HUTCHINSON, Kan. — Hutchinson firefighters battled a house fire Monday afternoon. The call came out just after 2 p.m. in Careyville. When crews arrived at 315 Justice, they found heavy smoke and fire coming from the front of the structure.
All occupants of the house got out safely and no injuries were reported. The cause is unknown at this time.
HUTCHINSON, Kan. — Concerns over the dry conditions in Kansas continue although January was not as bad as some years. In fact, Hutchinson recorded the third-most moisture in the past 10 years, according to statistics from the National Weather Service
.
Hutchinson received 30/100ths of an inch of precipitation compared with nearly two inches last year. Still, the 30/100ths mark was not too bad. The driest January of the last 10 years came in 2009 where just a trace of precipitation fell, and in 2014 where just 4/100ths of an inch of rain or snow came down. Hutchinson averages about 40/100ths of an inch of moisture during the month.
While January was not too bad for the area, the dry months before and after are raising continued concerns about the wildfire potential this coming spring and the condition of crops, especially wheat.
HUTCHINSON, Kan. — The labor force declined in Reno County over the past year as the unemployment rate fell also.
According to numbers released by the Chamber of Commerce, the unemployment rate fell from 4.2 percent in 2016 to 3.4 percent in 2017. But the number of available workers in the county also fell to a total of 29,838 in 2017, down from 30,107 the previous year.
The chamber also noted there are about 1,000 people looking for work on an average month in the county. There are currently more than 650 jobs available with companies constantly looking for workers.
Many manufacturers are finding that the available workforce can’t pass a drug test. One company noted its new hires often show up for work on a Monday, then go missing for several days before returning to work thinking they still have a job.
Chamber President Debra Teufel says that mentality keeps companies from moving to the area. Many in the industry sector feel that high technology and STEM-type jobs have been pushed on school students so much that they miss opportunities to gather necessary vocational skills that can land good paying and needed jobs.
Despite the recent closings and layoffs at several area companies, Teufel says there is still work available for those who want jobs.
HUTCHINSON, Kan. — During its Capital Markets Day report last week, Siemens Gamesa announced
that the Hutchinson facility would become the new U.S. manufacturer of a smaller wind turbine designed to handle medium and low wind speed.
On Monday, the company made it official with the unveiling of the SG 2.7 MW geared-drive turbine. The SG 2.7-129 is targeted to commence in the U.S. in early 2019. The blades for this turbine will be manufactured at the company’s facility in Fort Madison, Iowa. The nacelles and hubs will be assembled in Hutchinson.
The SG 2.7-129 is the latest addition to the Siemens Gamesa 2.X product platform. Combined with the SG 3.4-132 and the SG 4.2-145 wind turbines, these products can address all of the diverse needs of the U.S. market.
All three of the turbines will be produced at the Hutchinson facility.
HUTCHINSON, Kan. — After holding a public hearing last month to deal with more than 20 city properties that were deemed unsafe, the Hutchinson City Council will consider what course of action to take during its agenda session Tuesday.
The city has been battling the large amount of dilapidated housing for several years now, trying to get property owners to either improve the structures or raze them.
Also Tuesday, the council will consider a residential infill study plan for those areas that have open lots due to removal of dangerous structures or other factors. The council will then consider an agreement with KDOT to help fund a safe routes system around Graber Elementary School.
Tuesday’s meeting of the Hutchinson City Council begins at 9 a.m. at the Hutchinson city offices.
HUTCHINSON, Kan. — The crime rate in Hutchinson and Reno County increased in nearly every category in
2017 from the previous year according to statistics released Friday by the Hutchinson Police Department, who keeps statistics countywide.
The number of violent crimes — aggravated assault, rape and murder — increased in 2017 with 200 such cases reported, compared with 177 in 2016. There were 160 aggravated assaults last year, compared with 135 in 2016; 36 rape cases, compared with 29 the previous year; and four homicides in 2017, compared to three in 2016. Property damage and theft reports also increased in 2017.
Drug cases increased dramatically from 772 in 2016 to 1,211 in 2017. Authorities have expressed concern in the past that the increase in drug activity is also bringing an increase in other crimes — such as burglary, theft and aggravated assaults. As drug users become more desperate, drug dealers become more demanding and dangerous.
The only category where crime declined in 2017 was burglaries. That category fell from 561 cases in 2016 to 508 in 2017.
HUTCHINSON, Kan. — Kansas State Fair officials are eagerly awaiting the March 7 hearing that could be an ultimate game-changer. In that hearing, the Senate Committee will decide if a bill that would allow the fair to collect the sales tax it generates should advance to the Senate floor. The revenue, collected from all fair and non-fair activities, would be deposited in the fair’s capital improvements fund. A House version of the bill already passed through committee with recommended approval.
Legislators came up with the proposal at the urging of the fair as a way to generate needed capital for maintenance and improvements to the grounds. The money would replace what is a $300,000 yearly infusion of cash that the state is supposed to put into the fair’s capital improvement fund, but rarely does. The state is about $1.6 million behind in that fund.
The fair hopes that the sales tax will generate an average of $200,000 per year. With the fairgrounds hosting the 10-day event in September and other shows, including the Kansas Jr. Livestock show, the new legislation could be a healthy financial shot in the arm. State Fair Interim GM Bob Moeder says his staff will be in Topeka ready to push for passage of the bill.
If the committee makes the recommendation to move on the bill, it will go to the Senate floor for action.
HUTCHINSON, Kan. — Siemens Gamesa reported during its Capital Markets Day forecast that it plans to make major changes to the onshore product line by reducing the number and type of wind turbines. What this means for the plant in Hutchinson is a new turbine to go with two models still manufactured.
The company, which has existed less than a year after the merger between the two wind giants, plans to eliminate the newer direct-drive platform from its onshore market and go back to the more tried-and-true geared drive.
The company now plans to offer just two product lines of onshore systems with just nine variants, compared to 25. It will also begin production on a new 4.2 MW onshore turbine in the next year and reduce the number of offshore products to a single 7 MW direct-drive unit. Plans are in place to introduce an even larger 8 MW turbine for the offshore market. The new onshore platform will be built in Hutchinson along with the current 3.4-132 and the 2.7-129 turbines.
A statement from Siemens Games regarding the Hutchinson facility read as follows. ” For specific impact to Hutchinson, we announced a new addition to our 2.X product platform, the SG 2.7-129, which will be manufactured in Hutchinson and Fort Madison. Combined with the SG 3.4-132 and SG 4.2-145 wind turbines, these products can address all of the diverse needs of the U.S. market. As previously announced, we have been retooling both facilities to accommodate these product lines”.
The plan also includes a series of measures that will unlock $2.5 billion of cost reductions. The elimination of more than 6,000 jobs — as previously announced, with 150 taken from Hutchinson — is included in the cost reduction.
The company’s technology strategy is premised on “one segment, one technology,” which means consolidating geared technology in the onshore segment and direct-drive technology in the offshore arena.
Siemens Gamesa says the wind power sector expects huge growth in the coming years and predicts the onshore market will grow 5 percent until 2020. The offshore market is expected to grow 13 percent to 2025.
HUTCHINSON, Kan. — Still in the first year of its merger, Siemens Gamesa will hold a Capital Markets Day overnight in the U.S.
The company will take time to provide insight and its plans for the company for the next three years. The meeting will be watched closely here in the U.S. as the company has cut a number of jobs, including close to 150 in Hutchinson and another 200 in Fort Madison, Iowa. The company also closed a plant in Canada, eliminating 450 jobs. It’s part of a worldwide reduction in workforce totaling more than 6,000.
The company has excelled in the offshore wind business, leading the way by far in orders and sales, but continues to lack behind Vesta in the onshore market.
A slump in sales ate into the bottom line for the company in the last quarter, but leaders feel the tide may be turning with strong order numbers on the books.
HUTCHINSON, Kan. — BNSF announced today it will spend $130 million dollars in Kansas this
year. The funding is part of more than $3.3 billion in work announced by the railroad last month.
The second-largest railroad in the nation and second-highest property taxpayer in Reno County plans to rebuild two bridges over the Marais des Cygnes River between Emporia and Ottawa that were built in 1945. That project will start in the next few weeks and should be completed in early 2019. Once all of the ground and foundation work is set up, the railroad will try to replace the two 210-foot spans in less than 32 hours.
The maintenance program also includes approximately 900 miles of track surfacing and/or undercutting work, the replacement of nearly 20 miles of rail, and close to 140,000 ties. It will also add parking bays at the Kansas City Automotive Facility. The funding includes money to further implement the Positive Train Control system in Kansas.
Over the past five years, BNSF has invested about $875 million to expand and maintain its network in Kansas.
