead end of a freeway and, or a highway or sorry. And, um, the Woody seat freeway it's the dead end of it. And a lot of times when they have the dead end of a freeway, they just reduced the speed and they put those ruts in that wake people up and it comes down to a stoplight and you can turn left and you can turn right. And I didn't understand why we couldn't do that. Alleviate both bridges, so future expense costs would be lower and maybe we could create some kind of green space in the area to still fall within the purview of those federal grants. So I thought if we tried it before and it didn't work, why not try a different proposal? And one with more feedback from the community and then apply for the federal grants, but they would not alter their course. So that's what I had a problem with.Nick Gosnell (09:14):Okay. So talk to me about the stormwater utility that's in place. We're still working on that big, long project down toward the south end of town, which Daveline keeps asking about quite frankly. And, uh, so what, what do you see as the future of that? Of using the stormwater utility fee for the long-term drainage uses in the city?Sara Bagwell (09:40):When they implemented it, it was an absolute mistake. You have to realize that we need to get this done, but you know, normally when you hike a fee that high, you would put it in steps so that businesses can have time to adjust their budgets in order to operate. You know, we almost lost a fair over the storm water utility fee when hiked almost a $50,000 annual fee. Walmart went from 12, about $1,300 a year to $12,000 a year in and, and target went up to about $450 a month. And you gotta realize that when you have these businesses, they have a lot of parking area. They have a lot of roof space. So I believe it was structured irresponsibly. I believe that it was implemented irresponsibly. You cannot go from collecting $600,000 a year and then the next year, $2.2 million to $2.4 million on a budget that some of these businesses are operating with slim margins. So I would say that I understand it was meant to catch up basically from poor funding in the past, but sometimes you have to integrate those things in, so businesses have the opportunity to slowly adjust their budgets. So I definitely think we need to restructure it for one, and I understand the need for it, but not at the rate that it's currently at and not at the structure that it's currently at.Nick Gosnell (11:13):Okay. So even if you're reelected, you're going to have at least two other council members that are new. How do you intend to work with the council to try to figure out a way to get some of this stuff done?Sara Bagwell (11:28):I really think we need to have more open meetings. So I don't think the twice a week...because I get the information on Thursday and we have to make decisions on Tuesday. So I have the weekend, and I honestly think that there needs to be better communication about what's coming down the pipeline. So I've always thought that we needed some kind of Google docs so that we have like things that we know are going to come up. So we know about it ahead of time and have a shared thing for the council, like Google docs, but it's not anything that we could communicate with each other, but the city manager and staff can put upcoming agenda items, upcoming bonding projects, things that they have in their works for us to be able to see it and then have the open meeting. So we could have where we have the public meetings, the first and third Tuesday, but then why don't we start also meeting on maybe every other Thursday on the opposite weeks and just have, not a public meeting...Nick Gosnell (12:30):Like a study session?Sara Bagwell (12:31):Study sessions over and over, a series of set study sessions where we can sit down and talk about what are our issues in Hutchinson? Where, where do we need to fix this budget? I don't think the budget process is long enough. And I got told a bunch of times when I wanted to implement things early, they told me, well, that's really a budget time session question. So you need to wait until we start the budget season to really start addressing those things. Because I was trying to address things right away. And I was told, well, that's really maybe something we should just get in budget time. And then I get to budget time. And they're like, well, maybe that's something we need to address, you know, during a special session. And I said, which one is it? Because I know there's a lot of work that needs to be done.Nick Gosnell (13:19):Sarah Bagwell running as an incumbent for the at-large seat on the Hutchinson city council.

Transcript: Sara Bagwell Interview


HUTCHINSON,
Kan. — 
Chuck Marohn, the founder and president of Strong Towns is in Hutchinson Tuesday for a follow-up presentation to one originally given in 2018.

"Since then, we've had a lot of different work and those concepts in action," said Amy Conkling with Hutch Rec. "He will be making a return visit to Hutchinson tonight at the Fox Theatre. He'll focus more on our transportation system with the Strong Towns concept. That's at 6 p.m. at the Fox Theatre and its free and open to the public."

There are many facets to transportation, but one is the active transportation with walking or bicycling. The Hutchinson City Council has supported a bicycle boulevard on Washington Street recently to assist in that area.

"That's the active transportation piece," Conkling said. "Having that Washington Boulevard is so important, because it is one block off of Main, one block off of Adams. It's that mindset that people can access a Main Street to where they need to get groceries or go to appointments or other things. They can do that on a bike, or they can do it by foot, too."

The presentation is open to the public and includes a 75-minute presentation followed by an open question-and-answer time with Marohn. The presentation is hosted by the Hutchinson Healthy Neighborhoods Initiative and funded through Pathways to a Healthy Kansas grant received from Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Kansas. Hutchinson Healthy Neighborhoods is a partnership among Hutch Rec, the City of Hutchinson, and the Hutchinson-Reno County Chamber of Commerce.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/9/1631304709593.jpeg" alt="Chuck Marohn-Courtesy Strong Towns" />
 <figcaption>Chuck Marohn-Courtesy Strong Towns</figcaption>
 </figure>
By
NICK GOSNELL
Hutch
Post
HUTCHINSON,
Kan. — 
Chuck Marohn, the founder and president of Strong Towns is in Hutchinson Tuesday for a follow-up presentation to one originally given in 2018."Since then, we've had a lot of different work and those concepts in action," said Amy Conkling with Hutch Rec. "He will be making a return visit to Hutchinson tonight at the Fox Theatre. He'll focus more on our transportation system with the Strong Towns concept. That's at 6 p.m. at the Fox Theatre and its free and open to the public."There are many facets to transportation, but one is the active transportation with walking or bicycling. The Hutchinson City Council has supported a bicycle boulevard on Washington Street recently to assist in that area."That's the active transportation piece," Conkling said. "Having that Washington Boulevard is so important, because it is one block off of Main, one block off of Adams. It's that mindset that people can access a Main Street to where they need to get groceries or go to appointments or other things. They can do that on a bike, or they can do it by foot, too."The presentation is open to the public and includes a 75-minute presentation followed by an open question-and-answer time with Marohn. The presentation is hosted by the Hutchinson Healthy Neighborhoods Initiative and funded through Pathways to a Healthy Kansas grant received from Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Kansas. Hutchinson Healthy Neighborhoods is a partnership among Hutch Rec, the City of Hutchinson, and the Hutchinson-Reno County Chamber of Commerce.

Strong Towns founder at Fox Tuesday evening

Release from Kansas Department of Transportation


HUTCHINSON,
Kan. — 
Melissa Poe recalls that she was a 20-year-old “just fresh out of college” when she interviewed for a human-resources-assistant job at KDOT’s District Five Office in Hutchinson.

The interview lasted about 15 minutes. It was so short, it seemed, that Melissa’s mother was surprised when she returned to the car where her mother waited outside the office building. Then that afternoon, Melissa received a call asking if she would accept the job offer. “And, of course, I said, ‘Yes,’” Melissa recalled. That was October 1996. And now Melissa – District Five Accountant -- is celebrating 25 years of service to the state.

“So I’ve been at KDOT over half my life,” she said.

As District Five Accountant, she handles every kind of financial transaction. It’s a long list, including expense reports, vouchers, inventory, auction sales, purchase orders and requisitions.

Over the years, Melissa has seen quite an evolution in the computers she has used. “I had one of those big, box computers when I first started working there,” she said. “It seemed like it was bigger than me.”

Her favorite aspect of her job? “The people that I work with,” she said. “They’re amazing. And we all work together. It’s all about teamwork in my position. It makes the job fun.”

Melissa and her spouse, Kara, live in Hutchinson. The family includes their children, Katelyn, DeShaun and Keaton -- and three cats, three dogs and a bearded dragon.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/10/1635270792672.jpeg" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>Release from Kansas Department of Transportation
HUTCHINSON,
Kan. — 
Melissa Poe recalls that she was a 20-year-old “just fresh out of college” when she interviewed for a human-resources-assistant job at KDOT’s District Five Office in Hutchinson.The interview lasted about 15 minutes. It was so short, it seemed, that Melissa’s mother was surprised when she returned to the car where her mother waited outside the office building. Then that afternoon, Melissa received a call asking if she would accept the job offer. “And, of course, I said, ‘Yes,’” Melissa recalled. That was October 1996. And now Melissa – District Five Accountant -- is celebrating 25 years of service to the state.“So I’ve been at KDOT over half my life,” she said.As District Five Accountant, she handles every kind of financial transaction. It’s a long list, including expense reports, vouchers, inventory, auction sales, purchase orders and requisitions.Over the years, Melissa has seen quite an evolution in the computers she has used. “I had one of those big, box computers when I first started working there,” she said. “It seemed like it was bigger than me.”Her favorite aspect of her job? “The people that I work with,” she said. “They’re amazing. And we all work together. It’s all about teamwork in my position. It makes the job fun.”Melissa and her spouse, Kara, live in Hutchinson. The family includes their children, Katelyn, DeShaun and Keaton -- and three cats, three dogs and a bearded dragon.

Hutchinson’s Melissa Poe celebrates 25 years with KDOT


HUTCHINSON,
Kan. — 
The Board of Reno County Commissioners will be meeting on Wednesday, November 3, instead of Tuesday, November 9 and Commissioner Ron Sellers made comments at Tuesday's meeting explaining why he sees that as one of the reasons there should be more than three commissioners.

"We just talked about that we're moving a county commission meeting, due to the fact that one commissioner can't be here," Sellers said. "I don't think it's in the interests of the county to just have two commissioners so I suggest that this is a good reason to have five commissioners, because there's always going to be times that one commissioner can't be there. You have conflicts, you have illness, you have vacations and so forth and so I think that's an excellent reason."

Commissioner Daniel Friesen was not there Tuesday and county administrator Randy Partington wanted to see if the other two commissioners could assist so that he didn't miss two meetings in a row and they agreed to do that. 

As for the three to five issue, Commissioner Ron Hirst believes that is still ultimately a decision for the voters on Nov. 2.

"We should put the information out there," Hirst said. "Despite our views on whether we should or should not go three to five, whether we should or should not do other things as they come up, I think we should be responsible for putting the information out there and then let the public decide. I don't feel that it's my place to promote one thing or the other. I think we need to put it out there and that's just my personal opinion."

The commission has had challenges in recent years when down to two commissioners to make decisions as happened on several occasions during the illness of the now deceased Bob Bush.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/10/1635265383192.jpeg" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>
By
NICK GOSNELL
Hutch
Post
HUTCHINSON,
Kan. — 
The Board of Reno County Commissioners will be meeting on Wednesday, November 3, instead of Tuesday, November 9 and Commissioner Ron Sellers made comments at Tuesday's meeting explaining why he sees that as one of the reasons there should be more than three commissioners."We just talked about that we're moving a county commission meeting, due to the fact that one commissioner can't be here," Sellers said. "I don't think it's in the interests of the county to just have two commissioners so I suggest that this is a good reason to have five commissioners, because there's always going to be times that one commissioner can't be there. You have conflicts, you have illness, you have vacations and so forth and so I think that's an excellent reason."Commissioner Daniel Friesen was not there Tuesday and county administrator Randy Partington wanted to see if the other two commissioners could assist so that he didn't miss two meetings in a row and they agreed to do that. As for the three to five issue, Commissioner Ron Hirst believes that is still ultimately a decision for the voters on Nov. 2."We should put the information out there," Hirst said. "Despite our views on whether we should or should not go three to five, whether we should or should not do other things as they come up, I think we should be responsible for putting the information out there and then let the public decide. I don't feel that it's my place to promote one thing or the other. I think we need to put it out there and that's just my personal opinion."The commission has had challenges in recent years when down to two commissioners to make decisions as happened on several occasions during the illness of the now deceased Bob Bush.

Potential absence of Friesen raises issue Sellers sees as vital to 3 to 5 vote 

HAVEN, Kan. — One single personnel matter will be taken up by the Haven USD 312 School Board when they meet in a special session on Thursday.

The board will take action to release Haven High School Principal Travis Moore from his contract. The matter will be discussed in executive session before action is taken.&nbsp;

The board will then go into executive session for a second time to discuss what direction the district will go from there. Moore has been the principal at Haven High School for three and a half years.&nbsp;

Thursday's meeting begins at 6 p.m. at the Haven USD 312 offices at 414 W. Main.

<a href="https://hutchpost.com/download" target="_blank">CLICK HERE</a>&nbsp;to download the HutchPost mobile app. <a href="https://hutchpost.com/posts/5e73b532afae0f4d5f5d90ea" target="_blank">CLICK HERE</a>&nbsp;to sign up for the daily HutchPost email news update&nbsp;&nbsp;

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/4/1587053540131.jpeg" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>HAVEN, Kan. — One single personnel matter will be taken up by the Haven USD 312 School Board when they meet in a special session on Thursday.The board will take action to release Haven High School Principal Travis Moore from his contract. The matter will be discussed in executive session before action is taken.&nbsp;The board will then go into executive session for a second time to discuss what direction the district will go from there. Moore has been the principal at Haven High School for three and a half years.&nbsp;Thursday's meeting begins at 6 p.m. at the Haven USD 312 offices at 414 W. Main.<a href="https://hutchpost.com/download" target="_blank">CLICK HERE</a>&nbsp;to download the HutchPost mobile app. <a href="https://hutchpost.com/posts/5e73b532afae0f4d5f5d90ea" target="_blank">CLICK HERE</a>&nbsp;to sign up for the daily HutchPost email news update&nbsp;&nbsp;

Haven USD 312 School Board to meet in special session Thursday

HUTCHINSON, Kan.— Though not entirely driven by positive factors, sales tax for Reno County was up again for October compared with the same period in 2020.

While most of the solid numbers in 2020 were due to strong shopping trends during the pandemic, most of the 2021 numbers are being driven by inflation.

Sales tax revenue for October was $468,202 compared with $428,350 in 2020. It's the eighth month this year that sales tax numbers have been above the $400,000 mark. To date the county has taken in $4.2 million in sales tax. October numbers reflect shopping trends for the month of August.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2019/8/1565223563029.png" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>HUTCHINSON, Kan.— Though not entirely driven by positive factors, sales tax for Reno County was up again for October compared with the same period in 2020.While most of the solid numbers in 2020 were due to strong shopping trends during the pandemic, most of the 2021 numbers are being driven by inflation.Sales tax revenue for October was $468,202 compared with $428,350 in 2020. It's the eighth month this year that sales tax numbers have been above the $400,000 mark. To date the county has taken in $4.2 million in sales tax. October numbers reflect shopping trends for the month of August.<a href="https://hutchpost.com/download" target="_blank">CLICK HERE</a>&nbsp;to download the HutchPost mobile app. <a href="https://hutchpost.com/posts/5e73b532afae0f4d5f5d90ea" target="_blank">CLICK HERE</a>&nbsp;to sign up for the daily HutchPost email news update.&nbsp;&nbsp;

Sales tax numbers up again for October

HUTCHINSON, Kan. — Archer Daniels Midland continued their impressive run through the fiscal year with another strong earnings report.

The oil seed company reports third quarter earnings of $548 million or $0.97 per share compared with $0.89 per share in 2020.

“Agile execution across our tightly integrated supply chain amid an environment of strong demand and robust crush margins, and continued impressive growth in nutrition, drove our eighth consecutive quarter of year-over-year adjusted operating profit growth,” Chairman and CEO Juan Luciano said. “Our team’s great ability to leverage the favorable operating environment, and the consistent implementation of our strategic plan, have put ADM on track for a strong fourth quarter culminating in a second consecutive year of record earnings per share.”

Total operating profit hit the $1 billion mark as the company was able to stave off any supply chain issues that have plagued the country in the past three months. ADM spent most of 2020 combining departments and cutting expenses to fight off sluggish numbers. It also idled most of its rail car fleet during 2020 but has since taken them out of mothballs.

ADM operates five elevators around Hutchinson employing around 60 workers.

<a href="https://hutchpost.com/download" target="_blank">CLICK HERE</a>&nbsp;to download the HutchPost mobile app. <a href="https://hutchpost.com/posts/5e73b532afae0f4d5f5d90ea" target="_blank">CLICK HERE</a>&nbsp;to sign up for the daily HutchPost email news update.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/1/1580159000381.jpeg" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>HUTCHINSON, Kan. — Archer Daniels Midland continued their impressive run through the fiscal year with another strong earnings report.The oil seed company reports third quarter earnings of $548 million or $0.97 per share compared with $0.89 per share in 2020.“Agile execution across our tightly integrated supply chain amid an environment of strong demand and robust crush margins, and continued impressive growth in nutrition, drove our eighth consecutive quarter of year-over-year adjusted operating profit growth,” Chairman and CEO Juan Luciano said. “Our team’s great ability to leverage the favorable operating environment, and the consistent implementation of our strategic plan, have put ADM on track for a strong fourth quarter culminating in a second consecutive year of record earnings per share.”Total operating profit hit the $1 billion mark as the company was able to stave off any supply chain issues that have plagued the country in the past three months. ADM spent most of 2020 combining departments and cutting expenses to fight off sluggish numbers. It also idled most of its rail car fleet during 2020 but has since taken them out of mothballs.ADM operates five elevators around Hutchinson employing around 60 workers.<a href="https://hutchpost.com/download" target="_blank">CLICK HERE</a>&nbsp;to download the HutchPost mobile app. <a href="https://hutchpost.com/posts/5e73b532afae0f4d5f5d90ea" target="_blank">CLICK HERE</a>&nbsp;to sign up for the daily HutchPost email news update.

ADM posts strong third quarter


HUTCHINSON,
Kan. — StartUp Hutch launched a new recognition program for Reno County businesses, “The Double Dare Challenge.” This recognition will be awarded to any Reno County business who doubled in number of employees from January 1, 2019 through Dec 31, 2021.

“We want to recognize job growth in all shapes and sizes,” said Jackson Swearer, Entrepreneur Navigator and Program Director of StartUp Hutch. “We’ll be honoring companies who have gone from employing 1 person who now have 2, or companies who had 50 employees and now have 100. Each of these jobs are fuel for our local economy, and from the perspective of a startup – making the leap from 1 to 2 employees or 2 to 4 is an enormous leap in volume that deserves attention.”

Those interested in submitting a business for this recognition may do so online at&nbsp;<a href="https://www.startuphutch.com/post/reno-county-double-dare-challenge" target="_blank">https://www.startuphutch.com/post/reno-county-double-dare-challenge</a>. Swearer will also be available at the Hutchinson/Reno County Chamber of Commerce Annual Meeting on November 4 and the Hutchinson/Reno County Chamber of Commerce’s Ignite! Business Expo on November 5 to accept submissions in person.

Submissions for this year’s recognition will be accepted until early February 2022, and those who qualify will be honored at that time.

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HUTCHINSON,
Kan. — StartUp Hutch launched a new recognition program for Reno County businesses, “The Double Dare Challenge.” This recognition will be awarded to any Reno County business who doubled in number of employees from January 1, 2019 through Dec 31, 2021.“We want to recognize job growth in all shapes and sizes,” said Jackson Swearer, Entrepreneur Navigator and Program Director of StartUp Hutch. “We’ll be honoring companies who have gone from employing 1 person who now have 2, or companies who had 50 employees and now have 100. Each of these jobs are fuel for our local economy, and from the perspective of a startup – making the leap from 1 to 2 employees or 2 to 4 is an enormous leap in volume that deserves attention.”Those interested in submitting a business for this recognition may do so online at&nbsp;<a href="https://www.startuphutch.com/post/reno-county-double-dare-challenge" target="_blank">https://www.startuphutch.com/post/reno-county-double-dare-challenge</a>. Swearer will also be available at the Hutchinson/Reno County Chamber of Commerce Annual Meeting on November 4 and the Hutchinson/Reno County Chamber of Commerce’s Ignite! Business Expo on November 5 to accept submissions in person.Submissions for this year’s recognition will be accepted until early February 2022, and those who qualify will be honored at that time.

 StartUp Hutch to Recognize Reno County Job Growth

Thunderstorms are expected to develop over western Kansas late this afternoon and early evening, developing into a line of storms as they move northeast across central and south central Kansas late this evening and overnight. 

Severe storms capable of damaging wind gusts to 65 mph will be possible for locations primarily along and west of a Salina to Wichita to Arkansas City line. A few strong storms with wind gusts to 50 mph will be possible later in the night across the Flint Hills and southeast Kansas.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/10/1635249212434.jpeg" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>Thunderstorms are expected to develop over western Kansas late this afternoon and early evening, developing into a line of storms as they move northeast across central and south central Kansas late this evening and overnight. <figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/10/1635244030901.jpeg" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>Severe storms capable of damaging wind gusts to 65 mph will be possible for locations primarily along and west of a Salina to Wichita to Arkansas City line. A few strong storms with wind gusts to 50 mph will be possible later in the night across the Flint Hills and southeast Kansas.

Severe weather possible tonight


HUTCHINSON,
Kan. — The active case count for COVID-19 is down to 220 as of Monday. We were last at 220 cases on August 12.

As of Monday, according to Hutchinson Regional Healthcare System, they only have three COVID patients. Two of those are vaccinated. There are two vaccinated patients in the ICU and one unvaccinated and one vaccinated person on respiratory support.

There are a total of 60 patients in the hospital for all causes. The death count remains at 164 of 10,192 resolved cases, for a death rate of 1.6%.

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HUTCHINSON,
Kan. — The active case count for COVID-19 is down to 220 as of Monday. We were last at 220 cases on August 12.As of Monday, according to Hutchinson Regional Healthcare System, they only have three COVID patients. Two of those are vaccinated. There are two vaccinated patients in the ICU and one unvaccinated and one vaccinated person on respiratory support.There are a total of 60 patients in the hospital for all causes. The death count remains at 164 of 10,192 resolved cases, for a death rate of 1.6%.

COVID case count continues to fall

HUTCHINSON, Kan. — Hutchinson Public Works announced Monday afternoon that North Adams from West 28th Avenue to West 30th Avenue will be closed for approximately two weeks because of a water main break.&nbsp;

Weather permitting, the street is scheduled to reopen on Monday, Nov. 8.

Questions, comments or concerns may be referred to the Water Maintenance Division of Public Works at 620-694-1900.

<figure>
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 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>HUTCHINSON, Kan. — Hutchinson Public Works announced Monday afternoon that North Adams from West 28th Avenue to West 30th Avenue will be closed for approximately two weeks because of a water main break.&nbsp;Weather permitting, the street is scheduled to reopen on Monday, Nov. 8.Questions, comments or concerns may be referred to the Water Maintenance Division of Public Works at 620-694-1900.<a href="https://hutchpost.com/download" target="_blank">CLICK HERE</a>&nbsp;to download the Hutch Post mobile app. <a href="https://hutchpost.com/posts/5e73b532afae0f4d5f5d90ea" target="_blank">CLICK HERE</a>&nbsp;to sign up for the daily Hutch Post email news update.&nbsp;&nbsp;

North Adams closed from 28th to 30th for water main break

HUTCHINSON, Kan. — Tuesday is the final day you can request a mail-in ballot for the&nbsp;Nov. 2 election.

According to Elections Clerk Jenna Fager, 748 ballots have gone out by mail since advance voting began. If you have a mail-in ballot, it must be postmarked by election day and be in the county clerk's office by Friday, Nov. 5.

Fager says, as of Monday at noon, 370 residents have cast a ballot at the annex office.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/11/1604603852873.png" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>HUTCHINSON, Kan. — Tuesday is the final day you can request a mail-in ballot for the&nbsp;Nov. 2 election.According to Elections Clerk Jenna Fager, 748 ballots have gone out by mail since advance voting began. If you have a mail-in ballot, it must be postmarked by election day and be in the county clerk's office by Friday, Nov. 5.Fager says, as of Monday at noon, 370 residents have cast a ballot at the annex office.<a href="https://hutchpost.com/download" target="_blank">CLICK HERE</a>&nbsp;to download the Hutch Post mobile app. <a href="https://hutchpost.com/posts/5e73b532afae0f4d5f5d90ea" target="_blank">CLICK HERE</a>&nbsp;to sign up for the daily Hutch Post email news update.&nbsp;&nbsp;

Mail-in ballots must be requested by Tuesday

HUTCHINSON, Kan. — Scuba diving to train for spaceflight, moon and Mars landing simulations, and training for a Martian settlement mission 650 feet below the surface of the earth are part of the Cosmosphere's&nbsp; 2022 summer camps for next summer.

Elementary students entering 3rd grade and above can explore the complexities of living in space while having fun meeting “their people” in a STEM-centered environment.

Students entering 7th-12th grades practice teamwork and problem-solving, making friends for life in mission teams while learning about the variety of professions engaged in STEM and aerospace industries.

Cosmosphere camp registration opens Tuesday with limited-time offers, including exclusive Holiday Gift Bundles with boxed surprises for gift-giving, available through Nov. 27, and a Holiday Special allowing parents to register campers for only $70 down before Dec. 31, 2021. Many of the camps sell out each year.

Building on a rigorous base of Next Generation Science Standards and work readiness skill development, Cosmosphere camp participants learn how a broad range of skills, from journalism to health care and agriculture, contribute to the excitement and success of living and working in space.

This year's camps have added Java Code to the lineup of activities that includes programming robots, designing rockets, flying drones and even learning to fly real planes.

For information and registration, go to <a href="http://cosmocamps.org">cosmocamps.org</a> or call 620-222-0201.&nbsp;

<a href="https://hutchpost.com/download" target="_blank">CLICK HERE</a>&nbsp;to download the Hutch Post mobile app. <a href="https://hutchpost.com/posts/5e73b532afae0f4d5f5d90ea" target="_blank">CLICK HERE</a>&nbsp;to sign up for the daily Hutch Post email news update.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/3/1584388004236.jpeg" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>HUTCHINSON, Kan. — Scuba diving to train for spaceflight, moon and Mars landing simulations, and training for a Martian settlement mission 650 feet below the surface of the earth are part of the Cosmosphere's&nbsp; 2022 summer camps for next summer.Elementary students entering 3rd grade and above can explore the complexities of living in space while having fun meeting “their people” in a STEM-centered environment.Students entering 7th-12th grades practice teamwork and problem-solving, making friends for life in mission teams while learning about the variety of professions engaged in STEM and aerospace industries.Cosmosphere camp registration opens Tuesday with limited-time offers, including exclusive Holiday Gift Bundles with boxed surprises for gift-giving, available through Nov. 27, and a Holiday Special allowing parents to register campers for only $70 down before Dec. 31, 2021. Many of the camps sell out each year.Building on a rigorous base of Next Generation Science Standards and work readiness skill development, Cosmosphere camp participants learn how a broad range of skills, from journalism to health care and agriculture, contribute to the excitement and success of living and working in space.This year's camps have added Java Code to the lineup of activities that includes programming robots, designing rockets, flying drones and even learning to fly real planes.For information and registration, go to <a href="http://cosmocamps.org">cosmocamps.org</a> or call 620-222-0201.&nbsp;<a href="https://hutchpost.com/download" target="_blank">CLICK HERE</a>&nbsp;to download the Hutch Post mobile app. <a href="https://hutchpost.com/posts/5e73b532afae0f4d5f5d90ea" target="_blank">CLICK HERE</a>&nbsp;to sign up for the daily Hutch Post email news update.

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