
HUTCHINSON,
Kan. — 
If you follow the county's COVID-19 dashboard regularly, you may have noticed that some areas of the site, particularly the community positive test rate, haven't changed in recent days. That's because updating some portions of the dashboard was put on the back burner because of other priorities recently.

"I like to do it twice a week," said county data analyst DJ Gering. "The problem with this last two weeks, I haven't done it, and that's just because I've been tied up in the vaccine prep and vaccination planning. My goal this week is to get back on track and get all of that data cleaned up so I can start updating that more regularly again."

It's important to remember that Gering has to do the updating himself for certain areas of the dashboard where the data is entered locally.

"I'm only one person," Gering said. "It's difficult for me to get to everything all the time, especially right now. I think that now that there's a vaccine plan in place and we're able to have these processes there, I think I can get back into the data cleanup and updating far more often than I was."

Though data that comes in from outside, like from KDHE can in some respects go in automatically, Gering still has checks and balances in the system.

"Part of it still is manual," Gering said. "I have what's called a quality assurance check. There are certain variables or fields that are sometimes missed or often missed. When they are, that prints out on a report and then I get into those records."

The death number changes either when patients in the local hospital who are being monitored as local cases die. If local officials are unsure, they wait on verification from KDHE through death certificates that are sent to the office of vital statistics, so it is possible that someone could die and the family would know it was from COVID-19, but that number might not change immediately, either because they are between checks or because they are waiting for verification.

<a href="https://hutchpost.com/download" target="_blank">CLICK
HERE</a>&nbsp;to
download the HutchPost mobile app.

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

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/5/1589472383275.jpeg" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>
By
NICK GOSNELL
Hutch
Post
HUTCHINSON,
Kan. — 
If you follow the county's COVID-19 dashboard regularly, you may have noticed that some areas of the site, particularly the community positive test rate, haven't changed in recent days. That's because updating some portions of the dashboard was put on the back burner because of other priorities recently."I like to do it twice a week," said county data analyst DJ Gering. "The problem with this last two weeks, I haven't done it, and that's just because I've been tied up in the vaccine prep and vaccination planning. My goal this week is to get back on track and get all of that data cleaned up so I can start updating that more regularly again."It's important to remember that Gering has to do the updating himself for certain areas of the dashboard where the data is entered locally."I'm only one person," Gering said. "It's difficult for me to get to everything all the time, especially right now. I think that now that there's a vaccine plan in place and we're able to have these processes there, I think I can get back into the data cleanup and updating far more often than I was."Though data that comes in from outside, like from KDHE can in some respects go in automatically, Gering still has checks and balances in the system."Part of it still is manual," Gering said. "I have what's called a quality assurance check. There are certain variables or fields that are sometimes missed or often missed. When they are, that prints out on a report and then I get into those records."The death number changes either when patients in the local hospital who are being monitored as local cases die. If local officials are unsure, they wait on verification from KDHE through death certificates that are sent to the office of vital statistics, so it is possible that someone could die and the family would know it was from COVID-19, but that number might not change immediately, either because they are between checks or because they are waiting for verification.
<a href="https://hutchpost.com/download" target="_blank">CLICK
HERE</a>&nbsp;to
download the HutchPost mobile app.
<a href="https://hutchpost.com/posts/5e73b532afae0f4d5f5d90ea" target="_blank">CLICK
HERE</a>&nbsp;to
sign up for the daily HutchPost email news update.

Gering: Vaccination plan diverted some attention from dashboard updates

HUTCHINSON, Kan. — The Reno County overall case count is at 433 as of Wednesday afternoon. The death count among Reno County residents is at 114.

The Correctional Facility cluster type has 27 active cases measured by the county's COVID-19 dashboard. The Long Term Care Facility cluster type has 72 active cases. Forty-four people within those clusters have died. There are 40 active clusters in the county.

Out of 7,437 total cases since the beginning of the pandemic, there are 411 cases in the community at large. 6,890 people have recovered thus far.

Eleven Reno County residents are in the hospital. According to the dashboard, three hundred forty-three total have been hospitalized. One hundred have been admitted to the ICU. These are Reno County resident numbers regardless of where they are hospitalized. Intubation numbers are no longer on the county's dashboard.

The community's positive test rate is at 27.24%, with the overall positive test rate at 32.37%. 36.56% of the population has been tested.

There are still two free public testing sites, one in the Cosmosphere parking lot in Hutchinson and one at Simply Good Overstocks parking lot in South Hutchinson. They are open Monday through Saturday from 8 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.

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

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/7/1595202434504.jpeg" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>HUTCHINSON, Kan. — The Reno County overall case count is at 433 as of Wednesday afternoon. The death count among Reno County residents is at 114.The Correctional Facility cluster type has 27 active cases measured by the county's COVID-19 dashboard. The Long Term Care Facility cluster type has 72 active cases. Forty-four people within those clusters have died. There are 40 active clusters in the county.Out of 7,437 total cases since the beginning of the pandemic, there are 411 cases in the community at large. 6,890 people have recovered thus far.Eleven Reno County residents are in the hospital. According to the dashboard, three hundred forty-three total have been hospitalized. One hundred have been admitted to the ICU. These are Reno County resident numbers regardless of where they are hospitalized. Intubation numbers are no longer on the county's dashboard.The community's positive test rate is at 27.24%, with the overall positive test rate at 32.37%. 36.56% of the population has been tested.There are still two free public testing sites, one in the Cosmosphere parking lot in Hutchinson and one at Simply Good Overstocks parking lot in South Hutchinson. They are open Monday through Saturday from 8 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.<a href="https://hutchpost.com/download" target="_blank">CLICK HERE</a>&nbsp;to download the HutchPost mobile app. <a href="https://hutchpost.com/posts/5e73b532afae0f4d5f5d90ea" target="_blank">CLICK HERE</a>&nbsp;to sign up for the daily HutchPost email news update.&nbsp;&nbsp;

Case count at 433, with 411 in community as of Wednesday, death count at 114

HUTCHINSON, Kan. — Work continues to progress on the major renovations to the Hutchinson Law Enforcement Center.

“The upstairs has been turned over to us completely so we're in the remodeled area upstairs,” HPD Capt. Josh Radloff said. “They’ve done about 80% of the remodel in the entryway. They are 70 to 75% done downstairs.”

Radloff says the upgrades will fix many things to a building that hasn’t seen many improvements since the 1970s.

“First off, we’ll be separated with secure doors from the courthouse,” Radloff said. “So people that want to see . . . the Hutchinson Police Department, they won’t have to go through the metal detectors and the secure entrance at the courthouse anymore.”

Other improvements include an office for detectives, a better IT control facility and just better use of space.

Radloff says the other major improvement includes a total reworking of the 911 dispatch area.

“The dispatch director and assistant director, they will have their own offices,” Radloff said. “They’ll have a quiet area there so if they’re in the middle of a shift and take a traumatic call or something that’s kind of wearing on them, they can step into this room and kind of get away for a minute.”

They’ll also be getting new consoles, replacing the current ones that are more than 17 years old. Radloff says the space will be about three times the current size of the facility.

If all goes well, the project should be finished by the end of March.

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

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/2/1582822413263.jpeg" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>By ROD ZOOKHutch PostHUTCHINSON, Kan. — Work continues to progress on the major renovations to the Hutchinson Law Enforcement Center.“The upstairs has been turned over to us completely so we're in the remodeled area upstairs,” HPD Capt. Josh Radloff said. “They’ve done about 80% of the remodel in the entryway. They are 70 to 75% done downstairs.”Radloff says the upgrades will fix many things to a building that hasn’t seen many improvements since the 1970s.“First off, we’ll be separated with secure doors from the courthouse,” Radloff said. “So people that want to see . . . the Hutchinson Police Department, they won’t have to go through the metal detectors and the secure entrance at the courthouse anymore.”Other improvements include an office for detectives, a better IT control facility and just better use of space.Radloff says the other major improvement includes a total reworking of the 911 dispatch area.“The dispatch director and assistant director, they will have their own offices,” Radloff said. “They’ll have a quiet area there so if they’re in the middle of a shift and take a traumatic call or something that’s kind of wearing on them, they can step into this room and kind of get away for a minute.”They’ll also be getting new consoles, replacing the current ones that are more than 17 years old. Radloff says the space will be about three times the current size of the facility.If all goes well, the project should be finished by the end of March.<a href="https://hutchpost.com/download" target="_blank">CLICK HERE</a>&nbsp;to download the HutchPost mobile app. <a href="https://hutchpost.com/posts/5e73b532afae0f4d5f5d90ea" target="_blank">CLICK HERE</a>&nbsp;to sign up for the daily HutchPost email news update.

Work continues to move along at Law Enforcement Center

HUTCHINSON,
Kan. — Hutchinson Public Schools will celebrate Kansas Day on Friday with a
virtual event.

USD 308 along
with Wichita USD 259 and other districts in the state will be hosting virtual
field trips from around Kansas.

Spearheading
the effort locally is Wiley Elementary School and the district’s technology
staff. Last week, staff members toured Strataca, the underground salt museum,
and Dillon Nature Center, taking video and working on the technology needed to
live stream from those venues. Kansas Day tours also will take place locally at
the Cosmosphere.

When the day
comes, students in school and at home from all over the state will be able to
attend virtual tours of historic and sites of statewide interest during the
day. The sites will be streamed live with additional video available as well.

The district
will share the live link on its Facebook page when it becomes available.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2019/11/1574794748723.jpeg" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>HUTCHINSON,
Kan. — Hutchinson Public Schools will celebrate Kansas Day on Friday with a
virtual event.USD 308 along
with Wichita USD 259 and other districts in the state will be hosting virtual
field trips from around Kansas.Spearheading
the effort locally is Wiley Elementary School and the district’s technology
staff. Last week, staff members toured Strataca, the underground salt museum,
and Dillon Nature Center, taking video and working on the technology needed to
live stream from those venues. Kansas Day tours also will take place locally at
the Cosmosphere.When the day
comes, students in school and at home from all over the state will be able to
attend virtual tours of historic and sites of statewide interest during the
day. The sites will be streamed live with additional video available as well.The district
will share the live link on its Facebook page when it becomes available.<a href="https://hutchpost.com/download" target="_blank">CLICK HERE</a>&nbsp;to download the HutchPost mobile app. <a href="https://hutchpost.com/posts/5e73b532afae0f4d5f5d90ea" target="_blank">CLICK HERE</a>&nbsp;to sign up for the daily HutchPost email news update.&nbsp;&nbsp;

USD 308 to celebrate Kansas Day in a virtual event

Get the latest forecast and a detailed look at another weather system on the horizon from our new weather partners at KSSTORM.info.&nbsp; 

<a href="https://hutchpost.com/pages/weather">CLICK HERE FOR THE FORECAST AND MORE</a>.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/1/1611787242973.png" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>Get the latest forecast and a detailed look at another weather system on the horizon from our new weather partners at KSSTORM.info.&nbsp; <a href="https://hutchpost.com/pages/weather">CLICK HERE FOR THE FORECAST AND MORE</a>.<a href="https://hutchpost.com/download" target="_blank">CLICK HERE</a>&nbsp;to download the HutchPost mobile app. <a href="https://hutchpost.com/posts/5e73b532afae0f4d5f5d90ea" target="_blank">CLICK HERE</a>&nbsp;to sign up for the daily HutchPost email news update.&nbsp;&nbsp;

Get the latest forecast from KSStorm.info

HUTCHINSON, Kan. — Hutch Post, the online news source from Eagle Radio, turned 10 years old in January.

Hutch Post has come a long way in its 10 years, becoming one of the leaders in local news coverage. When the online publication started in 2011, Hutch Post had 50,000 page views in its first month. Readers then saw coverage of the two most dominant stories of that year. One was Siemens coming to the city after Hutchinson won a three-way battle for the wind turbine plant. Since then, the company has merged with Gamesa Corporation to form the leading wind turbine maker in the world.&nbsp;

It also saw one of the more bizarre and brutal murder cases in Hutchinson. Two men, Charles Logdson and Billy Craig Jr., were both convicted in the shooting death of Jennifer Heckel in a shooting that was a case of mistaken identity.&nbsp;

Hutch Post surpassed 200,000 views per month in March of 2014. At that time, Hutch Post was undergoing a major transformation that would eventually become the look that you enjoy today with more varieties of news. Hutch Post covered the ever-increasing meth problem in the city and longtime U.S. Sen. Pat Roberts narrowly fended off the challenge of independent Greg Orman after a bitter campaign, while Gov. Sam Brownback slipped past Democrat Paul Davis to retain his seat for another four years.

In 2016, Hutch Post was averaging about 350,000 page views per month. Undoubtedly, the lead story was the tragic events and the incredible heroism in Hesston when a disgruntled employee, Cedric Ford, opened fire on his co-workers, killing three and injuring 14 others.

By June of 2019, Hutch Post had eclipsed the 600,000 page views per month threshold. Hutch Post continued to cover the many stories, including the battle to keep Amtrak running through the state. Siemens merged with Gamesa and Public Restroom Company announced it was coming to Hutchinson, only to cancel those plans when the founder of the company suddenly died. It also saw the retirement of longtime City Manager John Deardoff and County Administrator Gary Meagher.

Hutch Post hit some impressive numbers in 2020 as the pandemic began to dominate the news on a local level. Hutch Post continuously provided updates to the virus moving through the county and the many things that were being done to fight off the virus that has killed more than 100 Reno County residents. The Post hit a high of more than one million page views in March of 2020. 

It also saw the end of the Sam Vonachen criminal case that spanned nearly seven years. Vonachen was convicted of the murder of his mother and sister when he set fire to their home in 2013. The Supreme Court recently upheld his conviction. Hutch Post has surpassed more than 700,000 views every month since then.&nbsp;

The community was also divided in 2020 over racial and political issues as residents tried to work to bring better relations between races, the police department and the public in general. It included a peaceful rally at the courthouse on a sunny Sunday afternoon.

Hutch Post reporters have tried to cover everything there is in Hutchinson and Reno County. From business to court cases, good news and, unfortunately, not-so-good news. Reporters have covered local government meetings and elections and have taken pride in providing weather alerts and other important information. Some of the biggest stories include the wildfires, severe weather, great events like the NJCAA National Basketball Tournament and the changes in leadership in the county and city government, and the Chamber of Commerce.&nbsp;

The county built a new jail and we witnessed a major transformation of the Hutchinson Sports Arena where, in 2017, the HutchCC men's basketball team won it all in the NJCAA National Tournament.

Reporters have written thousands of stories covering Hutchinson and the surrounding area. There’s simply too many to list them all. At Hutch Post, we hope to keep providing the latest well into the future as we add more features and opportunities for our clients to reach out to our readers.

HUTCHINSON, Kan. — Hutch Post, the online news source from Eagle Radio, turned 10 years old in January.Hutch Post has come a long way in its 10 years, becoming one of the leaders in local news coverage. When the online publication started in 2011, Hutch Post had 50,000 page views in its first month. Readers then saw coverage of the two most dominant stories of that year. One was Siemens coming to the city after Hutchinson won a three-way battle for the wind turbine plant. Since then, the company has merged with Gamesa Corporation to form the leading wind turbine maker in the world.&nbsp;<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/12/1607017503991.jpeg" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>It also saw one of the more bizarre and brutal murder cases in Hutchinson. Two men, Charles Logdson and Billy Craig Jr., were both convicted in the shooting death of Jennifer Heckel in a shooting that was a case of mistaken identity.&nbsp;<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/1/1611781121446.jpeg" alt="Christopher Logdson" />
 <figcaption>Christopher Logdson</figcaption>
 </figure>Hutch Post surpassed 200,000 views per month in March of 2014. At that time, Hutch Post was undergoing a major transformation that would eventually become the look that you enjoy today with more varieties of news. Hutch Post covered the ever-increasing meth problem in the city and longtime U.S. Sen. Pat Roberts narrowly fended off the challenge of independent Greg Orman after a bitter campaign, while Gov. Sam Brownback slipped past Democrat Paul Davis to retain his seat for another four years.In 2016, Hutch Post was averaging about 350,000 page views per month. Undoubtedly, the lead story was the tragic events and the incredible heroism in Hesston when a disgruntled employee, Cedric Ford, opened fire on his co-workers, killing three and injuring 14 others.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/1/1611781270300.jpeg" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>By June of 2019, Hutch Post had eclipsed the 600,000 page views per month threshold. Hutch Post continued to cover the many stories, including the battle to keep Amtrak running through the state. Siemens merged with Gamesa and Public Restroom Company announced it was coming to Hutchinson, only to cancel those plans when the founder of the company suddenly died. It also saw the retirement of longtime City Manager John Deardoff and County Administrator Gary Meagher.Hutch Post hit some impressive numbers in 2020 as the pandemic began to dominate the news on a local level. Hutch Post continuously provided updates to the virus moving through the county and the many things that were being done to fight off the virus that has killed more than 100 Reno County residents. The Post hit a high of more than one million page views in March of 2020. <figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/3/1584723006705.png" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>It also saw the end of the Sam Vonachen criminal case that spanned nearly seven years. Vonachen was convicted of the murder of his mother and sister when he set fire to their home in 2013. The Supreme Court recently upheld his conviction. Hutch Post has surpassed more than 700,000 views every month since then.&nbsp;<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/1/1611779750452.jpeg" alt="Vonachen" />
 <figcaption>Vonachen</figcaption>
 </figure>The community was also divided in 2020 over racial and political issues as residents tried to work to bring better relations between races, the police department and the public in general. It included a peaceful rally at the courthouse on a sunny Sunday afternoon.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/1/1611783715485.jpeg" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>Hutch Post reporters have tried to cover everything there is in Hutchinson and Reno County. From business to court cases, good news and, unfortunately, not-so-good news. Reporters have covered local government meetings and elections and have taken pride in providing weather alerts and other important information. Some of the biggest stories include the wildfires, severe weather, great events like the NJCAA National Basketball Tournament and the changes in leadership in the county and city government, and the Chamber of Commerce.&nbsp;The county built a new jail and we witnessed a major transformation of the Hutchinson Sports Arena where, in 2017, the HutchCC men's basketball team won it all in the NJCAA National Tournament.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/1/1611783754013.jpeg" alt="Photo courtesy of Andrew Carpenter." />
 <figcaption>Photo courtesy of Andrew Carpenter.</figcaption>
 </figure>Reporters have written thousands of stories covering Hutchinson and the surrounding area. There’s simply too many to list them all. At Hutch Post, we hope to keep providing the latest well into the future as we add more features and opportunities for our clients to reach out to our readers.<a href="https://hutchpost.com/download" target="_blank">CLICK HERE</a>&nbsp;to download the HutchPost mobile app. <a href="https://hutchpost.com/posts/5e73b532afae0f4d5f5d90ea" target="_blank">CLICK HERE</a>&nbsp;to sign up for the daily HutchPost email news update.

Hutch Post turns 10

LYONS, Kan. (AP) — The mother of the man who killed his father and shot two Rice County law officers in 2019 has been charged with providing a weapon to her son, Rice County Attorney Remington Dalke said.

Shirley Loder, 67, of Arlington, was charged this month with suspicion of criminal distribution of a firearm. She bonded out of the Rice County jail on Friday.

Loder’s son, David Madden,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/5b6ea690541340bda12261f88b422330">fatally shot</a>&nbsp;his father, Tom Madden, on April 29, 2019, at their rural Rice County home. He also shot Reno County undersheriff Chad Murphy and Sheriff Bryant Evans before killing himself at the home, according to court records.

Madden was a convicted felon who was not allowed to have a weapon.

Erin Baker, Madden’s former girlfriend, was&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/21588bf38a7b209edfc7c008cd674a76">previously sentenced&nbsp;</a>to 60 days in jail and 18 months of probation for her role in the shootings. She was driving the car, with her child in the backseat, when Madden shot Murphy.

She then took Madden to his house for guns and ammunition before they drove to his father’s home, where she watched him get out of the car and start shooting his father before driving off. Court records said she didn’t alert law enforcement authorities.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/1/1611784474350.png" alt="Loder photo Reno Co." />
 <figcaption>Loder photo Reno Co.</figcaption>
 </figure>LYONS, Kan. (AP) — The mother of the man who killed his father and shot two Rice County law officers in 2019 has been charged with providing a weapon to her son, Rice County Attorney Remington Dalke said.Shirley Loder, 67, of Arlington, was charged this month with suspicion of criminal distribution of a firearm. She bonded out of the Rice County jail on Friday.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/1/1611782761461.png" alt="David Madden photo Kansas Dept. of Corrections" />
 <figcaption>David Madden photo Kansas Dept. of Corrections</figcaption>
 </figure>Loder’s son, David Madden,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/5b6ea690541340bda12261f88b422330">fatally shot</a>&nbsp;his father, Tom Madden, on April 29, 2019, at their rural Rice County home. He also shot Reno County undersheriff Chad Murphy and Sheriff Bryant Evans before killing himself at the home, according to court records.Madden was a convicted felon who was not allowed to have a weapon.Erin Baker, Madden’s former girlfriend, was&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/21588bf38a7b209edfc7c008cd674a76">previously sentenced&nbsp;</a>to 60 days in jail and 18 months of probation for her role in the shootings. She was driving the car, with her child in the backseat, when Madden shot Murphy.She then took Madden to his house for guns and ammunition before they drove to his father’s home, where she watched him get out of the car and start shooting his father before driving off. Court records said she didn’t alert law enforcement authorities.

Mom of man who killed his father, shot Rice Co. lawmen charged

HUTCHINSON,
Kan. — Hutch Rec is offering adult volleyball leagues again this spring.

Leagues will
run from March 1 through May 3, with both recreational and competitive men's, women's and co-ed leagues.

You can
register in person at Hutch Rec’s downtown office at 17 East 2nd Monday
through Friday from 9 a.m. until 5 p.m. or go online at <a href="https://www.hutchrec.com/">hutchrec.com</a>.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/8/1598360707795.jpeg" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>HUTCHINSON,
Kan. — Hutch Rec is offering adult volleyball leagues again this spring.Leagues will
run from March 1 through May 3, with both recreational and competitive men's, women's and co-ed leagues.You can
register in person at Hutch Rec’s downtown office at 17 East 2nd Monday
through Friday from 9 a.m. until 5 p.m. or go online at <a href="https://www.hutchrec.com/">hutchrec.com</a>. The deadline
to register is February 19.

Hutch Rec to offer adult volleyball leagues


HUTCHINSON,
Kan. —&nbsp; State Senator Dr. Mark Steffen noted Wednesday that there are systemic issues within the Kansas Department of Labor that are causing struggles for many Kansans. He heard about that this week in the Senate Commerce committee.

"What we heard, just one after the other, was the degree of fraud going on within the Department of Labor," Steffen said. "It's literally bringing that department down. It's literally, clearly, it's ground it to a complete stop. That was the overwhelmingly incredible news of the day. This fraud is literally draining a $300 million unemployment insurance pool to nothing."

Everybody likely knows somebody who has been a victim of this fraud.

"We were told yesterday that they are getting like 2,300 fradulent claims a day," Steffen said. "This is originating overseas. A lot of these claims get labeled as fraudulent, but end up getting paid."

Since the funds are from taxes on employers in the state, every employer has a vested interest in seeing that this stops.

"Employers pay this in," Steffen said. "We were told very clear that they are going to want that money back. That's an issue in and of itself."

Steffen would like to hear more from the executive branch on how they plan to address the fraud as the session goes forward.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/6/1593008647850.png" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>
By
NICK GOSNELL
Hutch
Post
HUTCHINSON,
Kan. —&nbsp; State Senator Dr. Mark Steffen noted Wednesday that there are systemic issues within the Kansas Department of Labor that are causing struggles for many Kansans. He heard about that this week in the Senate Commerce committee."What we heard, just one after the other, was the degree of fraud going on within the Department of Labor," Steffen said. "It's literally bringing that department down. It's literally, clearly, it's ground it to a complete stop. That was the overwhelmingly incredible news of the day. This fraud is literally draining a $300 million unemployment insurance pool to nothing."Everybody likely knows somebody who has been a victim of this fraud."We were told yesterday that they are getting like 2,300 fradulent claims a day," Steffen said. "This is originating overseas. A lot of these claims get labeled as fraudulent, but end up getting paid."Since the funds are from taxes on employers in the state, every employer has a vested interest in seeing that this stops."Employers pay this in," Steffen said. "We were told very clear that they are going to want that money back. That's an issue in and of itself."Steffen would like to hear more from the executive branch on how they plan to address the fraud as the session goes forward.<a href="https://hutchpost.com/download" target="_blank">CLICK HERE</a>&nbsp;to download the HutchPost mobile app. <a href="https://hutchpost.com/posts/5e73b532afae0f4d5f5d90ea" target="_blank">CLICK HERE</a>&nbsp;to sign up for the daily HutchPost email news update.&nbsp;&nbsp;

Steffen: Issues at Department of Labor 'incredible news' he heard in committee


HUTCHINSON,
Kan. — 
After two days of the Battle of the Badges , Hutchinson Fire has a narrow 2 vote lead! More importantly, 283 units of life saving blood were donated in the first two days of the drive. Wednesday’s goal is 88 units. 

The drive runs until 1 p.m. Wednesday at the First Presbyterian Church at 201 East Sherman and Friday from Noon to 6 p.m. at Advance America at 921 East 4th Avenue Suite B and Saturday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Nex-Tech Wireless at 1441 East 30th Suite B. 

There are still plenty of time slots available to schedule your donation. 

Go to <a href="http://redcrossblood.org/?fbclid=IwAR246R1P7MBkMHEUP1vuKcpRoVol_yMKG1QK5R6clFzXOyCBiEyTbNtvFbc" target="_blank">RedCrossBlood.org</a> to schedule your appointment.&nbsp; &nbsp;

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/1/1579123666400.png" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>
HUTCHINSON,
Kan. — 
After two days of the Battle of the Badges , Hutchinson Fire has a narrow 2 vote lead! More importantly, 283 units of life saving blood were donated in the first two days of the drive. Wednesday’s goal is 88 units. The drive runs until 1 p.m. Wednesday at the First Presbyterian Church at 201 East Sherman and Friday from Noon to 6 p.m. at Advance America at 921 East 4th Avenue Suite B and Saturday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Nex-Tech Wireless at 1441 East 30th Suite B. There are still plenty of time slots available to schedule your donation. Go to <a href="http://redcrossblood.org/?fbclid=IwAR246R1P7MBkMHEUP1vuKcpRoVol_yMKG1QK5R6clFzXOyCBiEyTbNtvFbc" target="_blank">RedCrossBlood.org</a> to schedule your appointment.&nbsp; &nbsp;<a href="https://hutchpost.com/download" target="_blank">CLICK HERE</a>&nbsp;to download the HutchPost mobile app. <a href="https://hutchpost.com/posts/5e73b532afae0f4d5f5d90ea" target="_blank">CLICK HERE</a>&nbsp;to sign up for the daily HutchPost email news update.&nbsp;&nbsp;

Battle of the Badges has Fire in the lead after Tuesday


HUTCHINSON,
Kan. —&nbsp;Hutchinson USD 308 Public Information Director, Ray Hemman is retiring effective June 30, 2021.

"When I announced it to staff, I used three numbers, 85, 50 and 186," Hemman said. "As of December 1, I have my 85 KPERS points, which is the magic number, so by the time I retire in mid-summer, I'll have 86. I'll be able to retire with my KPERS. Fifty is important, because I was raised on a dairy farm, called a dairy kid. If you've ever gone through that experience, from the time you're not even 13 years old, you're part of the operation, which means sometimes getting awakened in the middle of the night to complete milking cows or move cattle out of water. Then, as a journalist and now in my current job, with doing crisis management and safety, my phone is available 24-7 with work. That's been 50 years. That's hard on the body. The final number is 186. I've been blessed with a wonderful granddaughter in Coffeyville. It's 186 miles away and as you well know, when you work journalism or anything like this, there are times when you miss family events."

Hemman's post USD 308 plans are still pretty fluid.

"I'll be listening to God's voice," Hemman said. "I may volunteer. I may find a part-time job. I love the Cosmosphere. I love the Underground Museum. They look for docents. I may do something like that, or I may work part time somewhere."

Hemman appreciates the relationships he's been able to build in Hutchinson.

"Life is a contact sport," Hemman said. "I've had the opportunity to make contact with hundreds, if not thousands of people over the years. I've developed some really wonderful relationships. Even people that may have come to me angry, I was able to work with and develop some very good friendships, not to mention the media that I've worked with over the years. I've been in Hutch now, as of December, I will be here 40 years. I came, my first day on the job at the Hutch News was on the 40th anniversary of Pearl Harbor Day. It's been a long time and I love this community. It's my home, even though I was raised and went to school in southeast Kansas, I'll forever be a Salthawk."

The USD 308 school board will need to decide how they want job descriptions to adjust going into the 2021-22 school year.

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By
NICK GOSNELL
Hutch
Post
HUTCHINSON,
Kan. —&nbsp;Hutchinson USD 308 Public Information Director, Ray Hemman is retiring effective June 30, 2021."When I announced it to staff, I used three numbers, 85, 50 and 186," Hemman said. "As of December 1, I have my 85 KPERS points, which is the magic number, so by the time I retire in mid-summer, I'll have 86. I'll be able to retire with my KPERS. Fifty is important, because I was raised on a dairy farm, called a dairy kid. If you've ever gone through that experience, from the time you're not even 13 years old, you're part of the operation, which means sometimes getting awakened in the middle of the night to complete milking cows or move cattle out of water. Then, as a journalist and now in my current job, with doing crisis management and safety, my phone is available 24-7 with work. That's been 50 years. That's hard on the body. The final number is 186. I've been blessed with a wonderful granddaughter in Coffeyville. It's 186 miles away and as you well know, when you work journalism or anything like this, there are times when you miss family events."Hemman's post USD 308 plans are still pretty fluid."I'll be listening to God's voice," Hemman said. "I may volunteer. I may find a part-time job. I love the Cosmosphere. I love the Underground Museum. They look for docents. I may do something like that, or I may work part time somewhere."Hemman appreciates the relationships he's been able to build in Hutchinson."Life is a contact sport," Hemman said. "I've had the opportunity to make contact with hundreds, if not thousands of people over the years. I've developed some really wonderful relationships. Even people that may have come to me angry, I was able to work with and develop some very good friendships, not to mention the media that I've worked with over the years. I've been in Hutch now, as of December, I will be here 40 years. I came, my first day on the job at the Hutch News was on the 40th anniversary of Pearl Harbor Day. It's been a long time and I love this community. It's my home, even though I was raised and went to school in southeast Kansas, I'll forever be a Salthawk."The USD 308 school board will need to decide how they want job descriptions to adjust going into the 2021-22 school year.<a href="https://hutchpost.com/download" target="_blank">CLICK HERE</a>&nbsp;to download the HutchPost mobile app. <a href="https://hutchpost.com/posts/5e73b532afae0f4d5f5d90ea" target="_blank">CLICK HERE</a>&nbsp;to sign up for the daily HutchPost email news update.&nbsp;&nbsp;

Hemman retirement is by the numbers

HUTCHINSON, Kan. — The Reno County overall case count is at 447 as of Tuesday afternoon. The death count among Reno County residents is at 114.

Out of 7,417 total cases since the beginning of the pandemic, there are 425 cases in the community at large. 6,856 people have recovered thus far.

Ten Reno County residents are in the hospital. According to the dashboard, three hundred forty-one total have been hospitalized. One hundred have been admitted to the ICU. These are Reno County resident numbers regardless of where they are hospitalized. Intubation numbers are no longer on the county's dashboard.

The community's positive test rate is at 27.24%, with the overall positive test rate at 32.36%. 36.46% of the population has been tested.

<figure>
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 </figure>HUTCHINSON, Kan. — The Reno County overall case count is at 447 as of Tuesday afternoon. The death count among Reno County residents is at 114.The Correctional Facility cluster type has 27 active cases measured by the county's COVID-19 dashboard. The Long Term Care Facility cluster type has 72 active cases. Forty-four people within those clusters have died. There are 40 active clusters in the county.Out of 7,417 total cases since the beginning of the pandemic, there are 425 cases in the community at large. 6,856 people have recovered thus far.Ten Reno County residents are in the hospital. According to the dashboard, three hundred forty-one total have been hospitalized. One hundred have been admitted to the ICU. These are Reno County resident numbers regardless of where they are hospitalized. Intubation numbers are no longer on the county's dashboard.The community's positive test rate is at 27.24%, with the overall positive test rate at 32.36%. 36.46% of the population has been tested.There are still two free public testing sites, one in the Cosmosphere parking lot in Hutchinson and one at Simply Good Overstocks parking lot in South Hutchinson. They are open Monday through Saturday from 8 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.<a href="https://hutchpost.com/download" target="_blank">CLICK HERE</a>&nbsp;to download the HutchPost mobile app. <a href="https://hutchpost.com/posts/5e73b532afae0f4d5f5d90ea" target="_blank">CLICK HERE</a>&nbsp;to sign up for the daily HutchPost email news update.&nbsp;&nbsp;

Case count at 447, with 425 in community and 114 dead as of Tuesday afternoon

HUTCHINSON, Kan. — For the first time since March of 2020, sales tax collections did not surpass the same month of the previous year. January sales tax collections in Reno County fell by about $10,000 to $369,592. That compares with $379,029 in 2020.

It’s also about $31,000 less than last month. January sales tax collections reflect sales for the month of November.&nbsp;

It’s also the first time since July of 2020 that sales tax revenue fell below the $400,000 mark. Sales tax revenue bucked what was forecast to be a very down year for revenue due to the pandemic. But people shopped local and prices for various goods increased, keeping the numbers in positive territory.&nbsp;

Reno County ended 2020 with $4.811 million in sales tax revenue compared with $4.694 million in 2019.

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

<figure>
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 </figure>HUTCHINSON, Kan. — For the first time since March of 2020, sales tax collections did not surpass the same month of the previous year. January sales tax collections in Reno County fell by about $10,000 to $369,592. That compares with $379,029 in 2020.It’s also about $31,000 less than last month. January sales tax collections reflect sales for the month of November.&nbsp;It’s also the first time since July of 2020 that sales tax revenue fell below the $400,000 mark. Sales tax revenue bucked what was forecast to be a very down year for revenue due to the pandemic. But people shopped local and prices for various goods increased, keeping the numbers in positive territory.&nbsp;Reno County ended 2020 with $4.811 million in sales tax revenue compared with $4.694 million in 2019.<a href="https://hutchpost.com/download">CLICK HERE</a>&nbsp;to download the HutchPost mobile app. <a href="https://hutchpost.com/posts/5e73b532afae0f4d5f5d90ea">CLICK HERE</a>&nbsp;to sign up for the daily HutchPost email news update.

Sales tax revenue declines in January

HUTCHINSON, Kan. — The Reno County Commission has approved moving meetings to two times per week. After two weeks of discussion and tweaking the proposal, the board approved to move meetings to the second and fourth Tuesdays of the month.&nbsp;

Most of the changes put in place on Tuesday dealt with public comment and the amount of time a person could speak. Currently, public comment is limited to five minutes.

The board wanted to be able to allow more time for such comments if it came from a person summoned by the board. But in the end, the board decided that such comments should be separated from the general public comment section of the meeting. Under the proposal, all other facets of the commission meetings will stay the same.&nbsp;

The board agreed to the policies with the caveat that the county continue to work on how to better accommodate the public in its communication with the board.

With the changes, the next meeting of the County Commission will be Feb. 9.

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

<figure>
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 </figure>By ROD ZOOKHutch PostHUTCHINSON, Kan. — The Reno County Commission has approved moving meetings to two times per week. After two weeks of discussion and tweaking the proposal, the board approved to move meetings to the second and fourth Tuesdays of the month.&nbsp;Most of the changes put in place on Tuesday dealt with public comment and the amount of time a person could speak. Currently, public comment is limited to five minutes.The board wanted to be able to allow more time for such comments if it came from a person summoned by the board. But in the end, the board decided that such comments should be separated from the general public comment section of the meeting. Under the proposal, all other facets of the commission meetings will stay the same.&nbsp;The board agreed to the policies with the caveat that the county continue to work on how to better accommodate the public in its communication with the board.With the changes, the next meeting of the County Commission will be Feb. 9.<a href="https://hutchpost.com/download" target="_blank">CLICK HERE</a>&nbsp;to download the HutchPost mobile app. <a href="https://hutchpost.com/posts/5e73b532afae0f4d5f5d90ea" target="_blank">CLICK HERE</a>&nbsp;to sign up for the daily HutchPost email news update.&nbsp;

Commission approves reduced meeting schedule

HUTCHINSON, Kan. — Reno County commissioners approved a contract with a firm that will conduct a salary and compensation study. The contract with the Arnold Group will cost the county $56,118. The county received six proposals.

The study comes at the request of county commissioners who decided the study was necessary following a work session in November. Rene Harris says it is getting harder to keep employees at some county jobs and making sure they can get a competitive wage.

“People are coming in. We had one this week not enrolled in health insurance saying, 'I can’t pay it,'” Harris said. “And that’s a sad thing.”

Harris says being able to compete with the private sector is being made harder by the amount of benefits the private sector can provide.

“Our deductibles and copays and things like that were much lower than the private industry, but I don’t think that’s as much anymore,” Harris said. “We’ve got pretty high deductibles that employees have to make.”&nbsp;&nbsp;

During the discussion on Tuesday, Commissioner Daniel Friesen said he would like to see a study on wages come more often.

“I just know from private business experience, we don’t do a five-year look, we’re constantly looking at the competitive landscape,” Friesen said. “When a job goes out they’re typically looking at what the market is. The market can change quite a bit in five years.”

The last time the county did a wage study was in 2016.

<figure>
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 </figure>By ROD ZOOKHutch PostHUTCHINSON, Kan. — Reno County commissioners approved a contract with a firm that will conduct a salary and compensation study. The contract with the Arnold Group will cost the county $56,118. The county received six proposals.The study comes at the request of county commissioners who decided the study was necessary following a work session in November. Rene Harris says it is getting harder to keep employees at some county jobs and making sure they can get a competitive wage.“People are coming in. We had one this week not enrolled in health insurance saying, 'I can’t pay it,'” Harris said. “And that’s a sad thing.”Harris says being able to compete with the private sector is being made harder by the amount of benefits the private sector can provide.“Our deductibles and copays and things like that were much lower than the private industry, but I don’t think that’s as much anymore,” Harris said. “We’ve got pretty high deductibles that employees have to make.”&nbsp;&nbsp;During the discussion on Tuesday, Commissioner Daniel Friesen said he would like to see a study on wages come more often.“I just know from private business experience, we don’t do a five-year look, we’re constantly looking at the competitive landscape,” Friesen said. “When a job goes out they’re typically looking at what the market is. The market can change quite a bit in five years.”The last time the county did a wage study was in 2016.<a href="https://hutchpost.com/download" target="_blank">CLICK HERE</a>&nbsp;to download the HutchPost mobile app. <a href="https://hutchpost.com/posts/5e73b532afae0f4d5f5d90ea" target="_blank">CLICK HERE</a>&nbsp;to sign up for the daily HutchPost email news update.&nbsp;&nbsp;

Commission approves wage study

NICKERSON, Kan. — Nickerson USD 309 will be looking for a new superintendent. In a meeting filled with continued dissension Monday night the Board decided not to renew Dr. Dawn Johnson’s contract. Her last day will be June 30.&nbsp;

The vote came after discussion on renewing Johnson’s contract came to a head. Things got heated enough that two members of the board left their seats. At that time the decision came not to keep Johnson on board past the end of her current contract.&nbsp;

Johnson's departure is part of the ongoing division among the board and others that resulted from the failed bond issue. At that time Johnson was pushing for a smaller version of the proposed bond issue. That was met with a divided board although the larger version of the bond passed on a split vote. The bond issue was then soundly defeated in the next election.

Further tensions mounted as two members stepped away from their seats leaving the board with two vacancies. Several attempts to fill those vacancies have been rejected by the current five member board. Two of those applicants were rejected again Monday night.

Johnson became the Superintendent of the district in 2016 after three years as the Assistant Superintendent. She also taught in the Nickerson School System from 1999 through 2004. She was then deployed to serve her country in the Army. She recently became a Lt. Colonel after taking a year away from the school district to attend military school in Washington D.C.

<figure>
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 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>NICKERSON, Kan. — Nickerson USD 309 will be looking for a new superintendent. In a meeting filled with continued dissension Monday night the Board decided not to renew Dr. Dawn Johnson’s contract. Her last day will be June 30.&nbsp;The vote came after discussion on renewing Johnson’s contract came to a head. Things got heated enough that two members of the board left their seats. At that time the decision came not to keep Johnson on board past the end of her current contract.&nbsp;Johnson's departure is part of the ongoing division among the board and others that resulted from the failed bond issue. At that time Johnson was pushing for a smaller version of the proposed bond issue. That was met with a divided board although the larger version of the bond passed on a split vote. The bond issue was then soundly defeated in the next election.Further tensions mounted as two members stepped away from their seats leaving the board with two vacancies. Several attempts to fill those vacancies have been rejected by the current five member board. Two of those applicants were rejected again Monday night.Johnson became the Superintendent of the district in 2016 after three years as the Assistant Superintendent. She also taught in the Nickerson School System from 1999 through 2004. She was then deployed to serve her country in the Army. She recently became a Lt. Colonel after taking a year away from the school district to attend military school in Washington D.C.<a href="https://hutchpost.com/download" target="_blank">CLICK HERE</a>&nbsp;to download the HutchPost mobile app. <a href="https://hutchpost.com/posts/5e73b532afae0f4d5f5d90ea" target="_blank">CLICK HERE</a>&nbsp;to sign up for the daily HutchPost email news update.&nbsp;&nbsp;

USD 309 superintendent's contract will expire


HUTCHINSON,
Kan. — 
PrairieStar received their first 100 doses of the COVID-19 Moderna vaccine for Phase 2 patients late last week.  This is the 65+ age group that is to be vaccinated according to guidelines.  All available doses were given to patients on Monday January 25th at PrairieStar.

It is important that patients work through their Primary Care Provider when possible. The Primary Care Provider has the patient’s medical history and will ensure appropriate documentation and coordination of both doses of the vaccine. Vaccine supplies are extremely limited and PrairieStar is not in control of when and how many vaccines they will receive.

As PrairieStar recieves more doses they will call patients to set up a vaccination appointment. Do not call PrairieStar as their call center does not know when or how much vaccine will be available.

PrairieStar will call patients once they receive more vaccine.

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HUTCHINSON,
Kan. — 
PrairieStar received their first 100 doses of the COVID-19 Moderna vaccine for Phase 2 patients late last week. This is the 65+ age group that is to be vaccinated according to guidelines. All available doses were given to patients on Monday January 25th at PrairieStar.It is important that patients work through their Primary Care Provider when possible. The Primary Care Provider has the patient’s medical history and will ensure appropriate documentation and coordination of both doses of the vaccine. Vaccine supplies are extremely limited and PrairieStar is not in control of when and how many vaccines they will receive.As PrairieStar recieves more doses they will call patients to set up a vaccination appointment. Do not call PrairieStar as their call center does not know when or how much vaccine will be available.PrairieStar will call patients once they receive more vaccine.

PrairieStar begins Phase 2 vaccinations; they will call patients to set up appointments

Click&nbsp;<a href="https://hutchpost.com/category/obituaries" target="_blank">HERE</a>&nbsp;to view the most recent obituaries and service times from our funeral home partners.

Hutch Post is honored to publish full obituaries and photos at no cost to families. Funeral homes can send notices to&nbsp;<a href="mailto:hutchpost@gmail.com" target="_blank">hutchpost@gmail.com</a>.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2019/11/1573140944016.jpeg" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>Click&nbsp;<a href="https://hutchpost.com/category/obituaries" target="_blank">HERE</a>&nbsp;to view the most recent obituaries and service times from our funeral home partners.Hutch Post is honored to publish full obituaries and photos at no cost to families. Funeral homes can send notices to&nbsp;<a href="mailto:hutchpost@gmail.com" target="_blank">hutchpost@gmail.com</a>.

Recent obituaries

HUTCHINSON, Kan. — A Hutchinson man was arrested following a stabbing Monday afternoon. Police say 56-year-old Timothy Peters was arrested on suspicion of aggravated battery and criminal damage to property.&nbsp;

Authorities say Peters went to a residence at 20 E. 15th where he is accused of breaking down a door and confronting Stacia Meier and Demetrius Burgess.

Burgess and Peters got into a fight which spilled out into the front yard. Police report that Peters pulled a knife and stabbed Burgess in the stomach. Burgess was taken to Hutchinson Regional Medical Center for treatment. Peters is being held on a bond of $10,000.

<figure>
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 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>HUTCHINSON, Kan. — A Hutchinson man was arrested following a stabbing Monday afternoon. Police say 56-year-old Timothy Peters was arrested on suspicion of aggravated battery and criminal damage to property.&nbsp;Authorities say Peters went to a residence at 20 E. 15th where he is accused of breaking down a door and confronting Stacia Meier and Demetrius Burgess.Burgess and Peters got into a fight which spilled out into the front yard. Police report that Peters pulled a knife and stabbed Burgess in the stomach. Burgess was taken to Hutchinson Regional Medical Center for treatment. Peters is being held on a bond of $10,000.

Hutchinson man arrested in stabbing

HUTCHINSON, Kan. — After a one month increase the unemployment rate in Reno County fell in December.

The jobless rate in Reno County fell from 4.8% to 3.6%. There were 1,097 residents out of work in December&nbsp; compared with 1,627 in November. The jobless rate in 2019 was just 2.9%.

The unemployment in the city also fell to 3.9% from 5.2%. There were 759 residents out of work, a decrease of 411.

The state's unemployment rate fell from 5.1% to 3.8%.

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 </figure>HUTCHINSON, Kan. — After a one month increase the unemployment rate in Reno County fell in December.The jobless rate in Reno County fell from 4.8% to 3.6%. There were 1,097 residents out of work in December&nbsp; compared with 1,627 in November. The jobless rate in 2019 was just 2.9%.The unemployment in the city also fell to 3.9% from 5.2%. There were 759 residents out of work, a decrease of 411.The state's unemployment rate fell from 5.1% to 3.8%.

Jobless rate falls in Reno County


HUTCHINSON,
Kan. — The 2021 Battle of the Badges Blood Drive is ongoing this week.

"We've actually been doing the Battle of the Badges for quite a number of years here in Hutch," said Troy Meuller with the Hutchinson Fire Department. "I've been on the department for 23 years and it goes back at least 15 years that I can remember of us doing the Battle of the Badges every year."

144 pints of blood were collected Monday on a goal of 161. Appointments are available for the rest of week. The ballots from Monday are Fire 50 and Law 56.

"The need for donors for blood is probably at an all-time high," Mueller said. "Not only are we dealing with the pandemic across the nation and the need for blood just from that, a downfall of the pandemic is people haven't been able to get out and give blood."

Some blood products are even more important right now.

"With them doing the antibody tests, one of the things that they have a big need for is the convalescent plasma from blood that may have the antibodies and that can go a long way to helping some of the folks that are really struggling with COVID-19 and battling it in the hospital."

The drive continues Tuesday from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m and Wednesday from 7 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the First Presbyterian Church at 201 East Sherman and Friday from 12 p.m. to 6 p.m. at Advance America at 921 East 4th Avenue Suite B in Hutchinson and Saturday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Nex-Tech Wireless at 1441 East 30th Avenue Suite E in Hutchinson.

To set your appointment, call 1-800-RED-CROSS or get the Red Cross Blood Donor App.

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 </figure>
By
NICK GOSNELL
Hutch
Post
HUTCHINSON,
Kan. — The 2021 Battle of the Badges Blood Drive is ongoing this week."We've actually been doing the Battle of the Badges for quite a number of years here in Hutch," said Troy Meuller with the Hutchinson Fire Department. "I've been on the department for 23 years and it goes back at least 15 years that I can remember of us doing the Battle of the Badges every year."144 pints of blood were collected Monday on a goal of 161. Appointments are available for the rest of week. The ballots from Monday are Fire 50 and Law 56."The need for donors for blood is probably at an all-time high," Mueller said. "Not only are we dealing with the pandemic across the nation and the need for blood just from that, a downfall of the pandemic is people haven't been able to get out and give blood."Some blood products are even more important right now."With them doing the antibody tests, one of the things that they have a big need for is the convalescent plasma from blood that may have the antibodies and that can go a long way to helping some of the folks that are really struggling with COVID-19 and battling it in the hospital."The drive continues Tuesday from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m and Wednesday from 7 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the First Presbyterian Church at 201 East Sherman and Friday from 12 p.m. to 6 p.m. at Advance America at 921 East 4th Avenue Suite B in Hutchinson and Saturday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Nex-Tech Wireless at 1441 East 30th Avenue Suite E in Hutchinson.To set your appointment, call 1-800-RED-CROSS or get the Red Cross Blood Donor App.
<a href="https://hutchpost.com/download" target="_blank">CLICK
HERE</a>&nbsp;to
download the HutchPost mobile app.
<a href="https://hutchpost.com/posts/5e73b532afae0f4d5f5d90ea" target="_blank">CLICK
HERE</a>&nbsp;to
sign up for the daily HutchPost email news update.

Battle of the Badges this week in Hutchinson

HUTCHINSON, Kan. — Archer Daniels Midland posted solid numbers as they released its fourth quarter earnings report. The oilseed company reported earnings per share of $1.22 compared with $0.90 in 2019.

Total revenue for the quarter totaled $17.9 billion compared with $16.3 billion and net earnings increased to $687 million.&nbsp;

&nbsp;For the year, the company reported profit of $1.77 billion, or $3.15 per share. Revenue was reported as $64.36 billion.

ADM employs an average of 55 employees in Hutchinson at five different facilities.

<figure>
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 </figure>HUTCHINSON, Kan. — Archer Daniels Midland posted solid numbers as they released its fourth quarter earnings report. The oilseed company reported earnings per share of $1.22 compared with $0.90 in 2019.Total revenue for the quarter totaled $17.9 billion compared with $16.3 billion and net earnings increased to $687 million.&nbsp;&nbsp;For the year, the company reported profit of $1.77 billion, or $3.15 per share. Revenue was reported as $64.36 billion.ADM employs an average of 55 employees in Hutchinson at five different facilities.

ADM reports solid 4Q


HUTCHINSON,
Kan. — The Reno County Health Department plans on holding a vaccination clinic Friday for seniors who have not been vaccinated.

"We'll have a <a href="https://survey123.arcgis.com/share/01998f35f69046e0afb508d6da1ffad3">link on our website that will open that up to pre-register</a>," said Karen Hammersmith with the Health Department. "Then, we will have staff that goes ahead and stratifies those that are identified as being high risk in those 65 and older so that we get to those being stratified quickly."

Data analyst DJ Gering explains what criteria are being used to decide what order to give the shots in.

"It's based off of the<a href="https://covid19risktools.com:8443/riskcalculator"> Johns Hopkins COVID-19 risk calculator</a>," Gering said. "It's a mortality risk calculation tool that they have posted online. It takes into account a person's age, their underlying medical conditions, what CDC calls a socially vulnerable population."

<a href="https://www.atsdr.cdc.gov/placeandhealth/svi/at-a-glance_svi.html">CDC Social Vulnerability Index</a> (CDC SVI) uses 15 U.S. census variables to help local officials identify communities that may need support before, during, or after disasters.

"That Social Vulnerability Index looks at poverty, lack of access to transportation, crowded housing and other variables that prevent public health or emergency management from preventing human suffering and financial loss during a disaster, such as a pandemic," Gering said.

The vaccination clinic on Friday will be a day long event.

"That will be at the Sports Arena on Friday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.," Hammersmith said. "We will go ahead and vaccinate 700 people there. We are working in a collaboration with that."

All entries will be stratified through the risk calculator, rather than using pure demographic data to distribute.

"I think the general consensus with our medical collaborative was, it's better to distribute that vaccine among highest risk individuals, rather than stratifying by age group alone," Gering said. "Some other counties are doing their 80 plus population and the 75 to 79 population and they're stratifying down by age group, but we wanted to calculate it by risk."

If you don't have a computer or don't know how to use one, you can call the Health Department at 844-834-3657 or 620-259-3547 to be put on the list, but with just 700 doses to be distributed, there will be more demand than they have supply for.

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<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/12/1608739574842.jpeg" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>
By
NICK GOSNELL
Hutch
Post
HUTCHINSON,
Kan. — The Reno County Health Department plans on holding a vaccination clinic Friday for seniors who have not been vaccinated."We'll have a <a href="https://survey123.arcgis.com/share/01998f35f69046e0afb508d6da1ffad3">link on our website that will open that up to pre-register</a>," said Karen Hammersmith with the Health Department. "Then, we will have staff that goes ahead and stratifies those that are identified as being high risk in those 65 and older so that we get to those being stratified quickly."Data analyst DJ Gering explains what criteria are being used to decide what order to give the shots in."It's based off of the<a href="https://covid19risktools.com:8443/riskcalculator"> Johns Hopkins COVID-19 risk calculator</a>," Gering said. "It's a mortality risk calculation tool that they have posted online. It takes into account a person's age, their underlying medical conditions, what CDC calls a socially vulnerable population."<a href="https://www.atsdr.cdc.gov/placeandhealth/svi/at-a-glance_svi.html">CDC Social Vulnerability Index</a> (CDC SVI) uses 15 U.S. census variables to help local officials identify communities that may need support before, during, or after disasters."That Social Vulnerability Index looks at poverty, lack of access to transportation, crowded housing and other variables that prevent public health or emergency management from preventing human suffering and financial loss during a disaster, such as a pandemic," Gering said.The vaccination clinic on Friday will be a day long event."That will be at the Sports Arena on Friday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.," Hammersmith said. "We will go ahead and vaccinate 700 people there. We are working in a collaboration with that."All entries will be stratified through the risk calculator, rather than using pure demographic data to distribute."I think the general consensus with our medical collaborative was, it's better to distribute that vaccine among highest risk individuals, rather than stratifying by age group alone," Gering said. "Some other counties are doing their 80 plus population and the 75 to 79 population and they're stratifying down by age group, but we wanted to calculate it by risk."If you don't have a computer or don't know how to use one, you can call the Health Department at 844-834-3657 or 620-259-3547 to be put on the list, but with just 700 doses to be distributed, there will be more demand than they have supply for.<a href="https://hutchpost.com/download" target="_blank">CLICK HERE</a>&nbsp;to download the HutchPost mobile app. <a href="https://hutchpost.com/posts/5e73b532afae0f4d5f5d90ea" target="_blank">CLICK HERE</a>&nbsp;to sign up for the daily HutchPost email news update.&nbsp;&nbsp;

Vaccination clinic for seniors Friday, around 700 shots available


HUTCHINSON,
Kan. — 
The Cancer Council of Reno County's Reno Round Up will be different this year.

"It's going to be held on Saturday, February 20th at the same time as what our live event would have taken place," said Katie Thacker with the Cancer Council. "We're doing a live broadcast at 7 p.m. The format will feel pretty similar. It's just going to all take place virtually."

Online registration for the event is already open.

"In order to hopefully increase our proceeds and really just give not only the items, but maybe the businesses who donated those items the chance to be seen, we're having an in person preview event Saturday the 20th from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m."

The preview event will be at the Sandhills Event Center. The night of the roundup will have Thacker and fellow board member Carissa Iseman in charge of the festivities.

"Really, it will be the two of us emceeing and doing the virtual auction," Iseman said. "Both of us are on the board. Obviously, with Katie's director position, people have been hearing from us along this process and so, they'll see our faces that night, along with many others. With a virtual auction, we're able to do a lot more video and things like that, so we've asked a lot of people in the community and individuals that have touched patients lives, including some patients, to be part of our event."

If you'd like to help by donating items for the event, they still have a few days to get those. Email Thacker at <a href="http://katiethackerccrc@gmail.com">katiethackerccrc@gmail.com</a> with questions.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/1/1611665036462.jpeg" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>
By
NICK GOSNELL
Hutch
Post
HUTCHINSON,
Kan. — 
The Cancer Council of Reno County's Reno Round Up will be different this year."It's going to be held on Saturday, February 20th at the same time as what our live event would have taken place," said Katie Thacker with the Cancer Council. "We're doing a live broadcast at 7 p.m. The format will feel pretty similar. It's just going to all take place virtually."Online registration for the event is already open."In order to hopefully increase our proceeds and really just give not only the items, but maybe the businesses who donated those items the chance to be seen, we're having an in person preview event Saturday the 20th from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m."The preview event will be at the Sandhills Event Center. The night of the roundup will have Thacker and fellow board member Carissa Iseman in charge of the festivities."Really, it will be the two of us emceeing and doing the virtual auction," Iseman said. "Both of us are on the board. Obviously, with Katie's director position, people have been hearing from us along this process and so, they'll see our faces that night, along with many others. With a virtual auction, we're able to do a lot more video and things like that, so we've asked a lot of people in the community and individuals that have touched patients lives, including some patients, to be part of our event."If you'd like to help by donating items for the event, they still have a few days to get those. Email Thacker at <a href="http://katiethackerccrc@gmail.com">katiethackerccrc@gmail.com</a> with questions.

Reno Round Up for Cancer Council virtual next month

The National Weather Service has put a Winter Weather Advisory in effect from 6 p.m. Tuesday to 6 a.m. Wednesday. 

<a href="https://hutchpost.com/pages/weather">Get the latest on the storm from the K-S Storm Info Weather Center</a>

Snow is expected. Total snow accumulations of one to two inches are likely with higher amounts near three inches possible in portions of central, south central and southeast Kansas.

Plan on slippery road conditions. The hazardous conditions will impact the evening commute today and the morning commute on Wednesday.

Snowfall rates up to a half an inch per hour are possible.

The National Weather Service has put a Winter Weather Advisory in effect from 6 p.m. Tuesday to 6 a.m. Wednesday. <figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/1/1611665551179.jpeg" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure><a href="https://hutchpost.com/pages/weather">Get the latest on the storm from the K-S Storm Info Weather Center</a>Snow is expected. Total snow accumulations of one to two inches are likely with higher amounts near three inches possible in portions of central, south central and southeast Kansas.Plan on slippery road conditions. The hazardous conditions will impact the evening commute today and the morning commute on Wednesday.Snowfall rates up to a half an inch per hour are possible.

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