HUTCHINSON, Kan. — The Hutchinson Police Department announced of Facebook the introduction of their very first K-9, “Tank.”
They say that Tank is a very skilled dog with training in narcotics detection and tracking. Tank and his partner, K-9 Officer James Sanders, will be attending training in mid-January. He says to expect to see the two of them out on the streets shortly after that.
You can follow Tank’s adventures as he starts his new job on Instagram @hpdk9tank.
SOUTH HUTCHINSON, Kan. — The Reno County Planning Commission will begin discussion on a possible conditional use permit that is expected from NextEra Energy in regards to the proposed wind farm near Pretty Prairie on Thursday.
Planning Director Mark Vonachen says the commission will discuss various matters pertaining to the wind farm, including scheduling alternative meeting dates. The planning commission was left to make some of the major decisions on the wind farm after a moratorium that was requested by area residents failed to gain any support by the commission.
Vonachen says that once the permit is filed, the planning board will have to piece any concerns together. Once that is completed, a public hearing will be held, which is sure to draw a lot of attention. Once that is finished, the planning board will make their recommendation to the county commissioners for action.
Thursday’s meeting of the Reno County Planning Commission begins at 5 p.m. at the County Public Works offices in South Hutchinson.
HUTCHINSON, Kan. — The Salvation Army is still working to meet its financial obligations for next year with its annual bell ringing campaign.
The Salvation Army is currently at 53 percent of its fundraising goal for the Christmas season. That amounts to $35,969 raised since the Red Kettle Campaign started on Nov. 23. Seven days remain to make up the remaining $30,700 as the fundraising effort ends on Dec. 24 at 6 p.m.
The overall goal of $66,000 goes to support critical programs that help those who are in need throughout the entire year. Those programs include the Representative Payee program that helps provide financial stability for more than 100 individuals who receive government benefits, keeping them housed and their immediate needs provided for.
The money also supports Emergency Services that help individuals and families who are at risk of losing their housing or who are struggling with keeping their utilities.
Community members can help by donating at the Red Kettle locations or by bringing in a donation to The Salvation Army offices at 700 N. Walnut.
NICKERSON, Kan. — The Nickerson USD 309 School Board will get their first look at what a steering committee sees as the needs for the district during their Monday meeting.
The presentation is the starting point for what could be a $34-million bond issue. The proposal calls for no new buildings but major additions and renovations to three schools, especially South Hutchinson Elementary School.
The proposal would actually be two bond issues, one dependent of passage on the other. The first proposal would total $24.5 million and would include controlled entries along with a new early childhood addition, a new multi-purpose room and two new classrooms at South Hutchinson. At Reno Valley Middle School, work would include wrestling and weight room additions. At Nickerson, the high school work would include remodeled science and culinary study areas and a new media center.
In addition, all three buildings would have storm shelters, improved secure entry ways, better bus loading and a complete overhaul of the building’s infrastructure. If the first phase passes, voters would get to then decide on an additional $9.5 million worth of items including a fine arts addition at the high school and two additional classrooms to the middle school.
Monday’s meeting of the USD 309 School Board begins at 7 p.m. at Reno Valley Middle School.
HUTCHINSON, Kan.— Long time Hutchinson High School Principal Ronn Roehm will retire at the end of the year.
Roehm announced his decision during a regular staff meeting Friday morning. His last day will be June 30th. Roehm says it just comes down to the demands of the job and other interests:
Those who get into education whether teaching or in administration do it because of the connection with people. Roehm says that is going to be the one thing he misses most:
Roehm has been with the Hutchinson School District for 20-years, all of it as Principal.
HUTCHINSON, Kan. — The company that took over the closed CHS facility in Hutchinson continues to move along.
Kansas Protein Foods acquired the building in April of this year after CHS shut it down just before Christmas last year. According to company President Mike Chisam the plant currently employs 30 workers and efforts continue to pull more former and new customers to the plant. Chisam says customer contracts are on a yearly basis and work continues to get Safe Quality Food certification for several other potential customers. Chisam says that they will work on that certification in January and February.
Once that certification is complete, the plant hopes to hire on more employees in the second quarter of 2019 with plans to run 24 hours a day.
HUTCHINSON, Kan. — New Hutchinson Police Chief Jeffrey Hooper had the audience’s undivided attention during Wednesday’s Chamber Breakfast.
With the police force making the news for some wrong reasons, Hooper presented his vision and what he expects of his force and staff. Hooper says he is implementing three new programs at the start of the year, one being a new K-9 unit:
Hooper says the K-9 unit will help in two ways:
Other programs being put in place deal with repeat offenders and how to keep them from committing crimes in the city:
Also at the beginning of the year, officers will be assigned one area of the city and will be in that area for at least one year to become better connected with the area schools, and to better deal with issues in that particular part of the city.
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — A divided Kansas Supreme Court has ruled that police can rely exclusively on their sense of smell to provide probable cause for a preliminary search of a home for marijuana without a warrant.
The 4-3 ruling extends to residences already established practice in Kansas that allows police to search vehicles for marijuana based only on smells.
The ruling issued Friday came in a case in which Lawrence police entered a man’s apartment without a warrant because they said they detected a strong smell of raw marijuana.
The justices rejected arguments by Lawrence Hubbard’s attorney that sought to suppress evidence of drugs because the initial warrantless search by Lawrence Police Officer Kimberly Nicholson and another officer violated his constitutional rights. The lawyer also argued Nicholson’s testimony that she smelled raw marijuana coming from the apartment was inadmissible expert testimony and questioned whether the officer could detect the smell of raw marijuana inside the apartment while standing outside the front door.
The majority opinion written by Justice Dan Biles that upheld Hubbard’s convictions said officers didn’t have to perform a sophisticated sensory task before performing the warrantless search.
“We are not dealing with sommeliers trying to identify a white wine as a Loire Valley Chenin Blanc,” he wrote in the decision.
The officers entered Hubbard’s apartment in November 2013. After later obtaining a search warrant, they found 25 grams of unsmoked marijuana in a closed Tupperware container locked inside a safe in a bedroom closet. A small amount of weed was detected on a partially burnt cigarillo in the living room.
The closet holding the marijuana was an estimated 30 feet from where Nicholson said she first smelled unsmoked marijuana, said Jim Rumsey, Hubbard’s attorney.
“From 30 feet away we’re supposed to believe she can smell raw marijuana?” Rumsey said. “I’d suggest no reasonable person could do that.”
Kate Butler, an assistant district attorney in Douglas County who argued the state’s case before the Supreme Court, said the officers properly established probable cause and the initial security sweep prevented someone inside apartment from destroying possible evidence of a crime.
“What we do have is two officers very familiar with the smell of marijuana testify using words such as ‘overwhelming, potent and very strong,’ ” Butler said.
A dissenting opinion authored by Justice Carol Beier said Hubbard’s convictions should be reversed and his sentence vacated.
Beier said a lower court ruling failed to demonstrate the lawfulness of the search warrant and determine whether police officers should have been qualified as expert witnesses.
WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — Wichita officials are pushing for Amtrak to restore rail service in the city that hasn’t had a passenger train service for nearly 40 years, but Sedgwick County officials aren’t ready to embrace the plan.
Bringing back the rail service is near the top of the city’s lobbying agenda when the state legislative session begins next month.
“Passenger rail is evolving as a key component for keeping and attracting young people as part of a strong workforce,” the legislative platform said. “In addition, it provides a safe travel option for an aging population.”
But Sedgwick County didn’t even put Amtrak service on its list of transportation priorities to a state committee evaluating Kansas’ long-term transportation plans.
David Dennis, the county commission’s chairman, said he can’t make a decision on the issue until he knows the service’s cost and benefits.
Wichita may have better chances of getting Amtrak restored this year, considering available federal funding and healthier state finances.
Amtrak has also decided to continue the route from Los Angeles to Chicago, which any Wichita train service would need to connect to. The railway currently offers a bus that passes through Wichita to fill a gap in rail service between stations in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, and Newton, Kansas, according to Amtrak spokesman Marc Magliari.
More than 1,700 Wichita travelers took the bus to connect to the train in Newton over the past year, Magliari said.
Pete Meitzner, a leading advocate for Wichita’s passenger rail, recently won a seat on the Sedgwick County Commission. He hopes to change the county’s stance on the service when he joins this commission in January.
Meitzner said cost estimates for the rail service have been requested but haven’t been completed. He expects initial costs to be minimal, since the passenger rail could use the city’s existing tracks.
Amtrak conducted a test run on the tracks last year that was determined to be successful.
RENO COUNTY— Authorities are working to determine the cause of a Sunday morning house fire in Hutchinson.
Just before 10 a.m., fire crews responded to a fire at a single family, one story home at 1621 East 30th Avenue in Hutchinson, according to Fire Chief Steven Beer.
Upon arrival, first arriving units reported heavy smoke coming from the structure. An adult female and daughter were located outside the structure on the front lawn along with their dog.
All parties were evaluated by Reno County EMS and released.
Engine 7 crew immediately performed an aggressive interior attack in order to locate and extinguish the fire. Main body of fire was in the rear portion of the house where the kitchen was located. The home sustained smoke and heat damage with extensive damage to the kitchen area.
Truck crews ventilated the roof to contain the spread of the fire into the attic space. Crews remain on scene completing salvage and overhaul, along with checking for hot spots.
Investigators know that the fire started in the kitchen. Authorities released no additional details.
Hutchinson Fire Department was assisted by Hutchinson Police Department, Reno County EMS, Westar, and Kansas Gas. The Red Cross is assisting. No injuries were reported.
