HUTCHINSON, Kan. — Reno County sheriff’s deputy Jeremy Vanwey was recognized during the 40th annual Award of Valor Banquet in Topeka for his efforts to rescue a Buhler teen during last October’s flooding.
Vanwey received the Silver Award for rescuing a 17-year-old teen whose car was swept off the road as she traveled on 82nd Avenue. The Award of Valor Banquet in Topeka honors the men and women who dedicate their lives to serving and protecting the people of Kansas.
Vanwey was dispatched to a vehicle that had been swept off the roadway because of floodwaters. Upon arrival at the scene, Deputy Vanwey observed a small pickup that had been swept off the road into a ditch. Dispatch reported that the vehicle was occupied. There was 1 to 2 feet of water in the roadway and another 3 feet or more of water moving swiftly in the ditch.
The occupant was a minor who had been on her way to school. The occupant was also on crutches from an ankle injury and knew she would be unable to fight the swiftly moving water to reach the higher ground on her own.
Despite not knowing how to swim and without regard for his own safety, Deputy Vanwey assisted the young woman to dry ground.
Sixty-six individuals and unit teams received awards during this year’s ceremony.
ALLEN ANDERSON BARBER
BUTLER CHASE CHAUTAUQUA
COFFEY COMANCHE COWLEY
DOUGLAS ELK FRANKLIN
GREENWOOD HARPER HARVEY
KINGMAN LABETTE LYON
MARION MONTGOMERY NEOSHO
OSAGE PRATT RENO
SEDGWICK SUMNER WILSON
WOODSON
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HUTCHINSON, Kan. — The first two members of the 2019 Hutchinson Community College women’s basketball sophomore class officially announced their choices of four-year programs on Wednesday.
Turns out Dejanae Roebuck and Tia Bradshaw picked the same school. Roebuck and Bradshaw will both play at the University of Texas-El Paso. The Blue Dragon sophomores made that announcement at a signing party at the Sports Arena.
Roebuck, a 6-foot forward from Olathe, and Bradshaw, a 5-8 guard from Dodge City, were primary contributors on Hutchinson’s 2018 and 2019 NJCAA Tournament teams. The 2019 Blue Dragons went 33-4 and advanced to the NJCAA Tournament national semifinals.
Roebuck was a third-team NJCAA All-American this season as well as first-team All-Jayhawk West and All-Region VI. She was Hutchinson’s leading scorer at 15.0 points per game, the seventh-leading scorer in the Jayhawk Conference. She was 12th in the league in rebounding at 7.3 rebounds per game. Roebuck ranked fifth in the KJCCC in field-goal percentage at 50.3 percent and was seventh in the league in free-throw percentage at 79.2 percent.
Roebuck completed her Blue Dragon career as the sixth all-team leading scorer in team history with 998 points. She is the No. 3 all-time rebounder in Hutchinson women’s history with 582 boards. Roebuck also ranks sixth on the career free throw list (236), ninth in rebounding average (9.2 rebounds per game) and 10th in total field goals (359).
Bradshaw averaged 6.9 points and 2.73 assists per game as a sophomore. She shot 39.1 percent from the field and 28.1 percent from 3-point range. Bradshaw had a tremendous NJCAA Tournament, averaging 9.7 points with 10 assists and five steals.
Bradshaw completed her Blue Dragon career with 232 assists, which ranks 10th on the all-time Blue Dragon assists list.
Roebuck and Bradshaw are the first two Blue Dragons to sign with UTEP.
They are the 29th and 30th players to sign with Division I programs since John Ontjes took over the program before the 2007-08 season. They are the 51st and 52nd players to move on to a four-year program under Ontjes.
HUTCHINSON, Kan. — If you’ve driven by the old Northgate Dillons building, you certainly have noticed some big changes.
The building is undergoing a major renovation and will become the new home of Genzada. According to Executive Vice President Jason West, the construction is going very well and is ahead of schedule. Originally, the plan was to raze the old Dillons store and build from scratch. However, the decision was made to keep the building and renovate it instead.
“We could do better by giving the building a facelift,” West said. “We hope to be done in August or September.”
West also said the building will likely keep the Northgate name once finished. The building will house the Genzada offices for now, but could expand to other uses in the future.
Genzada is a drug discovery and development company focused on generating clinically-useful molecules for today’s most challenging diseases, with an initial focus on various types of cancer.
NEWTON, Kan – The Hutchinson Community College men’s golf team put a stranglehold in the chase for the 2019 Jayhawk Conference championship on Tuesday.
Photo courtesy of Hutch CC Sports Information
The No. 7-ranked Blue Dragons survived tough scoring conditions on Tuesday at Sand Creek Station and won Jayhawk No. 2, the second of three league-designated tournaments, by a narrow margin over Dodge City.
Winners of the first two league-designated tournaments this season, the Blue Dragons lead the team season standings with 16 points, two points ahead of Dodge City and five points over Garden City and Barton. The Blue Dragons look to clinch their first league crown since 2016 at the 54-hole Jayhawk Championship next Monday and Tuesday at Crestview Country Club in Wichita.
Led by Jayhawk No. 2 individual champion Charlie Crockett, the Blue Dragons shot a 306 on Tuesday to finish with a 54-hole total of 913. Dodge City shot 305 on Tuesday and finished with 915.
Crockett was the only player on Tuesday to record a score of even par. The battled through a double bogey and errant tee shot on No. 9 – Crockett scored a bogey – to finish with a 72. The Blue Dragons also counted 78s from Charlie Herbert, Peyton Austin and Nathan McColloch to post its 306 on Tuesday.
Tuesday’s team victory is the third tournament championship of the 2018-19 season for the Blue Dragons.
Crockett wound up shooting one-under par for the tournament with a 54-hole total of 215. Crockett won his second tournament of the season – he also won the Park Invitational individual title in October – and moved into first place in the Jayhawk Conference individual standings with 17.5 points. He has a two-point lead over Dodge City’s Danny Taggart entering next week’s Jayhawk Championship.
Crockett was the only player to play the entire tournament under par. He won Jayhawk No. 2 by six strokes over individual runner-up Jake Bay of Garden City.
Hutchinson had five players place in the Top 12 on Tuesday.
Liam DeBatissta finished third overall at seven-over 223. DeBatissta, who was playing as an individual for the Blue Dragons, shot a 74, which tied for the second-lowest score in the round on Tuesday. DeBatissta jumped into sixth place in the season standings with eight points.
Austin earned a second-straight conference Top 10 finish with a tie for sixth place. Austin finished at 227 and picked up 4.5 points in the team standings. Austin is ninth with 5.5 points.
Herbert placed eighth at Jayhawk No. 2 with a 229. Herbert is now 12th in the conference standings with three points.
Lake Leroux, playing as an individual, tied for 11th after a 76 on Tuesday and finished at 233. Leroux is tied for 10th in the Jayhawk player standings with 4.5 points, which he scored at Jayhawk No. 1.
McCulloch finished 22nd with a 242. Freshman Max Ontjes finished with a 79 on Tuesday and tied for 32nd at 252.
HUTCHINSON, Kan. — A Great Bend farm implement dealer with a location in Hutchinson has been sold along with the company’s four other locations.
KanEquip announced Wednesday that it acquired Straub International. Straub also has locations in Pratt, Wichita and Salina. With this agreement, Case IH authorizes KanEquip to assume responsibility for these markets.
“Straub International has been a reputable supplier in central Kansas for several years,” Craig Goff, general manager of KanEquip, said. “We are extremely happy to have the Straub employees join our team and to continue and enhance the customer experience they have driven.”
Expanding the KanEquip Case IH footprint into central Kansas will be beneficial for all stakeholders: KanEquip, Case IH, Straub’s employees and new customers.
Larry Straub, CEO of Straub International, noted that they are excited to pass on their legacy as well as the care and support of their customers to the KanEquip organization.
He stated, “While we remain excited about the prospects for agriculture, we feel this is a very good time for us to move aside with recent industry changes and developments. It was very important for us that we transitioned our operations to a quality organization with a past history of success and a proven track record.”
“We are confident this will be a good transition for our employees, suppliers and customers. We would like to thank everyone that has supported the Straub organization(s) for the past 50 years and we hope you will give your full support to KanEquip moving forward,” Straub said.
COFFEYVILLE, Kan – The Hutchinson Community College baseball team tied a season high with four home runs as the Blue Dragons won for the 10th time in the last 12 games on Tuesday.
The Blue Dragons clinched the season series with the Coffeyville Red Ravens after a 15-3 run-rule victory at Walter Johnson Park. The Dragons won the non-league series with the Ravens 3-2.
Hutchinson improves to 28-15 overall. The Blue Dragons return to Jayhawk West play on Thursday with a doubleheader against Seward County at 1 p.m. at Hobart-Detter Field.
The home run barrage started right away when Logan Sartori hit a two-run homer to left field. Sartori hit his ninth home run of the season and 18th of his career which is 12th on the career home run list.
Riley Metzger hit his fourth home run of the season with a two-run shot to right in the third. That gave the Blue Dragons a 4-2 lead.
Ryan Moritz hit his first home run of the season with a two-run clout in the sixth that gave Hutch an 8-2 lead.
Then Zane Schmidt, in the seventh, hit a three-run home run, his league-leading 16th of the season for a 15-3 lead.
The four home runs on Tuesday match a four-home run game last Thursday at Pratt.
The Blue Dragons out-hit Coffeyville 10-5.
Schmidt led the way offensively going 3 for 5 with a double, home run, three runs scored and three RBIs. Metzger was 2 for 3 with a home run and two RBIs. Dylan Nedved had a double and two RBIs. Moritz also had two RBIs.
Will Reetz scored three runs and was hit twice with pitches. Reetz now has a nation-leading 22 hit-by-pitches.
Matt Hopkins (1-1) earned the pitching victory with 3 1-3 innings of relief work. Hopkins allowed four hits and two runs with four strikeouts and one walk.
Starter Dawson Linder worked 1 1-3 innings with one hit, one run and four walks with two strikeouts.
Brian Skillman had two strikeouts in 1 1-3 scoreless, hitless innings. L.J. McDonough struck out one in a scoreless seventh inning.
HUTCHINSON, Kan. — Seven Reno Couty high school students are among thirty-nine seniors that have been named 2019 Kansas Career and Technical Education Scholars.
The students are Becca Paine, Hailey Kisner, and Hailey Wiens of Hutchinson High School; and Jacob Hanen, Ryan Klamm, Cale McCabe, and Lauren Goertzen of Buhler High School.
The Kansas CTE Scholar program is an opportunity to recognize well-rounded outstanding CTE students who are finishing their senior year of high school. This is the second year for the initiative.
Students have to be a high school senior and have earned, or are presently enrolled in, three or more CTE credits, provide documentation of technical skill attainment and have a CTE Grade Point Average (GPA) of 3.5 or better in CTE coursework.
Scholars will receive a commemorative pin, special certificate and statewide recognition.
HUTCHINSON, Kan. — Two Hutchinson USD 308 elementary schools were named as Apollo schools by the Kansas State Board of Education on Tuesday. The state board approved Wiley Elementary School and Hutchinson Magnet School at Allen as Apollo schools.
Under the program, districts designate schools to be redesigned around five outcomes that include improving graduation rates, post-secondary success, kindergarten readiness, individualized learning and social-emotional skills.
“Wiley is thrilled to be a part of re-imaging what education could look like,” Lynette McLean, Wiley principal, said. “We are so thankful for district encouragement and the support we will receive from ESSDACK and KSDE as we begin this journey. “
The Hutchinson Public Schools Board of Education approved the Apollo application at its March 11 meeting. For HMS at Allen, the redesign process fits the model it has used since transitioning to STEM in the 2012-13 school year. The elementary is the district’s STEM magnet school.
“We are really excited to start the process to look at school non-traditionally,” Alma Henry, HMS at Allen principal, said. “We know kids learn best through hands-on experiences.”
In 2017, the state board designated the first seven districts, referred to as the Mercury 7 in honor of the nation’s space program for school redesign. The next two phases were named Gemini I and Gemini II.
Schools participating in the Apollo program plan to launch a new school redesign in the 2020-21 school year and will serve as a future demonstration site for other districts in Kansas to study, learn from and visit.
The Apollo program includes 41 schools from 19 districts. Tuesday’s state board announcement brings the total number of schools taking part in the redesign process to about 150, representing 66 school districts.
HUTCHINSON, Kan. — Each year, Central Christian School takes a day to do service projects for the public.
This year, Central Christian elementary students treated firefighters to bags of goodies.
“For the past eight years, we held a service day where our entire school, K-12 goes out and serves in the community,” Central Christian Development Director Kristi Busatti said. “One of the projects our elementary students did was put together these survival kits for the firemen in our community.” The bags included various little candies and treats with messages of thanks and encouragement.
But that’s not all.
“Our secondary students did projects all throughout the community,” Busatti said. “We had a group that helped at the city parks and did mulching and planting flowers throughout the city. We had another group that helped out at the Reno County Museum.”
The students also worked at the Reno County Correctional Facility and helped school alumni with spring cleaning projects.
