HUTCHINSON, Kan. — Hutchinson Regional Health Care Systems has announced that Ken Johnson has been named President and CEO of the health care system.

The 54-year-old Kansas native has been serving in the interim capacity since Kevin Miller resigned in June. Johnson has been with the system since 2011, starting as CFO. He was named Chief Operating officer in 2014.

The system’s Board of Directors did not conduct a search for a new leader, instead opting to evaluate Johnson in his interim position. Board Chair Kim Moore said it became evident that Johnson was the man they wanted to lead the Hospital and its connected services. This is actually Johnson’s second stint with the Hospital as he started his career with Hutchinson Hospital Corporation in 1983.

Johnson has also worked at St. Francis Regional Medical Center, Northeast Alabama Regional Medical Center in Anniston, Ala.; along with Via Christi Health Care and Galichia Heart Hospital, both in Wichita.

Johnson and his wife Carolyn have two grown children. He also serves on the board of New Beginnings and is involved in the Circles of Hope anti-poverty program.

HUTCHINSON, Kan. – The Kansas State Fair Board announced today that Susan Sankey has been named general manager of the Kansas State Fair (the Fair). Sankey brings extensive experience in nonprofit leadership and the animal agriculture industry to the position where she will succeed Denny Stoecklein, who resigned earlier this year.

During the 2014 and 2015 fair seasons, Sankey served as the Director of Competitive Exhibits for the Kansas State Fair. In this role, she oversaw activities of 27 departments that comprise the Competitive Exhibits department, led a staff of two administrative assistants, department superintendents and show managers, and more than 200 of the Fair’s approximately 550 part‐time seasonal employees, and collaborated with the Grand Drive Committee to provide recognition and support for 4-H and FFA exhibitors participating in youth livestock shows. She participates in a network of professionals among national and international fair associations, and works with donors and sponsors for continued improvements to livestock shows and other competitive exhibits.

“The Kansas State Fair celebrates a long history, and I’m excited to be a part of its continued success,” Sankey said. “Being a part of the Fair is a great way to give back to the community of Kansas by celebrating our deep heritage and the future of agriculture, industry and culture. I look forward to working with a great team – dedicated and seasoned staff, volunteers, sponsors, loyal fairgoers – who are the heart of the Fair and its legacy to Kansans.”

Sankey has served in quality assurance leadership roles in animal agriculture and, before the Fair, as executive director of the Rice Community Healthcare Foundation. In addition, she has served on local, state and national boards and committees.

Coming off a record-breaking year for attendance at the Fair, Harmon Bliss, Kansas State Fair Board president, says the board was looking for the best candidate to effectively lead the state’s largest-single event into the future and represent the Kansas State Fair at a local, state and national level.

“The Kansas State Fair has a long, stable, and rich tradition in promoting and showcasing agriculture, our state’s largest industry, with both entertaining and educational experiences,” Bliss said. “When the fair board interviewed candidates, we were looking for someone who could add to that tradition, and we believe Susan has the right skills and talents to do that.”

As general manager, Sankey will lead all activities related to the Kansas State Fair and non-fair events held on the 280-acre fairgrounds. She will also represent the fair, a standalone state agency, at public and agriculture industry organizations as well as at government agencies and the state legislature.

The Kansas State Fair Board met at 1:30 on Nov. 20, 2015, to vote and confirm the hiring of Sankey.

HUTCHINSON, Kan. – The high school in USD 308 is proud to announce it has joined the Seatbelts Are For Everyone (SAFE) program for the 2015-16 school year.

SAFE is a teen-run, peer-to-peer program focusing on increasing teen seatbelt use through education, positive rewards and enforcement. The program is designed to bring awareness of the importance of wearing a seatbelt to reduce the number of motor vehicle-related injuries and fatalities within the community.

Hutch High has seven students involved in the program, Nic Smith, Hutchinson Police Department officer who serves as school resource officer at the school, said.

“Our students already have done one survey and are handing out pledge cards and candy,” Smith said. “We’re looking at sponsoring a basketball game this winter.”

The goal of SAFE is to provide students with strong traffic safety messages throughout the school year. During the program, students conduct unannounced seatbelt surveys, hold monthly educational programs, including pledge card signings and monthly drawings for gift cards, which are awarded to students that have signed a pledge card to wear their seatbelt. Law enforcement also conducts an enforcement period to emphasize the importance of wearing your seatbelt.

SAFE has been instrumental in increasing the Kansas teen seatbelt rate from 61 percent in 2009 to 84 percent in 2015. During the 2014-15 school year, SAFE was in 124 schools in 59 of the 105 Kansas counties.

HUTCHINSON, Kan. – It’s yet to be determined whether the Reno County Commission will approve vacating a portion of Mohawk Road between Blanchard and Blanchard Southwest so a company who owns property on both sides of the road can expand its business.

Commissioners Dan Deming and Brad Dillon seem opposed at this point, while Commission Chair James Schlickau is in favor. The commission in the end decided to wait 60 days to see if the company and the township can work something out where the road can stay open.

The question is whether it would be safe to have a rail spur for Enterprise Products near two other rail crossings. The company, after a long evaluation to look at all options, believes it wouldn’t be safe to place it there, but also leave the road open.

Representatives with the Reno Township and area farmers are opposed to closing the road, saying Mohawk is a valuable road for them and a direct link from U.S. 50 to the Reno County Landfill. They also didn’t like the idea of putting large farm equipment on county blacktops, saying that also isn’t safe for them and drivers on those roads.

The company is planning a $34 million expansion that would add four additional jobs to the 14 who currently work at the facility.

The company apparently stores liquid hydrocarbons at that facility.

They say that during construction, they would pay $2.4 million in a use tax or sales tax and the county’s portion of that would be around $500,000. Plus, if the county closed the rail crossings, the railroad companies would also provide the county some incentive for that as well.

Schlickau says that after all the study, he believes those improvements will provide increased tax revenues to the county in the coming years. He says, after looking at all sides, he’s in favor. Deming says this isn’t like other areas of the county where they closed roads. He says most of those were roads to nowhere. He says that isn’t the case here. Dillon said he doesn’t like the idea that county roads are for sale.

Again, no decision was made Tuesday, but that could come in January, if not sooner.

HUTCHINSON, Kan. – Daniel Seddiqui, known as the World’s Most Ambitious Job Seeker, was the final speaker for the 2015 Ray and Stella Dillon Lecture Series Monday morning. Before the lecture, he was in the Eagle media studios for an interview with John Brennan. The title of his speech was “50 jobs, 50 states.” So how did this start? He explains it was kind of started out of frustration at age 26.

After failing more than 40 consecutive job interviews and sending out 18,000 emails seeking a job after college graduation, he embraced 5,000 more rejections with his goal of finding and working 50 jobs in 50 states. He says he always wanted to learn about and be able to embrace the culture in different parts of the county. That idea kind of started by looking at maps as a kid.

Growing up in San Jose, Calif., he and his wife now make their home in Denver, Co.

At age 33, he is now an international bestselling author, highly recommended speaker, tv/film producer, and director of an innovative career exploration college program, in which students have the opportunity to experience a rapid prototyping of work and culture across America. He told us that he doesn’t want young people to do what he did, 50 jobs in 50 states, but maybe try five jobs in five states.

Seddiqui has earned his spot as a job seeking expert and cultural analyst contributor. His story is featured in a million textbooks worldwide and his book has been used as a common reader in classrooms around the world.

He says he likes staying competitive with long distance running, a sport he was a nationally ranked collegiate athlete at the University of Oregon and USC and successful Division 1 collegiate coach. He’s training for the 2016 Olympic Games in Brazil.

Here are some examples of places he worked: corn farmer in Nebraska, a real estate agent in Idaho, a wedding coordinator in Vegas, a logger in Oregon, a bartender in New Orleans, a cheese maker in Wisconsin, a racing pit crew member in Indianapolis, a peanut sheller in Georgia, a theme park employee in Orlando, a lobster man in Maine, a surfing instructor in Hawaii and a model in North Carolina. His job here in Kansas was at a slaughterhouse or meatpacking business in Topeka. He says on his website that “beef equals Kansas.”

If you would like more information on Daniel, You can visit his website at www.livingthemap.com.

HUTCHINSON, Kan. – The 2015 property tax statements have been uploaded and will be mailed on Monday.

First half will be due by Dec. 21. After that date, all personal property, oil, gas and intangible taxes will be considered delinquent and penalty and interest will begin to accrue at 4 percent annually for taxes under $10,000 and 10 percent annually for taxes over $10,000.

According to state law, you won’t be able to register a vehicle in the state of Kansas if personal property taxes are unpaid.

County Treasurer Jan Hull says even if you do not receive a tax statement, this doesn’t excuse you from paying taxes.

If you have an escrow on your mortgage, the mortgage company receives the statement and you’ll receive an informational sheet with all the information on mil levies and valuation.

Taxes are based on the assessed valuation of the property and the mil levy set by the budgets received from taxing entities in your area: schools, cities, townships, fire districts, county, colleges, libraries, drainage districts, cemeteries and water districts, to name a few.

For questions on the appraised valuation of your property, call the Appraiser’s Office at 620- 694-2515.

For questions about taxes or the statement itself, call the Treasurer’s office at 620-694-2938.

You can find your taxes now by going to this link: https://tax.renogov.org/ols/tax/Search/search_tax.aspx.

The online payment option should be available later this afternoon or tomorrow at this link: https://www.renogov.org/159/Online-Payment.

HUTCHINSON, Kan. – The old St. Elizabeth Hospitalwill be auctioned off to the highest bidder next week.

The auction will on Nov. 19 starting at 1 p.m. There will also be webcast bidding that day as well.

The building located at 500 West 20th here in Hutchinson, which was also called North Hospital at one time, is a four-story brick building located on a 1.8 acre corner lot with office units on the first floor and apartment units on the second floor. The third and fourth floors are apparently in the process of being renovated.

For more information, you can visit www.auctionebid.com.

 

 

HUTCHINSON, Kan. – Follies officials announced Tuesday morning that they’ll present a check to the Veterans memorial committee for around $85,000. The memorial is being built on the south edge of South Hutchinson.

The money is from the presentation of the 2015 Hutchinson Follies, a musical review, honoring those who served in the military.

Matt Stiles, City Administrator for the city of South Hutchinson, says that money will be a big help in building the memorial.

The Reno County Veterans’ Memorial will be focused on names of those who served from Reno County or those who called Reno County home. The seven granite panels will hold the names of 10,000-15,000 Reno County veterans, beginning with those who served in the Civil War through today.

The memorial site will also feature two static displays of retired military vehicles, as well as flags representing all branches of the US military.

HUTCHINSON, Kan. – A 34-year-old man was arrested after being picked up in McPherson for charges associated with a stabbing incident in Hutchinson Monday afternoon.

Derrick Sciafe faces potential charges of aggravated burglary-domestic violence, aggravated battery, battery-domestic violence and criminal damage to property.

The victim in the case was identified by Police Captain Troy Hoover as 35-year-old Amado Martinez. He walked from the home where the stabbing occurred, got onto a stretcher and was transported to the hospital for treatment. His wounds were not life threatening. The stabbing report came in just after 1 p.m. Monday.

He apparently stabbed Martinez, who is the boyfriend of his ex-wife, in a domestic case.

Sciafe posted a $38,000 bond, meaning he’ll make a first appearance in court early next week.

HUTCHINSON, Kan. – Two Hutchinson High School seniors will be recognized by Wendy’s.

Kacia Hilty and Jack Howard will be recognized Tuesday in Wichita as Local Winners of the 22nd annual Wendy’s® High School Heisman® program, which recognizes high school seniors who excel in sports, academics and community service.

The Wendy’s High School Heisman Award, inspired by Wendy’s founder, Dave Thomas, celebrates the successes of exceptional high school seniors throughout the nation. Not only does it recognize a student’s athletic accomplishments, but it celebrates the value of being well-rounded by also judging a student’s academic achievements and community leadership.

Kacia Hilty

Hilty has lettered in softball the past three years at HHS. She was named all-area first team the past three years, all-league first team the past three years and was the league MVP her junior year. In the classroom, she has been recognized as a Kansas Honors Scholar, was inducted into the National Honors Society and has been on the Principal’s Honor Roll the past two years.

Hilty has volunteered many hours with Communities that Care and with her local church. She enjoys working with the Hutchinson Recreation Commission supervising and refereeing youth activities. Hilty plans on attending Cowley Community College and then transferring on to a university to become a physician’s assistant.

Jack Howard

Howard is a top scholar-athlete at Hutchinson High School. He has lettered in basketball, soccer and golf throughout high school and was chosen team soccer captain his senior year. His academic honors include Kansas Honors Scholar, National Honor Society and he has been on the Principal’s Honor Roll the past three years. Howard was chosen to represent HHS as an American Legion Boys State Delegate and has been involved with his church in various community service activities. Howard plans on attending the University of Kansas and majoring in Mechanical Engineering.

The annual Wendy’s High School Heisman banquet will be held in Wichita Tuesday to honor Kansas winners. Scheduled to appear is OU Heisman winner Billy Sims (as well as his Heisman Trophy). After state winners are selected, a panel of judges – from the worlds of education, business and sports, along with former college Heisman Memorial Trophy Award winners and former Wendy’s High School Heisman national winners – will review the applications and vote on the national finalists and national winners.