HUTCHINSON, Kan. — It is always a friendly competition for a great cause. The annual Battle of the Badges blood drive gets underway later this month in Hutchinson.

During the annual event, the Hutchinson Fire Department and local law enforcement compete to see who can recruit the most blood donors.

The event runs Jan. 28 through Jan. 30 at the First Presbyterian Church, 201 E. Sherman. Two local mobile events will also be held on Feb. 2.

The drive schedule is:

Jan. 28 — noon to 7 p.m.

Jan. 29 — 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.

Jan. 30 — 7 a.m. to 1 p.m.

The mobile donations on Feb. 2 will run from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Nex-Tech Wireless, 1441 E. 30th Ave., and Advance America, 921 E. Fourth Ave.

To make an appointment, visit redcrossblood.org or call 1-800-RED CROSS.

HUTCHINSON, Kan. — Hutchinson Regional Medical Center announced Wednesday that The Joint Commission, a respected international accreditation agency for healthcare organizations, in conjunction with the American Heart and Stroke Associations, has granted advanced certification to the Hutch Regional Primary Stroke Center. The designation is for two years and is recertification for a similar award granted in 2016.

Joint Commission reviewers evaluated compliance with stroke-related standards and requirements, including program management, the delivery of clinical care, and performance improvement. Approximately 450 patients with stroke symptoms sought treatment in the Hutch Regional Emergency Department during 2018. The American Heart and Stroke associations list stroke as a leading cause of death and disability in the nation.

The Hutch Regional Primary Stroke Center is one of 12 in Kansas, five of which are in metropolitan Kansas City.

HUTCHINSON, Kan. — When man landed on the moon nearly 50 years ago the astronauts were limited in their ability to venture too far from the lunar module.

That all changed with Apollo 15 when the lunar rover was apart of the payload that landed on the moon. The small battery-operated vehicle allowed astronauts to explore more of the lunar surface. The rover was used on the last three moon missions.

The rover is the topic for this month’s Coffee at the Cosmo on Thursday. Brad Neust, Director of Education for the Cosmosphere, will make the presentation. As always Coffee at the Cosmo is free to the public and refreshments will be served.

Coffee at the Cosmo begins at 9 a.m.

HUTCHINSON, Kan. — The Kansas State Fair has launched a new brand initiative that officials say better reflects the fair’s mission of celebrating all things Kansas.

The fair board approved the new brand identity at its Jan. 14 meeting in Topeka. Hutchinson-based BowerComm, a strategic marketing company led by Lori Bower, spearheaded the project.

“The fair isn’t just about great concerts and having fun, it’s about celebrating the people, products and communities that make Kansas great,” said the fair’s General Manager Robin Jennison. “We see Kansas’ largest gathering as an enormous opportunity to help our state move forward.”

As part of the brand initiative, the fair is refining its visual identity to reflect Kansas pride and the celebratory nature of the fair. This includes an updated logo that is more flexible and user-friendly for digital advertising and for creating sub-brands for key events and other activity around the fairgrounds.

“Nothing says Kansas as a sunflower, and we wanted to continue to build on this theme,” said Marketing Director Amy Bickel. “The addition of the ribbon to the sunflower really says fair. Our goal is for this logo to become a well-known symbol for Kansas.

“Trying to be practical, we personally chose a direction that would allow us to switch the current sunflower symbols on the fairgrounds over time,” Bickel said. “We chose a color scheme that not only reflects Kansas but also complements the colors of the buildings on the grounds.”

The fair also is increasing its focus on making the Kansas State Fairgrounds a year-round event venue. The agency manages the nearly 300-acre, state-owned fairgrounds, which has 70 buildings and currently holds about 500 events annually. The new fair strategy will help fair staff boost the usage of the fairgrounds during the non-fair season.

“We explored a lot of options with the staff and the marketing committee of the board to come up with the most inspiring yet practical approach,” said Bower. “We are excited to build the 2019 Kansas State Fair marketing efforts around this foundation”.

With the brand officially approved by the board, the fair staff is working to put together materials that will incorporate the new logo. Officials plan to roll out the new identity this spring.

HAVEN, Kan. — The Haven USD 312 School Board decided not to take action on selling off individual items that are apart of the now closed Partridge Elementary School.

The building is up for sale but no one has recently expressed interest in buying it. Superintendent Clark Wedel says some patrons in the district asked about being able to buy fixtures and other things in the building. After consideration, Wedel and the board decided it would be best to leave the fixtures and other items in tact for now. The hope is that it will give the building more appeal if the individual items come with it.

Also last night, the board delayed any decision on a change order for the football stadium. The order would have added a bigger electrical junction box to the stadium complex which also includes the softball fields. But with the cost exceeding $37,000, the decision was made to hold off on the addition.

The Board recognized long time teacher Bobbie Hays as the second quarter Impact Award winner. Hays has been a teacher in the district for 36 years. The district selects an employee each quarter for the award and one of the four quarterly winners is selected the Impact Award winner for the year.

HUTCHINSON, Kan. — The Hutchinson City Council started off the new year with appointing Dave Inskeep as the Mayor for the city and Jade Piros de Carvalho as the Vice Mayor.

Once they got down to business, the Council voted to hire a Human Relations Officer on a trial basis. The employee would work about 20 hours per week and would cost the city about $60,000 per year for wages and services. The approval came after many meetings and much discussion about whether the position could handle case load in the city and whether the program would provide the necessary service. The part time person would be the contact for any issues that arise in regards to human relations which includes age, religion, sex or gender among others.

All cases would still be handled by the Kansas Human Rights Commission, leading many to ask why we should have such a position. The Council was strongly in support of the position but some felt it should have more assistance and be a full time position. Again the position is on a trial basis only, although no timeline was given for how long the position would be in place.

The Council approved the request for $4.5 million in taxable industrial revenue bonds for the proposed Genzada Pharmaceuticals facility.

Genzada recently purchased the only Dillon’s property at 30th and Plum and plan to remove the current building and construct a new medical research facility. The company manufacturers and does research on plant derived treatments for certain types of cancer and other diseases. The property will get some tax relief but will remain on the tax rolls. The incentive will hold the properties valuation for 10 years.