
HUTCHINSON,
Kan. — The A Cappella Gospel sing started in Indiana in 2011 as the brainchild of Ray Yutzy and the rest of the Sharon Bethel Quartet. Its first Kansas event is Saturday in Pleasantview.

"We would be invited to different gospel sings, some outdoors, some indoors, and I'd go home and I'd think, they'd have 1000 people there sometimes, I'd think, what would happen if you tried to do something like this all a capella?," Yutzy said. "We would usually be the only a capella group there. In 2010, a good friend of mine convinced me that there's only one way to find out if it would work and that's try it."

The event has been happening in Goshen, Indiana since then, but the idea is to be able to have some other regional events, with the first of those here this weekend. Singing without instruments can be a challenge.

"Sometimes, when you make a mistake, it's very glaring," Yutzy said. "There's no instruments to cover it up, but it's a lot of fun. We enjoy it. To be able to just blend and harmonize, it's something that you kind of grow up with in a church where you've always sung a cappella. It's a lot easier when you grew up with it."

There is no charge for the event, but free will offerings will be taken and food will be available for purchase.

Five A Capella groups will perform, Alive Quartet, Cross Walk Quartet, Message of Hope, Neuenschwander Family and the Sharon Bethel Men.

Here is the schedule of performances at the Pleasantview Activity Center at 5015 South Dean Road, southwest of Hutchinson:

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By
NICK GOSNELL
Hutch
Post
HUTCHINSON,
Kan. — The A Cappella Gospel sing started in Indiana in 2011 as the brainchild of Ray Yutzy and the rest of the Sharon Bethel Quartet. Its first Kansas event is Saturday in Pleasantview."We would be invited to different gospel sings, some outdoors, some indoors, and I'd go home and I'd think, they'd have 1000 people there sometimes, I'd think, what would happen if you tried to do something like this all a capella?," Yutzy said. "We would usually be the only a capella group there. In 2010, a good friend of mine convinced me that there's only one way to find out if it would work and that's try it."The event has been happening in Goshen, Indiana since then, but the idea is to be able to have some other regional events, with the first of those here this weekend. Singing without instruments can be a challenge."Sometimes, when you make a mistake, it's very glaring," Yutzy said. "There's no instruments to cover it up, but it's a lot of fun. We enjoy it. To be able to just blend and harmonize, it's something that you kind of grow up with in a church where you've always sung a cappella. It's a lot easier when you grew up with it."There is no charge for the event, but free will offerings will be taken and food will be available for purchase.Five A Capella groups will perform, Alive Quartet, Cross Walk Quartet, Message of Hope, Neuenschwander Family and the Sharon Bethel Men.Here is the schedule of performances at the Pleasantview Activity Center at 5015 South Dean Road, southwest of Hutchinson:3:45 p.m. Prayer &amp; Announcements4:00 p.m. Sharon Bethel Men4:20 p.m. Message of Hope4:40 p.m. Alive Quartet5:00 p.m. Neuenschwander Family5:20 p.m. Cross Walk Quartet5:40 p.m. TBA6:00 p.m. Message of Hope6:20 p.m. Sharon Bethel Men6:40 p.m. Neuenschwander Family7:00 p.m. Alive Quartet7:20 p.m. Cross Walk Quartet7:40 p.m. TBA8:00 p.m. Sharon Bethel Men8:20 p.m. Alive Quartet8:40 p.m. Cross Walk Quartet9:00 p.m. Message of Hope9:20 p.m. Neuenschwander Family9:40 p.m. Finale

A Capella Gospel Sing in Pleasantview Saturday

HUTCHINSON, Kan. — Reno County Commissioners will look over a resolution that would cut the salaries of the commissioners starting in 2023.

The matter will be taken up when the board meets on Tuesday. The cut in pay would hinge upon whether the public approves expanding the commission from three to five members. Currently the board makes $18,000 per year. If the board is expanded, each commissioner would be paid $10,800. That means the total budget for commissioners salaries would stay at $54,000.

A majority of the commission has voted to put the question on for a five member board saying that it would better represent the county and give the board a little more flexibility to discuss issues and needs outside of a regular meeting.

The commissioners meet at 9 a.m. at the Reno County courthouse.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/1/1610743915068.jpeg" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>HUTCHINSON, Kan. — Reno County Commissioners will look over a resolution that would cut the salaries of the commissioners starting in 2023.The matter will be taken up when the board meets on Tuesday. The cut in pay would hinge upon whether the public approves expanding the commission from three to five members. Currently the board makes $18,000 per year. If the board is expanded, each commissioner would be paid $10,800. That means the total budget for commissioners salaries would stay at $54,000.A majority of the commission has voted to put the question on for a five member board saying that it would better represent the county and give the board a little more flexibility to discuss issues and needs outside of a regular meeting.The commissioners meet at 9 a.m. at the Reno County courthouse.

Reno County Commission to take action on salaries Tuesday

HUTCHINSON, Kan. — The Hutchinson Knights of Columbus is holding their annual Tootsie Roll fund drive for the Special Olympics.

KOC members and their wives will be handing out Tootsie Rolls for your donation to support the area Special Olympic organizations and TECH.&nbsp;

Donations will be collected at Hutchinson Dillons stores until Saturday and Walmart today through Sunday.&nbsp;

<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/2021/10/1633705115518.jpeg" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>HUTCHINSON, Kan. — The Hutchinson Knights of Columbus is holding their annual Tootsie Roll fund drive for the Special Olympics.KOC members and their wives will be handing out Tootsie Rolls for your donation to support the area Special Olympic organizations and TECH.&nbsp;Donations will be collected at Hutchinson Dillons stores until Saturday and Walmart today through Sunday.&nbsp;<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.

Knights of Columbus holding Special Olympic fund drive


HUTCHINSON,
Kan. — The Starlight event for the Cancer Council of Reno County started around 15 years ago with an idea from Sandy Woodson.

"I had read a book to my children in school is how this all went back," Woodson said. "They lighted lanterns for those who had passed and those who were battling a disease. I thought, that would be kind of cool to do for cancer patients. We came back, we had a board member's husband build a boat, a wooden boat and we had a little flag that went on it and we launched them at Lake Talbott and it was beautiful."

The logistics work a little better on Cow Creek, though, because they can pick the boats up downstream, instead of having to take boats out to get the lit ones. The hope is for good weather.

"If it is raining, we won't be able to do it," Woodson said. "We do light candles, versus using the battery operated candles, so it will be weather permitting."

If you want to be able to use pictures and things like that on your lantern, you can get the paper in advance.

"We have cut the lantern part of it that they can decorate," Woodson said. "They can put pictures on it. They can write names on it. They can do anything they want and bring them that night and give them to us and we'll slip them down on the boat. If you cannot do that ahead of time, however, we're going to have some tables set up with markers and all kinds of things to decorate, so you can actually decorate down at the park."

Starlight will take place Sunday, October 10th at Avenue A Park in Downtown Hutchinson at 6:30 p.m. Local music group, The Typsy Gypsies (Morgan Wilk, Cassie McDonald, Dayton Hodson &amp; Tom Faulkner), will be providing music for the evening. 

The Pointe School of Dance, Glenda Boor and students, will be performing throughout the evening also. Boats will sail about 8:00 p.m.

For additional information about CCRC, visit <a href="http://www.cancercouncilrenocounty.org">www.cancercouncilrenocounty.org</a>, or call the CCRC Office at 620-665-5555.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/10/1633700466233.jpeg" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>
By
NICK GOSNELL
Hutch
Post
HUTCHINSON,
Kan. — The Starlight event for the Cancer Council of Reno County started around 15 years ago with an idea from Sandy Woodson."I had read a book to my children in school is how this all went back," Woodson said. "They lighted lanterns for those who had passed and those who were battling a disease. I thought, that would be kind of cool to do for cancer patients. We came back, we had a board member's husband build a boat, a wooden boat and we had a little flag that went on it and we launched them at Lake Talbott and it was beautiful."The logistics work a little better on Cow Creek, though, because they can pick the boats up downstream, instead of having to take boats out to get the lit ones. The hope is for good weather."If it is raining, we won't be able to do it," Woodson said. "We do light candles, versus using the battery operated candles, so it will be weather permitting."If you want to be able to use pictures and things like that on your lantern, you can get the paper in advance."We have cut the lantern part of it that they can decorate," Woodson said. "They can put pictures on it. They can write names on it. They can do anything they want and bring them that night and give them to us and we'll slip them down on the boat. If you cannot do that ahead of time, however, we're going to have some tables set up with markers and all kinds of things to decorate, so you can actually decorate down at the park."Starlight will take place Sunday, October 10th at Avenue A Park in Downtown Hutchinson at 6:30 p.m. Local music group, The Typsy Gypsies (Morgan Wilk, Cassie McDonald, Dayton Hodson &amp; Tom Faulkner), will be providing music for the evening. The Pointe School of Dance, Glenda Boor and students, will be performing throughout the evening also. Boats will sail about 8:00 p.m.For additional information about CCRC, visit <a href="http://www.cancercouncilrenocounty.org">www.cancercouncilrenocounty.org</a>, or call the CCRC Office at 620-665-5555.

Starlight event started with children's book

BUHLER — 
The situation regarding testing capacity has improved enough for Buhler USD 313 to change some of its policy regarding Prairie Hills Middle School.

According to a Facebook message from USD 313 Superintendent Cindy Couchman Thursday, all PHMS students who had to quarantine due to a lack of test capacity are allowed to join the tested group as of Friday, October 8th.

The case count at Prairie Hills is at 16 as of Thursday afternoon. Facemasks will still be required next week. 

Couchman explained the process for an individual positive in the message:

1. Positive case is called in or individual tests positive at school.

2. Admin pulls the positive case’s class schedule.

3. Each teacher is contacted for the seating chart for those designated hours.

4. Admin checks for 6 foot radius (or 3 feet this week) to identify close contacts.

5. Close contacts are listed out. This is usually around 20 students, but this week because of masks, it has been only about 4 students.  

6. Each close contact’s schedule is called up, and passes are written to pull those students to the office.

7. Each close contact is then searched for on the master list to see what option the parent has chosen in the event of exposure.

8. If the parent hasn’t filled out the option form, the parent number is looked up on Powerschool and phone calls must be made to get the form completed.

9. Parents are then called for those who choose to quarantine. 

10. Those who choose to test are then entered into the Stay to Learn protocols.  

11. Student names, testing dates, and date of return to school are entered into a Google sheet for nurses to track.  

12. RCHD is notified of close contacts/positives and contact information is sent to RCHD for their records.  

13. Data is then uploaded into the KDHE portal for each test given.

14. If the positive student is a bus rider, another process begins to determine the dates the bus was ridden, the other students who were riding, and the seating chart for that specific bus. 

15. Close contacts again are looked up, parents called, etc.

If the positive student is out for a sport, the same process is repeated again for close contacts.  

If students do a PCR test, that test is then driven to Wichita each day by district office staff right after lunch.  

Having so many positives in a couple days quickly became unmanageable, according to Couchman. 

"Because we could narrow the close contacts down to three feet by wearing facemasks, we are able to once again resume Stay to Learn, and we hope to see positive cases starting to stabilize next week," Couchman said. "Our goal is to keep students in school, and Stay to Learn helps us do exactly that. It is through working together that we are able to resume it so quickly. We are relentlessly looking at every option to keep kids in school."

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/3/1584543839140.jpeg" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>BUHLER — 
The situation regarding testing capacity has improved enough for Buhler USD 313 to change some of its policy regarding Prairie Hills Middle School.According to a Facebook message from USD 313 Superintendent Cindy Couchman Thursday, all PHMS students who had to quarantine due to a lack of test capacity are allowed to join the tested group as of Friday, October 8th.The case count at Prairie Hills is at 16 as of Thursday afternoon. Facemasks will still be required next week. Couchman explained the process for an individual positive in the message:1. Positive case is called in or individual tests positive at school.2. Admin pulls the positive case’s class schedule.3. Each teacher is contacted for the seating chart for those designated hours.4. Admin checks for 6 foot radius (or 3 feet this week) to identify close contacts.5. Close contacts are listed out. This is usually around 20 students, but this week because of masks, it has been only about 4 students. 6. Each close contact’s schedule is called up, and passes are written to pull those students to the office.7. Each close contact is then searched for on the master list to see what option the parent has chosen in the event of exposure.8. If the parent hasn’t filled out the option form, the parent number is looked up on Powerschool and phone calls must be made to get the form completed.9. Parents are then called for those who choose to quarantine. 10. Those who choose to test are then entered into the Stay to Learn protocols. 11. Student names, testing dates, and date of return to school are entered into a Google sheet for nurses to track. 12. RCHD is notified of close contacts/positives and contact information is sent to RCHD for their records. 13. Data is then uploaded into the KDHE portal for each test given.14. If the positive student is a bus rider, another process begins to determine the dates the bus was ridden, the other students who were riding, and the seating chart for that specific bus. 15. Close contacts again are looked up, parents called, etc.If the positive student is out for a sport, the same process is repeated again for close contacts. If students do a PCR test, that test is then driven to Wichita each day by district office staff right after lunch. Having so many positives in a couple days quickly became unmanageable, according to Couchman. "Because we could narrow the close contacts down to three feet by wearing facemasks, we are able to once again resume Stay to Learn, and we hope to see positive cases starting to stabilize next week," Couchman said. "Our goal is to keep students in school, and Stay to Learn helps us do exactly that. It is through working together that we are able to resume it so quickly. We are relentlessly looking at every option to keep kids in school."

Quarantined students at PHMS can now join Stay to Learn testing

HUTCHINSON, Kan. —&nbsp;World War II was upon us and, once again, Reno County does its part serving the country. A new way to enjoy motion pictures begins to crop up around the county and the home of the Blue Dragons and Salthawks is born. Read more about the 1940s this Sunday.

We invite you to help us with this trip down memory lane. If you have specific memories of our city or county's growth&nbsp;since the 1960s, or have photos you'd like to share, send them to&nbsp;<a href="mailto:HutchPost@eagleradio.net">HutchPost@eagleradio.net</a>.&nbsp;&nbsp;

Celebrate 150 years of Hutchinson and Reno County with The Decades: a 15-part series with a new decade released each Sunday morning. Follow the links below to catch up on the latest edition.

<a href="https://hutchpost.com/posts/239f71e3-58f9-4107-b657-04ace0aba6e5">CLICK HERE FOR THE 1870s</a> <a href="https://hutchpost.com/posts/4523eb41-6726-4b1d-8ef5-54dedbe74d38">CLICK HERE FOR THE 1880s</a> <a href="https://hutchpost.com/posts/aed5c227-5456-4c86-b4e0-2da58b625d79">CLICK HERE FOR THE 1890s</a> <a href="https://hutchpost.com/posts/cbb05344-de8a-41cb-bc81-4f2b031d0e3e">CLICK HERE FOR THE 1900s</a> <a href="https://hutchpost.com/posts/3a46367b-74cf-45f8-908a-80df2eba6230">CLICK HERE FOR THE 1910s</a> <a href="https://hutchpost.com/posts/8b97ee4d-1ff3-4093-b15d-fc874c77ddff">CLICK HERE FOR THE 1920s</a> <a href="https://hutchpost.com/posts/d7ef87fc-b259-4f19-b2b4-1bbc1753e021">CLICK HERE FOR THE 1930s</a>

The Decades are brought to you by: <a href="http://www.hutchinsonfc.com/">Hutchinson Funeral Chapel</a> <a href="https://www.facebook.com/rothefloors/">Rothe Family Flooring</a> <a href="https://www.hutchpl.org/">Hutchinson Public Library</a>

<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/2021/8/1629504018461.jpeg" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure><figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/9/1633011872807.jpeg" alt="Gowans Stadium Football Field &amp; Track Aerial New c. 1938.&nbsp;Photo courtesy of Steve Harmon." />
 <figcaption>Gowans Stadium Football Field &amp; Track Aerial New c. 1938.&nbsp;Photo courtesy of Steve Harmon.</figcaption>
 </figure>HUTCHINSON, Kan. —&nbsp;World War II was upon us and, once again, Reno County does its part serving the country. A new way to enjoy motion pictures begins to crop up around the county and the home of the Blue Dragons and Salthawks is born. Read more about the 1940s this Sunday.We invite you to help us with this trip down memory lane. If you have specific memories of our city or county's growth&nbsp;since the 1960s, or have photos you'd like to share, send them to&nbsp;<a href="mailto:HutchPost@eagleradio.net">HutchPost@eagleradio.net</a>.&nbsp;&nbsp;Celebrate 150 years of Hutchinson and Reno County with The Decades: a 15-part series with a new decade released each Sunday morning. Follow the links below to catch up on the latest edition.<a href="https://hutchpost.com/posts/239f71e3-58f9-4107-b657-04ace0aba6e5">CLICK HERE FOR THE 1870s</a> <a href="https://hutchpost.com/posts/4523eb41-6726-4b1d-8ef5-54dedbe74d38">CLICK HERE FOR THE 1880s</a> <a href="https://hutchpost.com/posts/aed5c227-5456-4c86-b4e0-2da58b625d79">CLICK HERE FOR THE 1890s</a> <a href="https://hutchpost.com/posts/cbb05344-de8a-41cb-bc81-4f2b031d0e3e">CLICK HERE FOR THE 1900s</a> <a href="https://hutchpost.com/posts/3a46367b-74cf-45f8-908a-80df2eba6230">CLICK HERE FOR THE 1910s</a> <a href="https://hutchpost.com/posts/8b97ee4d-1ff3-4093-b15d-fc874c77ddff">CLICK HERE FOR THE 1920s</a> <a href="https://hutchpost.com/posts/d7ef87fc-b259-4f19-b2b4-1bbc1753e021">CLICK HERE FOR THE 1930s</a>The Decades are brought to you by: <a href="http://www.hutchinsonfc.com/">Hutchinson Funeral Chapel</a> <a href="https://www.facebook.com/rothefloors/">Rothe Family Flooring</a> <a href="https://www.hutchpl.org/">Hutchinson Public Library</a><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.

The Decades: 1940s coming Sunday

HUTCHINSON, Kan. — Yearly tax statements will be going out to residents next month.&nbsp;

One thing that ties up getting your tax statement and getting them paid on time is a correct address. Treasurer Brenda Kowitz wanted to stress to county residents that, if you have moved in the past year, make sure your address is correct and complete.

If you have moved, contact the Reno County Appraiser's Office at 620-694-2915.

<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/2019/9/1568596588417.jpeg" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>HUTCHINSON, Kan. — Yearly tax statements will be going out to residents next month.&nbsp;One thing that ties up getting your tax statement and getting them paid on time is a correct address. Treasurer Brenda Kowitz wanted to stress to county residents that, if you have moved in the past year, make sure your address is correct and complete.If you have moved, contact the Reno County Appraiser's Office at 620-694-2915.<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;

Treasurer's Office: 'Make sure your address is up-to-date'

HUTCHINSON, Kan. — After 28 years, Hutchinson Police Department Capt. Marty Robertson is retiring. Robertson ends a long career with HPD that started all the way back in 1993.

“I actually grew up in Buhler and I wanted to be a police officer,” Robertson said. “I wanted to serve the community I was going to be living in and so I chose Hutchinson.”

Robertson says the biggest change he has seen since becoming a police officer is the technology that goes along with them when on duty.

“When I first started, the only thing that was in the car was a radio and a shotgun,” Robertson said. “You get into a car now and it's got computers and cameras and everything is at your fingertips.”

And that goes for identifying suspects and gathering needed information.

“Back in the day, if you wanted to identify someone, you had to have a picture or something,” Robertson said. “You couldn’t tell if someone was giving you their real name or not if you didn’t know them. If you get on now, you can pull up pictures and real-time information.”&nbsp;

Robertson also noted that the perception of officers has changed mostly due to things outside of the city of Hutchinson.

“I think public support is a little bit less than what it had been,” Robertson said. “When things happen nationally, now with social media platforms, it makes it hard on everybody who's working even though those things aren’t happening in our community.”

Robertson is another on a list of officers who have retired from HPD over the past several years making HPD a much younger department. Still, he says the department is in good hands.

“We are young, but the lieutenant rank is very strong,” Robertson said. “They have good leaders in each one of the divisions and I know those guys are pushing down on what needs to be done and making sure it's being done right.”&nbsp;

Robertson says he doesn’t know what he’ll do now other than make sure he spends more time with his family.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/10/1633638393903.jpeg" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>By ROD ZOOKHutch PostHUTCHINSON, Kan. — After 28 years, Hutchinson Police Department Capt. Marty Robertson is retiring. Robertson ends a long career with HPD that started all the way back in 1993.“I actually grew up in Buhler and I wanted to be a police officer,” Robertson said. “I wanted to serve the community I was going to be living in and so I chose Hutchinson.”Robertson says the biggest change he has seen since becoming a police officer is the technology that goes along with them when on duty.“When I first started, the only thing that was in the car was a radio and a shotgun,” Robertson said. “You get into a car now and it's got computers and cameras and everything is at your fingertips.”And that goes for identifying suspects and gathering needed information.“Back in the day, if you wanted to identify someone, you had to have a picture or something,” Robertson said. “You couldn’t tell if someone was giving you their real name or not if you didn’t know them. If you get on now, you can pull up pictures and real-time information.”&nbsp;Robertson also noted that the perception of officers has changed mostly due to things outside of the city of Hutchinson.“I think public support is a little bit less than what it had been,” Robertson said. “When things happen nationally, now with social media platforms, it makes it hard on everybody who's working even though those things aren’t happening in our community.”Robertson is another on a list of officers who have retired from HPD over the past several years making HPD a much younger department. Still, he says the department is in good hands.“We are young, but the lieutenant rank is very strong,” Robertson said. “They have good leaders in each one of the divisions and I know those guys are pushing down on what needs to be done and making sure it's being done right.”&nbsp;Robertson says he doesn’t know what he’ll do now other than make sure he spends more time with his family.<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;

Robertson retires after 28 years at HPD


HUTCHINSON,
Kan. — 
Buhler USD 313 received its numbers for postsecondary progress and USD 313 Superintendent Cindy Couchman is pleased.

"They look at two years out after graduation and they say, if a student has a certificate, they obtained a certificate in high school, we're talking like a welding certificate, a CNA certificate in high school, that would be considered successful," Couchman said. "That's a certificate within two years of graduating. The other two are having to do with in college. Are you enrolled two years after graduating from high school or have you already earned a degree two years out of high school."

The effective rate for Buhler is up to 68.4% in 2019, the newest year added, with a five year effective average of 64%.

"I'm excited about that it is that high," Couchman said. "I'm also excited that we beat what we call our predicted effective rate. That is where they statistically calculate our at-risk factors. Those at-risk factors are things like cumulative poverty, mobility, chronic absenteeism, that's 10% or more of the school year missed."

Couchman notes that following the at-risk metrics will be important in the next couple of years in particular, as the years being dealt with are all pre-COVID on the latest numbers.

"We've had a lot of students move around the last two years due to COVID," Couchman said. "The other one is cumulative poverty. Ironically, our poverty comes from those home economic surveys and the free and reduced lunches. Our poverty count has actually went down, because families didn't turn them in. Those factors have went down, where their chronic absenteeism went up because students missed more school last year and the last two years."

Couchman also notes that there could be a significant impact on if students started college or not.

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By
NICK GOSNELL
Hutch
Post
HUTCHINSON,
Kan. — 
Buhler USD 313 received its numbers for postsecondary progress and USD 313 Superintendent Cindy Couchman is pleased."They look at two years out after graduation and they say, if a student has a certificate, they obtained a certificate in high school, we're talking like a welding certificate, a CNA certificate in high school, that would be considered successful," Couchman said. "That's a certificate within two years of graduating. The other two are having to do with in college. Are you enrolled two years after graduating from high school or have you already earned a degree two years out of high school."The effective rate for Buhler is up to 68.4% in 2019, the newest year added, with a five year effective average of 64%."I'm excited about that it is that high," Couchman said. "I'm also excited that we beat what we call our predicted effective rate. That is where they statistically calculate our at-risk factors. Those at-risk factors are things like cumulative poverty, mobility, chronic absenteeism, that's 10% or more of the school year missed."Couchman notes that following the at-risk metrics will be important in the next couple of years in particular, as the years being dealt with are all pre-COVID on the latest numbers."We've had a lot of students move around the last two years due to COVID," Couchman said. "The other one is cumulative poverty. Ironically, our poverty comes from those home economic surveys and the free and reduced lunches. Our poverty count has actually went down, because families didn't turn them in. Those factors have went down, where their chronic absenteeism went up because students missed more school last year and the last two years."Couchman also notes that there could be a significant impact on if students started college or not.

Couchman: Numbers for USD 313 better than expected

HUTCHINSON, Kan. — A Wichita man who is charged with abducting a woman in Wichita and then trying to kill her at Cheney State Park was back in Reno County District Court on Wednesday.&nbsp;

Kamden Campos is facing 12 counts including six counts of attempted first degree murder one count of kidnapping, three counts of aggravated battery and two counts of criminal threat.

The six counts of attempted murder and the single kidnapping carry sentences of up to 55 years in prison if Campos is convicted.&nbsp;

The hearing yesterday was simply an update of how the case is progressing. According to District Attorney Tom Stanton, Campos has hired Kurt Kerns as his attorney after the court had originally appointed the public defender's office. No preliminary hearing has been set at this time.

Campos was arrested after allegedly abducting a woman and her family in Wichita. They drove out to Cheney Lake. When the woman tried to escape in a vehicle, Campos allegedly shot at the vehicle hitting a 2-year-old girl.&nbsp;

The woman drove into Sedgwick County where she called 911. The child survived.

<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/2021/10/1633618690029.jpeg" alt="Campos.jpg" />
 <figcaption>Campos.jpg</figcaption>
 </figure>HUTCHINSON, Kan. — A Wichita man who is charged with abducting a woman in Wichita and then trying to kill her at Cheney State Park was back in Reno County District Court on Wednesday.&nbsp;Kamden Campos is facing 12 counts including six counts of attempted first degree murder one count of kidnapping, three counts of aggravated battery and two counts of criminal threat.The six counts of attempted murder and the single kidnapping carry sentences of up to 55 years in prison if Campos is convicted.&nbsp;The hearing yesterday was simply an update of how the case is progressing. According to District Attorney Tom Stanton, Campos has hired Kurt Kerns as his attorney after the court had originally appointed the public defender's office. No preliminary hearing has been set at this time.Campos was arrested after allegedly abducting a woman and her family in Wichita. They drove out to Cheney Lake. When the woman tried to escape in a vehicle, Campos allegedly shot at the vehicle hitting a 2-year-old girl.&nbsp;The woman drove into Sedgwick County where she called 911. The child survived.<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;

Man charged in attempted murder case back in court


HUTCHINSON,
Kan. — 
Chuck Welch with Hutchinson Regional Healthcare System said Thursday that things are steady right now with regard to COVID-19.

"Today, we have 11 COVID patients, either currently positive or recovering and no longer contagious," Welch said. "I believe five of those are in the ICU. Several of them are still on ventilatory support of some sort. Our numbers seem to be holding pretty steady around the nine to eleven mark, which is down from earlier."

It's important to note that those who are vaccinated and end up in the hospital are not as sick.

"Unvaccinated, with this Delta variant, that end up in the hospital are much sicker," Welch said. "They go on breathing machines and respiratory apparatus much sooner. We're pleading with people, you know, to try and get vaccinated if they can."

Typically, there are about 10 unvaccinated patients that need care from Hutchinson Regional for every one that is vaccinated. 

Hutch Post asked Welch if he knew of any vaccinated Hutchinson Regional patients that died of COVID-19. He said he had not personally heard of any.

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By
NICK GOSNELL
Hutch
Post
HUTCHINSON,
Kan. — 
Chuck Welch with Hutchinson Regional Healthcare System said Thursday that things are steady right now with regard to COVID-19."Today, we have 11 COVID patients, either currently positive or recovering and no longer contagious," Welch said. "I believe five of those are in the ICU. Several of them are still on ventilatory support of some sort. Our numbers seem to be holding pretty steady around the nine to eleven mark, which is down from earlier."It's important to note that those who are vaccinated and end up in the hospital are not as sick."Unvaccinated, with this Delta variant, that end up in the hospital are much sicker," Welch said. "They go on breathing machines and respiratory apparatus much sooner. We're pleading with people, you know, to try and get vaccinated if they can."Typically, there are about 10 unvaccinated patients that need care from Hutchinson Regional for every one that is vaccinated. Hutch Post asked Welch if he knew of any vaccinated Hutchinson Regional patients that died of COVID-19. He said he had not personally heard of any.

Welch: COVID numbers steady at hospital


HUTCHINSON,
Kan. — The United Way of Reno County  and Resilience Reno County is hosting a poverty simulation Monday at Hutchinson Regional Healthcare System's pavilion.

"Poverty is a reality for many individuals right here in Reno County," said Lisa Gleason with United Way. "Unless you've experienced poverty, it's really difficult to understand. United Way, most of our funded partners and our work that we do through community impact really ties in to working families who are just struggling. We want to raise that awareness."

Thirteen percent of Reno County residents live in poverty each day. Many more have incomes above the poverty line, but their incomes are still low enough that they can’t afford basic needs like food, decent housing, or quality childcare.

"If you have grown up in poverty and you are struggling, you are in survival mode every single day," Gleason said. "You are trying to figure out, how am I going to juggle getting my kids somewhere, because I don't have transportation? How am I going to make sure that we have some kind of food tonight? Which bill am I going to pay and which bill am I going to have to put off?"

You can choose from either of two opportunities, 11:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. or 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m.

"We need to be able to understand their struggle, so that we can perhaps work alongside them, support them and help problem solve to help get them to a stronger, better place," Gleason said.

Participation is free, but registration is required. Since the simulation is based on a variety of family scenarios, you will become a "family member" when you RSVP. For more information, call the United Way at (620) 669-9329 to reserve your spot. 

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By
NICK GOSNELL
Hutch
Post
HUTCHINSON,
Kan. — The United Way of Reno County and Resilience Reno County is hosting a poverty simulation Monday at Hutchinson Regional Healthcare System's pavilion."Poverty is a reality for many individuals right here in Reno County," said Lisa Gleason with United Way. "Unless you've experienced poverty, it's really difficult to understand. United Way, most of our funded partners and our work that we do through community impact really ties in to working families who are just struggling. We want to raise that awareness."Thirteen percent of Reno County residents live in poverty each day. Many more have incomes above the poverty line, but their incomes are still low enough that they can’t afford basic needs like food, decent housing, or quality childcare."If you have grown up in poverty and you are struggling, you are in survival mode every single day," Gleason said. "You are trying to figure out, how am I going to juggle getting my kids somewhere, because I don't have transportation? How am I going to make sure that we have some kind of food tonight? Which bill am I going to pay and which bill am I going to have to put off?"You can choose from either of two opportunities, 11:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. or 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m."We need to be able to understand their struggle, so that we can perhaps work alongside them, support them and help problem solve to help get them to a stronger, better place," Gleason said.Participation is free, but registration is required. Since the simulation is based on a variety of family scenarios, you will become a "family member" when you RSVP. For more information, call the United Way at (620) 669-9329 to reserve your spot.

Poverty simulation coming up Monday in Hutchinson


HUTCHINSON,
Kan. —&nbsp;

For the last several weeks, Hutch Post has been looking back at The Decades, a weekly series celebrating the 150th Anniversary of Reno County.&nbsp; 

Now, we invite you to get in on the&nbsp;trip down memory lane. If you have specific memories of our city or county's growth&nbsp;since the 1960s, or have photos you'd like to share, send them to&nbsp;<a href="mailto:HutchPost@eagleradio.net">HutchPost@eagleradio.net</a>.

It may be featured in an upcoming edition of The Decades, featured every Sunday morning on Hutch Post.&nbsp;&nbsp;

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HUTCHINSON,
Kan. —&nbsp;

For the last several weeks, Hutch Post has been looking back at The Decades, a weekly series celebrating the 150th Anniversary of Reno County.&nbsp; Now, we invite you to get in on the&nbsp;trip down memory lane. If you have specific memories of our city or county's growth&nbsp;since the 1960s, or have photos you'd like to share, send them to&nbsp;<a href="mailto:HutchPost@eagleradio.net">HutchPost@eagleradio.net</a>. It may be featured in an upcoming edition of The Decades, featured every Sunday morning on Hutch Post.&nbsp;&nbsp;

You can help with The Decades 

HUTCHINSON, Kan. — Kansas First District Congressman Tracey Mann was in Hutchinson Wednesday.

"We're doing a manufacturing tour," Mann said. "We're basically meeting with manufacturing companies and business owners all across the district. Manufacturers are going through so much right now, trying to find employees, but also, supply chain issues, navigating vaccine mandates, other things. I really want to hear firsthand from them on the ground what's going on and what can be done to do all we can do to make sure that they are as successful as can be."

Mann said we still don't know all the details regarding proposed vaccine mandates, but his position has not changed.

"The government has no business mandating vaccines," Mann said. "What's happened is, President Biden has issued this executive order. OSHA is now in the rule writing process. They're going through writing the rules. I'm certain that it's going to be objected to in court. I'm hopeful that it will be found unconstitutional. We'll see what happens. Right now, it's in the rule writing process."

Mann introduced legislation pushing back against mandates. It is still in committee. Mann also knows businesses throughout the Big First are looking for workers.

"When we're in a situation where the federal government's providing more money for people to stay at home than to return to work, that's a big problem," Mann said. "Manufacturers, also agriculture, service industry, almost every industry is affected by this labor shortage we have right now. These vaccine mandates, by the way, will come along and make all of that much, much worse."

Enhanced federal unemployment benefits ended just about a month ago.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/1/1611836622184.jpeg" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>By NICK GOSNELLHutch PostHUTCHINSON, Kan. — Kansas First District Congressman Tracey Mann was in Hutchinson Wednesday."We're doing a manufacturing tour," Mann said. "We're basically meeting with manufacturing companies and business owners all across the district. Manufacturers are going through so much right now, trying to find employees, but also, supply chain issues, navigating vaccine mandates, other things. I really want to hear firsthand from them on the ground what's going on and what can be done to do all we can do to make sure that they are as successful as can be."Mann said we still don't know all the details regarding proposed vaccine mandates, but his position has not changed."The government has no business mandating vaccines," Mann said. "What's happened is, President Biden has issued this executive order. OSHA is now in the rule writing process. They're going through writing the rules. I'm certain that it's going to be objected to in court. I'm hopeful that it will be found unconstitutional. We'll see what happens. Right now, it's in the rule writing process."Mann introduced legislation pushing back against mandates. It is still in committee. Mann also knows businesses throughout the Big First are looking for workers."When we're in a situation where the federal government's providing more money for people to stay at home than to return to work, that's a big problem," Mann said. "Manufacturers, also agriculture, service industry, almost every industry is affected by this labor shortage we have right now. These vaccine mandates, by the way, will come along and make all of that much, much worse."Enhanced federal unemployment benefits ended just about a month ago.

Mann in Hutchinson listening to manufacturers

HUTCHINSON, Kan. — Attendance at the Hutchinson Salt City Splash was up in 2021 when compared to the previous year.

According to numbers released from Hutch Rec, pool attendance totaled 28,769, compared with 28,250. In 2019, before the pandemic, attendance was 31,524.

The attendance figures come as the city is working on a new aquatic study that it hopes will provide direction when it comes to the aquatic facilities in Hutchinson.&nbsp;

When the study began, Tony Finlay said the location of the Splash makes it difficult for younger customers to attend and said the age of the pool needs to be taken into consideration when it comes to the future of swimming facilities in the city.

At the time he requested the study, Finlay said the pool was not meeting attendance rates for a city the size of Hutchinson.

<figure>
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 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>By ROD ZOOKHutch PostHUTCHINSON, Kan. — Attendance at the Hutchinson Salt City Splash was up in 2021 when compared to the previous year.According to numbers released from Hutch Rec, pool attendance totaled 28,769, compared with 28,250. In 2019, before the pandemic, attendance was 31,524.The attendance figures come as the city is working on a new aquatic study that it hopes will provide direction when it comes to the aquatic facilities in Hutchinson.&nbsp;When the study began, Tony Finlay said the location of the Splash makes it difficult for younger customers to attend and said the age of the pool needs to be taken into consideration when it comes to the future of swimming facilities in the city.At the time he requested the study, Finlay said the pool was not meeting attendance rates for a city the size of Hutchinson.<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;

Pool attendance increases slightly at Salt City Splash

HUTCHINSON, Kan. — Bob Fee, president of Fee Insurance Groups of Hutchinson, has been named the Independent Insurance Agents &amp; Brokers of America (the Big “I”) the 2021-22 Big “I” chairman.

Fee has held numerous positions at both the state and national level for the Big “I.” At the state association level, he has served on the Kansas Association of Insurance Agents (KAIA) Board of Directors and as the Kansas director on the national association board. He has also served on several KAIA committees, including the Government Affairs Committee, and was the 2007-2008 KAIA president. At the national level, Fee has served on the Government Affairs Committee and the Trusted Choice® Board of Directors, including a term as the Trusted Choice board chairman. He received the Big “I” Chairman’s Citation in 2011.

“Bob’s longtime dedication to the association, along with his commitment to honoring our industry’s roots while forging ahead toward future growth, will serve Big ‘I’ members well,” Bob Rusbuldt, Big “I” president and CEO, said. “We are fortunate to have him at the helm as the independent agency channel continues to face the impacts of the coronavirus pandemic.”

Founded in 1896, the Independent Insurance Agents &amp; Brokers of America is the nation’s oldest and largest national association of independent insurance agents and brokers, representing more than 25,000 agency locations.

<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/2021/10/1633553006275.jpeg" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>HUTCHINSON, Kan. — Bob Fee, president of Fee Insurance Groups of Hutchinson, has been named the Independent Insurance Agents &amp; Brokers of America (the Big “I”) the 2021-22 Big “I” chairman.Fee has held numerous positions at both the state and national level for the Big “I.” At the state association level, he has served on the Kansas Association of Insurance Agents (KAIA) Board of Directors and as the Kansas director on the national association board. He has also served on several KAIA committees, including the Government Affairs Committee, and was the 2007-2008 KAIA president. At the national level, Fee has served on the Government Affairs Committee and the Trusted Choice® Board of Directors, including a term as the Trusted Choice board chairman. He received the Big “I” Chairman’s Citation in 2011.“Bob’s longtime dedication to the association, along with his commitment to honoring our industry’s roots while forging ahead toward future growth, will serve Big ‘I’ members well,” Bob Rusbuldt, Big “I” president and CEO, said. “We are fortunate to have him at the helm as the independent agency channel continues to face the impacts of the coronavirus pandemic.”Founded in 1896, the Independent Insurance Agents &amp; Brokers of America is the nation’s oldest and largest national association of independent insurance agents and brokers, representing more than 25,000 agency locations.<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.

Fee named Big 'I' Chairman


HUTCHINSON,
Kan. — 
With the end of a grading period coming up later this month in Nickerson-South Hutchinson USD 309, parents being engaged in monitoring their children's ongoing classwork is key, before we get to conference time later in the month.

"Engagement from parents at home has a real impact on their student at school related to graduation rate, test scores, post secondary success, just based on the engagement of parents at home," said USD 309 Superintendent Curtis Nightingale. "Instead of just worrying about that aggregate grade, dig into the weeds a little bit and find out, how many missing assignments are going on there? I'll tell you, that's probably the number one issue that effects students and impacts their grades is a missing assignment."

It's important to prepare students for the daily expectations they will have in the workplace.

"If you've got something due at work and you don't turn that in, that doesn't go away," Nightingale said. "It's still got to get done, right? That's a major impact on the system if you don't get your stuff done. Helping students learn that lesson early is a huge part of the education model."

There is responsibility on the teaching side of the equation, as well.

"As soon as you start to take the attitude of, I taught it, it was their job to learn it, maybe it's time to find the door," Nightengale said. "You've really got to focus on the fact that your responsibility is to reach out to these students and make sure that they're grasping the content that you're delivering, because if they're not, you've got to change."

The grading period ends October 15, with evening parent-teacher conferences on October 21.

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By
NICK GOSNELL
Hutch
Post
HUTCHINSON,
Kan. — 
With the end of a grading period coming up later this month in Nickerson-South Hutchinson USD 309, parents being engaged in monitoring their children's ongoing classwork is key, before we get to conference time later in the month."Engagement from parents at home has a real impact on their student at school related to graduation rate, test scores, post secondary success, just based on the engagement of parents at home," said USD 309 Superintendent Curtis Nightingale. "Instead of just worrying about that aggregate grade, dig into the weeds a little bit and find out, how many missing assignments are going on there? I'll tell you, that's probably the number one issue that effects students and impacts their grades is a missing assignment."It's important to prepare students for the daily expectations they will have in the workplace."If you've got something due at work and you don't turn that in, that doesn't go away," Nightingale said. "It's still got to get done, right? That's a major impact on the system if you don't get your stuff done. Helping students learn that lesson early is a huge part of the education model."There is responsibility on the teaching side of the equation, as well."As soon as you start to take the attitude of, I taught it, it was their job to learn it, maybe it's time to find the door," Nightengale said. "You've really got to focus on the fact that your responsibility is to reach out to these students and make sure that they're grasping the content that you're delivering, because if they're not, you've got to change."The grading period ends October 15, with evening parent-teacher conferences on October 21.

Nightingale: Parent engagement and teacher focus both needed for student success


HUTCHINSON,
Kan. — 
A section of 56th&nbsp;Street in Reno County will be closing to allow for construction of a bridge on the K-14 realignment project.

Starting around Wednesday, Oct. 13, 56th&nbsp;Street from Yaggy Road west to K-14 will be closed for the work. The closing will last about a year.

The Kansas Department of Transportation realignment project started this spring. This a 15-mile, $81.7 million realignment of K-14. The work stretches from Hutchinson, to Nickerson, to Sterling. The project is expected to be completed by June 16, 2023. Bob Bergkamp Construction Co. Inc., of Wichita, is the primary contractor.

During the work, traffic will continue to use the existing K-14/96 alignment in Reno and Rice counties.

The Rice County portion of the realignment will be from the Reno/Rice county line to just north of the K-96/Avenue T junction. The length is about 8 miles.

The Reno County portion of the realignment will be from about 4.5 miles southeast of Nickerson northwest to the Reno/Rice county line. The length is a little over 7 miles.

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HUTCHINSON,
Kan. — 
A section of 56th&nbsp;Street in Reno County will be closing to allow for construction of a bridge on the K-14 realignment project.Starting around Wednesday, Oct. 13, 56th&nbsp;Street from Yaggy Road west to K-14 will be closed for the work. The closing will last about a year.The Kansas Department of Transportation realignment project started this spring. This a 15-mile, $81.7 million realignment of K-14. The work stretches from Hutchinson, to Nickerson, to Sterling. The project is expected to be completed by June 16, 2023. Bob Bergkamp Construction Co. Inc., of Wichita, is the primary contractor.During the work, traffic will continue to use the existing K-14/96 alignment in Reno and Rice counties.The Rice County portion of the realignment will be from the Reno/Rice county line to just north of the K-96/Avenue T junction. The length is about 8 miles.The Reno County portion of the realignment will be from about 4.5 miles southeast of Nickerson northwest to the Reno/Rice county line. The length is a little over 7 miles.

Section of 56th St. in Reno County closing during work on new K-14

HUTCHINSON, Kan. — The number of COVID cases in the county has surpassed the 10,000 mark since the pandemic began standing at 10,022.&nbsp;

The number of current positive cases continued to fall down by 10 from Tuesday to 439. The first COVID case was reported in the county on March 20 of 2020. The highest number of positive cases came just after Thanksgiving of 2020 at 1,513. That trend fell to just nine cases July 1 of 2021 before the latest surge began in August.&nbsp;

The latest wave of COVID has so far peaked out at 680 cases on Sept. 14, but has been falling over the past four weeks.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/4/1618856566652.jpg" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>HUTCHINSON, Kan. — The number of COVID cases in the county has surpassed the 10,000 mark since the pandemic began standing at 10,022.&nbsp;The number of current positive cases continued to fall down by 10 from Tuesday to 439. The first COVID case was reported in the county on March 20 of 2020. The highest number of positive cases came just after Thanksgiving of 2020 at 1,513. That trend fell to just nine cases July 1 of 2021 before the latest surge began in August.&nbsp;The latest wave of COVID has so far peaked out at 680 cases on Sept. 14, but has been falling over the past four weeks.<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;

COVID cases top 10,000 in Reno County since pandemic started


HUTCHINSON,
Kan. — 
The Hutchinson City Council approved the agreement for the work on the Washington Street Bicycle Boulevard from 17th to 27th on Tuesday.

"The city recieved this grant in 2017," said city engineer Jeff Peterson. "The federal grant pays for 80% of the eligible construction costs of the work. The city is responsible for 20% of the participating construction costs as well as any non-participating costs on the project."

KDOT opened bids on the project last month.

"The low bid was from Prado Construction, LLC," Peterson said. "They're from the Wichita area. It was in the amount of $479,350."

The city will be billed $105,000 for its share.

"The majority of this will be bonded," Peterson said. "There are some non-participating costs. We have to repair a section of storm sewer on Washington between 18th and 19th. That portion will be funded from the stormwater utility fund."

The project will switch some of the stop signs from stopping north to south to stopping east to west once the project is complete. The motion passed unanimously.

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By
NICK GOSNELL
Hutch
Post
HUTCHINSON,
Kan. — 
The Hutchinson City Council approved the agreement for the work on the Washington Street Bicycle Boulevard from 17th to 27th on Tuesday."The city recieved this grant in 2017," said city engineer Jeff Peterson. "The federal grant pays for 80% of the eligible construction costs of the work. The city is responsible for 20% of the participating construction costs as well as any non-participating costs on the project."KDOT opened bids on the project last month."The low bid was from Prado Construction, LLC," Peterson said. "They're from the Wichita area. It was in the amount of $479,350."The city will be billed $105,000 for its share."The majority of this will be bonded," Peterson said. "There are some non-participating costs. We have to repair a section of storm sewer on Washington between 18th and 19th. That portion will be funded from the stormwater utility fund."The project will switch some of the stop signs from stopping north to south to stopping east to west once the project is complete. The motion passed unanimously.

City council approves Washington bicycle boulevard bid

BUHLER, Kan. — This reminder that Buhler USD 313 and the Reno County Health Department will hold their flu shot clinics starting Thursday from 1:30 p.m. until 4 p.m. at Union Valley Elementary School. The shots are available to all students, family and staff in USD 313.

Plum Creek Elementary will host the next clinic Friday, Oct. 8 from 1:30 p.m. until 4 p.m. and then Oct. 21 at PHMS. The final clinic will be Nov. 3 from 1 p.m. until 5 p.m.

COVID vaccinations will also be available for anyone over age 12. For more information contact the health department at 620-694-2900.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/10/1633463907857.jpeg" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>BUHLER, Kan. — This reminder that Buhler USD 313 and the Reno County Health Department will hold their flu shot clinics starting Thursday from 1:30 p.m. until 4 p.m. at Union Valley Elementary School. The shots are available to all students, family and staff in USD 313.Plum Creek Elementary will host the next clinic Friday, Oct. 8 from 1:30 p.m. until 4 p.m. and then Oct. 21 at PHMS. The final clinic will be Nov. 3 from 1 p.m. until 5 p.m.COVID vaccinations will also be available for anyone over age 12. For more information contact the health department at 620-694-2900.<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;

Flu shot clinics begin Thursday in USD 313


HUTCHINSON,
Kan. — 
Buhler USD 313 Superintendent Cindy Couchman said Wednesday the district is going to be firm on its requirement of masks at Prairie Hills Middle School through October 17, this is regardless of vaccination or previous infection status.

"We treat students who have had COVID within the last six months the same way we do if they have a vaccination," Couchman said. "They can still come, but they still have to wear a mask. Vaccinated students and those who have had COVID can still transmit the virus. We treat those cases the same way as somebody that's had a vaccination. We ask them to come to school and just wear a mask just the same way they are. If they don't want to wear a mask, they have the option of just keeping their students at home during these next few days."

The goal is not to have infections get to a point in any of the other buildings that they have to be added.

"We have one other building, I think, that has five active cases," Couchman said. "We'll have a couple roll off tomorrow and drop it back down to three. The high school has gone up and down a little bit. Right now, I think they only have two active cases. At one point, we had, I think 50 kids testing in the morning at one of our elementary buildings, but that was only for like a couple days. It wasn't for a six day stretch. We knew that one group was going to come off."

If an individual student is out, that of course has an effect on that student, but if a staff member is out, that creates another set of issues.

"We're not going to do the whole district," Couchman said. "We're just going to address the buildings where we have quite a few cases. We do that for lots of reasons. One is, we've got to keep staff and people in the building and keeping it staffed. We can't have our staff getting sick. We don't have substitutes, so this is also a way to keep kids coming to school every day."

According to the Kansas Department of Health and Environment's COVID-19 student dashboard, USD 313's enrollment is 2,181 students.

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By
NICK GOSNELL
Hutch
Post
HUTCHINSON,
Kan. — 
Buhler USD 313 Superintendent Cindy Couchman said Wednesday the district is going to be firm on its requirement of masks at Prairie Hills Middle School through October 17, this is regardless of vaccination or previous infection status."We treat students who have had COVID within the last six months the same way we do if they have a vaccination," Couchman said. "They can still come, but they still have to wear a mask. Vaccinated students and those who have had COVID can still transmit the virus. We treat those cases the same way as somebody that's had a vaccination. We ask them to come to school and just wear a mask just the same way they are. If they don't want to wear a mask, they have the option of just keeping their students at home during these next few days."The goal is not to have infections get to a point in any of the other buildings that they have to be added."We have one other building, I think, that has five active cases," Couchman said. "We'll have a couple roll off tomorrow and drop it back down to three. The high school has gone up and down a little bit. Right now, I think they only have two active cases. At one point, we had, I think 50 kids testing in the morning at one of our elementary buildings, but that was only for like a couple days. It wasn't for a six day stretch. We knew that one group was going to come off."If an individual student is out, that of course has an effect on that student, but if a staff member is out, that creates another set of issues."We're not going to do the whole district," Couchman said. "We're just going to address the buildings where we have quite a few cases. We do that for lots of reasons. One is, we've got to keep staff and people in the building and keeping it staffed. We can't have our staff getting sick. We don't have substitutes, so this is also a way to keep kids coming to school every day."According to the Kansas Department of Health and Environment's COVID-19 student dashboard, USD 313's enrollment is 2,181 students.

Couchman: District is firm on mask requirements for PHMS

HUTCHINSON, Kan. — The first Hutchinson Soar Hire event hosted by Eagle Communications at Uptown Hutch Tuesday appeared to be good for all concerned, according to the event's organizer.

"I'm very pleased with how it went altogether," said Rick Kraus, account executive at Eagle in charge of Tuesday's event. "Businesses I talked to were happy. Everybody got to talk to ten or twelve applicants. Some had applications completed, some had interviews set. A couple of people walked out with job offers in hand, so I think, for a first time effort, it went really, really well.

The crowd was fairly well spread throughout the day.

"We had about 100 applicants, which was kind of the minimum I was hoping for," Kraus said. "It was just kind of a steady trickle from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. There wasn't really any rush, there was really no time it was completely dead. I just think in the future we will find more ways to reach people in this area and let them know of this great opportunity."

It is a job seeker's market right now, based on what Kraus saw Tuesday.

"I think it takes opportunities like this one to bring people together," Kraus said. "It puts the applicants in the driver's seat, because they can kind of pick and choose, I want these hours, I want this pay, I want to work this shift, I want to work at this location and then have an opportunity to figure out, of the opportunities they saw today, which one best fits their needs."

The August unemployment rate in Reno County was 4.5%.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/10/1633468198377.jpeg" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>By NICK GOSNELLHutch PostHUTCHINSON, Kan. — The first Hutchinson Soar Hire event hosted by Eagle Communications at Uptown Hutch Tuesday appeared to be good for all concerned, according to the event's organizer."I'm very pleased with how it went altogether," said Rick Kraus, account executive at Eagle in charge of Tuesday's event. "Businesses I talked to were happy. Everybody got to talk to ten or twelve applicants. Some had applications completed, some had interviews set. A couple of people walked out with job offers in hand, so I think, for a first time effort, it went really, really well.The crowd was fairly well spread throughout the day."We had about 100 applicants, which was kind of the minimum I was hoping for," Kraus said. "It was just kind of a steady trickle from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. There wasn't really any rush, there was really no time it was completely dead. I just think in the future we will find more ways to reach people in this area and let them know of this great opportunity."<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/10/1633468261373.jpeg" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>It is a job seeker's market right now, based on what Kraus saw Tuesday."I think it takes opportunities like this one to bring people together," Kraus said. "It puts the applicants in the driver's seat, because they can kind of pick and choose, I want these hours, I want this pay, I want to work this shift, I want to work at this location and then have an opportunity to figure out, of the opportunities they saw today, which one best fits their needs."The August unemployment rate in Reno County was 4.5%.