CASTLETON, Kan. — The wheat harvest is very late, but some cutting has taken place in Reno County. According to the Mid Kansas Co-Op, a few trucks came in at the Castleton location.
Test weights were in the 60 pounds per bushel range with moisture running around 12% to 14%.
The Farmers Co-Op in Pretty Prairie reported a couple of trucks last night. Numbers were similar with moisture running just under 14% and test weights around 60 pounds per bushel.
The cutting is expected to pick up this weekend if the weather stays hot and dry. As of Friday morning, less than 1% of the state’s harvest is in the bin, which is well below average.
HUTCHINSON, Kan. — A bridge that is heavily used by motorists in and out of the Prairie Hills Middle School neighborhood has been closed permanently.
The small wooden span over the Union Pacific Railroad at 43rd and Old K-61 was condemned Thursday after significant structural damage was discovered during an inspection.
Reno County Road and Bridge Superintendent Don Brittain says the main structure was rotted away to the extent that holes were showing through beams that hold up the road deck. Brittain says the span cannot be repaired, which means it is closed until it can be replaced.
The bridge was already scheduled for replacement, but the hope was that the span could stay open until that time. Brittain says motorists choosing to ignore the posted three-ton weight limit caused too much damage to keep the span open. Under a three-ton weight limit, the bridge was only strong enough for automobiles. During the inspection yesterday, Brittain says trucks with trailers and campers were still using the span even though they were well over the weight limit.
The closing means big traffic issues for the Buhler school district as cars will now have to use 30th and Lucille to come and go from Prairie Hills Middle School. It’s also the only way out of neighborhoods north of the school.
Brittain says the bridge replacement project is on schedule, but that still means an 18-month period where the road will be closed. Bids for the new bridge are expected to go out in November. The low bid will be awarded in December and construction should start soon after that. Once it starts, the work is expected to take 12 months to complete. That means the new bridge won’t open until late 2020 or early 2021.
HUTCHINSON, Kan. — Visit Hutch announced this week that the North American Sport Taekwondo Association (NASTA) has selected Hutchinson for its 2020 National Championship, which will be held at the Hutchinson Sports Arena. The event dates are set for June 11-13, 2020, with competition taking place all day Friday and Saturday. This is the first time Hutchinson has hosted the national championship and the first time the event will be held in Kansas.
The group has been meeting with NASTA more than two years to bring the championship to the Sports Arena. “Bob Crouch and the team with NASTA have been great to work with throughout the bidding process. This event will bring hundreds of athletes and families to the community and we are excited to welcome them to Hutchinson,” Holly Leiker, National Sports & Destination Sales Manager for Visit Hutch, said.
The event is expected to bring approximately 1,500 spectators to Hutchinson for the two-day championship with an estimated economic impact of over $400,000.
HUTCHINSON, Kan. — The recent flooding has caused damage to many things, including lawns and gardens. If you’re looking at damage to plants and grass, there are some steps you can take to either recover now or this fall.
As far as your garden goes, or grows, there is still time to restart your plantings, according to Jason French with Stutzman’s Greenhouse. “There are some options that you can still plant in vegetable gardens, squashes things like that, that can still go in,” French said. “Probably be a little hard pressed to find some of the tomatoes and peppers to go in.” French says you also want to make sure to loosen the soil again to avoid compactions. “You may want to lightly cultivate or kind of go between the rows and loosen that soil so that it can kind of breath,” French added.
As far as your lawn goes, the flooding may have killed off the lawn. If that’s the case, not much can be done until the fall when it’s time to seed or resod your lawn. French says the only thing you can do then is keep the weeds away until it’s time to plant again. If the grass survived, he says you do have some options. “What we really need to do this time of year to help is to keep the weeds down,” French said. “That water is going to want to sprout a lot of weeds.”
French adds that most warm-season grasses can still be fertilized, but any cool season grass will have to wait until cooler weather returns. He adds it is also a good idea to aerate your lawn to avoid soil compaction from excess water.
Authorities arrived at the 300 block of West 8th around 3 a.m. and found 19-year-old Jacob Foley with a gunshot wound to the leg. Questioning various subjects gave officers an idea of who they were looking for. Later in the morning, police got word that the main subject in the shooting, 21-year-old Brendan Jones, was in the 300 block of West 16th. At that time the Emergency Response Team was activated. Just after 11 a.m., the second of the two suspects, 18-year-old Tyson Samuels, gave himself up and was taken into custody.
Snipers position themselves on a nearby roof during Thursday’s standoff.
Several minutes later, Jones indicated he too would give up. However, when he got to the door, Jones started shooting at officers. Ten officers returned fire, striking Jones. He was taken by EMS to Hutchinson Regional Medical Center before being transferred to a Wichita hospital where he was in surgery as of late Thursday afternoon. Foley was treated and released. None of the officers were hit, although at least one patrol vehicle was struck by gunfire.
The 10 officers have been placed on administrative leave, which is protocol for such events, and the KBI has been brought in to help with the investigation.
16th Street from Jefferson to Madison was blocked off and Jefferson was closed between 15th and 17th during the standoff. Residents in the entire block were asked to evacuate but were allowed to return to their homes late in the afternoon.
Police and the Reno County Sheriff’s Office were assisted by the Department of Corrections K-9 units and Harvey County Sheriff’s Department.
Chief Jeff Hooper updated the situation Thursday afternoon.
HUTCHINSON, Kan. — The Boys and Girls Club of Hutchinson is holding its annual Block Party on the Blacktop Car Show and Celebration this Friday.
The event runs from 6 p.m. until 8 p.m. at Avenue A Elementary School at 111 S. Madison.
The Salt City Cruisers will bring their very best show and classic cars and plenty of food will be on hand. The Boys and Girls Club youth will be judges for the show and all proceeds benefit the Boys and Girls Club of Hutchinson.
For more information, call Don Jordan at 620-669-7561.
HUTCHINSON, Kan. — Holly Martin has been around agriculture all her life. She grew up near Winfield on the family farm and was heavily involved with FFA.
Holly Martin of the High Plains Journal speaks about her experiences covering agriculture during Wednesday’s Chamber luncheon held at Main Street Event.
For years, Martin has been one of the driving forces behind the High Plains Journal. Martin is now the publisher. She took time Wednesday to speak about some of the events she has covered during Wednesday’s Chamber luncheon.
Martin says the Journal has evolved over the year, including the technology side. “I’ve worked at High Plains Journal for 25 years and I think we’ve gone from a publication to a media company,” Martin said. “We continue to serve farmers and ranchers as we always have, we do it in a different way.” The Journal does have its publication but also conducts events, webcasts and other things to keep farmers informed.
Martin says the Journal has never been about politics, tariffs, farm prices and such. It’s simply about people, which is why she loves her work. “Over the years I’ve been able to meet so many great people and yeah I talked today (Wednesday) about perseverance and determination,” Martin stated. “Agriculture wouldn’t be where it is if it wasn’t the people behind it.”
During her Chamber presentation, Martin showed some of the photos of assignments she has covered for the Journal, including the Greensburg tornado and the wildfires in south-central Kansas.
HUTCHINSON, Kan. — Hutchinson police hope to build on the first youth academy held on Tuesday.
Participants of the first Hutchinson Police Department Youth Academy get a chance to meet Tank of the department’s K-9 unit.
The turnout was a little small, but Thad Pickard with HPD says they hope to have more and larger classes in the future. “We kind of got the ball rolling late this year so we didn’t have a great turnout but it was as good for our first,” Pickard said. “Next year we’re hoping to have multiple academies, maybe June, July and August.” The hope is to attract about 30 students for each class.
The youth academy was for students entering their freshman year who are interested in law enforcement or just want a better understanding of what police officers do. “What we really wanted to accomplish was to reach out to the young people in our community,” Pickard said. “We really wanted to interact with them, hopefully, talk to them about decision making and how poor decisions can affect them for the rest of their life.”
Pickard says the age group they chose was important. “In junior high, if they make bad decisions it really doesn’t affect them in life, but now that they’re getting into high school those poor decisions can really affect them,” Pickard said. “We’re wanting to make a positive impact in our youth. We thought this was a great way to reach out to them.”
HAYS, Kan. — Fort Hays State University named 26 Reno County students to the Dean’s Honor Roll for the spring 2019 semester.
The Dean’s Honor Roll includes undergraduate students only. To be eligible, students must have completed 12 or more credit hours and earned a minimum grade point average of 3.60 for the semester. Full-time on-campus and FHSU Virtual College students are eligible.
Haven:
Kylee Renee Davis is a senior majoring in nursing.
Shelby Marie Davis is a senior majoring in health and human performance.
Kaitlyn Alex Pell is a junior majoring in English (teaching).
Brandae Nicole Tate is a junior majoring in education.
Hutchinson:
Brianna Nicole Buller is a senior majoring in history.
Madelyn Kacey Gagnebin is a senior majoring in elementary education.
Seth T. Williams is a junior majoring in computer science.
Isabelle Wortz is a sophomore majoring in nursing.
Amy Kathleen Bennett is a senior majoring in general studies (business).
Katelyn Marie Burkhart is a senior majoring in radiologic technology.
Anna Marie Deal is a junior majoring in communication (public relations and advertising).
Phillipe Ruben Diaz is a junior majoring in geosciences (geography).
Shannon Marie Donaldson is a senior majoring in education.
Derek S. Dreher is a junior majoring in information networking and telecommunications.
Katie Elaine Ellegood is a senior majoring in biology (education).
Jordan Flegler is a junior majoring in management.
Alexandria Gilley is a senior majoring in elementary education.
Emily Marie Hammeke is a sophomore majoring in information networking and telecommunications (digital media production and journalism).
Emily Elizabeth Kohls is a senior majoring in art (studio).
Maria Kathleen Morrell is a senior majoring in management (human resource).
Cassandra Marinna Ratzlaff is a senior majoring in elementary education.
Kelly Lynn Rayl is majoring in general studies.
Celestia Rosa Rich is a senior majoring in general studies (health promotion).
Joey Allison Schneider is a senior majoring in teacher education – early childhood unified.
Tylor Marie Shepherd is a junior majoring in accounting (public).
Nickerson:
Connor D. Childs is a senior majoring in radiologic technology.
Joel Ephraim White is a sophomore majoring in agricultural business.
Partridge:
Kyndra D. Eberly is a senior majoring in general studies (human services).
Preston:
Stephen Edward Lunsford is a junior majoring in education.
Pretty Prairie:
Brooke C. Perry is majoring in elementary education.
HUTCHINSON, Kan. — The quarterly earnings session ends Thursday with Kroger releasing its first quarter earnings before the bell.
Wall Street predicts the parent company of Dillons will see first quarter earnings of 71 cents per share on revenue of $37.27 billion and same-store sales growth of 1.7%.
The consensus per-share earnings estimate has fallen from 81 cents at the end of 2018. Kroger did not release quarterly guidance. In March, the company pointed to full-year EPS of $2.15 to $2.25 on revenue growth of 2% to 2.25%.
In last year’s first quarter, the company reported earnings of 73 cents a share on sales of $37.53 billion and same-store sales growth of 1.9%.
