HUTCHINSON, Kan. — Terry David, chief of Reno County EMS, will be retiring next month after 21 years of service to area emergency preparedness organizations.

He started with Reno County EMS in 1990 and moved on to lead EMS in Rice County before returning to Hutchinson in 2016.

David talked about the changes EMS service has seen over the years. EMS responders are now considered separate from fire department officials who also respond to emergencies.

“Probably the greatest change that’s happened over the last 30 years is that we are now truly a part of health care,” David said.

He also talked about the changes in dealing with heart attacks and what they consider a good outcome for patient success.

“When I was on the street as a paramedic, if we got those people back and literally they have no heartbeat, they’re not breathing when you get to the scene and we deliver them to the emergency room and they’re breathing on their own or we’re at least helping them, we’re all high-fiving each other and saying that’s a wonderful thing,” David said. He says it’s different now. “The standard now is that we only want to high-five and pat each other on the back if they leave the hospital and continue to live a productive life.”

David is respected nationwide for his innovative efforts. That includes still working with the National EMT Association where he serves on the board of directors. David says he will continue serving in that capacity for at least another two years after he leaves his current position.

He will also continue to do consulting work after retiring.

In 2016, Kansas EMS named Reno County EMS the winner of the Career Service of the Year award. EMS has had very little turnover under David’s leadership.

MCPHERSON, Kan. — Police in McPherson arrested two men and took two children into protective custody Monday afternoon. The officers found the men traveling in a car with two young children, drugs and a firearm.

Officers stopped the car around 2 p.m. in the 300 block of West Euclid for illegal window tint. Officers identified the driver of the car as 27-year-old Nathaniel Beagle. The passenger was 31-year-old Aaron B. Anderson. Two children, ages 4 and 6, were also in the car. The McPherson Sheriff’s Office K-9 alerted officers to the existence of drugs in the car.

Officers searched the car and found over one pound of methamphetamine, 36 grams of marijuana, various narcotic pills and a handgun.

The two men face numerous charges, including possession of methamphetamine with intent to distribute within 1,000 feet of a school or day care.

Bond was set at $95,500 for each man.

HUTCHINSON, Kan. — The USD 308 Hutchinson School Board awarded the district’s busing contract to Durham School Services during its meeting Monday evening.

Durham is the current bus service provider for the district. Bids opened March 20. Durham’s bid for the five-year contract was the lowest of three received. The two other bidders were Apple Bus and First Student.

In all three cases, prices have increased. Durham’s is 17.92% higher than the current contract while Apple was 25% higher. First Student was 50.34% higher.

The district uses busing primarily for students with special needs; elementary students who live east of K-61; shuttle service between the middle schools; and for activities, sports and field trips.

Monday’s meeting was held at the MidTown Center. Board members took a tour of the facility, which is undergoing renovations so it can be an alternative learning environment for some of the district’s middle school students. The facility is across the street from Hutchinson Middle School – 7.

The facility also will be available to the district as a location for staff training. The district purchased the MidTown Center from the Hutchinson Town Club after the Town Club voted to close last fall.

On the Personnel Report for the meeting, two assistant coaches were promoted to head coaches for the 2019-20 school year.

Conor Reilly will take over as head girls basketball coach at Hutchinson High School. Reilly has been an assistant coach for the program. Current coach Casey Stiggins decided not to continue as head coach for 2019-20.

Jose Garcia will be the head coach of the HHS wrestling program, having served as an assistant coach. The new head coach takes over for Mike Garcia (no relation), who is retiring after the 2018-19 school year.

HUTCHINSON, Kan. — The Midwest Transplant Network (MTN) recognized Hutchinson Regional Medical Center with the Excellence in Tissue Conversion Award for 2018 for the hospital’s efforts to promote tissue donations.

Hospitals receiving the Excellence in Tissue Donation Award had at least 15 eligible tissue donors with more than 40 percent of families granting authorization, statistics that were exceeded by Hutch Regional.

MTN officials held a ceremony in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) Courtyard. The ceremony included a reading of the first names of 28 donors followed by a candle lighting ceremony in memory of those who gave a part of their life to continue the lives of others. Grains of sand symbolizing the many people impacted by the donors were sprinkled into a vase. That vase will remain at Hutch Regional to be filled with colored sand during future annual award presentations. An original piece of art created by Jody Ayers, a glass artist in the Kansas City area, was presented to Hutch Regional in honor of the hospital’s efforts promoting tissue donations.

MTN is headquartered in Westwood, Kansas, and serves hospitals in Kansas and the western two-thirds of Missouri.

HUTCHINSON, Kan. — A 44-year-old man managed to get his bond lowered Monday when he made a first court appearance on a charge of aggravated battery.

Michael Heath is alleged to have thrown what was described as a metallic device through a window at a home he and his wife live in. But his wife was not the victim, it was another man staying with them.

The two men apparently argued inside the home. Heath then went outside the home, still angry, and allegedly threw the device through the window. It struck the victim in the face.

Police were called to Hutchinson Regional Medical Center Sunday where they found the victim with a rag over his face. He had bruising and cuts to his face and a large cut on his shoulder.

At the home, police found multiple broken windows and blood on some carpeting.

During the court hearing Monday, Magistrate Judge Daniel Gilligan agreed to lower the bond from $10,000 to $5,000 over the objection of the state.

Heath will be back in court on April 29.

HUTCHINSON, Kan. — A 29-year-old man already charged in one case for drug distribution is now charged in a second.

Kirk Surdi was charged by the state with two counts of distribution of methamphetamine within a thousand feet of a school and two counts of using a cell phone to make the transactions.

He’s alleged to have made the drug sales over a two-day period — Nov. 25 and Nov. 26 of 2018. The state alleges he had between 3.5 grams and 100 grams each day of the crimes.

Surdi also has another case pending where he faces a distribution charge from an arrest on Nov. 28, 2018.

Surdi remains jailed and will be back in court May 15.

HUTCHINSON, Kan. — A 39-year-old man on Reno County community corrections is in more trouble.

Jeremy Pulliam is jailed on charges of distribution of methamphetamine and using a phone to make a drug transaction.

He’s accused of selling the drugs and making the deal on Feb. 14, 2019.

Pulliam also served time in prison for drugs, obstruction and making false writing.

He will face a probation violation from another case.