HUTCHINSON, Kan. – Police are investigating a robbery at the Kwik Shop at 2617 North Main in Hutchinson early Tuesday morning.

The 68-year-old employee reported that just after 4:15 a.m., a white male entered the store and demanded cash. The suspect is also alleged to have battered the employee.

Police have not reported an arrest.

HUTCHINSON, Kan. – The Boy Scouts will be having a recruiting drive this Thursday evening so parents can learn about scouting and maybe sign their kids up.

Mark Hunter, an executive with the Pawnee District says it will be from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. Thursday at the Hutchinson Mall.

“Just come to the mall, we’ll have a table set up so you can learn about scouting,” said Hunter. “All of the local units in the Hutchinson area will be there to explain their program. Scouting is actually open to all youth in kindergarten to 12th grade. We go through and offer a program that does a lot to educate the youth while having fun in the outdoors. In scouting, we go through and work on character development along with going through and having the fun and games that are educational for the youth.”

For more information on scouting visit their website at www.scouting.org.

HUTCHINSON, Kan. – The Reno County Commission appears to have a light agenda Tuesday with no action items scheduled. However, they will have a discussion of the 2019 Community Health Assessment.

They will also hear from the Maintenance Department including an update on work to repair an elevator in the courthouse.

It appears they’re on track to begin work on that later this month with an estimated time to do the work around six to eight weeks. First Street will have to be closed at some point in order to set up a crane to get larger items in and out of the dome of the courthouse. They indicate that this would most likely be done on a weekend and would be coordinated with Hutchinson Police.

The Reno County Commission meeting Tuesday will begin at 9 a.m. at the Reno County Courthouse.

BURRTON, Kan. — It appears Burrton schools will operate normally Monday after the 4.2 magnitude earthquake caused some concern Friday.

Officials did have some concerns about damage to the high school and central office. They had moved students out of the high school and into the elementary school that day and used buses to serve lunch at Burrton City Hall because the cafeteria is also in the high school.

A structural engineer indicated that most of the facilities were fine, including the high school. But there may be some damage to the central office, although they didn’t indicate what the issues may be there. Officials haven’t indicated whether Sunday’s 4.1 magnitude earthquake caused additional issues.

Officials with the Burrton school district say they do have emergency plans ready if needed.

CHENEY, Kan. — A 37-year-old Hutchinson man was transported to Hutchinson Regional Medical Center Saturday after an accident on a jet ski while at Cheney Reservoir.

Angelo Palermo told Reno County sheriff’s deputies he hit a wake in the water and attempted to bail from the jet ski. The jet ski struck his foot and broke his ankle.

He was taken to Hutchinson Regional Medical Center for treatment of his ankle. The accident occurred just after 2:30 p.m.

HUTCHINSON, Kan. — The Hutchinson City Council will hold a public hearing for the 2020 budget during its meeting Tuesday.

The proposed budget including Hutch Rec totals $89,161,863. if approved, the mill levy will go up slightly from 44.144 to 44.432 mills. The increase amounts to less than $2 a year on a $50,000 home.

The city cut more than $2 million from the original budget to get to the minor increase.

The public hearing will be held at the beginning of the council’s regular agenda session.

It starts at 9 a.m. at Hutchinson City Hall.

HUTCHINSON, Kan. — A Hutchinson man who entered a plea to flee and elude and theft for a case from April was granted one year of community corrections on a one-year underlying sentence.

Gabriel Sanchez was convicted after he was spotted at the Texas T-Bone Steakhouse on East 11th. Officers tried to stop him, but he fled at a high rate of speed. He finally stopped near 6th and Cleveland. Sanchez entered a home — that was not his own — and hid in the bathroom.

Police got permission to enter the home. Sanchez finally came out of the bathroom and was arrested. The occupants confirmed Sanchez did not live there.

The state earlier dropped a cruelty to animal charge and a burglary count after a witness in the case didn’t show up for court.

HUTCHINSON, Kan. — A Turon man arrested in October of last year and convicted of two charges over a dispute about a dog was ordered to prison Friday. Reno County District Judge Trish Rose ordered the sentence and denied any type of probation.

Brian Epp was convicted of criminal threat and defacing identification marks on a sawed-off shotgun.

The case involved Epp’s neighbor firing a gun toward his dog when she felt threatened. The dog ran home, but then started back toward her house. She told deputies she didn’t aim at the dog, but at some trees near the dog. It was at that time Epp came out and fired his weapon toward the woman, but didn’t strike her.

In court, Judge Rose didn’t feel Epp took the charges seriously and ordered the sentence be served.

TOPEKA, Kan. — Gov. Laura Kelly appointed Mary Treaster of Pretty Prairie and Melody McCray-Miller of Wichita to the Citizens’ Utility Ratepayer Board.

“Mary and Melody are both dedicated to providing Kansans with opportunities to thrive in their communities and I know they will work hard to make sure that all citizens in our state pay reasonable rates for their utilities,” Kelly said. “We are fortunate to have them join our team.”

The board works to provide efficient and effective legal and technical representation for small commercial and residential utility ratepayers and ensures that utilities charge just and reasonable rates to Kansans. The governor appoints five members to the board — one from each congressional district and one from the state at large.

Treaster is currently retired. Most recently she worked as the superintendent of schools for the Pike Valley school district and has also served as the superintendent of the Fairfield school district. Treaster received a master’s degree in educational administration from Wichita State University, a bachelor’s degree in elementary education and special education from Emporia State University, and was chosen to attend the Leadership Institute for Superintendents at Harvard University.

McCray-Miller currently works at Wichita State University as a co-investigator for Women’s Involved Network. She is also the co-founder, president and CEO of Miller’s Inc., a consulting group. Miller served as a state representative for the 89th district from 2005-2012. She received her bachelor’s degree in psychology from the University of Houston and a teacher education certificate from Wichita State University.

The governor’s appointments to the board are not subject to Senate confirmation.