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Author: Hutch Post Staff

Stanton honored by Kansas County and District Attorneys Association

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HUTCHINSON, Kan. — Deputy Reno County District Attorney Thomas R. Stanton has been awarded the Kansas County and District Attorneys Association (KCDAA) 2019 Lifetime Achievement Award. The award was presented to him at a recent KCDAA conference in Wichita.

Stanton is a 1988 graduate of the University of Kansas, obtaining his law degree in 1990. Before attending law school, Stanton worked as a police officer in Farmington, New Mexico, and at the University of Kansas. Prior to joining the Reno County District Attorney’s Office in 2001, he served ten years with the Saline County Attorney’s Office, serving five of those years as First Assistant County Attorney.

Stanton has been a two-term President of the KCDAA, the KCDAA’s 2005 Prosecutor of the Year, the Section Head for the Drug Section of the KCDAA and on the Board of Directors for the Kansas Association for Drug Endangered Children.

He’s also a member of the Top Gun Advisory Council and Chief of their Legal Staff, and an officer and board member for the Kansas Prosecutor Foundation. He was most recently named the Kansas Narcotics Officer Association (KNOA) 2018 Prosecutor of the Year.

Company leasing Cottonwood Hills suspends operations at course

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HUTCHINSON, Kan. — The company leasing Cottonwood Hills Golf Club says it is suspending operations of the course until a new owner can be found.

Park Partners, LLC, issued a news release saying it will no longer lease the course from Apex Bank of Camden, Tennessee. The bank has been in ownership of the course off and on for several years after buying it in foreclosure. Park Partners, which is located in Wichita, had been leasing the course since 2016 but said business restraints have forced the company to close the course effective immediately.

The release went on to say that the lack of ownership commitment was a major reason to cease operations. “Without asset holder support, Park Partners LLC will no longer be able to maintain the necessary standard of the property and the business they expect.”

It is the third time Cottonwood Hills has been idled because of financial issues. The Nick Faldo-designed course opened in 2007 but closed soon after when developer Lane Neville could not find investors to fund the housing portion of the development.

The development was also hampered when Reno County was not willing to give concessions to Neville, fearing a repeat of the Paganica property, now known as the Highlands, which financially collapsed leaving the county holding the bill.

The course was then purchased by Drayton Aldritt of Wichita. With a Herculean effort, he opened the course and brought it back to playable conditions after it was idled for three years.

But the course quickly became the subject of much speculation when it was only open during the warmer months. The course was put up for sale. When there were no suitable offers, Aldritt took the listing off and the course eventually went back to the Tennessee bank. The bank has since put the course on the sale bill again with an asking price of $2,490,000.

Another earthquake shakes Hutchinson area

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HUTCHINSON, Kan. — An earthquake shook Hutchinson Wednesday afternoon.

The U.S. Geological Survey says the quake measured 3.1 magnitude and was located about two miles northwest of South Hutchinson.

The trembler struck around 4:39 p.m. and was similar to some of the stronger ones the area has witnessed recently.

Famous STEM instructor will speak at final Dillon Lecture Series

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HUTCHINSON, Kan. — The final installment of the 2019 Dillon Lecture Series at Hutchinson Community College will be Tuesday, Nov. 5, at 10:30 a.m. in the Hutchinson Sports Arena.

The speaker will be STEM educator Fredi Lajvardi. Lajvardi captivated the country when he led his team of disadvantaged teenagers in a university-level underwater robotics competition, where they defeated leading schools, including top-ranked MIT. Their story inspired the acclaimed documentary Underwater Dreams and was also adapted into the major motion picture, Spare Parts, starring actor and comedian George Lopez as Fredi. His award-winning Falcon Robotics team is also featured in the 2017 film Dream Big.

Tickets to the lecture are currently on sale online and at the HutchCC Campus Store in the Parker Student Union.

HutchCC to hold groundbreaking Thursday

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HUTCHINSON, Kan. — Hutchinson Community College will hold a groundbreaking ceremony for the student dining expansion project on Thursday.

Work on the new dining area is being done by Harman Huffman Construction at a cost of $5,252,300. Work includes expanding the dining and kitchen area, remodeling the basement recreation and meeting areas, and making overall needed improvements.

The ceremony is set for 4 p.m. on the northeast side of the Parker Student Union.

Planning Commission approves zoning request

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HUTCHINSON, Kan. — The Hutchinson Planning Commission gave its approval to a zoning request from a local financial adviser during Tuesday’s meeting.

Dane Power, who runs a local Edward Jones financial service, was before the board asking that a parcel of land at Brentwood and 23rd Avenue be rezoned from high-density residential to commercial.

Power wants to build a new office at the location, which is just northwest of The Alley.

Power could not give a timeline for when he might begin construction of the new office. The recommendation must still be approved by the city council. That’s expected to be on the agenda Nov. 17.

Marshall unveils new healthcare plan in Washington

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HUTCHINSON, Kan. — First District Congressman Roger Marshall unveiled his plan for affordable healthcare in Washington on Tuesday. The Chair of the Republican Study Committee’s Health Care Task Force said the program, called The RSC Healthcare Plan, will come in two phases. In an interview with Hutch Post, Marshall says it’s time to find a solution to healthcare.

“We all realize that healthcare is broken,” Marshall said. “And everywhere I go people are concerned about the cost of healthcare, they’re concerned that healthcare is a very personal item. So our solution is going to be centered around personalized healthcare.”

The plan is presented as an alternative to Democrat proposals that Marshall says forces Americans off their current insurance plans, including those with employer-employee coverage.

Specifically, the plan would protect Americans with pre-existing conditions and give citizens better control over their healthcare decisions and dollars, according to a news release from Marshall’s office. No other specifics were given in the proposal or where the measure will go in the House from here.

Marshall says the plan will be especially beneficial in rural areas. “I think the innovation, the telemedicine, are all connected to this,” Marshall said. “And driving down the cost of healthcare by giving patients more choices and patients more control, it’s going to help rural medicine just as much as urban America.”

While the measure is set to go, it looks like the measure won’t move far in a House that is at a standstill.

USD 309 board discusses two sport proposal

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NICKERSON, Kan. — The Nickerson School Board continued discussion on a proposal to let athletes play in two sports in the same season.

The board wanted some clarification on the proposal but took no action. If approved, high school athletes would be allowed to play both sports if approved by the coaches and the athletes are able to maintain good grades.

Also last night the board discussed the kitchen renovation at the high school. The project was originally part of the bond issue but was taken out when the district decided it could be funded through the capital outlay budget.

Bids are expected to be approved during the board’s November 18th meeting and the work should be completed during the Christmas Break. The cost of the renovation is just over $20 thousand.

The board also got an update on the bond issue. Two informational meetings are set for Oct. 28th and 29th from 7 p.m. until 8 p.m. at the South Hutchinson community building.

Work underway on Cow Creek bridge replacement

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HUTCHINSON, Kan. — Work started early Tuesday morning to replace the aging railroad bridge over Cow Creek.

Crews work to replace the Cow Creek railroad bridge. As this photo was taken the old bridge had been removed and the new one had progressed this far in just five hours.

BNSF crews began tearing out the old bridge over the Martinez Trail around 4 a.m. By 9 a.m., the old bridge was already removed and the new one was well on its way to being finished. The bridge is completely pre-fabricated concrete and is assembled in sections.

BNSF expects the bridge to be finished this evening. Once the debris and temporary road are removed the hike and bike trail will reopen.

USD 309 to get update on bond issue and informational meetings

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HUTCHINSON, Kan. — The Nickerson USD 309 School Board will get an update on the bond issue during tonight’s agenda session.

District patrons are preparing to vote on a $29.9 million facilities improvement bond issue November 5.

The group assembled to promote the bond issue, 309 Bright Futures, will host two community meetings next week. The meetings are October 28, and 29, from 7 p.m. until 8 p.m. at the South Hutchinson Community Center.

The purpose of these meetings is to provide information about the bond issue to undecided voters in the community. This meeting will begin with a presentation and end with a question and answer session. Questions will be taken in advance of the meeting.

The Board will also go over bids for renovation of the kitchen at the high school and continue discussion allowing students to participate in two sports during the same season.

Tonight’s meeting of the Nickerson USD 309 School Board begins at 7 p.m. at the school district offices at 4501 W. 4th Avenue.

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