HUTCHINSON, Kan. — Now that the Kansas State Fair is getting a portion of all sales tax generated on the grounds for fair and non-fair events, the board wants to find a way to promote buying at the fair during its 10-day run.

During Wednesday’s meeting, the board discussed ways to promote the purchase of items at the fair. Interim GM Bob Moeder says it is important for items to be purchased on the grounds, as opposed to fairgoers gathering information about a product and purchasing it off site later.

 

 

Moeder says buying at the fair will not only help the fair, but those who exhibit at the event as well:

 

Under a new law passed this spring, the fair will collect 5 percent of the 6.5 percent sales tax it generates. The money will go into the fair’s capital outlay budget and is expected to generate about $400,000 a year in revenue.

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — A Buhler man was indicted by a federal grand jury Tuesday for traveling to Kansas City to meet with who he thought was a teenage prostitute, but was actually an undercover officer.

Fifty-five-year-old Bradley Voth was charged with one count of traveling across state lines with the intent to engage in illicit conduct with a minor.
The investigation into Voth’s activities began in June when an undercover U.S. Department of Health and Human Services employee was monitoring public messages on a website where people are known to discuss prostitution.
The undercover employee gave Voth a phone number for an undercover FBI agent posing as a 16-year-old girl. Voth allegedly contacted the agent.

The FBI agent told Voth the teen was staying in Kansas City with her 13-year-old sister. Court records say Voth then asked for the 13-year-old’s phone number and pictures of both girls. Voth allegedly agreed to meet with the teens in Kansas City for sexual activity in exchange for $140.

When Voth arrived at a KC coffee shop to meet the two girls, he was arrested. The jury’s indictment replaces a criminal complaint from July on the same charge.

HUTCHINSON Kan. — For the second time this year, a small rundown mobile home park located near Yaggy Field is under a boil water advisory.

The Kansas Department of Health and Environment issued the advisory for Western Acres Mobile Home Court.

The advisory took effect Wednesday morning and will remain in effect until the conditions that placed the system at risk of bacterial contamination are resolved.

Residents in the area should boil water for one minute before drinking or preparing food, or use bottled water. Residents should not use ice from a household automatic ice maker and disinfect dishes and other food contact surfaces by immersion for at least one minute in clean tap water that contains one teaspoon of unscented household bleach per gallon of water.

Water used for bathing does not generally need to be boiled. Supervision of children is necessary while bathing so water is not ingested. Persons with cuts or severe rashes may wish to consult their physicians.

The mobile home park was under the same advisory in February. The KDHE took action, but the land owner failed to collect required bacteriological samples, resulting in an unknown water quality.

The advisory will remain in effect until water samples can be tested by the KDHE.

HUTCHINSON, Kan. — The Hutchinson Community College Board of Trustees will hold a public hearing on the 2019 budget Thursday.

The proposed budget for next year is $76,024,933 on taxes levied of $13,354,950. With that, the mill levy will stay at 22.5 mills.

The budget request is always much higher than the actual amount spent during the year, so the college has some wiggle room in its spending authority if revenues come in higher than expected. The actual expenditures usually total around $44 million to $46 million.

Also Thursday, the board will go over its strategic planning report and hear the annual assessment report for the past year.

The Thursday meeting of the HutchCC Board of Trustees begins at 7 p.m. at the Shears Technology Center on the HutchCC campus.

HUTCHINSON, Kan. — He has served on the Hutchinson City Council. He chaired the Sports Arena Building Committee. Now, Ron Sellers is the new County Commissioner in the First District.

Sellers won in the primary against Kris Knowles Tuesday night and will take the seat being vacated by Dan Deming.