PRETTY PRAIRIE, Kan. — The Farmers Coop in Pretty Prairie says it will probably get a few truck loads of wheat in as some farmers are getting into the fields.

The elevator reported a couple of trucks on Thursday before rain brought things to a standstill.

As expected, there were numbers were good and bad. Test weights from samples showed test weights running from 53 all the way to a respectable 58 pounds per bushel, with moisture running around 11.5 percent.

The coop is not able to get protein readings from the wheat, but word is the numbers are looking good. Protein levels in wheat are usually better when yield numbers are smaller.

With hot weather in the forecast, cutting could ramp up in the coming days.

HUTCHINSON, Kan. — A train crash in Arizona has caused delays for Amtrak passengers in Kansas.

A BNSF freight train wrecked with a work crew train and killed a Lenexa, Kansas, man.

The eastbound SW Chief is running again after passengers were bused to the westbound train that was then turned around at Flagstaff. Westbound passengers were bused to Los Angeles. The train was running more than 10 hours late. It arrived in Hutchinson at 12:34 p.m. Thursday. The eastbound train normally arrives in Hutchinson at 2:19 a.m.

The eastbound train scheduled for tomorrow morning is running about 2 hours late.

HUTCHINSON, Kan. — The Hutchinson Salvation Army and Westlake Ace Hardware are teaming up to raise money to beat the summer heat. Westlake will host a fan drive to benefit The Salvation Army June 7 – 24. Lynn Perkins with the Westlake South Main store talks about the event and a special kickoff party on Saturday:

 

 

Residents who would like a fan can sign up for one at the Salvation Army headquarters at 700 N. Walnut.

HUTCHINSON, Kan. — A Hutchinson man who was fatally shot by a Forest Service law enforcement officer in Arizona tested negative for a range of illegal and prescription drugs and had a blood alcohol level within the legal limit, according to an article in today’s Arizona Daily Sun.

The findings from the Yavapai County Medical Examiner’s Office raise more questions than answers in the shooting of 51-year-old Tyler Miller, who was shot alongside the highway near his wrecked vehicle.

Miller was walking along an Arizona highway naked and bleeding before he was fatally shot by a federal officer.

The FBI’s Phoenix office says a U.S. Forest Service officer initially stopped to help Miller on Highway 89A in Oak Creek Canyon, about 100 miles north of Phoenix. According to family, Miller was heading to a retreat in Sedona when he crashed his truck. A deputy wrote Officer Krista Kuhns sounded “shaky and was speaking loudly” over a radio and then shots were fired.

The toxicology report released by the medical examiner’s office found that Miller tested positive only for nicotine, a category of pain-relieving drugs that includes Tylenol, Advil and aspirin, and Naloxone, the drug used to reverse opioid drug overdoses. However, he tested negative for opiates — which are naturally occurring — and oxycodone, a synthetic opiate.

Miller’s blood alcohol content was 0.05 percent — below the legal limit of 0.08 percent for driving.

 

HUTCHINSON, Kan. — As the Kansas wheat harvest draws near, the condition of the crop continues to decline.

According to the latest from the Kansas Ag Statistics Service, half of the crop is in poor-to-very-poor shape, with only 16 percent of the crop in good-to-excellent shape.

According to Doug Bounds of the USDA, the harvest is still about a week or two away in Kansas and about two to three weeks away in Reno County and the surrounding area.

The dry, hot weather is not helping. Officials with various agencies say the hot temperatures and dry weather will likely stunt the crop’s growth. In central Kansas, the wheat is 100 percent headed. About 73 percent is coloring.

HUTCHINSON, Kan. — The Hutchinson City Council received the report from a study regarding retail and industry during today’s agenda session.

The study was assembled by the chamber with the help of Catalyst Commercial. Chamber President Debra Teufel talked about the study:

 

The presentation was made by Catalyst adviser Jason Claunch. He says targeting new business and retail starts with the downtown area. For the most part, Claunch says the downtown area of Hutchinson is in pretty good shape:

 

Claunch says more and more communities like Hutchinson are focusing on retail and small business as more than just a secondary source of revenue:

 

During the discussion, the issue of sales tax in the city came up and how it is affecting retail in the city. Claunch says the city’s sales tax numbers shouldn’t deter anyone from bringing a retail business to Hutchinson:

 

The study by Catalyst is being completed. Upon completion, it will be made available to the public.