HUTCHINSON, Kan. — The Stuff the Trucks event for the Reno County Food Bank set a record Saturday thanks to the generosity of those who donated at Walmart in Hutchinson.

The event collected a record 7,339 pounds of food. Another $717.52 in cash and gift cards was also collected.

All of the proceeds from the event went to the Reno County Food Bank to help the less fortunate through the holidays.

Midwest Ford and Toyota Superstore set up vehicles at each entrance and provided volunteers to help collect food.

Fastlane Express Car Wash donated 50% of its proceeds from Saturday as well.

Other sponsors included J&J Drainage Products, Prairie Star Health Center, A&A Appliance, Pools Plus, Hog Wild Pit Bar-B-Q and Mike’s Rent-to-Own.

My 93-1 and Country 102.9 would like to thank those who helped make this event such a success.

Both stations are affiliated with Hutch Post and set up live broadcasts from 9 a.m. until 11:30 a.m. Volunteers stayed at both entrances collecting donations until 3 p.m.

HUTCHINSON, Kan. – Around 5:20 p.m. Saturday, officers with the Hutchinson Police Department were dispatched to 17th and Ring Road reference to a shooting. Officers contacted Darin Rodriguez, 54, of Hutchinson who had a gunshot wound to his groin.

The investigation revealed that an argument took place between Rodriguez and the occupants of another car while they were both stopped in traffic on Ring Road just south of 17th Avenue. Rodriguez exited the passenger side on a vehicle he was riding in. He left his door open as he confronted the occupants of the other vehicle. A rear seat passenger in the other vehicle identified as Deante Jones, 20, of Kansas City, discharged a firearm one time striking Rodriguez in the groin.

The bullet went through the open door of the vehicle Rodriguez got out of, ricocheted off the interior and struck the driver, Paula Thomas, 74, of Hutchinson on her upper right leg. Thomas received a graze from the bullet. Rodriguez and Thomas were both transported to the Hutchinson Regional Medical Center where they were treated and released.

Jones was arrested for two counts of aggravated battery and is being held on a $20,000 bond. This case is still under investigation.

SOUTH HUTCHINSON, Kan. — One person died in an accident just after 2 a.m. Friday in Reno County.

The Kansas Highway Patrol reported a 1999 Buick Century driven by Melvin G. Uphoff, 72, Hutchinson, was traveling southwest on Kansas 61, six miles west of South Hutchinson.

The vehicle struck a 2014 International Prostar, driven by Jose Cota-Espinoza, 46, Mexicali, Mexico, that became stuck when the driver missed an exit and attempted to make a U-turn and blocked both lanes of the highway.

Uphoff was pronounced dead at the scene and was transported to the Sedgwick County Forensics Center. Cota-Espinoza was not injured. Neither drivers was wearing a seat belt, according to the KHP.

HUTCHINSON, Kan. — Hutchinson USD 308 is one of 19 Parents as Teachers programs in Kansas to be designated as Blue Ribbon Affiliates by the Parents as Teachers National Center. The announcement came Wednesday from the Kansas State Department of Education.

This endorsement is the highest designation a Parents as Teachers program can earn and means the program implements the evidence-based Parents as Teachers model with fidelity and quality, according to the Parents as Teachers website.

The Parents as Teachers affiliate model includes home visits, group connections, child screenings and connections to community resources. It helps equip parents with the knowledge and resources to prepare their children for a strong start in life and greater success in school.

Parents as Teachers affiliates are required to engage in a quality endorsement and improvement process in their fourth year of implementation and every five years thereafter, according to parentsasteachers.org. To earn the quality endorsement, affiliates must complete a comprehensive self-study and review process that demonstrates they are meeting or exceeding Parents as Teachers essential requirements, along with at least 75 of the 100 quality standards.

HUTCHINSON, Kan. — Area fire crews had to deal with brush fires Wednesday. According to 911, the first call came out around 2:45 p.m.

The fire was located in the 1,100 block of E 56th Avenue. A second call came around 4:35 p.m. for a fire at 56th and Yaggy Rd. No word on injuries or damage from either blaze. The range land fire index is expected to be in the HIGH category over the next several days. with strong winds and dry conditions.

We’ll have more as it becomes available.

NICKERSON, Kan. — With the USD 309 bond issue going down to defeat in Tuesday’s election the question is where does the district go from here?

Patrons soundly defeated the $29.9 million proposal in Tuesday’s election 1,613 no votes to just 413 yes. Interim Superintendent Dr. Jeannie Stroh says she wants to meet with the board to see where things go from here “I talked to a few board members this morning and really need to talk to the entire group and their feel for what they want to do.”

Many in the district were not against a bond issue, there were those who felt it was simply too much of a tax increase and too long of a bond issue. One of them was Pat Hinke who was with the group opposing the bond issue. He was happy with the results but like Stroh wants the bond to move forward again.

“There was one new board member elected last night so I think the new board needs to be seated,” Hinke said. “Once we get a full board again I would hope and encourage them to move forward with some sort of a bond again as soon as they can. Hinke feels that any bond issue will have to be significantly less than the one defeated Tuesday night.

“I think we’re going to have to be above 15 (million dollars)but as hard as we campaign under 20 we’ll have to stay under 20,” Hinke said. “We may not be able to cover all of our bases at that point, but I think between that and a well-planned capital outlay we can fix everything that needs to be fixed.”

For the district, it’s taking a step back and seeing what may have worked and what didn’t with the bond proposal.

“When something fails there’s more than a single reason,” Stroh said. “So taking a step back and reviewing whats the root cause and what kinds of things is our public really looking for. This is about our kids’ future, it’s not just a taxpayer issue.”

If approved, the funds would have made major renovations and expansion to South Hutch Elementary School, some minor improvements at Reno Valley Middle School and made improvements to the science lab and auditorium at Nickerson High School.

NICKERSON, Kan. — There were those in the Nickerson USD 309 School District who felt the proposed $29.9 million bond issue was too much for the small school system. Some of them were on the school board and some were even on the steering committee.

In the end, they were right. Patrons soundly defeated the proposal in Tuesday’s election 1,613 no votes to just 413 yes.

While many in the district were not against a bond issue, there were those who felt it was simply too much of a tax increase and too long of a bond issue.

Then-Superintendent Dawn Johnson and some of the steering committee tried to sway the board into bringing two separate bond questions to the voters, but in a nearly even split, the board approved the single question 4-3.

Where the bond issue goes from here remains to be seen, but it is back to square one for a district that had been working to bring this to a vote for more than a year.

If approved, the funds would have made major renovations and expansion to South Hutch Elementary School, some minor improvements at Reno Valley Middle School and made improvements to the science lab and auditorium at Nickerson High School.

HUTCHINSON, Kan. — Siemens Gamesa reported Tuesday its net income for the fiscal year 2019 doubled from the previous year to $155 million. The company also said it will reduce its white-collar headcount by up to 600 over the next two years as it focuses on sustaining profitable growth.

The world’s No. 1 wind turbine maker also reported that revenue for the year increased 12.1% from last year to $11.3 billion.

The order backlog at Siemens Gamesa rose 12% year-on-year as its order intake grew by 7.4%. Looking ahead, the company noted that the adverse factors affecting the wind industry will persist in the short term, despite solid future prospects, according to a release from the company.

For the fourth quarter, net profit increased to $58 million, compared with $27.6 million for the same period last year. Revenue for the quarter rose to $3.2 billion.

Siemens Gamesa employs about 300 workers in Hutchinson and produces five different turbines and components for renovating existing wind farms.