CHENEY, Kan. — Officials are still assessing the damage at Cheney State Park as the water is finally receding. At last check Thursday morning, the lake was still two feet above normal after climbing more than eight feet during last month’s flood.
Officials at the park report that Heimerman, Wichita and M&M points are still closed because of road and infrastructure damage. It is uncertain when those points will open again.
Damage was also reported at Hobie Beach, the boat ramp and many campsites on the east shore area near the marina.
The flooding also brought with it more debris than usual. Officials say that may be attributed to the past year’s drought that killed off a large number of trees. The debris will be allowed to wash ashore and then cleaned out of the lake.
Most of the camping areas will be shut down for the winter this weekend, but primitive camping will still be available.
HUTCHINSON, Kan. — The personnel matter involving the Hutchinson Police Department has given a black eye to the department that will take time to repair.
But, do the actions of those six officers who were involved in the protection and cover up of one of their fellow officers create other legal problems for the justice system?
The question was put to prominent defense attorney Charlie O’Hara. O’Hara says, unless the wrongdoing by the officer in question had a direct effect on a particular case, then efforts to file a civil motion in past criminal cases would see little chance of getting anywhere. Still, it is possible such a filing could occur.
O’Hara says that the integrity of the department could certainly come into question in future trials. He says the burden to make sure officers are on the up-and-up is on the District Attorney’s office. District Attorney Keith Schroeder was asked to investigate any possible criminal case against the officers, but deferred that investigation to the KBI.
Schroeder was asked to investigate what damage could be done in his ability to try cases where possible misconduct by an officer comes into question. He says it’s too early to tell if any current or future trials may be affected by the situation.
HUTCHINSON, Kan. — In a room filled with law enforcement, dispatchers and media, Hutchinson Police Chief Jeffrey Hooper and City Manager John Deardoff held a press conference to discuss the recent events involving the Hutchinson Police Department.
While few other details were given about the recent personnel matters within the department, they did take time to discuss changes that are ahead and how the department is coping with the recent events.
Deardoff gave this opening statement:
During the press conference, Hooper informed those in attendance that the incident involving an off-duty officer has led to a number of personnel changes:
Hooper says one of the three officers terminated was Capt. Troy Hoover. He was terminated Monday. The rest of the personnel matters have come over the past three days. Hooper says he is making changes to how the department is structured:
Hooper says he is also going to go through the entire policy manual in an effort to make the department more efficient:
The events of the past three days have been a challenge for the department and for the new chief who has been on the job less than two weeks. Hooper says the department will be better in the long run:
Currently, the department is working hard to bring new officers on board. The department is down 10 officers. Hooper says the Reno County Sheriff’s Department is stepping in to help fill any gaps in patrols until the open positions are filled.
PRATT, Kan. — The weather is going to play a good and bad role when it comes to pheasant and quail season this fall.
According to Mike Miller with the Kansas Department of Wildlife Parks and Tourism, the dry winters are making it hard on the pheasant population due to lack of adequate ground cover.
Miller says he expects the hunting to be spotty with some areas void of birds and some with very good turnout. Miller says areas around Barton, Russell and Rush counties will offer some of the best hunting.
The recent wet weather is proving to be good for the quail population and hunting is expected to be quite good in most areas of the state. Miller feels that the quail population is going to be some of the best in recent years.
There’s plenty of walk-in hunting as well in Kansas with over one million acres of public land available in some very good areas.
Pheasant and quail hunting begins Nov. 10. Prairie chicken season will follow on Nov. 17.
BUHLER, Kan. — The Buhler Crusader soccer team is on its way to the 1-4A state semi-finals.
Cade Taylor scored twice within a 12- minute span and Ethan Fluck added a third goal with just over 15 minutes left in the match as Buhler downed a stubborn Winfield team 3-nil Tuesday night at Buhler Stadium. Head Coach Bransyn Felty talked after the match:
Felty, a 2013 graduate of Buhler High School, says getting to take this team to semi-final play is special:
The semi-finals are Friday at Kansas City’s Piper High School. The finals are set for Saturday.
HUTCHINSON, Kan. — Arconic announced its quarterly earnings before the bell Tuesday. The spin-off company of Alcoa posted earnings of $0.32 per share, beating the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $0.30 per share. This compares to earnings of $0.25 per share a year ago. These figures are adjusted for non-recurring items.
This quarterly report represents an earnings surprise as most felt the embattled company would see decline because of aluminum prices and uncertainty about the company’s future. Over the last four quarters, the company has surpassed consensus EPS estimates four times.
Arconic, the metals finishing company, posted revenues of $3.52 billion for the quarter that ended September 2018, surpassing the Zacks Consensus Estimate by 1.14 percent. This compares to revenues of $3.24 billion a year ago. The company has topped consensus revenue estimates four times over the last four quarters.
Arconic employs about 75 workers in Hutchinson doing finishing work for the aerospace industry.
The next company with ties to the area to report its quarterly results will be Siemens Gamesa Nov. 6.
RENO COUNTY — A Reno County man injured in a farming accident last week is showing improvement at a Wichita hospital. A spokesperson for Wesley Medical Center says 31-year-old Brian Miller has improved from critical to fair condition.
Miller was run over by a grain drill he was pulling. The tractor went into gear while he was working on the farm implement. The accident happened Oct. 23, five miles west of South Hutchinson.
He was airlifted by a Lifeteam helicopter for his upper body injuries.
City Manager John Deardoff has now confirmed that several officers have been placed on administrative leave. The number and names of the officers involved was not released, but an internal investigation continues. The actions came from new Chief Jeffrey Hooper, who has been on the job less than two weeks.
In talking with Hoover Monday, he says he believes the termination stems from a February incident involving a Hutchinson patrol officer. Calls were placed to 911 saying the female officer was driving erratically and had her child in the car. However, Hoover couldn’t confirm that was the reason. That officer has since resigned from the force.
The leave of the officers may or may not be connected to that investigation, but Deardoff says more information will be provided during a Wednesday press conference. Deardoff also wanted to stress that the officers were not suspended, but placed on leave.
HUTCHINSON, Kan. — The Hutchinson Community College women’s basketball team is once again being held in high regard as the 2018-19 season is set to open.
For the 10th-consecutive season, the Blue Dragons are ranked in the preseason of the NJCAA Division I Women’s Basketball Rankings, which were released on Monday.
The Blue Dragons open the season at No. 13. While in the preseason rankings for 10-straight years, this is the second-straight season that Hutchinson isn’t ranked in the Top 10.
Hutchinson has been ranked in nine-consecutive polls dating back to last season and in 110 of the last 115 national ranking releases.
New Mexico Junior College is the preseason No. 1 pick in Division I women’s basketball, followed by Northwest Florida State, Gulf Coast State, Trinity Valley and Tallahassee.
Seward County is the highest-ranked Jayhawk Conference team at No. 10. Butler is No. 16. The Blue Dragons have two non-conference opponents in the preseason rankings. Iowa Western is No. 19 and NEO is No. 20.
The Blue Dragons have five players back from a 27-7 season that ended in the opening round of the NJCAA Tournament after Hutch earned a tournament berth as an at-large team.
Five players are back from that team led by bookend forwards Jada Mickens and Dejanae Roebuck. Mickens averaged 13.5 points and 8.6 rebounds. Roebuck averaged 13.0 points and 9.1 rebounds.
Sara Cramer, Hutch’s top 3-point threat from last season, is also back. She averaged 8.4 points and shot 39 percent from long distance. Tia Bradshaw averaged 5.8 points and 3.9 assists as the point guard. Reserve guard Kelsey Brett averaged 4.7 points and shot 40 percent from long range.
The Blue Dragons will open the 2018-19 season at 6:30 p.m. on Thursday against the Bethany College JV.
NJCAA WOMEN’S DIVISION I PRESEASON BASKETBALL RANKINGS
HUTCHINSON, Kan. — The Hutchinson Community College men’s basketball team opens a new season on Friday as a Top 10 nationally-ranked team.
The Blue Dragons will start the 2018-19 season at No. 9 in the NJCAA Division I Men’s Basketball Rankings, which were released on Monday by the NJCAA.
This is Hutchinson’s eighth consecutive preseason ranking and fifth-straight time in the Top 10. This is the seventh time in the Steve Eck era for the Blue Dragons to be ranked in the Top 10.
Hutchinson has now been ranked in 48 consecutive polls and have been ranked in all but one of the last 77 rankings released.
Perennial Florida power Northwest Florida State is the preseason No. 1 pick. South Plains is No. 2 and College of Southern Idaho is No. 3. Jayhawk Conference foe Coffeyville checks in at No. 4 and Eastern Florida State is No. 5.
No other Jayhawk Conference team is in the preseason rankings.
NJCAA PRESEASON DIVISION I MEN’S BASKETBALL RANKINGS
