HUTCHINSON, Kan. — After much discussion, residents around the USD 308 Sports Complex and the district were able to come to an agreement regarding lighting of the sports fields during Tuesday’s City Council meeting.
The district was asking to light the baseball and soccer fields at the complex at 23rd and Severance years after promising not to do so in exchange for building the complex. Several residents strongly objected to the proposal due to extra traffic, noise and the intrusion of lighting.
When it looked like the Council was going to reject the proposal, Randy Norwood of USD 308 amended the district’s request to install lighting at the soccer field only and allow competition baseball at the fields during the day. When that seemed to please those residents in attendance, the Council agreed to limit the lighting to the soccer field only.
The Council has already approved a similar CUP for lighting of Don Michael Field along 17th Avenue, but that came on a split vote.
HUTCHINSON, Kan. — The Hutchinson Fire Department responded late last night to 1213 E. 3rd Street for a reported structure fire.
Initial arriving units reported heavy smoke coming from the single-story residential home. Crews worked quickly to contain the fire to the kitchen area of the structure, but not before the home sustained moderate damage.
The homeowner was home at the time of the fire and called 911. The homeowner was treated by crews on scene for possible smoke inhalation. The occupant was later transported to the Hutchinson Regional Medical Center by Reno County EMS. The condition of the patient was unknown early this morning.
The home didn’t have a working smoke detector. As a reminder, if you need a smoke detector, please call the Hutchinson Fire Department administrative line at 620-694-2871 for additional information on how to obtain one.
U.S. Sen. Pat Roberts, a Kansas Republican, has said he’s open to updates to NAFTA but emphasized that the agreement must preserve or expand export opportunities. photo by STEPHEN KORANDA
After pushing for changes to the North American Free Trade Agreement, President Donald Trump earlier this year kicked off negotiations among the U.S., Canada and Mexico.
Any major changes to the agreement could have a big impact on Kansas.
Kansas Republican Sens. Pat Roberts and Jerry Moran have said they’re open to updates but emphasize that the agreement needs to preserve or expand export opportunities.
“I support the administration’s effort to modernize and improve NAFTA,” Moran said in a newsletter this month. “I am concerned that withdrawing from the agreement … will harm our farmers and ranchers and cost us jobs.”
Food and ag products are the state’s top export, at more than $3.5 billion last year. Josh Roe, deputy secretary of the Kansas Department of Agriculture, said the two NAFTA trading partners are critical destinations for those exports.
“There have certainly been years where Mexico and Canada are number one and number two,” Roe said.
Roe said NAFTA has led to development of infrastructure and processes that make it easier to export Kansas products to Canada and Mexico.
Last year, Mexico was the top destination for Kansas ag exports and Canada was the third.
Roe said commodity prices are low right now for some products. An upset of the trade agreement could reduce foreign demand and further hurt prices.
“We’re in very depressed agricultural prices now, even with very good export numbers. A further disruption could be absolutely devastating to agriculture and to the Kansas economy,” Roe said.
Certain Kansas products rely especially heavily on exports. Roe said nearly 60 percent of the wheat grown in Kansas last year was shipped to foreign markets.
Roberts disputed what he said was a “pervasive” view that the U.S. economy has not benefitted from NAFTA.
“U.S. agriculture has grown because of agreements like NAFTA,” he said. “And from the farmer in the field to the grocer in the store, American workers have benefited from that growth.”
Trump has been a persistent critic of the trade deal.
“NAFTA is the worst trade deal maybe ever signed anywhere, but certainly ever signed in this country,” he said during a debate on the campaign trail.
Trump has said the U.S. may pull out of NAFTA, but as of now the three countries are in negotiations to instead modify the agreement.
HUTCHINSON, Kan. — The Hutchinson Fire Department responded to 1703 W. 4th Street for a reported structure fire just before 10:30 Thursday night.
Arriving units reported a heavy fire on the rear of a single-story residential home. Crews quickly worked to contain the fire, but not before the home sustained major damage. Crews battled sub-freezing temperatures, but used the department rehab unit to rotate crews in and out of the elements.
The sole occupant of the home was not home at the time of the fire. The home did not have a working smoke alarm.
No injuries were reported and the home is deemed uninhabitable. The cause of the fire is under investigation. The Hutchinson Fire Department was assisted by the Reno County Sheriff’s Department, Reno County EMS, Reno County Fire District 3, Kansas Gas, and Westar.
HUTCHINSON, Kan. — The matter of lighting the baseball and soccer fields at the USD 308 Sports Complex along 23rd and Severance will be before the Hutchinson City Council during the next agenda session on Tuesday.
The matter comes to the council on the recommendation for approval by the planning commission. But that was after nearly two hours of discussion and comments from the public, most against the proposal.
When the ball fields and soccer complex were constructed, a conditional use permit was approved that stated no organized baseball games could be held at the baseball fields and no lighting would be installed. Now, 11 years later, the school district wants to do just that. The lighting exceeds the minimums for intrusion onto private properties and a new conditional use permit is needed. The council has already approved a similar CUP for lighting of Don Michael Field along 17th Avenue.
Tuesday’s City Council meeting begins at 9 a.m. at the Hutchinson city offices.
PARTRIDGE, Kan. — One person was injured when a truck hit a BNSF train west of Partridge Wednesday afternoon.
According to Reno County 911, the accident happened around 1:30 p.m. at the crossing with Salem Road.
The Reno County Sheriff’s Office says the truck was traveling south on Salem when it hit the middle of the lead locomotive of the westbound train. The driver was taken by EMS to Hutchinson Regional Medical Center for treatment.
The impact sheared away the front end of the truck, turning it 180 degrees and pushing it into the west ditch. The train remained on the tracks and stopped about a half mile from the impact site.
The lead locomotives were detached from the train and moved as the rest of the freight cars sat idle. The train consisted of empty intermodal cars and did not contain any cargo. No word on how long the tracks will be closed.
HUTCHINSON, Kan. — A woman under a no-contact order for a previous domestic case is in more trouble after she was arrested on suspicion of running her vehicle into the victim’s truck Tuesday afternoon.
Sheriff’s officers were dispatched to the 10100 block of North Wilson Road where they found 22-year-old Chelsey Pierce talking to Christopher Bratcher. Piece was apparently running her car into Bratcher’s pickup after a confrontation between the two.
Pierce was already under a no-contact order with Bratcher for another domestic case last week. Pierce was formally charged for that incident Wednesday morning. Those charges include aggravated battery and endangerment of a child. She now faces potential charges of two counts of aggravated battery and DUI.
KANSAS CITY (AP) — A Kansas City man charged with stabbing two people last week in separate incidents is claiming demons told him to attack.
The Kansas City Star reports that 22-year-old Steven J. Bowes was charged in the stabbings Dec. 19 in Independence and Dec. 20 in Kansas City. He faces two counts each of first-degree assault and armed criminal action and one count of stealing a motor vehicle.
Court documents show Bowes told police that demons told him to go through with the stabbings, and that he waited until his victim was asleep in the Dec. 19 incident because it was the “moral thing” to do. Bowes also allegedly told police he believes the Dec. 20 stabbing was justified.
Bowes was taken into custody Thursday. Online records don’t immediately list an attorney for him.
HUTCHINSON, Kan. — Despite the cold, the annual Live Nativity event on the Eagle Media Center south lawn had a pretty good turnout.
A part of Third Thursday, the event ran for two hours and presented the Christmas story based on scripture every half hour.
That included live animals with three camels, a donkey, a calf and several sheep from Hedrick’s Exotic Animal Farm near Nickerson.
Spangles provided hot chocolate to combat the cold temperatures and strong northerly winds.
Rcat buses were also at the Eagle Media Center south lawn providing free rides to see Christmas Lights around the city of Hutchinson.
This annual event would not be possible without these fine sponsors: Dillon Credit Union, Bell Credit Union, Heartland Credit Union, HGE Credit Union, Central Kansas Credit Union, Crossroads Christian Church, Spangles and Rcat.
In addition to the living Nativity, those attending got to enjoy prayer and the true story of Christmas on hay bales.
LAWRENCE, Kan. (AP) — The University of Kansas plans to rename its football stadium to honor a major donor.
The Kansas Board of Regents Wednesday approved the university’s request to rename Memorial Stadium to the David Booth Kansas Memorial Stadium.
Booth gave $50 million to the university’s athletic department in September. He has given several other financial gifts to the university, including $4.3 million to buy and donate James Naismith’s original rules of basketball.
Kansas chancellor Douglas Girod told The Topeka Capital-Journal that many details still have to be completed, including what the signs will look like and where they will be placed.
Girod also said he wants to erect a monument or signs to re-emphasize that the stadium is memorial to university students who fought and died in World War I.
district were able to come to an agreement regarding lighting of the sports fields during Tuesday’s City Council meeting.
