HUTCHINSON, Kansas — Those passionate about learning on the job and in the classroom can get first-hand experience thanks to IdeaTek’s new apprenticeship program through Hutchinson Community College.

IdeaTek’s three-year program allows for students to combine class time at HutchCC with on-the-job training, preparing them for a career with the company. Apprentices are enrolled as part-time students at HutchCC where they will complete a pre-selected set of courses. The participants will receive free college tuition, plus a salary from IdeaTek.

IdeaTek is currently taking applications through Jan. 15 for both a project manager apprentice and an installation technician apprentice.&nbsp;

The project manager position will allow the student to plan, coordinate, direct and oversee implementation of construction and operational activities while maintaining budgetary objectives.

The installation technician will gain skills to deliver fiber to homes, troubleshoot customer connections and manage project timelines and design.

Founded by four high school friends in 1999, IdeaTek is now one of Reno County’s larger employers. IdeaTek's mission is to connect underserved communities with affordable, high-speed internet service.&nbsp;

The new apprenticeship program is aimed at developing the next generation of experienced professionals for skilled trades, said Megan Shearer, IdeaTek’s director of talent.

“We are excited to partner with HutchCC to create opportunities for students in our local communities,” she said. “Real-life work experiences are irreplaceable. We look forward to working with some talented students.”

“As employers continue to face obstacles in attracting and retaining workers with the right skills, we are proud to collaborate with an innovative employer like IdeaTek to benefit our students, IdeaTek and their customers”, said Dave Mullins, HutchCC’s Director of Business and Industry.

To learn more about IdeaTek, visit ideatek.com. For more information on the program and to apply, click on the links below.

Project Manager: <a href="http://link.mta1.shspma.com/ls/click?upn=RTbuewdsZTBsM8d398lMi9iQ6Fl-2FlSUNE9RHKd3z-2BiGOkl5y-2Bx3bwpiDeDbR-2FowL0D9qJX9W4C4Jqhv5RJW-2B-2FOukmY3hc4dINGKg9KFv-2BMp-2FwE7PG-2BRqG0HbKMOZNkQQG6-2Fpvbq13-2BvXy8LptfPFH9t-2BeNCfGb2KLnMwvhm3rXQAs6dqFKhGqz4766wa6S-2Bj-2FnU8dT4vnGuNmPAjhy9Vk98LDckLbX8oWhA76aiPtVo-3DVAh0_WNeAFANdVbitjk7LWYjgmCGTl6KezMUVOMKAx15NbxtPvHRUjvESGTmd7OCjsgY3IREKg5V9xmBMxV-2BwwgM-2BGwCAYmI4cGp8snPbUmmoCpo74UWQ5FzkWT6nO8FTJ-2BzeJWH5PDj4Mrq8stl1F-2BoF6ILE-2BnPXXjMFLN3i4xZI-2F91Xqlim-2F29NCkU113LiPVhZ1etGL-2FnoQvPEjivpOKrkbIwvUmLLTcE6AolN5JGSfiO8mZjSV-2F9k6tKMNI-2BZEVf5UpUNmD5WDZ-2BaaNaqM5vVESKC3FepnHrj9B2w65k9J1E7Xd43ZPyVOI1TF5KK4EbO8lxx-2Fo0kPK3MSjvVMuH2eLr3V4m6iy2B9y0O9wIUnBx7KedLpDqkl2FjSDotlyey7dVZPkycH1QDKeZIYz1av7U2QO9heuTnRER0I7IKb-2BUcEMlSIu-2ByW-2B29JDfRsdXC7XfOSGDuBzEeVMgeXPBBTqNGkesBql0MYUcqJkWjtt8-3D" target="_blank">https://lnkd.in/eF5-MCkQ</a>

Installation Technician: <a href="http://link.mta1.shspma.com/ls/click?upn=RTbuewdsZTBsM8d398lMi-2BGdAN2pBG-2FVkT-2F0qZ642zJPA46ySpx1CUG9h8JtkNPwFHrBWWGPCbhpASg8f0onTMGlbPqJgLcEOtOtMFcDFSFRxsM-2FaFlJLgk5ZcXr6xXiV49JDtPyJdFFzQRNInL8NsvdQMCh-2Fm-2FWe-2FZgv6pin4EBNeJWcT82S6f8uFcwV3L6gfp4IAbkwtz8h6y7wgCBefY2vWMROsCjCHA7p5-2FyQwk-3DwX0Z_WNeAFANdVbitjk7LWYjgmCGTl6KezMUVOMKAx15NbxtPvHRUjvESGTmd7OCjsgY3IREKg5V9xmBMxV-2BwwgM-2BGwCAYmI4cGp8snPbUmmoCpo74UWQ5FzkWT6nO8FTJ-2BzeJWH5PDj4Mrq8stl1F-2BoF6ILE-2BnPXXjMFLN3i4xZI-2F91Xqlim-2F29NCkU113LiPVhZ1etGL-2FnoQvPEjivpOKrkbIwvUmLLTcE6AolN5JGSfiO8mZjSV-2F9k6tKMNI-2BZEVf5UpUNmD5WDZ-2BaaNaqM5vVESKC3FepnHrj9B2w65k9J1E7Xd43ZPyVOI1TF5KK4EbOLhDc92cjpMIvsATvGy1bLJki232DCs1gnKpimxs2UzMJn64KNjNn9EoIrtcIFLWC1NKI8gnok4BdCbuVQyNhAtfmY57-2FD-2FMf2cywgH36KtSiuuqeR0QzLtlvrzuH688lUb-2FkbAMDkvt9W7rbLr1-2F1J-2Fu3MNhfQe6BXje6DhQPsU-3D" target="_blank">https://lnkd.in/eQnB3Frh</a>

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/3/1584960838544.png" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>HUTCHINSON, Kansas — Those passionate about learning on the job and in the classroom can get first-hand experience thanks to IdeaTek’s new apprenticeship program through Hutchinson Community College.IdeaTek’s three-year program allows for students to combine class time at HutchCC with on-the-job training, preparing them for a career with the company. Apprentices are enrolled as part-time students at HutchCC where they will complete a pre-selected set of courses. The participants will receive free college tuition, plus a salary from IdeaTek.IdeaTek is currently taking applications through Jan. 15 for both a project manager apprentice and an installation technician apprentice.&nbsp;The project manager position will allow the student to plan, coordinate, direct and oversee implementation of construction and operational activities while maintaining budgetary objectives.The installation technician will gain skills to deliver fiber to homes, troubleshoot customer connections and manage project timelines and design.Founded by four high school friends in 1999, IdeaTek is now one of Reno County’s larger employers. IdeaTek's mission is to connect underserved communities with affordable, high-speed internet service.&nbsp;The new apprenticeship program is aimed at developing the next generation of experienced professionals for skilled trades, said Megan Shearer, IdeaTek’s director of talent.“We are excited to partner with HutchCC to create opportunities for students in our local communities,” she said. “Real-life work experiences are irreplaceable. We look forward to working with some talented students.”“As employers continue to face obstacles in attracting and retaining workers with the right skills, we are proud to collaborate with an innovative employer like IdeaTek to benefit our students, IdeaTek and their customers”, said Dave Mullins, HutchCC’s Director of Business and Industry.To learn more about IdeaTek, visit ideatek.com. For more information on the program and to apply, click on the links below.Project Manager: <a href="http://link.mta1.shspma.com/ls/click?upn=RTbuewdsZTBsM8d398lMi9iQ6Fl-2FlSUNE9RHKd3z-2BiGOkl5y-2Bx3bwpiDeDbR-2FowL0D9qJX9W4C4Jqhv5RJW-2B-2FOukmY3hc4dINGKg9KFv-2BMp-2FwE7PG-2BRqG0HbKMOZNkQQG6-2Fpvbq13-2BvXy8LptfPFH9t-2BeNCfGb2KLnMwvhm3rXQAs6dqFKhGqz4766wa6S-2Bj-2FnU8dT4vnGuNmPAjhy9Vk98LDckLbX8oWhA76aiPtVo-3DVAh0_WNeAFANdVbitjk7LWYjgmCGTl6KezMUVOMKAx15NbxtPvHRUjvESGTmd7OCjsgY3IREKg5V9xmBMxV-2BwwgM-2BGwCAYmI4cGp8snPbUmmoCpo74UWQ5FzkWT6nO8FTJ-2BzeJWH5PDj4Mrq8stl1F-2BoF6ILE-2BnPXXjMFLN3i4xZI-2F91Xqlim-2F29NCkU113LiPVhZ1etGL-2FnoQvPEjivpOKrkbIwvUmLLTcE6AolN5JGSfiO8mZjSV-2F9k6tKMNI-2BZEVf5UpUNmD5WDZ-2BaaNaqM5vVESKC3FepnHrj9B2w65k9J1E7Xd43ZPyVOI1TF5KK4EbO8lxx-2Fo0kPK3MSjvVMuH2eLr3V4m6iy2B9y0O9wIUnBx7KedLpDqkl2FjSDotlyey7dVZPkycH1QDKeZIYz1av7U2QO9heuTnRER0I7IKb-2BUcEMlSIu-2ByW-2B29JDfRsdXC7XfOSGDuBzEeVMgeXPBBTqNGkesBql0MYUcqJkWjtt8-3D" target="_blank">https://lnkd.in/eF5-MCkQ</a>Installation Technician: <a href="http://link.mta1.shspma.com/ls/click?upn=RTbuewdsZTBsM8d398lMi-2BGdAN2pBG-2FVkT-2F0qZ642zJPA46ySpx1CUG9h8JtkNPwFHrBWWGPCbhpASg8f0onTMGlbPqJgLcEOtOtMFcDFSFRxsM-2FaFlJLgk5ZcXr6xXiV49JDtPyJdFFzQRNInL8NsvdQMCh-2Fm-2FWe-2FZgv6pin4EBNeJWcT82S6f8uFcwV3L6gfp4IAbkwtz8h6y7wgCBefY2vWMROsCjCHA7p5-2FyQwk-3DwX0Z_WNeAFANdVbitjk7LWYjgmCGTl6KezMUVOMKAx15NbxtPvHRUjvESGTmd7OCjsgY3IREKg5V9xmBMxV-2BwwgM-2BGwCAYmI4cGp8snPbUmmoCpo74UWQ5FzkWT6nO8FTJ-2BzeJWH5PDj4Mrq8stl1F-2BoF6ILE-2BnPXXjMFLN3i4xZI-2F91Xqlim-2F29NCkU113LiPVhZ1etGL-2FnoQvPEjivpOKrkbIwvUmLLTcE6AolN5JGSfiO8mZjSV-2F9k6tKMNI-2BZEVf5UpUNmD5WDZ-2BaaNaqM5vVESKC3FepnHrj9B2w65k9J1E7Xd43ZPyVOI1TF5KK4EbOLhDc92cjpMIvsATvGy1bLJki232DCs1gnKpimxs2UzMJn64KNjNn9EoIrtcIFLWC1NKI8gnok4BdCbuVQyNhAtfmY57-2FD-2FMf2cywgH36KtSiuuqeR0QzLtlvrzuH688lUb-2FkbAMDkvt9W7rbLr1-2F1J-2Fu3MNhfQe6BXje6DhQPsU-3D" target="_blank">https://lnkd.in/eQnB3Frh</a>

IdeaTek launches new apprenticeship program with HutchCC


HUTCHINSON,
Kan. — Though the election for city council in Hutchinson is nonpartisan, if you follow the campaign contributions to the various candidates by current and former elected officials, you can divine, to a point, where some of the candidates are seen to sit politically, at least among the Republican side.

According to contribution forms provided to Hutch Post that were filed October 25th with the stamp of Reno County Clerk Donna Patton affixed, some legislative officials and former officials and their spouses have opened their checkbooks in this race.

Republican State Representative Paul Waggoner and State Senator Mark Steffen both contributed to the campaign of SW District candidate Brock Wells. Wells bought ads on the radio with Eagle Communications and on Hutch Post.

SW District candidate Greg Fast was contributed to by County Commissioner Ron Sellers and former State Senator Ed Berger and his wife, Carol, along with former state senator Dave Kerr. Fast also purchased ads from Eagle.

NW District candidate Jon Richardson was contributed to by Commissioner Sellers and Carol and Ed Berger, along with current council member Jon Daveline, former council member David Inskeep and former State Senator Dave Kerr. He also advertised with Eagle Radio.

At-Large Candidate Marla Jean Booher received contributions from Inskeep, Daveline, Sellers, and Carol Berger. She also advertised both on Eagle Radio and Hutch Post.

At-Large Incumbent Sara Bagwell recieved contributions from Rep. Waggoner, along with Sen. Steffen's wife, Deanna. She also advertised on Eagle Radio and Hutch Post.

Though NW Candidate Jill Gumble had contributions from over 20 different people, no names of elected officials appeared on her form. She did buy ads from Eagle Radio.

At-Large Candidate Charles Johnston had just three campaign contributors. None are sitting officials.

The general election for Hutchinson City Council is Tuesday.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/12/1609255107994.jpeg" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>
HUTCHINSON,
Kan. — Though the election for city council in Hutchinson is nonpartisan, if you follow the campaign contributions to the various candidates by current and former elected officials, you can divine, to a point, where some of the candidates are seen to sit politically, at least among the Republican side.According to contribution forms provided to Hutch Post that were filed October 25th with the stamp of Reno County Clerk Donna Patton affixed, some legislative officials and former officials and their spouses have opened their checkbooks in this race.Republican State Representative Paul Waggoner and State Senator Mark Steffen both contributed to the campaign of SW District candidate Brock Wells. Wells bought ads on the radio with Eagle Communications and on Hutch Post.SW District candidate Greg Fast was contributed to by County Commissioner Ron Sellers and former State Senator Ed Berger and his wife, Carol, along with former state senator Dave Kerr. Fast also purchased ads from Eagle.NW District candidate Jon Richardson was contributed to by Commissioner Sellers and Carol and Ed Berger, along with current council member Jon Daveline, former council member David Inskeep and former State Senator Dave Kerr. He also advertised with Eagle Radio.At-Large Candidate Marla Jean Booher received contributions from Inskeep, Daveline, Sellers, and Carol Berger. She also advertised both on Eagle Radio and Hutch Post.At-Large Incumbent Sara Bagwell recieved contributions from Rep. Waggoner, along with Sen. Steffen's wife, Deanna. She also advertised on Eagle Radio and Hutch Post.Though NW Candidate Jill Gumble had contributions from over 20 different people, no names of elected officials appeared on her form. She did buy ads from Eagle Radio.At-Large Candidate Charles Johnston had just three campaign contributors. None are sitting officials.The general election for Hutchinson City Council is Tuesday.

Current and former elected officials contribute to city council campaigns

Contributions made to city council candidates by elected officials, Teacher of the Month is from Trinity Catholic, U.S. Supreme Court to hear 2nd Amendment case, plus more from Hutch Post.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/9/1601052662830.jpeg" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>Contributions made to city council candidates by elected officials, Teacher of the Month is from Trinity Catholic, U.S. Supreme Court to hear 2nd Amendment case, plus more from Hutch Post.<div><iframe title="November 1, 2021 Morning News" allowtransparency="true" height="150" width="100%" style="border: none; min-width: min(100%, 430px);" scrolling="no" data-name="pb-iframe-player" src="https://www.podbean.com/player-v2/?i=wqpze-111ccb7-pb&from=pb6admin&share=1&download=1&rtl=0&fonts=Arial&skin=1&font-color=&btn-skin=7"></iframe></div>

November 1, 2021 Morning News

HUTCHINSON, Kan. — The rescheduled meeting of the Board of Reno County Commissioners will be back in the commission chambers at the courthouse when they meet next Wednesday.

On the agenda for that meeting is new lease proposals for the mail machine and folder/inserter from Midwest Single Source and Pitney Bowes, the Community Corrections annual department update and a progress report on projects at the Reno County landfill.

Commissioners moved the meeting from its original date of November 9th so that all three of them could be in attendance. 

The election canvass for the November 2nd municipal and school board elections will still be on the 9th, with County Administrator Randy Partington taking the third place on the canvassing board since Daniel Friesen will be unavailable on the 9th.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/2/1612472271699.jpeg" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>HUTCHINSON, Kan. — The rescheduled meeting of the Board of Reno County Commissioners will be back in the commission chambers at the courthouse when they meet next Wednesday.On the agenda for that meeting is new lease proposals for the mail machine and folder/inserter from Midwest Single Source and Pitney Bowes, the Community Corrections annual department update and a progress report on projects at the Reno County landfill.Commissioners moved the meeting from its original date of November 9th so that all three of them could be in attendance. The election canvass for the November 2nd municipal and school board elections will still be on the 9th, with County Administrator Randy Partington taking the third place on the canvassing board since Daniel Friesen will be unavailable on the 9th.

Reno County Commission to meet November 3

As we celebrate the 150th birthday of Hutchinson and Reno County, we want to go through the years, decade by decade, to see how things have changed and — remarkably — how they have stayed the same. This would not be possible without the efforts of Steve Harmon, the Reno County Museum, and the Hutchinson Public Library, who have made a great effort to supply us with the information and photos that you’ll see in this 15-part series. We hope you enjoy it.

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;

As we reached the 100th year of Hutchinson, many things had changed. Airline service came and went from the area once again, two hospitals combined into one entity, and several of the once-proud drive-ins closed. It was also the start of what would become one of the great museums in the nation. All that and Evel Knievel, too, as we look&nbsp; back at the 1970s on this edition of The Decades.

1970: Residents in what becomes known as the King's Garden addition object to the city’s annexation of the land around Trinity High School.

Big Bird, Bert, Ernie and the rest of Sesame Street hit the airwaves as KPTS public television begins operation.

Air Midwest begins offering six flights out of Hutchinson.

Many know about it but few talk about it — the Medora nudist colony boasts having 90 members.

St. Elizabeth's Hospital and Grace Hospital merge to become the Hutchinson Hospital Corporation.

Twenty-three acres of land that was once Riversbanks Orchards and then the Dillon Recreation Center is deeded over to Hutch Rec for the Dillon Nature Center.

Amtrak Begins passenger service in Hutchinson with The Southwest Limited.

Heavy snowfall hits the area, bringing schools and businesses to a standstill.

1971:&nbsp;Hutchinson celebrates its 100 birthday. The city of Hutchinson was founded in 1871 when frontiersman Clinton "C.C." Hutchinson contracted with the&nbsp;<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Atchison,_Topeka_and_Santa_Fe_Railway">Santa Fe Railway</a>&nbsp;to make a town at the railroad's crossing over the&nbsp;<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arkansas_River">Arkansas River</a>. The town actually sprang up about one-half mile north on the banks of Cow Creek where a few houses already existed.&nbsp; &nbsp;

Daredevil Evel Knievel jumps 10 semis while performing at the Kansas State Fair.

The South Hutchinson High Rise Apartments open to serve low-income residents.

Another blizzard hits the area, shutting down schools, highways and businesses for days.

U.S. 50 is realigned around Hutchinson all the way to Sylvia. 4th Avenue used to be a part of Highway 50.

Wesley Towers opens for service to senior residents.

Two people are killed when a morning fire sweeps through Wiley’s Home Furnishings.

The new Law Enforcement Center opened just west of the courthouse.

Still popular today, the first Buhler Fall Frolic was held.

Gus Leonida, who became known for his selling of war bonds during WWII, dies.

1972: Dallas Crable becomes the first black member of the Hutchinson City Commission.

Football and basketball coaches are fired from Nickerson High School. Students protest to no avail.

Reno County Health Department is established.

Fire destroys the Bella Vista mobile home factory at HABIT. The county and HABIT argue about responsibility for protection.

Partridge High School closes; students bused to Haven.

Ten members of the Home Builders Association of Hutchinson attend the national conference in Houston.

Ray Rose, former leader of Dillons stores and Hutchinson resident, becomes president of King Soopers. Both are now owned by Kroger.

Jim Fountain begins 20-year run as Reno County sheriff.

Pegues expands by 40 thousand square feet downtown.

1973: Cable television comes to Hutchinson.

John Dunn of Hutchinson is one of the first POWs in Vietnam to return home upon signing of the cease fire during the Vietnam War.

Major flooding hits areas along Cow Creek with water hanging around for two weeks.

A giant motorcycle rally is held in Hutchinson with more than 9,000 motorcycles and more than 10,000 spectators.

USD 308 superintendent resigns after an investigation into taking kickbacks from a dairy company providing milk for the school district. Charges are eventually brought.

Bob Bottomley Motors opens along K-61 Highway and becomes one of the first businesses to open east of K-61 in what would eventually become a large business area between 11th and 17th avenues.

One of the worst ice storms in 20 years hits the area, shutting down power to the city.

Construction begins on the Hutchinson Zoo, now a part of the city parks department.

Mennonite Friendship Communities begins service in South Hutchinson.

A popular hangout and turnaround while dragging Main in Hutchinson, Sandy’s Drive-In closes and eventually becomes Hardee’s.

1974: Friendship Meals begins service to those in need.

Hutchinson High School wins the boys state basketball championship. They did it again in 1975.

Touch-tone phones replace dial-up telephones.

The streaking fad comes to Hutchinson when three HutchCC students streak down Plum Street.

An ammonia pipeline ruptures, forcing the evacuation of Willowbrook.

A giant sinkhole formed near Cargill Salt Plant.

Emancipation Day Parade comes back again after 23 years.

Buhler PRIDE Committee formed to find better recreational opportunities for residents. Their efforts are still a part of the city today with Wheatland Park.

1975: Women first elected to the Buhler City Council.

A new hospital is built combining both Grace Hospital and St. Elizabeth's Hospital into one 200-bed facility at 23rd and Waldron.

Hutchinson USD 308 is embroiled in controversy with NAACP charges of discrimination and fraud. The district has troubled negotiations with the teachers union and the district suffers low test scores.

1976: Hutch High girls win the state basketball championship.

The new viaduct opens over the Santa Fe railroad yard on Airport Road.

Reno County Council on Aging begins bus service for the disabled and elderly. Today it is known as RCAT and is full-service to all.

In an effort to better aid in rescue from a car accident, Reno County purchases its first jaws of life apparatus.

1977: The gas shortage of 2021 wasn’t the first of its kind as schools closed in 1977 due to a shortage of natural gas supplies.

The city of Nickerson contracts with the Reno County Sheriff’s Department to police the city. The city eventually returned to having its own force, only to abolish it again.

John Daveline becomes president of the Hutchinson Chamber of Commerce and becomes the longest serving president holding that position until 2006.

Victory Village for wayward girls is closed after allegations of physical abuse.

HutchCC allows coed visits in dorms for the first time.

1978: They come and they go, the city finally removed parking meters for good in the downtown area.

The reformatory purchased bloodhounds to help track escapees.

The Reno County Genealogical Society is formed.

Motorcycle gangs from Wichita ride into town vandalizing taverns and assaulting residents. 

The Reno County Occupational Center opens for those with disabilities.

The Chamber of Commerce establishes the Convention and Visitors Bureau. Today it is known as Visit Hutch.

1979: A service that is still used today, First Call for Help is established.

The Elmdale Park Community Center opens. It is now a part of Hutch Rec.

Both Hutchinson and Reno County take the bang out of the Independence Day holiday when they outlaw fireworks.

The Reno County Commission approved a bond issue to provide low-interest funds for home buyers in a tight market.

Joan Schrag begins her first of four terms as mayor of Hutchinson.

Broadacres County Home loses its license and is closed for good.

Poly-cart trash service begins in Hutchinson.

The Cosmosphere and Discovery Center begins the first of several major renovations to turn the museum into the premier facility it is today.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/8/1629504018461.jpeg" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>As we celebrate the 150th birthday of Hutchinson and Reno County, we want to go through the years, decade by decade, to see how things have changed and — remarkably — how they have stayed the same. This would not be possible without the efforts of Steve Harmon, the Reno County Museum, and the Hutchinson Public Library, who have made a great effort to supply us with the information and photos that you’ll see in this 15-part series. We hope you enjoy it.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;As we reached the 100th year of Hutchinson, many things had changed. Airline service came and went from the area once again, two hospitals combined into one entity, and several of the once-proud drive-ins closed. It was also the start of what would become one of the great museums in the nation. All that and Evel Knievel, too, as we look&nbsp; back at the 1970s on this edition of The Decades.1970: Residents in what becomes known as the King's Garden addition object to the city’s annexation of the land around Trinity High School.Big Bird, Bert, Ernie and the rest of Sesame Street hit the airwaves as KPTS public television begins operation.Air Midwest begins offering six flights out of Hutchinson.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/10/1634656427632.png" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>Many know about it but few talk about it — the Medora nudist colony boasts having 90 members.St. Elizabeth's Hospital and Grace Hospital merge to become the Hutchinson Hospital Corporation.Twenty-three acres of land that was once Riversbanks Orchards and then the Dillon Recreation Center is deeded over to Hutch Rec for the Dillon Nature Center.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/10/1634656378393.jpeg" alt="Dillon Nature Center - Dillon Park - Upper Lake - 1972. Photo courtesy of Steve Harmon." />
 <figcaption>Dillon Nature Center - Dillon Park - Upper Lake - 1972. Photo courtesy of Steve Harmon.</figcaption>
 </figure>Amtrak Begins passenger service in Hutchinson with The Southwest Limited.Heavy snowfall hits the area, bringing schools and businesses to a standstill.Palace Lanes is destroyed by fire.1971:&nbsp;Hutchinson celebrates its 100 birthday. The city of Hutchinson was founded in 1871 when frontiersman Clinton "C.C." Hutchinson contracted with the&nbsp;<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Atchison,_Topeka_and_Santa_Fe_Railway">Santa Fe Railway</a>&nbsp;to make a town at the railroad's crossing over the&nbsp;<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arkansas_River">Arkansas River</a>. The town actually sprang up about one-half mile north on the banks of Cow Creek where a few houses already existed.&nbsp; &nbsp;Daredevil Evel Knievel jumps 10 semis while performing at the Kansas State Fair.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/10/1634656491753.jpeg" alt="Evel Knievel (Jumping 10 Kenworths) - Kansas State Fair Grandstand 9-25-1971. Photo courtesy of Steve Harmon." />
 <figcaption>Evel Knievel (Jumping 10 Kenworths) - Kansas State Fair Grandstand 9-25-1971. Photo courtesy of Steve Harmon.</figcaption>
 </figure>The South Hutchinson High Rise Apartments open to serve low-income residents.Another blizzard hits the area, shutting down schools, highways and businesses for days.U.S. 50 is realigned around Hutchinson all the way to Sylvia. 4th Avenue used to be a part of Highway 50.Wesley Towers opens for service to senior residents.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/10/1634656570825.jpeg" alt="Wesley Towers Construction - 1969. Photo courtesy of Steve Harmon." />
 <figcaption>Wesley Towers Construction - 1969. Photo courtesy of Steve Harmon.</figcaption>
 </figure>Reno County EMS is established.Collins Bus comes to Hutchinson.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/10/1634656604810.jpeg" alt="Collins Industries (Collins Bus Corp.) - 1st mfg. plant at old Naval Air Station (H.A.B.I.T.) - Yoder - c. 1975. Photo courtesy of Steve Harmon." />
 <figcaption>Collins Industries (Collins Bus Corp.) - 1st mfg. plant at old Naval Air Station (H.A.B.I.T.) - Yoder - c. 1975. Photo courtesy of Steve Harmon.</figcaption>
 </figure>Two people are killed when a morning fire sweeps through Wiley’s Home Furnishings.The new Law Enforcement Center opened just west of the courthouse.Still popular today, the first Buhler Fall Frolic was held.Gus Leonida, who became known for his selling of war bonds during WWII, dies.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/10/1634660032562.jpeg" alt="Constantine "Gus" Leonida in his World War I Navy uniform. Leonida was a Hutchinson restaurateur {Leonida's Hollywood Grill in downtown Hutchinson} and became famous for selling more war bonds than any other individual during World War II." />
 <figcaption>Constantine "Gus" Leonida in his World War I Navy uniform. Leonida was a Hutchinson restaurateur {Leonida's Hollywood Grill in downtown Hutchinson} and became famous for selling more war bonds than any other individual during World War II.</figcaption>
 </figure>1972: Dallas Crable becomes the first black member of the Hutchinson City Commission.Football and basketball coaches are fired from Nickerson High School. Students protest to no avail.Reno County Health Department is established.Fire destroys the Bella Vista mobile home factory at HABIT. The county and HABIT argue about responsibility for protection.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/10/1634660434378.jpeg" alt="Clowntown Kiddieland - 1970 - Roller coaster with Owner Wanasek. Photo courtesy of Steve Harmon." />
 <figcaption>Clowntown Kiddieland - 1970 - Roller coaster with Owner Wanasek. Photo courtesy of Steve Harmon.</figcaption>
 </figure>Partridge High School closes; students bused to Haven.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/10/1634661164777.jpeg" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>Ten members of the Home Builders Association of Hutchinson attend the national conference in Houston.Ray Rose, former leader of Dillons stores and Hutchinson resident, becomes president of King Soopers. Both are now owned by Kroger.Jim Fountain begins 20-year run as Reno County sheriff.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/10/1634657063634.jpeg" alt="Jim Fountain" />
 <figcaption>Jim Fountain</figcaption>
 </figure>The Ayr-Vu Drive-In closes.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/10/1634657145385.jpeg" alt="Ayr-Vu Drive-In - N. W. Cor. 30th &amp; Plum (opening day July 1949 - Aerial). Photo courtesy of Steve Harmon." />
 <figcaption>Ayr-Vu Drive-In - N. W. Cor. 30th &amp; Plum (opening day July 1949 - Aerial). Photo courtesy of Steve Harmon.</figcaption>
 </figure>Pegues expands by 40 thousand square feet downtown.1973: Cable television comes to Hutchinson.John Dunn of Hutchinson is one of the first POWs in Vietnam to return home upon signing of the cease fire during the Vietnam War.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/10/1634741995428.jpeg" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>Major flooding hits areas along Cow Creek with water hanging around for two weeks.A giant motorcycle rally is held in Hutchinson with more than 9,000 motorcycles and more than 10,000 spectators.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/10/1634658226216.jpeg" alt="Carey Salt Evaporation Plant - 1800 E. Carey Blvd. - c. 1970 (taken from atop Kelly Mill Elevator) (Razed 2008). Photo courtesy of Steve Harmon." />
 <figcaption>Carey Salt Evaporation Plant - 1800 E. Carey Blvd. - c. 1970 (taken from atop Kelly Mill Elevator) (Razed 2008). Photo courtesy of Steve Harmon.</figcaption>
 </figure>USD 308 superintendent resigns after an investigation into taking kickbacks from a dairy company providing milk for the school district. Charges are eventually brought.Bob Bottomley Motors opens along K-61 Highway and becomes one of the first businesses to open east of K-61 in what would eventually become a large business area between 11th and 17th avenues.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/10/1634660161242.jpeg" alt="Bob Bottomley Olds-Cadillac-Datsun - 1400 E. 11th - 1975 (new in 1973)(Conklins in 1982). Photo courtesy of Steve Harmon." />
 <figcaption>Bob Bottomley Olds-Cadillac-Datsun - 1400 E. 11th - 1975 (new in 1973)(Conklins in 1982). Photo courtesy of Steve Harmon.</figcaption>
 </figure>One of the worst ice storms in 20 years hits the area, shutting down power to the city.Construction begins on the Hutchinson Zoo, now a part of the city parks department.Mennonite Friendship Communities begins service in South Hutchinson.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/10/1634657234689.png" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>A popular hangout and turnaround while dragging Main in Hutchinson, Sandy’s Drive-In closes and eventually becomes Hardee’s.1974: Friendship Meals begins service to those in need.Hutchinson High School wins the boys state basketball championship. They did it again in 1975.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/10/1635262042992.jpeg" alt="1974 HHS State Champions. Photo courtesy of USD 308." />
 <figcaption>1974 HHS State Champions. Photo courtesy of USD 308.</figcaption>
 </figure>Touch-tone phones replace dial-up telephones.The streaking fad comes to Hutchinson when three HutchCC students streak down Plum Street.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/10/1634658158066.jpeg" alt="Hutchinson Nationals Fairgrounds Jalopy Races c. 1970. Photo courtesy of Steve Harmon." />
 <figcaption>Hutchinson Nationals Fairgrounds Jalopy Races c. 1970. Photo courtesy of Steve Harmon.</figcaption>
 </figure>An ammonia pipeline ruptures, forcing the evacuation of Willowbrook.A giant sinkhole formed near Cargill Salt Plant.Emancipation Day Parade comes back again after 23 years.Buhler PRIDE Committee formed to find better recreational opportunities for residents. Their efforts are still a part of the city today with Wheatland Park.1975: Women first elected to the Buhler City Council.A new hospital is built combining both Grace Hospital and St. Elizabeth's Hospital into one 200-bed facility at 23rd and Waldron.Hutchinson USD 308 is embroiled in controversy with NAACP charges of discrimination and fraud. The district has troubled negotiations with the teachers union and the district suffers low test scores.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/10/1634659119874.jpeg" alt="Detroiter Mobile Homes - Mfg. Plant - 400 S. Halstead St. &amp; Ave G - c. 1970. Photo courtesy of Steve Harmon." />
 <figcaption>Detroiter Mobile Homes - Mfg. Plant - 400 S. Halstead St. &amp; Ave G - c. 1970. Photo courtesy of Steve Harmon.</figcaption>
 </figure>1976: Hutch High girls win the state basketball championship.The new viaduct opens over the Santa Fe railroad yard on Airport Road.Reno County Council on Aging begins bus service for the disabled and elderly. Today it is known as RCAT and is full-service to all.In an effort to better aid in rescue from a car accident, Reno County purchases its first jaws of life apparatus.1977: The gas shortage of 2021 wasn’t the first of its kind as schools closed in 1977 due to a shortage of natural gas supplies.The city of Nickerson contracts with the Reno County Sheriff’s Department to police the city. The city eventually returned to having its own force, only to abolish it again.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/10/1634659731577.jpeg" alt="Calhoun's Dept. Store - Northgate Center - 519 E. 30th - c. 1970. Photo courtesy of Steve Harmon." />
 <figcaption>Calhoun's Dept. Store - Northgate Center - 519 E. 30th - c. 1970. Photo courtesy of Steve Harmon.</figcaption>
 </figure>John Daveline becomes president of the Hutchinson Chamber of Commerce and becomes the longest serving president holding that position until 2006.Victory Village for wayward girls is closed after allegations of physical abuse.HutchCC allows coed visits in dorms for the first time.1978: They come and they go, the city finally removed parking meters for good in the downtown area.The reformatory purchased bloodhounds to help track escapees.The Reno County Genealogical Society is formed.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/10/1634658001249.jpeg" alt="Kansas State Fair - Bardo The Clown (J.B.Holdren Jr.) c. 1978 (passed 1-01-2013). Photo courtesy of Steve Harmon." />
 <figcaption>Kansas State Fair - Bardo The Clown (J.B.Holdren Jr.) c. 1978 (passed 1-01-2013). Photo courtesy of Steve Harmon.</figcaption>
 </figure>Motorcycle gangs from Wichita ride into town vandalizing taverns and assaulting residents. The Reno County Occupational Center opens for those with disabilities.The Chamber of Commerce establishes the Convention and Visitors Bureau. Today it is known as Visit Hutch.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/4/1617277945295.jpeg" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>1979: A service that is still used today, First Call for Help is established.The Elmdale Park Community Center opens. It is now a part of Hutch Rec.Both Hutchinson and Reno County take the bang out of the Independence Day holiday when they outlaw fireworks.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/6/1624632985099.jpeg" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>The Reno County Commission approved a bond issue to provide low-interest funds for home buyers in a tight market.Joan Schrag begins her first of four terms as mayor of Hutchinson.Broadacres County Home loses its license and is closed for good.Poly-cart trash service begins in Hutchinson.The Cosmosphere and Discovery Center begins the first of several major renovations to turn the museum into the premier facility it is today.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/10/1634657938688.jpeg" alt="Kansas Cosmosphere &amp; Discovery Center - 11th &amp; Plum - c. 1980. Photo courtesy of Steve Harmon." />
 <figcaption>Kansas Cosmosphere &amp; Discovery Center - 11th &amp; Plum - c. 1980. Photo courtesy of Steve Harmon.</figcaption>
 </figure>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>Check back next Sunday for the next part in this series.<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> <a href="https://hutchpost.com/posts/52bb60af-ca6a-4d7a-b83f-07d4ed8d7dbf">CLICK HERE FOR THE 1940s</a> <a href="https://hutchpost.com/posts/efeb2935-17a6-4d6b-bdb6-59ccf927155a">CLICK HERE FOR THE 1950s</a> <a href="https://hutchpost.com/posts/f86a087b-d4c3-4f8d-a969-05ec65b88b3e">CLICK HERE FOR THE 1960s</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: 1970s


HUTCHINSON,
Kan. — October's Allen Samuels CDJR Teacher of the Month is Mackenzie Lutz from Trinity Catholic.

"I teach anatomy, physiology, biology, forensic science, 7th grade science and STEM," Lutz said. "I like having the break, so then I'm not just stuck with junior high kids all day. It's kind of nice to have some junior high and then some high school and then junior high again."

Nominator Mackenzie Birdsall said of Lutz, "She goes beyond her role as a teacher, not only does she help make sure we actually understand what we're learning on and works with us, she cares about us individually."

Lutz gives everything she's got when she's at school.

"Usually, I'm just so exhausted by the end of the day, because you put so much into the students," Lutz said. "Depending on how their days are going, it easily reflects on the teacher. If they're having a bad day, it's hard to not have that bad day with them. To me, that's more the harder part is, I feed off of their emotions so much. Usually, by the time I'm done, we've gone through a full cycle of emotions and I'm just exhausted by the time we're done."

It's a great day when Lutz gets to see the lightbulb come on for one of her students.

"I like to read my students and see how everything's going," Lutz said. "We like to make things kind of a big deal, so when somebody gets it, it's like, we get all excited for them. It's usually just reading their body language, where it's finally like, oh, my gosh, and you can just see the big sigh of relief that it finally clicked for them."

It's Lutz's compassion that caused Birdsall to nominate her. Lutz won a gift basket thanks to Allen Samuels CDJR. <a href="https://embed-841252.secondstreetapp.com/embed/4ffcbb46-7a61-4a11-91dd-23a35f2c7261/rounds/1/gallery/enter">Nominations are being taken for the November award at Hutch Post</a>.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/10/1635601425566.jpeg" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>
By
NICK GOSNELL
Hutch
Post
HUTCHINSON,
Kan. — October's Allen Samuels CDJR Teacher of the Month is Mackenzie Lutz from Trinity Catholic."I teach anatomy, physiology, biology, forensic science, 7th grade science and STEM," Lutz said. "I like having the break, so then I'm not just stuck with junior high kids all day. It's kind of nice to have some junior high and then some high school and then junior high again."Nominator Mackenzie Birdsall said of Lutz, "She goes beyond her role as a teacher, not only does she help make sure we actually understand what we're learning on and works with us, she cares about us individually."Lutz gives everything she's got when she's at school."Usually, I'm just so exhausted by the end of the day, because you put so much into the students," Lutz said. "Depending on how their days are going, it easily reflects on the teacher. If they're having a bad day, it's hard to not have that bad day with them. To me, that's more the harder part is, I feed off of their emotions so much. Usually, by the time I'm done, we've gone through a full cycle of emotions and I'm just exhausted by the time we're done."It's a great day when Lutz gets to see the lightbulb come on for one of her students."I like to read my students and see how everything's going," Lutz said. "We like to make things kind of a big deal, so when somebody gets it, it's like, we get all excited for them. It's usually just reading their body language, where it's finally like, oh, my gosh, and you can just see the big sigh of relief that it finally clicked for them."It's Lutz's compassion that caused Birdsall to nominate her. Lutz won a gift basket thanks to Allen Samuels CDJR. <a href="https://embed-841252.secondstreetapp.com/embed/4ffcbb46-7a61-4a11-91dd-23a35f2c7261/rounds/1/gallery/enter">Nominations are being taken for the November award at Hutch Post</a>.

Teacher of the Month 'cares about us individually', nominator says


HUTCHINSON,
Kan. — Another case that will help draw some lines regarding gun laws in the United States is due to be argued before the U.S. Supreme Court on Wednesday.

"In two previous cases, the person who was expressing their right to have a handgun without a license kept it in their home," said KU Law professor Lou Mulligan. "The court in both cases ruled that an individual has an individual right to have a handgun in their home without a special license, again, in the home. What we're seeing in this New York case, New York State Rifle &amp; Pistol Association Inc. v. Bruen case, is we're seeing, does this individual right to have a handgun without a license, does that extend to carrying a handgun out in public?"

New York law requires anyone who wants a license to carry a concealed handgun outside of the home to show “proper cause” for the license. Courts in New York have defined “proper cause” to require applicants to show a special need to defend themselves. The petitioners argue that you keep arms inside the home, but you bear arms outside the home and both are in the Second Amendment. 

The three most recent appointees, Neil Gorsuch, Brett Kavanaugh, and Amy Coney Barrett are thought to be likely to interpret the text in the context of the time when it was written, rather than any modern interpretation of the words.

"On the left or the right, they are going to take their authentically held approach to interpreting the Constitution and they're going to bring it to this question," Mulligan said. "I don't know enough about the individual justices second amendment jurisprudence to give you a prediction."

There are numerous friend of the court briefs that have been filed in the case on both sides. The question isn't even necessarily what the decision will be as much as it is clarifying what the standard of scrutiny will be going forward. The justices traditionally take several months to decide a case once oral arguments are held, so it will likely be well into 2022 before the result is known.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/10/1635604095209.jpg" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>
By
NICK GOSNELL
Hutch
Post
HUTCHINSON,
Kan. — Another case that will help draw some lines regarding gun laws in the United States is due to be argued before the U.S. Supreme Court on Wednesday."In two previous cases, the person who was expressing their right to have a handgun without a license kept it in their home," said KU Law professor Lou Mulligan. "The court in both cases ruled that an individual has an individual right to have a handgun in their home without a special license, again, in the home. What we're seeing in this New York case, New York State Rifle &amp; Pistol Association Inc. v. Bruen case, is we're seeing, does this individual right to have a handgun without a license, does that extend to carrying a handgun out in public?"New York law requires anyone who wants a license to carry a concealed handgun outside of the home to show “proper cause” for the license. Courts in New York have defined “proper cause” to require applicants to show a special need to defend themselves. The petitioners argue that you keep arms inside the home, but you bear arms outside the home and both are in the Second Amendment. The three most recent appointees, Neil Gorsuch, Brett Kavanaugh, and Amy Coney Barrett are thought to be likely to interpret the text in the context of the time when it was written, rather than any modern interpretation of the words."On the left or the right, they are going to take their authentically held approach to interpreting the Constitution and they're going to bring it to this question," Mulligan said. "I don't know enough about the individual justices second amendment jurisprudence to give you a prediction."There are numerous friend of the court briefs that have been filed in the case on both sides. The question isn't even necessarily what the decision will be as much as it is clarifying what the standard of scrutiny will be going forward. The justices traditionally take several months to decide a case once oral arguments are held, so it will likely be well into 2022 before the result is known.

How far does the 2nd Amendment reach? Question once again before SCOTUS Wed.


HUTCHINSON,
Kan. — Country 102.9, PrairieStar Health Center and Midwest Superstore worked together so that over 2500 kids were able to have fun Saturday for the 29th year of Boo at the Zoo in Hutchinson!

Eagle Media Market Manager Nancy Swain praised the fun, kid-friendly, trick-or-treating day at the Hutchinson Zoo.

"Boo at the Zoo is an annual tradition thanks to the help of the great staff at the Hutchinson Zoo and support from PrairieStar Health Center and Midwest Superstore," Swain said. "It takes a great team effort to make this happen and seeing the kids have a safe place to enjoy makes it all worthwhile."

The Prairie Thunder Railroad ran during the event.

The Hutchinson Zoo was closed for preparations prior to the Saturday event.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/10/1635633020325.jpeg" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>
HUTCHINSON,
Kan. — Country 102.9, PrairieStar Health Center and Midwest Superstore worked together so that over 2500 kids were able to have fun Saturday for the 29th year of Boo at the Zoo in Hutchinson!<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/10/1635632306295.jpeg" alt="Boo at Zoo Animal 2" />
 <figcaption>Boo at Zoo Animal 2</figcaption>
 </figure>Eagle Media Market Manager Nancy Swain praised the fun, kid-friendly, trick-or-treating day at the Hutchinson Zoo."Boo at the Zoo is an annual tradition thanks to the help of the great staff at the Hutchinson Zoo and support from PrairieStar Health Center and Midwest Superstore," Swain said. "It takes a great team effort to make this happen and seeing the kids have a safe place to enjoy makes it all worthwhile."The Prairie Thunder Railroad ran during the event.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/10/1635632024794.jpeg" alt="BooAtZoo2021 1.jpg" />
 <figcaption>BooAtZoo2021 1.jpg</figcaption>
 </figure>The Hutchinson Zoo was closed for preparations prior to the Saturday event.

Boo at the Zoo solid success Saturday


HUTCHINSON,
Kan. — Karla Nichols with the Reno County Health Department wants adults who are eligible for a COVID-19 booster shot to get one.

"The CDC did authorize those that had previously gotten a Moderna or a Johnson &amp; Johnson primary dose or completed their series, that they are now eligible for a booster dose," Nichols said. "Now, it is Pfizer and Moderna and Johnson &amp; Johnson, if you received those doses, you are now eligible for a booster dose, Specifically, if you are 65 and older, if you are 18 and older who live in a long term care setting, if you're 18 and older and have underlying medical conditions, or if you're 18 and older and live in high-risk settings or work in high-risk settings."

You are eligible if it has been six months since the second dose of a two-shot series, or if you had the single Johnson &amp; Johnson, you can get a booster two months later.

"We're currently giving those at the First United Methodist Church," Nichols said. "We do ask you to schedule. We want to make sure this is a good experience and so, we don't want everybody waiting in line and waiting a long time, so we ask you to schedule. That is online at renogov.org. Go online and schedule an appointment."

The online system works the same as it did for the large pods last year at the Sports Arena. They aren't planning as of now to do that again, but if you were part of one of those, it's been long enough to get your booster.

"They just don't know yet if this will be an annual thing, or if this is a one time and done," Nichols said. "We don't know yet. We know that the efficacy for those 65 plus, it's starting to wane, meaning it is time for a booster dose. We want to, especially if you're 65 plus, please go see somebody. Please get your booster dose to be sure you have ongoing protection through this fall and winter season."

You can also get a flu shot at the same time, as long as you ask ahead. The COVID-19 vaccine is also available at Dillons, Walmart, Walgreens, The Hutchinson Clinic, and the Medicine Shoppe.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/10/1635599253695.jpeg" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>
By
NICK GOSNELL
Hutch
Post
HUTCHINSON,
Kan. — Karla Nichols with the Reno County Health Department wants adults who are eligible for a COVID-19 booster shot to get one."The CDC did authorize those that had previously gotten a Moderna or a Johnson &amp; Johnson primary dose or completed their series, that they are now eligible for a booster dose," Nichols said. "Now, it is Pfizer and Moderna and Johnson &amp; Johnson, if you received those doses, you are now eligible for a booster dose, Specifically, if you are 65 and older, if you are 18 and older who live in a long term care setting, if you're 18 and older and have underlying medical conditions, or if you're 18 and older and live in high-risk settings or work in high-risk settings."You are eligible if it has been six months since the second dose of a two-shot series, or if you had the single Johnson &amp; Johnson, you can get a booster two months later."We're currently giving those at the First United Methodist Church," Nichols said. "We do ask you to schedule. We want to make sure this is a good experience and so, we don't want everybody waiting in line and waiting a long time, so we ask you to schedule. That is online at renogov.org. Go online and schedule an appointment."The online system works the same as it did for the large pods last year at the Sports Arena. They aren't planning as of now to do that again, but if you were part of one of those, it's been long enough to get your booster."They just don't know yet if this will be an annual thing, or if this is a one time and done," Nichols said. "We don't know yet. We know that the efficacy for those 65 plus, it's starting to wane, meaning it is time for a booster dose. We want to, especially if you're 65 plus, please go see somebody. Please get your booster dose to be sure you have ongoing protection through this fall and winter season."You can also get a flu shot at the same time, as long as you ask ahead. The COVID-19 vaccine is also available at Dillons, Walmart, Walgreens, The Hutchinson Clinic, and the Medicine Shoppe.

Booster shots continue in Reno County

In studio with us this morning, Jon Richardson, he's running for the Northwest district seat on the Hutchinson city council. Good morning, Jon.

All right, so everybody has an issue. That's the reason they're running. So what city policy was the one that made you go, you know what, I think city council is something I probably should do.

There's a number of policies and issues. My primary background was getting involved a few years ago in regards to development and development issues. Things that I saw were costing us here in Hutchinson, that it doesn't cost me to develop in Wichita or McPherson or Newton. And that's where I started about a year and a half ago. I got onto a nonprofit board and a lot of other issues came up that I noticed, it's kind of a holistic issue where it affects a lot of other areas of our city, and it was a heavy decision to try to run for city council.

The thing is that I think people think for whatever reason that if you win a seat on a board or in government, that all of a sudden that changes what you have to do for a living. And let me tell you anything basically beneath Congress, that isn't the case. You're not getting, you're not getting paid to do this.

Yes, no. There's been a couple of surprises in regards to running for city council or campaigning. I'm new to this. I've never won an election. I've never lost an election. Uh, one thing is the non-partisan nature and honoring the nonpartisan nature of running for city council. I try to attend different events of different political parties. It's difficult with some planning and zoning meetings falling at the same time. But I think it's important to honor that, even though it may risk me losing some votes with some political affiliations. The other surprise has been misinformation or misinterpretation. I've learned a lot better on how to communicate with people. I've heard people say things such as, I'm all about the rental registration and inspection program. I'm not...it's on my Facebook page. Uh, I do say, if something is presented, a city council needs to be driven or interpreted by the landlords and brought to the table. There are a lot of landlords that want to see better housing inventory. I'm not insinuating that my counterpart does not have nice housing inventory. They've invested in the community. They spend a lot of money in the community. It's not fair to them. I know there's a house near where I live that's extremely respectable and we need to encourage more of that in our city.

So, 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 in Hutch?

Okay. Now, let me follow up on that...why should somebody, why should somebody say, well, I'm going to vote for this person, even though they literally didn't even vote in the last election.

Absolutely fair. Really up until the last year or two, it wasn't on my radar as something important and I've had my eyes opened a little bit. I was naive. Honestly, I haven't voted in every single election that's been available to me. So yeah, I'm trying to fix that a little bit.

So, talk to the people because there are a lot, not only in Hutchinson, but across the country who say, oh, it's city council and school board that probably won't make any difference to me. Now, maybe they have changed their opinion after the last couple of years we've had. But, speaking generally, before COVID-19 hit, I think you'd have been hard pressed to see somebody, unless they do what I do for a living, that pays attention to every city council meeting or a school board meeting.

You're right. Unless it's a policy or something that changes that directly influences your day to day, people don't tend to pay much attention to it. It did become a lot more dynamic in the last couple of years. I think people are paying attention to it more. Obviously I'm one of those people. But, uh, yeah, it is important. I can't emphasize that enough.

So what can be done to reduce regulation on businesses coming to Hutchinson? You've been working on that, sort of from a subcommittee level. What do you think the city council should do?

Well, where do you want to start first? I think one of the things we can do is we can really drive the building trades board to step up and be more proactive. It's traditionally been a reactive group. It is being more proactive. There are steps we need to improve how we communicate what's needed for permitting and applications for permits on different types of projects, so it's a clear picture for people. We need to have a process for investors to get a clear picture of what's going to be expected once they purchase one of our properties. Instead of talking to people, being told one story, then they purchase a property and find out that's not clearly what the story is because they made a purchasing decision and they're getting an unmasked or a nasty surprise once they purchase. We need to have a way to do that proactively rather than reactively. And we need to continue to support our Chamber and their efforts to bring more industry to town and what they need, what their current bottlenecks are for our industrial park, which actually our biggest bottleneck right now is we don't have empty buildings in our industrial park. We don't have any large empty buildings right now available. I get people calling all the time. Do you know any buildings? Any space for lease? That's a good problem to have, but we do need to solve that problem.

I asked this, and again, I'm apologizing again to poor Marla Jean and Charles, because I framed it wrong when I was talking to them. I asked them what a proper level of bonding for a city Hutchinson's size is. That's almost an unfair question. The policy question is when do you borrow? And when do you save for individual projects? I'll ask that to you that way.

That's fair. So the bonding is a tool that we use to finance projects. It should be balanced out properly. I would like to see us reduce our bonding a little bit where somewhere in the neighborhood of $ 60 million. In comparison Salina, I think is around 65. I tend to use Salina as a litmus test on comparisons and we have the same bond rating and a AAA bond rating. But if we do get projects that come up that are unintended or unexpected, if we need to bond those projects, we need to make sure that we're not going to put ourselves into greater depth than what's necessary. So we need to be...I would rather spend our own money rather than bond things, if possible, to anticipate issues down the road.

What length should the city street maintenance program be? In other words, they've got it on an eight year rotation, do you think that's right?

Well, the residential streets are on an eight year rotation. The arterial streets we're shooting for a 20 year cycle right now. Um, we're kind of, it's kind of try it and observe at the moment. It depends on the traffic flow. It depends on winter weather. I know that when we do snowplows and we're treating the roads that can weigh in a lot on the life cycle of the streets and roads, but the arterial streets are at a 20 year cycle trying to stretch that as much as we can, a complete redo of the road is going to be somewhere around $50 a yard, rather than just a mill and overlay, which is about $10 a yard. There's some other things we can do, maybe switching how we do traffic based on wear and tear a little bit down the road. But, there's a number of things we can do to try to stretch that out. But right now, we're kind of in an observation phase on the residential streets.

So the biggest project that has popped up and been on Hutch Post a lot is the Woodie Seat Freeway project. And so are you generally for or against taking the federal money to try to get some federal funds as part of that project? What do you think?

In general, I am all for taking federal money for projects. I mean, that's kind of funny. It's our money that we give the government that then we have to jump through loopholes to get back, basically, in essence. But as far as the Woodie Seat Freeway project, I really don't like lose-lose situations. I'm generally for moving forward with it. I wish there was a way we could have made some adjustments to it to allow some, at least pedestrian and bicycle traffic on Avenue B to keep crossing over. I don't know how that would have changed the design, or if that's still possible, but I just don't like lose, lose situations in this case.

Sure. So the city's storm water utility fee has been a hot button issue because there's a lot of work that needs to be done and on the south end of town. And so that's has gone up substantially in the last several years, people are saying it was handled wrong...but, what do you do when you have projects that size?

Well, in regards to storm water, utility fee, so EPA and the NPDES, the national pollution discharge, whatever it is, in the early two thousands, put out some new regulations. KDHE put it out there. We have a phase two permit. It created a situation where it caused more burden and costs on the city, and so the storm water utility was created. There was a lot of unpleasant surprises for business owners that had large lots. It might've been a small business with a large lot. So, it's a greater cost to them than it is for large retailers with lots. I know Target keeps getting brought up. Target...average Target...is over $3 million a month in sales. That's not a big deal for them, but if you go to a mini storage complex or a used car lot, it is a huge deal for you. In regards to capital improvement projects like the one going on. I know we have, we've created a little bit with good buffer of funds, but every few years we're going to have an improvement project. That's going to eat into that. Otherwise, we're going to be bonding more, which is something I'm not for.

Sure. So at the very least, there's going to be your seat and the one on the Southwest side are gonna have new council members. We'll see what happens with the at-large seat, whether the incumbent gets in there or not, but regardless, how do you build consensus among a city council and say, okay, we're going to come together on certain things?

It goes over time, I've learned on some of the other committees I'm on. You need to, even if you disagree with someone, hear them out, don't interrupt them, listen to what they say, what their concerns are, address those concerns. When you're trying to drive home your own points and trying to win some, some consensus. When you're trying to bring something to the table, the more you do that, the more people want to work together to try to solve the problem, rather than just push against each other, because they're not being respectful to each other in a group.

Well, and maybe that's the thing to say to close this out much like I did with Greg yesterday is what I think none of the candidates want is to have a lack of turnout determine who ends up in these seats. You really want to see everybody come out and vote and get an honest representation of your district.

Yeah. To be fair. I mean the last city election, I didn't vote. I didn't have it on my radar as something as important to me personally, it's as I've opened my eyes and been shown some things over the last two years, I think it's extremely important to get out and vote in your local elections, get to know the candidates. Feel free to reach out to them. I know there's a lot of issues going on in departments and the county, and there's a lot of moving parts going on over the next few years. So the communication is key.

Well, and if there's one job, I feel like I have doing this. It's getting you guys mad at the right level of government. In other words, if it's a city issue, I want people coming to the city council and talking to whomever that is, if it's a school board issue, I want them going to the school board. If it's a state issue, I want them talking to their legislators, but at the end of the day, if you can just get people to in be in the right arena for the issues that they have, that'll really help.

Well, and having a district person, or your "internal champion", that can then communicate your issues to the next level on your behalf, because they're seeing it among other people, possibly in their district or at large, I think that's important to have.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/12/1609255107994.jpeg" alt="City hall.jpg" />
 <figcaption>City hall.jpg</figcaption>
 </figure>Nick Gosnell (00:00):In studio with us this morning, Jon Richardson, he's running for the Northwest district seat on the Hutchinson city council. Good morning, Jon.Jon Richardson (00:06):Good morning, sir.Nick Gosnell (00:07):All right, so everybody has an issue. That's the reason they're running. So what city policy was the one that made you go, you know what, I think city council is something I probably should do.Jon Richardson (00:18):There's a number of policies and issues. My primary background was getting involved a few years ago in regards to development and development issues. Things that I saw were costing us here in Hutchinson, that it doesn't cost me to develop in Wichita or McPherson or Newton. And that's where I started about a year and a half ago. I got onto a nonprofit board and a lot of other issues came up that I noticed, it's kind of a holistic issue where it affects a lot of other areas of our city, and it was a heavy decision to try to run for city council.Nick Gosnell (00:50):The thing is that I think people think for whatever reason that if you win a seat on a board or in government, that all of a sudden that changes what you have to do for a living. And let me tell you anything basically beneath Congress, that isn't the case. You're not getting, you're not getting paid to do this.Jon Richardson (01:13):Yes, no. There's been a couple of surprises in regards to running for city council or campaigning. I'm new to this. I've never won an election. I've never lost an election. Uh, one thing is the non-partisan nature and honoring the nonpartisan nature of running for city council. I try to attend different events of different political parties. It's difficult with some planning and zoning meetings falling at the same time. But I think it's important to honor that, even though it may risk me losing some votes with some political affiliations. The other surprise has been misinformation or misinterpretation. I've learned a lot better on how to communicate with people. I've heard people say things such as, I'm all about the rental registration and inspection program. I'm not...it's on my Facebook page. Uh, I do say, if something is presented, a city council needs to be driven or interpreted by the landlords and brought to the table. There are a lot of landlords that want to see better housing inventory. I'm not insinuating that my counterpart does not have nice housing inventory. They've invested in the community. They spend a lot of money in the community. It's not fair to them. I know there's a house near where I live that's extremely respectable and we need to encourage more of that in our city.Nick Gosnell (02:25):So, do you currently owe any obligations to any taxing entities for any years prior to this one?Jon Richardson (02:31):No, I don't.Nick Gosnell (02:32):Did you vote in the last city council election in Hutch?Jon Richardson (02:36):Unfortunately, no, I didn't.Nick Gosnell (02:36):Okay. Now, let me follow up on that...why should somebody, why should somebody say, well, I'm going to vote for this person, even though they literally didn't even vote in the last election.Jon Richardson (02:47):Absolutely fair. Really up until the last year or two, it wasn't on my radar as something important and I've had my eyes opened a little bit. I was naive. Honestly, I haven't voted in every single election that's been available to me. So yeah, I'm trying to fix that a little bit.Nick Gosnell (03:05):So, talk to the people because there are a lot, not only in Hutchinson, but across the country who say, oh, it's city council and school board that probably won't make any difference to me. Now, maybe they have changed their opinion after the last couple of years we've had. But, speaking generally, before COVID-19 hit, I think you'd have been hard pressed to see somebody, unless they do what I do for a living, that pays attention to every city council meeting or a school board meeting.Jon Richardson (03:37):You're right. Unless it's a policy or something that changes that directly influences your day to day, people don't tend to pay much attention to it. It did become a lot more dynamic in the last couple of years. I think people are paying attention to it more. Obviously I'm one of those people. But, uh, yeah, it is important. I can't emphasize that enough.Jon Richardson (03:56):So what can be done to reduce regulation on businesses coming to Hutchinson? You've been working on that, sort of from a subcommittee level. What do you think the city council should do?Jon Richardson (04:06):Well, where do you want to start first? I think one of the things we can do is we can really drive the building trades board to step up and be more proactive. It's traditionally been a reactive group. It is being more proactive. There are steps we need to improve how we communicate what's needed for permitting and applications for permits on different types of projects, so it's a clear picture for people. We need to have a process for investors to get a clear picture of what's going to be expected once they purchase one of our properties. Instead of talking to people, being told one story, then they purchase a property and find out that's not clearly what the story is because they made a purchasing decision and they're getting an unmasked or a nasty surprise once they purchase. We need to have a way to do that proactively rather than reactively. And we need to continue to support our Chamber and their efforts to bring more industry to town and what they need, what their current bottlenecks are for our industrial park, which actually our biggest bottleneck right now is we don't have empty buildings in our industrial park. We don't have any large empty buildings right now available. I get people calling all the time. Do you know any buildings? Any space for lease? That's a good problem to have, but we do need to solve that problem.Nick Gosnell (05:14):I asked this, and again, I'm apologizing again to poor Marla Jean and Charles, because I framed it wrong when I was talking to them. I asked them what a proper level of bonding for a city Hutchinson's size is. That's almost an unfair question. The policy question is when do you borrow? And when do you save for individual projects? I'll ask that to you that way.Jon Richardson (05:37):That's fair. So the bonding is a tool that we use to finance projects. It should be balanced out properly. I would like to see us reduce our bonding a little bit where somewhere in the neighborhood of $ 60 million. In comparison Salina, I think is around 65. I tend to use Salina as a litmus test on comparisons and we have the same bond rating and a AAA bond rating. But if we do get projects that come up that are unintended or unexpected, if we need to bond those projects, we need to make sure that we're not going to put ourselves into greater depth than what's necessary. So we need to be...I would rather spend our own money rather than bond things, if possible, to anticipate issues down the road.Nick Gosnell (06:15):What length should the city street maintenance program be? In other words, they've got it on an eight year rotation, do you think that's right?Jon Richardson (06:22):Well, the residential streets are on an eight year rotation. The arterial streets we're shooting for a 20 year cycle right now. Um, we're kind of, it's kind of try it and observe at the moment. It depends on the traffic flow. It depends on winter weather. I know that when we do snowplows and we're treating the roads that can weigh in a lot on the life cycle of the streets and roads, but the arterial streets are at a 20 year cycle trying to stretch that as much as we can, a complete redo of the road is going to be somewhere around $50 a yard, rather than just a mill and overlay, which is about $10 a yard. There's some other things we can do, maybe switching how we do traffic based on wear and tear a little bit down the road. But, there's a number of things we can do to try to stretch that out. But right now, we're kind of in an observation phase on the residential streets.Nick Gosnell (07:06):So the biggest project that has popped up and been on Hutch Post a lot is the Woodie Seat Freeway project. And so are you generally for or against taking the federal money to try to get some federal funds as part of that project? What do you think?Jon Richardson (07:27):In general, I am all for taking federal money for projects. I mean, that's kind of funny. It's our money that we give the government that then we have to jump through loopholes to get back, basically, in essence. But as far as the Woodie Seat Freeway project, I really don't like lose-lose situations. I'm generally for moving forward with it. I wish there was a way we could have made some adjustments to it to allow some, at least pedestrian and bicycle traffic on Avenue B to keep crossing over. I don't know how that would have changed the design, or if that's still possible, but I just don't like lose, lose situations in this case.Nick Gosnell (07:59):Sure. So the city's storm water utility fee has been a hot button issue because there's a lot of work that needs to be done and on the south end of town. And so that's has gone up substantially in the last several years, people are saying it was handled wrong...but, what do you do when you have projects that size?Jon Richardson (08:21):Well, in regards to storm water, utility fee, so EPA and the NPDES, the national pollution discharge, whatever it is, in the early two thousands, put out some new regulations. KDHE put it out there. We have a phase two permit. It created a situation where it caused more burden and costs on the city, and so the storm water utility was created. There was a lot of unpleasant surprises for business owners that had large lots. It might've been a small business with a large lot. So, it's a greater cost to them than it is for large retailers with lots. I know Target keeps getting brought up. Target...average Target...is over $3 million a month in sales. That's not a big deal for them, but if you go to a mini storage complex or a used car lot, it is a huge deal for you. In regards to capital improvement projects like the one going on. I know we have, we've created a little bit with good buffer of funds, but every few years we're going to have an improvement project. That's going to eat into that. Otherwise, we're going to be bonding more, which is something I'm not for.Nick Gosnell (09:24):Sure. So at the very least, there's going to be your seat and the one on the Southwest side are gonna have new council members. We'll see what happens with the at-large seat, whether the incumbent gets in there or not, but regardless, how do you build consensus among a city council and say, okay, we're going to come together on certain things?Jon Richardson (09:48):It goes over time, I've learned on some of the other committees I'm on. You need to, even if you disagree with someone, hear them out, don't interrupt them, listen to what they say, what their concerns are, address those concerns. When you're trying to drive home your own points and trying to win some, some consensus. When you're trying to bring something to the table, the more you do that, the more people want to work together to try to solve the problem, rather than just push against each other, because they're not being respectful to each other in a group.Nick Gosnell (10:17):Well, and maybe that's the thing to say to close this out much like I did with Greg yesterday is what I think none of the candidates want is to have a lack of turnout determine who ends up in these seats. You really want to see everybody come out and vote and get an honest representation of your district.Jon Richardson (10:41):Yeah. To be fair. I mean the last city election, I didn't vote. I didn't have it on my radar as something as important to me personally, it's as I've opened my eyes and been shown some things over the last two years, I think it's extremely important to get out and vote in your local elections, get to know the candidates. Feel free to reach out to them. I know there's a lot of issues going on in departments and the county, and there's a lot of moving parts going on over the next few years. So the communication is key.Nick Gosnell (11:09):Well, and if there's one job, I feel like I have doing this. It's getting you guys mad at the right level of government. In other words, if it's a city issue, I want people coming to the city council and talking to whomever that is, if it's a school board issue, I want them going to the school board. If it's a state issue, I want them talking to their legislators, but at the end of the day, if you can just get people to in be in the right arena for the issues that they have, that'll really help.Jon Richardson (11:39):Well, and having a district person, or your "internal champion", that can then communicate your issues to the next level on your behalf, because they're seeing it among other people, possibly in their district or at large, I think that's important to have.

Transcript: City Council candidate Jon Richardson

HUTCHINSON, Kan. – USD 308 will host their first annual Educator for a Day event in celebration of American Education Week on Thursday, November 18, 2021.

Educator for a Day is an annual event hosted by school districts around the country in celebration of American Education Week, which happens each year during the week prior to Thanksgiving. USD 308 is excited to join the tradition by hosting their first Educator for a Day event on November 18, 2021.

During the event, leaders from the Hutchinson community will become an “Educator for a Day,” by spending the morning with a principal at one of USD 308’s schools. The participant will engage in various classroom activities, and have an opportunity to give feedback to district leaders at the conclusion of the event. The purpose of the experience is to provide a unique opportunity to gain understanding of the challenges and rewards of 21st&nbsp;century education.

USD 308 is excited to announce this year’s Educator for a Day participants:

“We are looking forward to hosting community leaders in our schools and show them some of the amazing things happening in 308. Other events give a peek at what education is all about, but Educator for a Day will be an excellent experience for those wondering what it’s really like to be a staff member at a school,” said USD 308 Superintendent Mike Folks.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2019/11/1574794748723.jpeg" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>HUTCHINSON, Kan. – USD 308 will host their first annual Educator for a Day event in celebration of American Education Week on Thursday, November 18, 2021.Educator for a Day is an annual event hosted by school districts around the country in celebration of American Education Week, which happens each year during the week prior to Thanksgiving. USD 308 is excited to join the tradition by hosting their first Educator for a Day event on November 18, 2021.During the event, leaders from the Hutchinson community will become an “Educator for a Day,” by spending the morning with a principal at one of USD 308’s schools. The participant will engage in various classroom activities, and have an opportunity to give feedback to district leaders at the conclusion of the event. The purpose of the experience is to provide a unique opportunity to gain understanding of the challenges and rewards of 21st&nbsp;century education.USD 308 is excited to announce this year’s Educator for a Day participants:<ul>
 <li>Jade Piros de Carvalho – Hutchinson City Council</li><li>Alice Mannette – The Hutchinson News</li><li>Allen Fee – Fee Insurance</li><li>Debra Teufel – Hutchinson Chamber of Commerce</li><li>Dave Sotelo – City of Hutchinson</li><li>Glen Grunwald – KWBW Radio</li><li>Kail Denison – USD 308 BOE</li><li>Candace Davidson – YMCA of Hutchinson</li><li>Rebekah Starkey Keasling – City of Hutchinson</li><li>Nathan Meyer – Cosmosphere</li><li>Melanie Block – United Way of Reno County</li><li>Lynette Krieger-Zook – Hutchinson National Education Association</li><li>Stacie Eaves – Hutchinson Emergency Communications</li>
 </ul>“We are looking forward to hosting community leaders in our schools and show them some of the amazing things happening in 308. Other events give a peek at what education is all about, but Educator for a Day will be an excellent experience for those wondering what it’s really like to be a staff member at a school,” said USD 308 Superintendent Mike Folks.

USD 308 Hosts First Annual Educator for a Day Event November 18

In studio with us this morning, Northwest district candidate for the city council here in Hutchinson. Jill Gumble. Good morning, Jill.

I'm doing good so far. So everybody has an issue that is the reason they're running. Now, they may not be ready to say that it is specifically that one, I've found that to be the case over the course of the week. But usually, there's something that causes you to pay more attention to the city council then maybe you did before. Jill, what was that for you?

Nick, I'm a 25 year resident here in Hutchinson and I have used most of my adult life investing my money and my time into Hutchinson. And one thing that I've seen consistently over the past 10 years or so is a decline in business, a decline in population I've seen the high taxes, the storm water utility fees, and some restrictive regulations really cause problems with our businesses. Businesses that have been established have left and it's preventing new growth and development. I've also seen a big adverse effect in the change in culture where people feel like they aren't being heard, nobody is listening to them. And that also is a problem. I do recognize that the city has a lot of potential and I do have a pretty good understanding of our shared values that we have in Hutch. So I just want to see Hutchinson come back and just not continue to just survive, but to really thrive.

So do you currently owe any obligations to any taxing entities for years prior to this one?

Well, there's a hot subject, Nick. Yes. As a matter of fact, I do owe some back taxes. I would like to first briefly address this issue, because it has been brought up before, I am physically disabled. I haven't worked for six years. In 2015, I had a kidney and pancreas transplant. And then in early 2016, I developed Guillain-Barre, which left me paralyzed. It also came along with a lot of medical bills. I had one pill that costs me $13,000 a month. That was one of about 12. And so we got to a point with my husband and I, that we did get behind on property taxes. I'm not gonna lie. It costs a lot of money to be that sick and to get the care that I needed. And we had, we were at a point in our lives where we had to choose was I, were we going to pay for my medical expenses or were we going to pay my taxes?

And we chose to take care of me first and we put the taxes on hold. In the last 12 months, we have paid back over $60,000 in back taxes and penalties. And the rest that we owe will be resolved in the very near future. Now, one thing I would like to say is a side note is we have never lost any of our properties to foreclosure. We haven't lost any vehicles to repossession and we did not file bankruptcy to avoid paying any of our debts. There was an article put out in the Hutchinson newspaper on October 22nd and they also have it on their Facebook page, which is a full article that pretty much describes what I just described in full what I did just briefly. And if anybody has any questions regarding this, feel free to call me, I have no problem explaining what has happened or giving you more of a detail. I think that this was brought up and, you know, I don't want to be painted as irresponsible or purposefully negligent because I'm really not. But if you do have any questions, please give me a call because I do want to take the time to answer any questions regarding that and to move on with my platform.

Sure, and if you've never been in that position where you have to decide medicine or food or medicine or another bill, there's not, there's not a good way to describe that feeling. I'll be candid. We were there briefly early in our marriage, my wife and I, when we lived in South Hutch, when I worked at the station across the hall when it was outside of town about 20 plus years ago. And, I still remember that feeling. That's just a tough deal.

Oh, it definitely is. I mean, you just feel completely hopeless. My husband and I were self-employed, so we didn't have the benefits that you get when you are employed by somebody, you know, we had very unaffordable insurance and it didn't cover much. So, you get left with no other options, but making choices like that. And then, you know, you can appear to be, you know, negligent or irresponsible when that is definitely not your intention.

Did you vote in the last city council election?

Yes, sir. I have a very strong voting history. Um, I did not vote in 15 or 17 due to serious medical complications that I was having, but I have voted in almost all of our local and primary and general elections, but yes, I did vote in 16, 19 and 2020

Jill, what can be done to reduce regulation on businesses coming to Hutchinson?

Well, that's a really good question because we have had problems and issues with so much restrictive regulation that has caused a big factor in a lot of lost opportunity. I think that what we should be able to do is start implementing the use of special use permits, allowing variances to be made, because there are a lot of people, not just businesses that are having problems, trying to just put up fences and porches, anything kind of like an addition to their property. And they're just getting dismissed when we really do have other options. And I think we just need to work harder at bringing people in because let's face it. We need new business, we need new business to create new revenue and that would help our economy.

So what is the way you decide whether a given project should be bonded or whether the city should save for a project? That's a better question than the one I asked the earlier candidates about what a proper level of bonding is, because ultimately it comes down to when you're talking about an individual project, how do you decide whether it's something that you go into debt for because it needs done now, or whether it's something you save for?

Well, that's a good question. I think a lot of people out who are listening right now do not understand bond money, bond money is basically just borrowed money. It's similar to like when people want to buy a house, if they maybe saved $60,000 and they have that in their bank account, it would be so much wiser to just go ahead and get a loan. So bond money is just like loans. I think that they should be used for basically infrastructure and core services. Some of the non-essential items probably should be put on the back burner, because just like with people's credit, we have credit. For us it's called a bond rating and that's the town's credit score, similar to people's individual credit scores and the better your credit score, the better your bond rating, and you get lower interest rates based off of that. It's best to use bond money for infrastructure and core services and things that we actually need and things that are a bigger, larger project, more expensive projects.

All right. So what length should the city's street maintenance program be? Residential streets are at eight years. They're just trying to get through that for the first time. Do we even know yet?

I don't really think that we've seen that. What we have seen is that we have not been properly funding our roads. If we wanted to maintain like a 70% efficiency rating with our roads, we need to fund around $3.5 million a year. This in-between maintenance that's going on is just simply by the fact that we did not properly fund to begin with. So I think what we need to do is make sure that we are fully funded at $3.5 million a year, and we can just go forward from there, but eight years seems to be working okay. But, obviously there's going to be some immediate attention that's needed here and there. On a positive note, we did have some projects going on this past summer to fill the potholes where people could go online to Hutchgov.com and they could report a really bad pothole or an issue with the road. And we had a crew specifically designed to go out and make those repairs. So I thought that was a really good step forward.

Are you for or against taking the money from the federal government to put roundabouts in at the Woodie Seat Freeway?

Well, Nick, that's another good example of not funding properly. Underfunding creates crises, and we have seen that just with the Woodie Seat Freeway. We're seeing that also with storm water utility fees, but as far as the Woodie Seat, we basically are in a position where we need that grant money. If we do get the grant money, it will be $2 million out of our budget. If we don't, it's going to be about $9 million. So that's a huge amount of difference. But, with the Woody Seat Freeway comes an issue of the people, and it's going to show. The new Woodie Seat Freeway plans are how the traffic flows in from South Hutchinson into Hutchinson, and it's going to be coming to an abrupt end faced with basically two roundabouts. Another issue that I see is that there are a lot of people that walk and use Avenue B. Avenue B will be cut off. You'll no longer be able to walk under the bridge and get to the west side of town. So this is going to create some real big safety issues, especially when you're talking about kids walking to school and getting to school, because now they're not just going to be going under a bridge and staying on the road, they are going to be crossing over a highway.

The storm water utility fee is something that you've talked about in your ads. And you've spoken about, you've alluded to earlier in the interview, I want to let you take that, take that issue, head on. What do you think should be done and how? How should it be handled?

Okay, well with the storm water utility fees, we need to understand that this fee should be spelled T-A-X. The reason why it was called a fee is because it can be passed without any voting. If the community was ever going to be implementing a new tax, you get to vote on that. And obviously with the amount that it went from $600,000 in 2015 to once it was implemented in 16, it went over to $2.2 million. So that's more than tripling the expense. And I know that taxpayers would never pass that kind of a vote. It is necessary. It is something we absolutely have to have. Our water drainage system is in need of repair, has been for quite some time, again, due to underfunding and not planning for the future. So, it is necessary. Yes. Do other towns have this? Yes, they do. But what we need to do is restructure the project so that it isn't hindering our growth and development, because right now it is creating businesses...it's preventing them from coming into our city. And it is discouraging business to come to Hutchinson. We almost lost the state fair over this because their estimated cost was $50,000 more a year. We do have the ARPA funds that are coming into the community, and I think this would be a really good use of that funding.

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 </figure>Nick Gosnell (00:00):In studio with us this morning, Northwest district candidate for the city council here in Hutchinson. Jill Gumble. Good morning, Jill.Jill Gumble (00:06):Hi Nick. How are you?Nick Gosnell (00:07):I'm doing good so far. So everybody has an issue that is the reason they're running. Now, they may not be ready to say that it is specifically that one, I've found that to be the case over the course of the week. But usually, there's something that causes you to pay more attention to the city council then maybe you did before. Jill, what was that for you?Jill Gumble (00:30):Nick, I'm a 25 year resident here in Hutchinson and I have used most of my adult life investing my money and my time into Hutchinson. And one thing that I've seen consistently over the past 10 years or so is a decline in business, a decline in population I've seen the high taxes, the storm water utility fees, and some restrictive regulations really cause problems with our businesses. Businesses that have been established have left and it's preventing new growth and development. I've also seen a big adverse effect in the change in culture where people feel like they aren't being heard, nobody is listening to them. And that also is a problem. I do recognize that the city has a lot of potential and I do have a pretty good understanding of our shared values that we have in Hutch. So I just want to see Hutchinson come back and just not continue to just survive, but to really thrive.Nick Gosnell (01:27):So do you currently owe any obligations to any taxing entities for years prior to this one?Jill Gumble (01:33):Well, there's a hot subject, Nick. Yes. As a matter of fact, I do owe some back taxes. I would like to first briefly address this issue, because it has been brought up before, I am physically disabled. I haven't worked for six years. In 2015, I had a kidney and pancreas transplant. And then in early 2016, I developed Guillain-Barre, which left me paralyzed. It also came along with a lot of medical bills. I had one pill that costs me $13,000 a month. That was one of about 12. And so we got to a point with my husband and I, that we did get behind on property taxes. I'm not gonna lie. It costs a lot of money to be that sick and to get the care that I needed. And we had, we were at a point in our lives where we had to choose was I, were we going to pay for my medical expenses or were we going to pay my taxes?Jill Gumble (02:29):And we chose to take care of me first and we put the taxes on hold. In the last 12 months, we have paid back over $60,000 in back taxes and penalties. And the rest that we owe will be resolved in the very near future. Now, one thing I would like to say is a side note is we have never lost any of our properties to foreclosure. We haven't lost any vehicles to repossession and we did not file bankruptcy to avoid paying any of our debts. There was an article put out in the Hutchinson newspaper on October 22nd and they also have it on their Facebook page, which is a full article that pretty much describes what I just described in full what I did just briefly. And if anybody has any questions regarding this, feel free to call me, I have no problem explaining what has happened or giving you more of a detail. I think that this was brought up and, you know, I don't want to be painted as irresponsible or purposefully negligent because I'm really not. But if you do have any questions, please give me a call because I do want to take the time to answer any questions regarding that and to move on with my platform.Nick Gosnell (03:46):Sure, and if you've never been in that position where you have to decide medicine or food or medicine or another bill, there's not, there's not a good way to describe that feeling. I'll be candid. We were there briefly early in our marriage, my wife and I, when we lived in South Hutch, when I worked at the station across the hall when it was outside of town about 20 plus years ago. And, I still remember that feeling. That's just a tough deal.Jill Gumble (04:17):Oh, it definitely is. I mean, you just feel completely hopeless. My husband and I were self-employed, so we didn't have the benefits that you get when you are employed by somebody, you know, we had very unaffordable insurance and it didn't cover much. So, you get left with no other options, but making choices like that. And then, you know, you can appear to be, you know, negligent or irresponsible when that is definitely not your intention.Nick Gosnell (04:45):Did you vote in the last city council election?Jill Gumble (04:47):Yes, sir. I have a very strong voting history. Um, I did not vote in 15 or 17 due to serious medical complications that I was having, but I have voted in almost all of our local and primary and general elections, but yes, I did vote in 16, 19 and 2020Nick Gosnell (05:05):Jill, what can be done to reduce regulation on businesses coming to Hutchinson?Jill Gumble (05:10):Well, that's a really good question because we have had problems and issues with so much restrictive regulation that has caused a big factor in a lot of lost opportunity. I think that what we should be able to do is start implementing the use of special use permits, allowing variances to be made, because there are a lot of people, not just businesses that are having problems, trying to just put up fences and porches, anything kind of like an addition to their property. And they're just getting dismissed when we really do have other options. And I think we just need to work harder at bringing people in because let's face it. We need new business, we need new business to create new revenue and that would help our economy.Nick Gosnell (05:55):So what is the way you decide whether a given project should be bonded or whether the city should save for a project? That's a better question than the one I asked the earlier candidates about what a proper level of bonding is, because ultimately it comes down to when you're talking about an individual project, how do you decide whether it's something that you go into debt for because it needs done now, or whether it's something you save for?Jill Gumble (06:21):Well, that's a good question. I think a lot of people out who are listening right now do not understand bond money, bond money is basically just borrowed money. It's similar to like when people want to buy a house, if they maybe saved $60,000 and they have that in their bank account, it would be so much wiser to just go ahead and get a loan. So bond money is just like loans. I think that they should be used for basically infrastructure and core services. Some of the non-essential items probably should be put on the back burner, because just like with people's credit, we have credit. For us it's called a bond rating and that's the town's credit score, similar to people's individual credit scores and the better your credit score, the better your bond rating, and you get lower interest rates based off of that. It's best to use bond money for infrastructure and core services and things that we actually need and things that are a bigger, larger project, more expensive projects.Nick Gosnell (07:24):All right. So what length should the city's street maintenance program be? Residential streets are at eight years. They're just trying to get through that for the first time. Do we even know yet?Jill Gumble (07:34):I don't really think that we've seen that. What we have seen is that we have not been properly funding our roads. If we wanted to maintain like a 70% efficiency rating with our roads, we need to fund around $3.5 million a year. This in-between maintenance that's going on is just simply by the fact that we did not properly fund to begin with. So I think what we need to do is make sure that we are fully funded at $3.5 million a year, and we can just go forward from there, but eight years seems to be working okay. But, obviously there's going to be some immediate attention that's needed here and there. On a positive note, we did have some projects going on this past summer to fill the potholes where people could go online to Hutchgov.com and they could report a really bad pothole or an issue with the road. And we had a crew specifically designed to go out and make those repairs. So I thought that was a really good step forward.Nick Gosnell (08:35):Are you for or against taking the money from the federal government to put roundabouts in at the Woodie Seat Freeway?Jill Gumble (08:41):Well, Nick, that's another good example of not funding properly. Underfunding creates crises, and we have seen that just with the Woodie Seat Freeway. We're seeing that also with storm water utility fees, but as far as the Woodie Seat, we basically are in a position where we need that grant money. If we do get the grant money, it will be $2 million out of our budget. If we don't, it's going to be about $9 million. So that's a huge amount of difference. But, with the Woody Seat Freeway comes an issue of the people, and it's going to show. The new Woodie Seat Freeway plans are how the traffic flows in from South Hutchinson into Hutchinson, and it's going to be coming to an abrupt end faced with basically two roundabouts. Another issue that I see is that there are a lot of people that walk and use Avenue B. Avenue B will be cut off. You'll no longer be able to walk under the bridge and get to the west side of town. So this is going to create some real big safety issues, especially when you're talking about kids walking to school and getting to school, because now they're not just going to be going under a bridge and staying on the road, they are going to be crossing over a highway.Nick Gosnell (10:00):The storm water utility fee is something that you've talked about in your ads. And you've spoken about, you've alluded to earlier in the interview, I want to let you take that, take that issue, head on. What do you think should be done and how? How should it be handled?Jill Gumble (10:15):Okay, well with the storm water utility fees, we need to understand that this fee should be spelled T-A-X. The reason why it was called a fee is because it can be passed without any voting. If the community was ever going to be implementing a new tax, you get to vote on that. And obviously with the amount that it went from $600,000 in 2015 to once it was implemented in 16, it went over to $2.2 million. So that's more than tripling the expense. And I know that taxpayers would never pass that kind of a vote. It is necessary. It is something we absolutely have to have. Our water drainage system is in need of repair, has been for quite some time, again, due to underfunding and not planning for the future. So, it is necessary. Yes. Do other towns have this? Yes, they do. But what we need to do is restructure the project so that it isn't hindering our growth and development, because right now it is creating businesses...it's preventing them from coming into our city. And it is discouraging business to come to Hutchinson. We almost lost the state fair over this because their estimated cost was $50,000 more a year. We do have the ARPA funds that are coming into the community, and I think this would be a really good use of that funding.Nick Gosnell (11:41):How would you build consensus with the other new members of the council, should you be elected?Jill Gumble (11:46):Well, you know, everybody has to work together. We have to be honest with each other and be willing to compromise. Compromise is key. We may not always agree...people don't, but you have to work together for the betterment of our community and each city council member. We do represent our own districts, then there's at large, that represents basically everyone, but we shouldn't be there just to benefit only our district. We have to strive to work together, to promote solidarity and do what's in the best interests of all of the Hutchinson residents.Nick Gosnell (12:22):Jill Gumble, running for the Northwest district seat on the Hutchinson city council. And later on today, probably late afternoon, you'll be able to find the transcripts of our interviews with Jill and with Jon Richardson. And you can go back through Hutch Post and find the interviews with the rest of the city council candidates as well. The election takes place on Tuesday, November 2nd.

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