HUTCHINSON, Kan. — A Reno County man is jailed on a $100,000 bond after his arrest for suspicion of two serious charges.

Nathan Allen Crum faces potential charges of rape and aggravated criminal sodomy. Apparently, he invited the victim — whom he met online — to his home to watch a movie. He is then accused of forcing the woman into a sexual relationship after she repeatedly said no.

Crum told Reno County sheriff’s detectives that the sexual relationship was consensual.

The female victim was taken to Hutchinson Regional Medical Center for treatment.

The arrest occurred early Saturday morning, but the alleged crimes took place Friday night.

His request for a bond reduction was denied, in part, because both charges would result in prison if he’s convicted. Plus, Crum has a prior felony for arson.

HUTCHINSON, Kan. — Summer is beginning to wind down and motorists in many places across Kansas and the nation are seeing gas prices gradually drop. As of Monday, the Kansas average is $2.65 for a gallon of regular gasoline, down two cents in the past week and registering as the 11th-cheapest gas in America.

Next month, gas stations will start selling winter-blend gas, which is cheaper to produce and contains a fuel that evaporates at low temperatures for vehicle engines to operate properly, especially when the engine is cold, according to AAA Kansas.

Locally, most stations in both Hutchinson and South Hutchinson are reporting a price of $2.56 per gallon according to www.gasbuddy.com.

This week’s gas price extremes in Kansas feature St. Francis in Cheyenne County at $3.10 per gallon and Newton in Harvey County at $2.47.

HUTCHINSON, Kan. — The latest unemployment numbers released by the Kansas Department of Labor show a very slight increase for Hutchinson with a rate in July of 4.3 percent, up from the June number when the rate was 4.2. However, this is a lower number when compared to June of last year when the rate was 4.7 percent.

The rate for Reno County last month was 4.1 percent, which is also an increase over June when the rate was 3.9, but still a little lower when compared to July of 2017 when the rate was 4.6 percent.

There were 1,229 residents listed as looking for work last month with 825 of those in the city of Hutchinson.

Other area counties also saw slight increases last month, but there were no major changes.

For the state of Kansas, preliminary estimates show a seasonally adjusted unemployment rate of 3.4 percent in July. This was unchanged from June and down from 3.6 percent in July 2017.

HUTCHINSON, Kan. — Kansas Wheat will sponsor some friendly competition at the Kansas State Fair next month in Hutchinson.

That includes the Kansas Wheat Photography Contest, which will include photographs featuring all phases of the wheat industry. These color photographs will be used to promote Kansas as America’s No. 1 Wheat State. All Kansans — amateur and professional photographers — are invited to capture the story of Kansas wheat.

For those handy in the kitchen with a creative streak, the inaugural Bread Sculpture Contest might be of interest. Kansas Wheat is encouraging participants to look beyond the loaf and shape bread in new and innovative ways. Creativity and originality are the top points in the competition’s scorecard. Judges will also be looking for execution, visual impact, color palate and finally, the completeness of provided instructions.

Entries must include a typed, detailed recipe including shaping instructions with step-by-step photos or sketches on an 8.5″ x 11″ sheet of paper. While there are no size restrictions, small entries, such as rolls, must be presented with six individual sculptures.

For those with nimble fingers and an artistic heart, wheat weaving is available. This division is made up of 11 classes, including beginner, corsages, wall hangings, free-standing and holiday designs. Entrants are encouraged to show off their intricate creations made from wheat.

Entries will be judged on variety mill/bake scores, protein, test weight, dockage and shrunken and broken kernels. All exhibits in the Market Wheat Show must contain five pounds of wheat grown by the exhibitor in the current year.

There isn’t much time to enter. Entry forms must be received by Aug. 15 and can be submitted either online or by mail. Entries received after this date will be subject to late fees. Each contest has different receiving schedules. For receiving schedules and more information on these contests, please visit www.kansaswheat.org.

HUTCHINSON, Kan. — The 51-year-old man who was on parole for a 1991 case has been formally charged in two more.

While appearing before a judge Friday via video, Eric Harbacek again stated that he’s not guilty of any of the charges against him. He also indicated that he wanted to represent himself on the new charges. However, Magistrate Judge Cheryl Allen was able to convince him to accept an appointed attorney. But, Harbacek also made it clear that he wanted to invoke his right to a speedy trial.

Harbacek is charged by the state in one case with criminal possession of a firearm for allegedly having a rifle despite prior convictions for a person felony. This occurred on July 26.

In the second case, he’s accused of stealing some firearms from a building he is supposedly going to rent for a barber shop. The owner of the property says Harbacek stole the guns on July 16. Harbacek said in an earlier hearing that he did have the guns moved to a location in Careyville, where they were being stored because he knew he couldn’t have them.

Judge Allen scheduled the next hearing in the matter for Aug. 22. However, Harbacek noted that he may be back in prison on a parole violation at that time.

HUTCHINSON, Kan. — Reno County’s Work Well program recently received a $10,000 grant from Blue Cross Blue Shield of Kansas for various pieces of exercise equipment.

There will be a room dedicated to Reno County employee fitness, which will include ellipticals, treadmills and other equipment.

This room will be open and available for employees to use during breaks, lunches or after work hours.

This room will be located in the Reno County Annex, which is used by the clerk’s office during election time. However, during non-election times, the room is pretty much empty.

HUTCHINSON, Kan. — Since school is starting soon, a coalition of agencies is working to prepare children for kindergarten.

Lisa Gleason from United Way of Reno County talked about the program:

Sandy Rempel, who is a kindergarten teacher involved with K-Ready Reno County, discussed how valuable preschool is and how it helps prepare the young ones for school years:

They work with schools throughout the county to help children prepare for kindergarten. For more information, contact the United Way or visit www.heylittleHutch.org.

BUHLER, Kan. — First District Congressman Dr. Roger Marshall will be in Buhler on Aug. 16 at 8:30 a.m. for coffee at Sunny’s Cafe.

The public is invited to meet with the congressman, ask questions and pass along any concerns.

Dr. Marshall says his schedule will be packed full of community events and roundtable meetings across the district. He says he will be touring manufacturing facilities, meeting with small business owners and discussing the need for continued advocacy of the ethanol and agriculture industries.