An update on the work being done on some busy streets in Hutchinson. As we have been telling you, one of the more popular routes used by citizens to get from across town going either east or west will be closed to traffic Monday and Tuesday assuming weather cooperates.

23rd Avenue from Plum Street to Rambler Road is closed to through traffic for asphalt patching and an asphalt overlay, and they started that road construction on Thursday, but the road will be open through the weekend, although you should prepare for it being rough during that time.

23rd has seen a lot of work in recent weeks with all that was done east of Severance to Lorraine.

And, APAC-Kansas officials say the work continues on Lorraine with the southbound lanes between 16 th & 11 th closed. Next Tuesday, both lanes of traffic will be under construction for asphalt milling of the road, again weather permitting. That will be a traffic nightmare for some with Lorraine a very busy street in Hutchinson.

Work is also being done on Apple Lane from 30th to 17th, and traffic movement will be impacted by the construction in that area as well.

GREAT BEND – The Kansas Department of Health and Environment Friday issued an Emergency Order of Suspension against Schloemer Day Care Home, a licensed day care home operated by Annette Schloemer located at 314 N. Washington, Great Bend.

Apparently, Barton County child care surveyors came to the day care and report that a 15-year-old had been hired to handle taking care of the children 3-months to school age in the day care while Schloemer was out of town on vacation. A person at least 18-years of age should be the one running the daycare.

In addition, some of the kids were lying on the floor and there was dog food and fecis on the floor, electrical outlets were uncovered, and a curling iron was plugged in and accessible in the bathroom, the bathtub was full of trash and debris with a strong mildew smell, dirty dishes were piled in the sink. Dangerous chemicals were in the garage, and there was standing water in the wading pool which was accesible to children in the outdoor play area.

No files for the children or adults were provided to the surveyors to review. Plus, the 15-year-old substitute didn’t know the location of emergency medical release forms, records that contained contact information for parents, and documentation of persons authorized to pick up children.

Later Schloemer contacted the surveryor by phone and informed them that the 7-children had been picked up by their parents. And, they also learned that the kids were moved to the family foster care home at 314 North Washington, which is not licensed to be a daycare. Plus, the 15-year-old was still providing care.

Three of the children were 3-months, 2-years, and 6-years of age and were foster children in placement with the licensee under her foster home license.

State law allows the Secretary of KDHE to issue such an order when, in the opinion of the Secretary, the order is necessary to protect children in the home from any potential threat to health or safety.

The order is subject to appeal by Schloemer to the Secretary of KDHE.

The second annual Small Town 140 Characters Conference will be held in Hutchinson at the Fox Theatre on September 20th.

The focus of the 140 Characters Conference is how real-time technology, such as Twitter and Facebook, is changing business, agriculture, media, education, sports and celebrity.

The all day event will be streamed live on the internet. Jeff Pulver, the founder, says, “The take-aways from this event will provide the attending delegates knowledge, perspectives and insights to the next wave of effects Twitter will have on business.”

Pulver started the 140 Character Conferences in June of 2009 with an event in New York. Other 140 Characters Conferences have been held in London, Los Angeles and Tel Aviv. The first one small town one was held in Hutchinson last year and during the event Pulver committed to bringing it back this year. The only events Pulver will attend this year are in New York and Hutchinson.

Becky McCray, a small town entrepreneur from Alva, Oklahoma, was instrumental in encouraging development of the first small town 140 Character Conference. McCray says “Small town people and rural people are a lot more technologically savvy than anyone gives us credit for. We use the same tools and technology available to everybody else. Sometimes broadband access is an issue and we continue to work on improving it. Most of us have great access and use this technology as well as or better than any one from L.A. or London. It’s reshaping small towns just as much as it’s reshaping big cities.”

Pulver says there is no dividing line of population. “We want to include small towns and rural areas, outlying suburbs and exurbs. Plus, plenty of people who live in a big city have some important small town connection, whether that’s where you grew up, where you plan to move, where your parents came from, or where your clients are.”

An entrepreneur, Pulver co-founded Vonage, and was listed as a Tech Guru by Business Week. He is the chief writer of what is called the “Pulver Order,” adopted by the Federal Communications Commission as its first ruling regarding Internet Protocol communications.

Speakers at the 140 Character Conference will present in 10 or 15 minute segments. The day will move quickly and many voices will be heard. People will be sharing what’s heard at the conference on Twitter, using what’s called a “hashtag” of “#140conf.” Twitter users all over the world will be able to search for #140conf and see everything being written from Hutchinson, Kansas in real time.

Pulver explains that, “these events provide a platform for the worldwide Twitter community to listen, connect, share and engage with each other, while collectively exploring the effects of the emerging real-time internet on business. It creates serendipity in talking to each other, sharing ideas across industries, and exchanging thoughts with people like you and not like you.To put it in rural terms, we’re going to cross-pollinate some ideas. Or think of it as hybrid vigor: your new ideas are much stronger than the ideas that brought them about.”

For more information, to register, or apply to be a speaker, go to www.smalltown.140conf.com.

The Kansas State Fair announced Friday that Governor Sam Brownback will be the featured speaker of the September chamber membership breakfast on Thursday September 15th at the Kansas State fairgrounds, Dillon Hall in the Encampment building.

In addition to the Governor’s remarks, attendees will see the presentation of the 2011 July and August Reno County Small Business Awards.

Participants are asked to park north of State Fair Road and use Gate 5 for complimentary admission into the fair.

Chamber members can contact Belinda McClanahan at 662-3391 to attend, or register on-line.

Cost is $10 per person or members can use their 2011 Flash Pass. Non-members are also welcome to attend for 15-dollars.

TOPEKA – While some areas of Kansas have received much needed moisture over the last two days, many areas of Kansas are still experiencing extreme drought conditions that are causing crop failure and the dispersal of livestock herds – herds that have taken generations to build.

Kansas Secretary of Agriculture, Dale Rodman has been working with local, state and federal officials to identify ways the public sector can assist Kansas farmers, ranchers and agribusinesses that are being adversely impacted by this drought.

Earlier today, Secretary Rodman worked with the Kansas FSA office to further clarify what options Kansas farmers and ranchers have regarding haying and grazing of Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) acres in all Kansas counties. There have been a number of policy changes in recent days. Therefore, it is recommended that farmers and ranchers continue to talk to their local FSA Office regarding their options. This recommendation is true for all types of CRP acres – even if you have been in contact with your local office within the past week, policy changes have occurred to help producers.

Even if your county is not recognized as a D3 or D4 drought county, you may still qualify for the revised Managed Haying and Grazing program due to recent policy changes. Kansans have long been known for helping their neighbors. These changes allow those outside of drought-stricken areas to help Kansans who are impacted by the drought.