HUTCHINSON, Kan. — Three years ago, a 36-year-old Buhler man became friends with a 15-year-old girl during rehearsals for the play Shrek, which was performed in Hutchinson.
The relationship between Lynn Conrad Hase and the 15-year-old apparently went further, leading to an inappropriate relationship. According to Reno County Sheriff’s Capt. Steve Lutz, it happened back in 2015 and the parents of the girl suspected something was going on. Her parents eventually discovered the truth and contacted the Reno County Sheriff’s Office.
Hase was arrested for four charges including two counts of aggravated indecent liberties with a child, sodomy and indecent solicitation.
He’s free on a $50,000 bond. Any first appearance should occur later this week.
HUTCHINSON, Kan. — The Young Professionals of Reno County Candidates Forum Monday evening for the Republican primary elections in Reno County started out pretty calm. The County Commission forum between Ron Hirst and Kris Knowles discussed taxes, saving the county money on its electric bill and keeping young people in Hutchinson.
However, the forum between incumbent state Rep. Steve Becker and challenger Paul Waggoner got even more intense in what has become a somewhat nasty campaign.
Waggoner accused Becker and others of claiming to want tolerance, when they indeed don’t:
Becker fired back at his opponent by talking about yard signs and using youth:
Other issues covered included education funding and whether the constitution should be changed to take the courts out of the equation. Becker was against that, saying it would never pass in Topeka, while Waggoner called the court’s actions overreach.
Medicaid expansion was also debated. Waggoner says expansion would add to the national debt, while Becker says it would bring money back to Kansas. Becker said it would help the medical community in the 104th district. That includes Hutchinson Regional Medical Center, the Hutchinson Clinic, and others.
Becker called all the claims about his record Monday morning quarterbacking and accused Waggoner of worshiping “ridicule and mockery.” Waggoner again accused Becker of voting more with Democrats than Republicans.
The forum was held at Stage 9 in downtown Hutchinson.
HUTCHINSON, Kan. — The average price for a gallon of gas in Kansas jumped 4 cents in the past week, tied for the fifth-largest increase in America, according to Triple A Kansas.
Monday’s Kansas average is $2.68, which is 51 cents higher than one year ago.
Prices in Hutchinson are averaging $2.60 per gallon, according to gasbuddy.com. In South Hutchinson, prices are averaging $2.65 as of 1 p.m. Monday.
According to Triple A Kansas, this week’s Kansas gas price extremes are in Howard and Montezuma. Howard in Elk County has the highest price in the state at $2.90, while Montezuma in Gray County claims the lowest at $2.43 per gallon.
HUTCHINSON, Kan. — This Wednesday, a six-ton MRI unit will be hoisted up to 270 feet in the sky high above Hutchinson Regional Medical Center before being lowered by a crane to the back of a semi-truck parked on the hospital campus.
The MRI machine is being replaced by a sophisticated $2 million unit as part of the construction of a new Intensive Care suite, which is slated for dedication in mid-August.
Removing the old MRI unit will require temporarily removing a portion of the hospital roof. That will allow the crane ample space to do the heavy lifting. Once the MRI has been raised in the air, the crane will swing the unit around before gently lowering it on the back of an 18-wheeler for transportation to a salvage yard.
In preparation for the move, as many as 15 semi trucks will arrive at the hospital Tuesday loaded with cargo, including the actual crane along with hundreds of components and parts that are needed to complete a project of this magnitude.
An MRI is used for medical diagnosis without exposing the body to radiation. An advanced MRI was installed in the updated ICU in July with technology and capabilities exceeding similar units in any other healthcare organization in south-central Kansas.
HUTCHINSON, Kan. — A local woman is $25,000 richer after winning the $25K Super Cash Giveaway Saturday on the Kansas State Fairgrounds.
Local listeners of My 93-1, Country 102.9 and KWBW have been following Super Van since May. Each time Super Van stopped at a local business for an appearance, listeners had a chance to become one of 100 finalists in Eagle Communications’ big summer giveaway.
Tina Fischer, middle, stands with her $25,000 check. Anna Sharp, left, of Yoder Meats; Jake Martin of Your Wireless World and Cheer and Tumbling All-Stars; and Leonard Piontkowski of Quality Structures Incorporated — QSI, far left, stand with My 93-1’s Daren Dunn, right.
Some listeners in attendance Saturday admitted to registering with Super Van more than 20 times over the last few months. Listeners had the opportunity to sign up at 32 different sponsor locations since May. Finalists hailed from 24 different cities in Kansas.
Entering Saturday, 99 finalists had been named. Only one remained: Finalist 100.
When the doors opened, finalists and finalist-hopefuls alike filled the Sunflower South building with a common goal: to win $25,000.
A Last Chance Registration was held on location to find Finalist 100. Marsha Hill of Hutchinson had that honor.
Once she dropped her ping pong ball in the bingo machine, the contest was on.
Since 5 finalists missed the noon registration deadline, all finalists in attendance had a 1-in-95 chance of winning life-changing cash.
With 95 ping pong balls in place, Mark Trotman, Eagle Communications General Manager, flipped the switch on the bingo machine.
One ball floated to the top.
It belonged to Tina Fischer of Hutchinson:
Fischer not only chased Super Van around all summer, but has been following the Eagle Communications’ promotion for years. For the first time, all her hard work and dedication paid off in a big way.
Relive the moment Tina’s name was announced:
It was an emotional moment for Fischer. On stage, she wasn’t sure what she would do with the money. Later, she revealed a very touching plan to remember a loved one:
Every finalist won something again this year. The Sleep Shoppe and Furniture Gallery in downtown Hutchinson gave each finalist a $100 gift certificate. Four runner-up prizes were also drawn. Some finalists walked away with an additional $50 gift certificate and $20 to Pizza Ranch.
Pizza Ranch of Hutchinson gave free samples for all in attendance. Morgan Wilk entertained the crowd for an hour before the giveaway officially began.
TOPEKA, Kan. — The conviction and sentence for a man serving 8 ½ years in prison was upheld Friday by the Kansas Court of Appeals.
Forty-six-year-old Bradley Verstraete was convicted by a Pratt County jury in September 2016 of the attempted second-degree murder of Pratt Police Officer Kenneth Wright. He was also convicted of aggravated assault of a law enforcement officer concerning Pratt Police Sergeant James Ferbert, stemming from an altercation with law enforcement in January of 2015.
Verstraete has been in and out of trouble and had a case in Reno County where he also got into an altercation with law enforcement.
He was sentenced in the case to 21 months and was released on time served after the case meandered through the state’s court system while on appeal.
HUTCHINSON, Kan. — After a Salina attorney was recently assigned to represent murder suspect Brennan Trass, a tentative trial date in the nearly 3-year-old case has been set.
Reno County District Judge Trish Rose set a date of Nov. 5 for the trial to begin with a motion deadline of Aug. 27.
Trass is accused of murder for the shooting death of 24-year-old Jose Morales. Morales was found on the floor of a residence back on Aug. 17, 2015.
Salina attorney Bobby Hiebert was recently assigned to represent Trass, making him the 10th attorney assigned to the case.
HUTCHINSON, Kan. — The man who entered pleas to three counts of aggravated battery and one count of vehicular homicide was granted three years community corrections on the recommendation of both sides. The underlying sentence is two years and eight months in prison.
Dawson Lehman had been charged with involuntary manslaughter, but the state dropped that count as part of the plea agreement.
Before sentencing, the defense noted that Lehman has been receiving treatment for his mental health. He has been suffering from depression since the incident. The defense argued that treatment would be more effective than prison.
Lehman was the driver in a rollover accident on June 24, 2015. Fifteen-year-old Aaron Powers died from injuries he suffered in the crash. Powers and 15-year-old Dalton Stoecklein were both passengers in Lehman’s vehicle. They were both taken to a Wichita hospital after being found lying in the road.
Judge Rose ordered that Lehman not drive a car at all as part of his community corrections. Rose said she granted the request for the non-prison sanction because both sides recommended it.
MILWAUKEE — REV Group announced Thursday that its Collins Bus subsidiary has been awarded a $26 million contract from the New York City Transit to provide 400 para-transit buses.
The buses will be built to NYCT’s custom specifications on a Ford F-350 chassis.
The bid for the NYCT opened in the Fall of 2016 and was awarded to Collins Bus this month. NYCT is a new customer for Collins Bus and the contract represents the single-largest commercial order in the history of the company.
The NYCT contract comes on the heels of Collins Bus’ 50th anniversary and the launch of the brand’s new low-floor bus product.
RENO COUNTY – A 65-year-old man was injured just before 7 p.m. Thursday while doing some work on his property.
Roger Gary Britton contacted his wife and said he had been struck by a tree while clearing out branches on his property at 7515 N. Hendricks.
Emergency crews were called to the scene and found Britton next to a fallen tree.
He suffered serious injuries from being struck. Midwest LifeTeam was called for an airlift and he was taken to Via Christi St. Francis Regional Medical Center in Wichita.
