HUTCHINSON, Kan. — The Salt City Splash will be&nbsp; open one final weekend for public swimming before it closes for the 2020 summer season. The Splash will be open both days from 12:30-6:30 p.m.

On Monday, the Splash will host its annual Dog’s Day from 4-8 p.m. Dogs are $5 each; humans are free; and a portion of the admissions will go to the Splash’s event partners, Cause for Paws.&nbsp;

Patrons entering the facility are asked to wear masks during Dog’s Day when social distancing is not possible. Those individuals under 16 years old are not allowed in the water at any time and patrons are advised to not get in the water above their waist.&nbsp;

All dogs must be updated on their vaccinations and of course, love people and other dogs.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/8/1598025534204.jpeg" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>HUTCHINSON, Kan. — The Salt City Splash will be&nbsp; open one final weekend for public swimming before it closes for the 2020 summer season. The Splash will be open both days from 12:30-6:30 p.m.On Monday, the Splash will host its annual Dog’s Day from 4-8 p.m. Dogs are $5 each; humans are free; and a portion of the admissions will go to the Splash’s event partners, Cause for Paws.&nbsp;Patrons entering the facility are asked to wear masks during Dog’s Day when social distancing is not possible. Those individuals under 16 years old are not allowed in the water at any time and patrons are advised to not get in the water above their waist.&nbsp;All dogs must be updated on their vaccinations and of course, love people and other dogs..

Dogs Day at the Splash set for Monday

HUTCHINSON, Kan. — Reno County Commissioners will hold a public hearing for vacating a portion of Mohawk Road that runs along the east side of the landfill.

The hearing will be held during the board's regular meeting on Tuesday. The county wants to vacate the road so the landfill can move the entrance to the facility east, out to the area of the road.&nbsp;

The project would include a new scale house and equipment facility. The move would also allow the landfill to utilize the property it owns east of Mohawk. The land can’t be used for disposal space, but it can provide other services.

Following the public hearing, the commission will vote on whether to vacate the road. It could also include some new utility easements for Evergy and IdeaTek as well.

Also Tuesday, the board will get the weekly update on the pandemic and discuss moving the Rcat bus transfer point to the northwest corner of the Walmart parking lot. Currently, the transfer point is at the Hutchinson Mall, which means riders must make the long walk over to Walmart or transfer to another bus.

Rcat Director Barb Lillyhorn says a majority of passengers who travel to the east side of the city want to go to Walmart, so this would make the trip easier.&nbsp;

Tuesday’s meeting of the Reno County Commission begins at 9 a.m. at the Reno County Courthouse.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/4/1586977431557.jpeg" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>HUTCHINSON, Kan. — Reno County Commissioners will hold a public hearing for vacating a portion of Mohawk Road that runs along the east side of the landfill.The hearing will be held during the board's regular meeting on Tuesday. The county wants to vacate the road so the landfill can move the entrance to the facility east, out to the area of the road.&nbsp;The project would include a new scale house and equipment facility. The move would also allow the landfill to utilize the property it owns east of Mohawk. The land can’t be used for disposal space, but it can provide other services.Following the public hearing, the commission will vote on whether to vacate the road. It could also include some new utility easements for Evergy and IdeaTek as well.Also Tuesday, the board will get the weekly update on the pandemic and discuss moving the Rcat bus transfer point to the northwest corner of the Walmart parking lot. Currently, the transfer point is at the Hutchinson Mall, which means riders must make the long walk over to Walmart or transfer to another bus.Rcat Director Barb Lillyhorn says a majority of passengers who travel to the east side of the city want to go to Walmart, so this would make the trip easier.&nbsp;Tuesday’s meeting of the Reno County Commission begins at 9 a.m. at the Reno County Courthouse.

Commission to hold public hearing on road closing

HUTCHINSON, Kan. — The unemployment rate took a turn upward in Reno County for the month of July.

The numbers released from the Kansas Department of Labor show the jobless rate for July was 7%. That's up from 6.5% in June. The unemployment rate in Hutchinson increased from 7.3% to 7.9%.&nbsp;

There were 2,146 county residents out of work, which is an increase of 171 from the previous month. The number is still more than 350 less than the May jobless rate when nearly 2,500 county residents were without work.

The state's unemployment rate was essentially flat, increasing by a tenth of a percent to 7.1%.

<figure>
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 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>HUTCHINSON, Kan. — The unemployment rate took a turn upward in Reno County for the month of July.The numbers released from the Kansas Department of Labor show the jobless rate for July was 7%. That's up from 6.5% in June. The unemployment rate in Hutchinson increased from 7.3% to 7.9%.&nbsp;There were 2,146 county residents out of work, which is an increase of 171 from the previous month. The number is still more than 350 less than the May jobless rate when nearly 2,500 county residents were without work.The state's unemployment rate was essentially flat, increasing by a tenth of a percent to 7.1%.

Jobless rate inches up in Reno County


HUTCHINSON,
Kan. —&nbsp;COVID-19 has changed the focus of many areas in Hutchinson and the police and fire service are included.

"This is fascinating to me," said Hutchinson Police Chief Jeff Hooper. "My degree is in sociology, so I just love seeing the social effects on crime. We have seen kind of a shift in the types of crime we have and the amount of crimes that we've had in our community. A lot of that is based off of COVID and people's change of lifestyle because of what's going on in society now. It's challenging for us as a law enforcement agency, because we have to shift our focus and adapt to that."

On the fire side, Chief Steven Beer says some risk has gone up.

"One thing that we've seen, with everybody staying at home, we knew a lot of people were going to do more home cooking," Beer said. "Home cooking is the number one cause of residential fires, the number one cause in the city here and across the country. A lot of these fires never make the paper, because there's not flames blowing out the windows and stuff like that. They're confined to the room of origin, or like, in a stovetop case, grease catches on fire, maybe the cabinets and its quickly knocked down."

Both Hutchinson Police and Fire are looking for new recruits to serve the public. If you're interested in helping your community, check out their social media pages for details.

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By
NICK GOSNELL
Hutch
Post
HUTCHINSON,
Kan. —&nbsp;COVID-19 has changed the focus of many areas in Hutchinson and the police and fire service are included."This is fascinating to me," said Hutchinson Police Chief Jeff Hooper. "My degree is in sociology, so I just love seeing the social effects on crime. We have seen kind of a shift in the types of crime we have and the amount of crimes that we've had in our community. A lot of that is based off of COVID and people's change of lifestyle because of what's going on in society now. It's challenging for us as a law enforcement agency, because we have to shift our focus and adapt to that."On the fire side, Chief Steven Beer says some risk has gone up."One thing that we've seen, with everybody staying at home, we knew a lot of people were going to do more home cooking," Beer said. "Home cooking is the number one cause of residential fires, the number one cause in the city here and across the country. A lot of these fires never make the paper, because there's not flames blowing out the windows and stuff like that. They're confined to the room of origin, or like, in a stovetop case, grease catches on fire, maybe the cabinets and its quickly knocked down."Both Hutchinson Police and Fire are looking for new recruits to serve the public. If you're interested in helping your community, check out their social media pages for details.

Focus of police and fire service on different areas in light of COVID-19

HUTCHINSON, Kan. — The Hutchinson USD 308 School Board will hold a public hearing on the 20-21 budget just prior to their regular Monday agenda session.

The budget hearing begins at 5:50 p.m. at the Mid-Town Center. Once that is settled the board will seek approval of a contract for the sale of the HCTEA trades home constructed by students each year. The new home is located at 2712 Morris Road. The cost of the home is $263,300. The money from the sale goes to help provide materials and equipment to build next year's home.

Also Monday, the board will go into executive session to discuss potential items regarding the 2020-21 contract negotiations and hold another executive session to discuss a non-elected personnel matter.

The board will end the meeting with a study session on signing bonuses and the redesign platforms currently being implemented at various elementary schools.

Monday’s meeting begins at 6 p.m. at the Mid Town Center and again that will be preceded by the public hearing on the budget at 5:50.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2019/11/1574794748723.jpeg" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>HUTCHINSON, Kan. — The Hutchinson USD 308 School Board will hold a public hearing on the 20-21 budget just prior to their regular Monday agenda session.The budget hearing begins at 5:50 p.m. at the Mid-Town Center. Once that is settled the board will seek approval of a contract for the sale of the HCTEA trades home constructed by students each year. The new home is located at 2712 Morris Road. The cost of the home is $263,300. The money from the sale goes to help provide materials and equipment to build next year's home.Also Monday, the board will go into executive session to discuss potential items regarding the 2020-21 contract negotiations and hold another executive session to discuss a non-elected personnel matter.The board will end the meeting with a study session on signing bonuses and the redesign platforms currently being implemented at various elementary schools.Monday’s meeting begins at 6 p.m. at the Mid Town Center and again that will be preceded by the public hearing on the budget at 5:50.

USD 308 Board to hold public hearing on budget Monday


HUTCHINSON,
Kan. —&nbsp;Kansas State Fair spokesperson Amy Bickel reminds us that if you are craving fair food, today and tomorrow are the days for it.

"Anything deep-fried on a stick, right?" Bickel said. "That's one reason people come to the fair and they'll still be able to have their fix of Pronto Pups, funnel cakes, fried Oreos and so much more this weekend and we're excited to be able to host the public and have this kind of micro event and do it safely."

There is no gate admission for this event. A dozen Kansas food vendors will be selling Fair cuisine from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. each day.

"Everything's outside," Bickel said. "We look at it as kind of an outdoor restaurant-style, spread out, where people can go get their food, they can come to our park-like atmosphere. They can spread out or they can leave with it. It's a come and go type of an event."

The giant yellow slide also will be open and the music portion begins at 5 p.m. Saturday.

We've found some great Kansas artists that are coming," Bickel said. "The first one is Sassanachs at 5:00. They're a high-energy Irish band from Harvey County. They're just a lot of fun. It's followed at 6:00 by a performance by Mikayla Brownlee. If there's any American Idol fans out there, you'll remember her from the past season. Makayla's from Wellington. She's 17 years old and she auditioned in Wichita last September and made it. Our headliner is Lockeland. They'll be at 7:00. This is a Nashville group. They're rising on the Country Music scene. They've performed with the likes of Big &amp; Rich, Kip Moore, Josh Turner and LANCO."

The Kansas Fairgrounds Foundation also will have a booth selling T-shirts and taking donations for the Fair’s current Kansas Cares About the Fair Campaign. 

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By
NICK GOSNELL
Hutch
Post
HUTCHINSON,
Kan. —&nbsp;Kansas State Fair spokesperson Amy Bickel reminds us that if you are craving fair food, today and tomorrow are the days for it."Anything deep-fried on a stick, right?" Bickel said. "That's one reason people come to the fair and they'll still be able to have their fix of Pronto Pups, funnel cakes, fried Oreos and so much more this weekend and we're excited to be able to host the public and have this kind of micro event and do it safely."There is no gate admission for this event. A dozen Kansas food vendors will be selling Fair cuisine from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. each day."Everything's outside," Bickel said. "We look at it as kind of an outdoor restaurant-style, spread out, where people can go get their food, they can come to our park-like atmosphere. They can spread out or they can leave with it. It's a come and go type of an event."The giant yellow slide also will be open and the music portion begins at 5 p.m. Saturday.We've found some great Kansas artists that are coming," Bickel said. "The first one is Sassanachs at 5:00. They're a high-energy Irish band from Harvey County. They're just a lot of fun. It's followed at 6:00 by a performance by Mikayla Brownlee. If there's any American Idol fans out there, you'll remember her from the past season. Makayla's from Wellington. She's 17 years old and she auditioned in Wichita last September and made it. Our headliner is Lockeland. They'll be at 7:00. This is a Nashville group. They're rising on the Country Music scene. They've performed with the likes of Big &amp; Rich, Kip Moore, Josh Turner and LANCO."The Kansas Fairgrounds Foundation also will have a booth selling T-shirts and taking donations for the Fair’s current Kansas Cares About the Fair Campaign.

Fair food and tunes Friday and Saturday


HUTCHINSON,
Kan. —&nbsp;A pulmonologist with Hutchinson Regional Health System notes that there is an aspect of treatment with COVID-19 that is as new as the virus.

"For the first time ever treating a pneumonia, we started treating the low oxygen associated with this pneumonia by putting them on blood thinners," said Dr. Mohammed Al-Halawani. "We give oxygen supplementation, we put the patient on blood thinners. That's not the aspirin. I've seen on social media people belittling the disease and saying, oh you can take some Tylenol and aspirin at home and that will take care of the blood clot issue. That will not do anything for the blood clot issue."

The virus itself appears to be different than it was earlier in the pandemic.

"We've noticed also that the severity of disease kind of dropped," Al-Halawani said. "We're seeing more cases now than we saw in the beginning of the pandemic. Some studies out there show that the virus mutated in a way that it became less severe, but more infectious."

Dr. Al-Halawani notes that such developments means mask wearing is really important.

"Because it's easier to spread the virus, now you'll have more asymptomatic carriers or people with minor symptoms. You know, I spiked a fever last night and that's it and I think I'm fine. In reality, I would be carrying the virus and then spreading the virus around if I'm not wearing a mask. That could jeopardize the life of some elderly guy that I just crossed paths with."

Al-Halawani reminds us that wearing a mask is not to protect the person wearing it. It's to protect other people.

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By
NICK GOSNELL
Hutch
Post
HUTCHINSON,
Kan. —&nbsp;A pulmonologist with Hutchinson Regional Health System notes that there is an aspect of treatment with COVID-19 that is as new as the virus."For the first time ever treating a pneumonia, we started treating the low oxygen associated with this pneumonia by putting them on blood thinners," said Dr. Mohammed Al-Halawani. "We give oxygen supplementation, we put the patient on blood thinners. That's not the aspirin. I've seen on social media people belittling the disease and saying, oh you can take some Tylenol and aspirin at home and that will take care of the blood clot issue. That will not do anything for the blood clot issue."The virus itself appears to be different than it was earlier in the pandemic."We've noticed also that the severity of disease kind of dropped," Al-Halawani said. "We're seeing more cases now than we saw in the beginning of the pandemic. Some studies out there show that the virus mutated in a way that it became less severe, but more infectious."Dr. Al-Halawani notes that such developments means mask wearing is really important."Because it's easier to spread the virus, now you'll have more asymptomatic carriers or people with minor symptoms. You know, I spiked a fever last night and that's it and I think I'm fine. In reality, I would be carrying the virus and then spreading the virus around if I'm not wearing a mask. That could jeopardize the life of some elderly guy that I just crossed paths with."Al-Halawani reminds us that wearing a mask is not to protect the person wearing it. It's to protect other people.

Pulmonologist encourages mask wearing


HUTCHINSON,
Kan. — The active case count in Reno County is trending down as of Friday morning.

According to the county's dashboard, there are 132 cases of COVID-19 active in the county, with 406 recovered. One person has died from COVID-19 thus far.

Of those 132 cases, 81 are from the Hutchinson Correctional Facility, with 10 others from separate clusters. That means there are only 41 non-cluster related cases in the county as of late Thursday.

The overall positive test rate is down to 8.98%, but the community test rate, not including the prison, is up to 6.69%. 6,004 people have been tested with 5,465 negatives. 9.55% of the population has been tested.

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HUTCHINSON,
Kan. — The active case count in Reno County is trending down as of Friday morning.According to the county's dashboard, there are 132 cases of COVID-19 active in the county, with 406 recovered. One person has died from COVID-19 thus far.Of those 132 cases, 81 are from the Hutchinson Correctional Facility, with 10 others from separate clusters. That means there are only 41 non-cluster related cases in the county as of late Thursday.The overall positive test rate is down to 8.98%, but the community test rate, not including the prison, is up to 6.69%. 6,004 people have been tested with 5,465 negatives. 9.55% of the population has been tested.

Case count trending down in county as of Friday, 132 positive, 41 non-cluster related

HAVEN, Kan. — The Haven USD 312 School District sent out an announcement on Wednesday that all students will be required to wear a face mask when riding in a school bus or any school vehicle.&nbsp;

In addition, all passengers will have their temperature taken prior to being transported. If their temperature is above 100.0, they will not be transported. The district is asking that parents or guardians take your student's temperature before sending them to the bus to help prevent them from being sent home, and to make sure young students have an adult available to receive them if they are running a fever.&nbsp;

If there is a medical reason your student cannot wear a mask, the district asks that you contact the USD 312 transportation department at 620-465-3445 ext 1110 or email mbray@havenschools.com.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/5/1589217911668.jpeg" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>HAVEN, Kan. — The Haven USD 312 School District sent out an announcement on Wednesday that all students will be required to wear a face mask when riding in a school bus or any school vehicle.&nbsp;In addition, all passengers will have their temperature taken prior to being transported. If their temperature is above 100.0, they will not be transported. The district is asking that parents or guardians take your student's temperature before sending them to the bus to help prevent them from being sent home, and to make sure young students have an adult available to receive them if they are running a fever.&nbsp;If there is a medical reason your student cannot wear a mask, the district asks that you contact the USD 312 transportation department at 620-465-3445 ext 1110 or email mbray@havenschools.com.

USD 312 Haven releases guidelines for students riding buses 

HUTCHINSON, Kan. — One person was killed in an accident at 56th and Hendricks Wednesday afternoon. Deputies were dispatched at 5:16 p.m. 

Deputies determined that Joseph Decker, a 30-year-old male from Hutchinson, was driving his 2005 Ford Ranger pickup westbound on 56th Avenue and started to make a left-hand turn onto Hendricks Street.&nbsp; 

Seventy-four-year-old Dennis Sandford of rural Hutchinson was eastbound on 56th Avenue driving a 2008 Harley Davidson Softail motorcycle. 

 Sandford impacted the passenger side of the turning vehicle, which was being operated by Decker.  The impact caused the Ford Ranger to spin into a 2012 GMC Terrain that was being operated by 31-year-old Kayla Whitley of Nickerson.  Whitley had been traveling north and was stopped at the stop sign of the intersection waiting on traffic.  

Several witnesses stopped and attempted life-saving measures to assist Sandford until Reno County EMS, Nickerson EMS and District Three firefighters could get to the scene and continue with life-saving attempts.  Dennis Sandford was pronounced deceased on scene. No one else was hurt.

This accident is still under investigation. If you witnessed the accident, please contact the Sheriff's Office.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/3/1583185956572.jpeg" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>HUTCHINSON, Kan. — One person was killed in an accident at 56th and Hendricks Wednesday afternoon. Deputies were dispatched at 5:16 p.m. Deputies determined that Joseph Decker, a 30-year-old male from Hutchinson, was driving his 2005 Ford Ranger pickup westbound on 56th Avenue and started to make a left-hand turn onto Hendricks Street.&nbsp; Seventy-four-year-old Dennis Sandford of rural Hutchinson was eastbound on 56th Avenue driving a 2008 Harley Davidson Softail motorcycle. Sandford impacted the passenger side of the turning vehicle, which was being operated by Decker. The impact caused the Ford Ranger to spin into a 2012 GMC Terrain that was being operated by 31-year-old Kayla Whitley of Nickerson. Whitley had been traveling north and was stopped at the stop sign of the intersection waiting on traffic. Several witnesses stopped and attempted life-saving measures to assist Sandford until Reno County EMS, Nickerson EMS and District Three firefighters could get to the scene and continue with life-saving attempts. Dennis Sandford was pronounced deceased on scene. No one else was hurt.This accident is still under investigation. If you witnessed the accident, please contact the Sheriff's Office.

Sheriff's office reports fatal accident Wednesday afternoon

Release from Hutchinson Fire Department

HUTCHINSON,
Kan. —&nbsp;Fire Crews responded to 4302 Foothill Drive at 6:23 a.m. Thursday for a reported structure fire. Reports from dispatch advised all occupants were out of the structure.  

The first arriving unit reported smoke from the garage and attic area, initiating an aggressive fire attack with additional arriving units completing search, utility disconnect and overhaul functions.

Fire crews were able to bring the fire under control quickly with fire damage being contained to the garage area of the home. Following investigation, the fire cause was determined to be an overloaded extension cord.

The Hutchinson Fire Department was assisted by Reno County EMS, Kansas Gas, and Evergy.

<figure>
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 </figure>Release from Hutchinson Fire DepartmentHUTCHINSON,
Kan. —&nbsp;Fire Crews responded to 4302 Foothill Drive at 6:23 a.m. Thursday for a reported structure fire. Reports from dispatch advised all occupants were out of the structure. The first arriving unit reported smoke from the garage and attic area, initiating an aggressive fire attack with additional arriving units completing search, utility disconnect and overhaul functions.Fire crews were able to bring the fire under control quickly with fire damage being contained to the garage area of the home. Following investigation, the fire cause was determined to be an overloaded extension cord.The Hutchinson Fire Department was assisted by Reno County EMS, Kansas Gas, and Evergy.

Overloaded cord likely cause of Thursday fire

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. — The annual Downtown Hutchinson Rod Run event has been cancelled for 2020, but they are planning to help anyway. 

"The Rod Run will be teaming up with First Call for Help to host a School Supply Drive," said Jim Gruver with the Rod Run. 

The drive-thru donation event will be at DCI Park on August 22nd from noon to 9 p.m. in the parking lot. 

"Cruise on down Main with your family and help support local families in need as we start off the new school year," Gruver said.

Grab some lunch or dinner from one of the drive up food trucks. There will be free live music by Red Line from 6:00 to 9:00 p.m. in the park.

First Call for Help will be accepting check donations. No cash will be accepted at Saturday's event.

Rod Run Shirts will be for sale for $5. Proceeds will benefit First Call for Help.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/8/1597933387369.jpeg" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>HUTCHINSON, Kan. — The annual Downtown Hutchinson Rod Run event has been cancelled for 2020, but they are planning to help anyway. "The Rod Run will be teaming up with First Call for Help to host a School Supply Drive," said Jim Gruver with the Rod Run. The drive-thru donation event will be at DCI Park on August 22nd from noon to 9 p.m. in the parking lot. "Cruise on down Main with your family and help support local families in need as we start off the new school year," Gruver said.Grab some lunch or dinner from one of the drive up food trucks. There will be free live music by Red Line from 6:00 to 9:00 p.m. in the park.First Call for Help will be accepting check donations. No cash will be accepted at Saturday's event.Rod Run Shirts will be for sale for $5. Proceeds will benefit First Call for Help.The event will occur rain or shine.

Rod Run to modify to school supply drive Saturday


HUTCHINSON,
Kan. —&nbsp;Hutchinson Police Chief Jeff Hooper would like to see Orchard Park get a gate to help with problems they are seeing in that area.

"We've put multiple officers up there," Hooper said. "We have that as an extra patrol area and a selective enforcement zone. We've even, with some of the vandalism and stuff, this may sound silly, but we even put plainclothes officers out hiding in the trees with binoculars and officers in cop cars waiting around the corner for when this group shows up and starts causing problems so we could identify them."

The problem is the camera that is up there isn't helping.

"Because of the ring around that structure, we can't get a downward angle to see the parking area or the entrance so we could actually record tags coming in and going out," Hooper said. "We just can't get the proper angle. We'd have to get with him, but it would cost a significant amount of money to put a camera system up there whereby we could do that."

There is a group of car enthusiasts that likes to go up there that has tried to help, but unless someone is out there all the time, it's just not working.

"The best method would be to put a gate across there that we could close at hours, so that would obviously deny access to that park," Hooper said. "The biggest problem with that is somebody's got to lock it every day, somebody's got to unlock it every morning."

The only issue with that is being sure no one is out on the walking trails when the gate is closed at night, so it could involve considerable time on occasion. The goal is to bring a solution back in the next couple of meetings.

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By
NICK GOSNELL
Hutch
Post
HUTCHINSON,
Kan. —&nbsp;Hutchinson Police Chief Jeff Hooper would like to see Orchard Park get a gate to help with problems they are seeing in that area."We've put multiple officers up there," Hooper said. "We have that as an extra patrol area and a selective enforcement zone. We've even, with some of the vandalism and stuff, this may sound silly, but we even put plainclothes officers out hiding in the trees with binoculars and officers in cop cars waiting around the corner for when this group shows up and starts causing problems so we could identify them."The problem is the camera that is up there isn't helping."Because of the ring around that structure, we can't get a downward angle to see the parking area or the entrance so we could actually record tags coming in and going out," Hooper said. "We just can't get the proper angle. We'd have to get with him, but it would cost a significant amount of money to put a camera system up there whereby we could do that."There is a group of car enthusiasts that likes to go up there that has tried to help, but unless someone is out there all the time, it's just not working."The best method would be to put a gate across there that we could close at hours, so that would obviously deny access to that park," Hooper said. "The biggest problem with that is somebody's got to lock it every day, somebody's got to unlock it every morning."The only issue with that is being sure no one is out on the walking trails when the gate is closed at night, so it could involve considerable time on occasion. The goal is to bring a solution back in the next couple of meetings.

Gate at Orchard Park proposed at council meeting

HUTCHINSON, Kan. — According to the Reno County dashboard at renogov.org, the county has hit 250 active cases of COVID-19. The big bump is once again from an update on the case count at Hutchinson Correctional Facility. 156 of the cases are related to that cluster. Those updates typically come out on Wednesdays.

The previous long-term care facility cluster in Pretty Prairie no longer registers any active cases. Only nine other cases in the county are cluster related. That means there are 85 non-cluster related cases in the county.

276 people have recovered. One person died from the virus. 

As of Wednesday's report from the Reno County Health Department, there were six positive COVID patients receiving treatment from Hutchinson Regional Medical Center, nine others are awaiting test results and one person is intubated.

The positive test rate has very slightly ticked up. It is at 9.1% counting the prison and 6.67% for community cases. 9.21% of the population has been tested.

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 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/7/1595202434504.jpeg" alt="" />
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 </figure>HUTCHINSON, Kan. — According to the Reno County dashboard at renogov.org, the county has hit 250 active cases of COVID-19. The big bump is once again from an update on the case count at Hutchinson Correctional Facility. 156 of the cases are related to that cluster. Those updates typically come out on Wednesdays.The previous long-term care facility cluster in Pretty Prairie no longer registers any active cases. Only nine other cases in the county are cluster related. That means there are 85 non-cluster related cases in the county.276 people have recovered. One person died from the virus. As of Wednesday's report from the Reno County Health Department, there were six positive COVID patients receiving treatment from Hutchinson Regional Medical Center, nine others are awaiting test results and one person is intubated.The positive test rate has very slightly ticked up. It is at 9.1% counting the prison and 6.67% for community cases. 9.21% of the population has been tested.

Update in HCF case count puts county total at 250, 85 are non-cluster related

BUHLER, Kan. — The Buhler USD 313 School Board will meet in a special session on Thursday. The board will take action on several personnel matters and seek approval of bids for concentrated service for the school year.

The board will also take time to tour all of the district's facilities during the day before adjourning the meeting.

Thursday’s meeting begins at 8 a.m. at Union Valley Elementary School.

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 </figure>BUHLER, Kan. — The Buhler USD 313 School Board will meet in a special session on Thursday. The board will take action on several personnel matters and seek approval of bids for concentrated service for the school year.The board will also take time to tour all of the district's facilities during the day before adjourning the meeting.Thursday’s meeting begins at 8 a.m. at Union Valley Elementary School.

USD 313 board to hold special meeting

SOUTH HUTCHINSON, Kan. — With the Reno County Planning Commission preparing to set a public hearing date on new regulations for wind farms in the county, the&nbsp; Reno County Citizens for Quality of Life has responded with a letter stating the proposed regulations are not enough.

In the letter provided to Hutch Post and Eagle Radio by the County Planning Department, the group states, “While we appreciate your efforts in improving current WECS regulations, there are some oversights that need to be addressed before a final draft is approved.”

The group says its primary concern throughout the process has consistently been protecting the property rights of both participating and non-participating property owners.

“Reno County must have clearly defined setbacks. It is irresponsible of the county to expect a developer to be the only protector of landowner rights. These regulations will provide guidelines for developers that need to be met prior to submitting a project proposal. However, the primary objective of the county should be to protect the county. This kind of ambiguity leaves the county vulnerable to legal action from both developers and private citizens,” according to the letter.

The group also states that there is a lack of verbiage differentiating between participating and non-participating landowner rights and setbacks.&nbsp;

The Planning Commission will take action on setting a public hearing date on the regulations during a meeting Thursday at 4:30 p.m. at the Public Works offices in South Hutchinson. No public comment will be taken during the meeting.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/4/1587393083167.jpeg" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>SOUTH HUTCHINSON, Kan. — With the Reno County Planning Commission preparing to set a public hearing date on new regulations for wind farms in the county, the&nbsp; Reno County Citizens for Quality of Life has responded with a letter stating the proposed regulations are not enough.In the letter provided to Hutch Post and Eagle Radio by the County Planning Department, the group states, “While we appreciate your efforts in improving current WECS regulations, there are some oversights that need to be addressed before a final draft is approved.”The group says its primary concern throughout the process has consistently been protecting the property rights of both participating and non-participating property owners.“Reno County must have clearly defined setbacks. It is irresponsible of the county to expect a developer to be the only protector of landowner rights. These regulations will provide guidelines for developers that need to be met prior to submitting a project proposal. However, the primary objective of the county should be to protect the county. This kind of ambiguity leaves the county vulnerable to legal action from both developers and private citizens,” according to the letter.The group also states that there is a lack of verbiage differentiating between participating and non-participating landowner rights and setbacks.&nbsp;The Planning Commission will take action on setting a public hearing date on the regulations during a meeting Thursday at 4:30 p.m. at the Public Works offices in South Hutchinson. No public comment will be taken during the meeting.

Group responds to proposed wind regulations

HUTCHINSON, Kan. — Hutchinson Community College says it will pursue funding through the Higher Education Advanced Manufacturing grants.&nbsp;

The grants were announced last week by the state of Kansas as a way to drive employment opportunities for residents who may have lost jobs during the pandemic. The program would focus on reskilling or upskilling individuals affected by COVID-19 to meet economic sector needs in high-demand, high-wage occupations.

College Spokesperson Denny Stoecklein says the college will also pursue a grant in the IT, Cybersecurity &amp; IT Project Management Certification Training program as part of a consortium of community colleges and technical colleges. The rapid response training program would provide training, certificate testing and job placement assistance in the areas of IT, cybersecurity and IT project management.

Stoecklein says the college is still putting together details on how they would use the funds and how those programs would be implemented into their coursework.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/2/1581541933395.png" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>HUTCHINSON, Kan. — Hutchinson Community College says it will pursue funding through the Higher Education Advanced Manufacturing grants.&nbsp;The grants were announced last week by the state of Kansas as a way to drive employment opportunities for residents who may have lost jobs during the pandemic. The program would focus on reskilling or upskilling individuals affected by COVID-19 to meet economic sector needs in high-demand, high-wage occupations.College Spokesperson Denny Stoecklein says the college will also pursue a grant in the IT, Cybersecurity &amp; IT Project Management Certification Training program as part of a consortium of community colleges and technical colleges. The rapid response training program would provide training, certificate testing and job placement assistance in the areas of IT, cybersecurity and IT project management.Stoecklein says the college is still putting together details on how they would use the funds and how those programs would be implemented into their coursework.

Hutch CC will pursue SPARK grant funds for job development


HUTCHINSON,
Kan. —&nbsp;Reno County Deputy Election Officer Jenna Fager said there has been some confusion lately about mail in ballot applications coming from an outside organization.

"It's an organization called the Center for Voter Information," Fager said. "It is a valid application, but we are being bombarded with calls right now with people concerned that we didn't get their first application, that sort of thing or do they need to fill it out if they've already put in an application. They don't."

Applications for both the primary and the general election were sent to Reno County registered voters by the election office earlier this year.

"As long as you completed both applications, you're good to go and you will definitely get your mail ballot," Fager said. "We are beginning to process the November applications currently. We hope to have that updated here within the next couple of weeks. You can go on our website, track your ballot and make sure that your application is in there."

Once you have your ballot, don't wait to vote.

"We recommend that, once you get your ballot, fill it out and send it back as soon as you can. We do have a drop box out here in front of the Reno County Annex that you can drop it off in. You can also hand deliver it to our office if you'd prefer to do that."

Fager said she has around 8000 mail in forms to process for November.

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By
NICK GOSNELL
Hutch
Post
HUTCHINSON,
Kan. —&nbsp;Reno County Deputy Election Officer Jenna Fager said there has been some confusion lately about mail in ballot applications coming from an outside organization."It's an organization called the Center for Voter Information," Fager said. "It is a valid application, but we are being bombarded with calls right now with people concerned that we didn't get their first application, that sort of thing or do they need to fill it out if they've already put in an application. They don't."Applications for both the primary and the general election were sent to Reno County registered voters by the election office earlier this year."As long as you completed both applications, you're good to go and you will definitely get your mail ballot," Fager said. "We are beginning to process the November applications currently. We hope to have that updated here within the next couple of weeks. You can go on our website, track your ballot and make sure that your application is in there."Once you have your ballot, don't wait to vote."We recommend that, once you get your ballot, fill it out and send it back as soon as you can. We do have a drop box out here in front of the Reno County Annex that you can drop it off in. You can also hand deliver it to our office if you'd prefer to do that."Fager said she has around 8000 mail in forms to process for November.

Mail in ballot applications being processed; no need to fill out more than one

NICKERSON, Kan. — The Nickerson City Council took time Monday to discuss the 1% sales tax that is currently in place and what to do with the available funds.

The tax was approved by a vote in 2012 and was the main funding source for the new community center. The tax was extended by a vote in 2017 and runs through 2022. The funds can be used for a wide variety of projects including playgrounds, street and sewer maintenance, and water service. The sales tax generates around $65,000 per year. The current fund balance from the sales tax is around $187,000.

City Clerk April Beshears says the Council will meet in a special session on Monday, August 24 to discuss what constituents are saying about how the money should be spent.&nbsp;

Monday’s meeting is set for 5 p.m. at the Nickerson city offices.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/8/1597851283659.jpeg" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>NICKERSON, Kan. — The Nickerson City Council took time Monday to discuss the 1% sales tax that is currently in place and what to do with the available funds.The tax was approved by a vote in 2012 and was the main funding source for the new community center. The tax was extended by a vote in 2017 and runs through 2022. The funds can be used for a wide variety of projects including playgrounds, street and sewer maintenance, and water service. The sales tax generates around $65,000 per year. The current fund balance from the sales tax is around $187,000.City Clerk April Beshears says the Council will meet in a special session on Monday, August 24 to discuss what constituents are saying about how the money should be spent.&nbsp;Monday’s meeting is set for 5 p.m. at the Nickerson city offices.

Nickerson City Council discusses 1% sales tax


HUTCHINSON,
Kan. —&nbsp;Hutchinson Public Works Director Brian Clennan explained to the City Council Tuesday how the secondary effluent water treatment for the city works as they prepare to spend money on equipment to upgrade it.

"We essentially have two systems for our secondary treatment," Clennan said. "The first system consists of aeration basin one and aeration basin two. Air is supplied to these two basins by equipment that's located in blower building one. This system was constructed in 1985. It treats roughly 40% of the flow."

A second 2005 system treats the other 60% of the flow. The upgrades are on the older system, in an effort to comply with new state requirements for ammonia levels.

"The improvements are to supply more oxygen to the waste, so that we can reduce our ammonia concentration in the wastewater," Clennan said. "Those improvements will consist of four new blowers, some HVAC improvements at blower building one, new aeration piping. We're also going to have new diffusers installed in aeration basins one and two. These diffusers, what they do is, they basically put out fine bubbles into those basins. Then those bubbles diffuse oxygen into the wastewater held in these two basins."

Also, the city will be relocating the centrifuge and gravity belt cintrate line to improve overall plant operations. The new amendment added $2.1 million to the project. The total contract value at this point is $4.2 million.

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By
NICK GOSNELL
Hutch
Post
HUTCHINSON,
Kan. —&nbsp;Hutchinson Public Works Director Brian Clennan explained to the City Council Tuesday how the secondary effluent water treatment for the city works as they prepare to spend money on equipment to upgrade it."We essentially have two systems for our secondary treatment," Clennan said. "The first system consists of aeration basin one and aeration basin two. Air is supplied to these two basins by equipment that's located in blower building one. This system was constructed in 1985. It treats roughly 40% of the flow."A second 2005 system treats the other 60% of the flow. The upgrades are on the older system, in an effort to comply with new state requirements for ammonia levels."The improvements are to supply more oxygen to the waste, so that we can reduce our ammonia concentration in the wastewater," Clennan said. "Those improvements will consist of four new blowers, some HVAC improvements at blower building one, new aeration piping. We're also going to have new diffusers installed in aeration basins one and two. These diffusers, what they do is, they basically put out fine bubbles into those basins. Then those bubbles diffuse oxygen into the wastewater held in these two basins."Also, the city will be relocating the centrifuge and gravity belt cintrate line to improve overall plant operations. The new amendment added $2.1 million to the project. The total contract value at this point is $4.2 million.

City council approves wastewater project changes


HUTCHINSON,
Kan. —&nbsp;The Cosmosphere will be reducing its hours after Labor Day.

"This is a new approach for us," said Mimi Meredith, Senior Vice President of Development and Chief Development Officer. "We're trying to control expenses and also to ensure that we're available during peak times of the year to our visitors."

Because of the pandemic, some of that peak attendance was missed in 2020.

"We were one day into spring break, which is our greatest revenue generator each year, when we had to close our doors." Meredith said. "Our generally very robust field trip season, we had none of that this year from schools throughout the region. We were closed from March 17 through May 22. That did impact us. Attendance has been off. We're at about 60% of where we normally would be. In addition, we had to cancel some pretty major fundraising events due to the pandemic."

The museum also eliminated seven staff positions and cut $1.2 million in expenses.

"Beginning the Tuesday after Labor Day, that's when our attendance generally falls off, the new hours will be Wednesday through Sunday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.," Meredith said.

For more information, please contact the Cosmosphere Box Office at (620) 665-9312.

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 </figure>
By
NICK GOSNELL
Hutch
Post
HUTCHINSON,
Kan. —&nbsp;The Cosmosphere will be reducing its hours after Labor Day."This is a new approach for us," said Mimi Meredith, Senior Vice President of Development and Chief Development Officer. "We're trying to control expenses and also to ensure that we're available during peak times of the year to our visitors."Because of the pandemic, some of that peak attendance was missed in 2020."We were one day into spring break, which is our greatest revenue generator each year, when we had to close our doors." Meredith said. "Our generally very robust field trip season, we had none of that this year from schools throughout the region. We were closed from March 17 through May 22. That did impact us. Attendance has been off. We're at about 60% of where we normally would be. In addition, we had to cancel some pretty major fundraising events due to the pandemic."The museum also eliminated seven staff positions and cut $1.2 million in expenses."Beginning the Tuesday after Labor Day, that's when our attendance generally falls off, the new hours will be Wednesday through Sunday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.," Meredith said.For more information, please contact the Cosmosphere Box Office at (620) 665-9312.

Cosmosphere to reduce hours after Labor Day


HUTCHINSON,
Kan. — 
USD 308 Superintendent Mike Folks knows there are families in his district who have not enrolled their children for school, it's time to do that, if they haven't already.

"I would just highly recommend that they come in, in person, or they do it online," Folks said. "If they need help, call their building principal. This year, moreso than ever, with planning related to COVID and social distancing and class size and to ensure that you're able to enroll in the building of your choice, all of those things are critical."

Folks notes that this is an every year issue.

"In the past, we've had our walk in enrollment maybe a week before our first day of school," Folks said. "When we moved school back to August 27, we kept enrollment, as far as the walk in and up online the same. It's hard to compare apples to apples. It's pretty typical for us to have families walk in right up until the day school starts."

As of Tuesday, there are likely still hundreds of children who haven't enrolled yet.

"We currently are sitting at 3433 for enrollment," Folks said. "Last year, we were at 4277. We believe we've got, probably seven or eight hundred kids out there, we're hoping anyway, that still need to enroll. Again, whether that is at home, remote learning or in person, we just want you to come in and help you and get your child enrolled."

Call your child's building weekdays between 8 a.m. and 3 p.m. to enroll.

<figure>
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By
NICK GOSNELL
Hutch
Post
HUTCHINSON,
Kan. — 
USD 308 Superintendent Mike Folks knows there are families in his district who have not enrolled their children for school, it's time to do that, if they haven't already."I would just highly recommend that they come in, in person, or they do it online," Folks said. "If they need help, call their building principal. This year, moreso than ever, with planning related to COVID and social distancing and class size and to ensure that you're able to enroll in the building of your choice, all of those things are critical."Folks notes that this is an every year issue."In the past, we've had our walk in enrollment maybe a week before our first day of school," Folks said. "When we moved school back to August 27, we kept enrollment, as far as the walk in and up online the same. It's hard to compare apples to apples. It's pretty typical for us to have families walk in right up until the day school starts."As of Tuesday, there are likely still hundreds of children who haven't enrolled yet."We currently are sitting at 3433 for enrollment," Folks said. "Last year, we were at 4277. We believe we've got, probably seven or eight hundred kids out there, we're hoping anyway, that still need to enroll. Again, whether that is at home, remote learning or in person, we just want you to come in and help you and get your child enrolled."Call your child's building weekdays between 8 a.m. and 3 p.m. to enroll.

USD 308 superintendent believes hundreds not enrolled yet


HUTCHINSON,
Kan. —&nbsp;Hutchinson Police Chief Jeff Hooper wants to use grant funds available to deploy a new technology for a less lethal means of restraint for people in crisis.

"You approved in the budget to add those two new officers to create that crisis response team, that will be responding to those individuals in our community that are truly in crisis, whether that's mental health crisis or substance abuse crisis," Hooper said. "While those individuals on that team will be specially trained to defuse the situation and we're working on some additional advance training for that, that's always the hope, frankly, these individuals can become extremely violent and there are times when they're kind of out of touch with what's really going on. They don't even recognize law enforcement officers. We're always looking for ways to be able to restrain them to prevent them from causing harm to themselves or others."

This is considered less lethal than using a Taser.

"It's a cable that would either wrap around their legs or around their upper torso and their arms so that they can't walk, they can't run away, they can't move or harm anybody," Hooper said. "There's several occasions where, even this year, where we have somebody in that state and officers are standing there and this person, you know that once we move in to try to restrain them, they're going to fight. They're going to become violent. This allows us to secure them without ever having to lay hands on them."

Given that this would be limited to the crisis response team, it will obviously be used very rarely at this point.

"This would be an absolute last resort," Hooper said. "When we're working with those situations and we're working with people that are in crisis, as long as they're not a danger to themself or a danger to some other member of the community, like let's say, they're holding a child or something, or they're a danger to somebody else, time is on our side. In those cases, we're going to continue to talk to them, we're going to continue to try to work with them, to talk them down, to defuse that situation. We wouldn't use this tool as long as they were not a threat. We would just let time play its part."

The tool is estimated to cost around $4400 and would be paid for with a portion of the federal Edward Byrne Justice Assistance Program grant funds approved by the City Council on Tuesday.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/8/1597765358236.jpeg" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>
By
NICK GOSNELL
Hutch
Post
HUTCHINSON,
Kan. —&nbsp;Hutchinson Police Chief Jeff Hooper wants to use grant funds available to deploy a new technology for a less lethal means of restraint for people in crisis."You approved in the budget to add those two new officers to create that crisis response team, that will be responding to those individuals in our community that are truly in crisis, whether that's mental health crisis or substance abuse crisis," Hooper said. "While those individuals on that team will be specially trained to defuse the situation and we're working on some additional advance training for that, that's always the hope, frankly, these individuals can become extremely violent and there are times when they're kind of out of touch with what's really going on. They don't even recognize law enforcement officers. We're always looking for ways to be able to restrain them to prevent them from causing harm to themselves or others."This is considered less lethal than using a Taser."It's a cable that would either wrap around their legs or around their upper torso and their arms so that they can't walk, they can't run away, they can't move or harm anybody," Hooper said. "There's several occasions where, even this year, where we have somebody in that state and officers are standing there and this person, you know that once we move in to try to restrain them, they're going to fight. They're going to become violent. This allows us to secure them without ever having to lay hands on them."Given that this would be limited to the crisis response team, it will obviously be used very rarely at this point."This would be an absolute last resort," Hooper said. "When we're working with those situations and we're working with people that are in crisis, as long as they're not a danger to themself or a danger to some other member of the community, like let's say, they're holding a child or something, or they're a danger to somebody else, time is on our side. In those cases, we're going to continue to talk to them, we're going to continue to try to work with them, to talk them down, to defuse that situation. We wouldn't use this tool as long as they were not a threat. We would just let time play its part."The tool is estimated to cost around $4400 and would be paid for with a portion of the federal Edward Byrne Justice Assistance Program grant funds approved by the City Council on Tuesday.

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