HUTCHINSON, Kan. — After tabling any decision on how the ¼ cent sales tax would be distributed if it is approved by a vote this fall, the Hutchinson City Council took more than an hour and three votes to finally come to an agreement on how the money would be divided.

The tax, which has been in place since 1994 and extended by a public vote overwhelmingly three more times, came under scrutiny by the council as it wrestled with a very tight budget. Both council members Steve Decant and Dave Inskeep wanted to shift some of the allotment away from the Cosmosphere and Strataca and put it into the budget by means of property tax relief.

As the matter came before the council, Mayor John Daveline made a motion to leave the allocation as it is, with 47 percent to streets, 33 percent to the Cosmosphere, 15 percent to property tax relief and five percent to Strataca. Daveline warned that taking anything away from the two museums would send a negative message to the public, as would any divide among the council. He also noted that the museums were something unique to the world and that taking them for granted would be a mistake.

But council member Decant countered by saying that it would be irresponsible for the council not to consider other alternatives and that he questioned putting the museums on such a high pedestal that they could not be touched in these tough budget times for the city.

At the first vote, both Daveline and council member Nancy Soldner voted to keep things as they are. Both Decant and Inskeep voted “no” on the motion. With council member Jade Piros De Carvalho abstaining, the vote ended in a tie. At that time Inskeep voted to take four percent of the allocation from the Cosmosphere and give it to property tax relief. The vote was again split with Daveline and Soldner voting “no.” After more discussion, both Decant and Inskeep conceded and voted “yes” on keeping the allotment as is.

The matter must still win approval by a vote of the public this fall. Approval would extend the tax to the end of March 2024.

HUTCHINSON, Kan. — Police made an arrest of a 37-year-old man after he held them at bay for about three hours Monday evening at a home at 2510 E. 45th.

Brandon Byers went into a home that he wasn’t supposed to be in, according to police, and barricaded himself inside. He was eventually taken into custody.

Charges against Byers include criminal damage, criminal trespass, and interference with law enforcement.

His bond is set at $1,000.

HUTCHINSON, Kan. — After delaying action on an ordinance pledging future use of the ¼ cent sales tax that has been in place for more than 20 years, the Hutchinson City Council will once again bring the matter to the table during Tuesday’s agenda session.

During the council’s last meeting, questions were raised regarding allotments for the tax, which has been on the book since 1994 and continued by a public vote three times.

The council agreed that some study needed to be done that could reapportion the sales tax in other areas, which included taking some of the funding away from the Cosmosphere and Strataca Museum. Currently, the revenue is split four ways with 47 percent going to street and sidewalk work, 33 percent to the Cosmosphere, 15 percent for property tax relief and the remaining 5 percent to Strataca.

Both museums have been notified of the decision made by the council and will get a chance to voice their thoughts on the matter during the agenda session. That meeting is set for 9 a.m. in the city council chambers.

SOUTH HUTCHINSON, Kan. — Westar Energy Community Solar celebrated the completion of a facility in South Hutchinson with a ribbon cutting Thursday morning.

Representatives from Westar Energy, Dold Foods, and SoCore were joined by local leaders at the facility near South Hutchinson to mark the first community solar project for Westar. Greg Greenwood of Westar says the community solar project was a logical next step in the company’s efforts to be more environmentally friendly.

Greenwood says they are in a wait-and-see approach as to whether solar energy will be able to jump over some of the hurdles that wind energy has encountered over the years and that the project will be evaluated as to whether the utility wants to pursue similar projects.

About 20 percent of the solar energy from this facility in South Hutch is being used at Dold Foods in Wichita.

Westar continues to offer subscriptions to the community solar plant to any customer, but supply is limited with 90 percent of the facility already spoken for by 450 Westar customers.

Participants have the choice of locking in their energy price for five to 20 years, enjoying the benefits of solar with no upfront investment, no debt and no ongoing maintenance. Full details and program enrollment are available at www.WestarEnergy.com/communitysolar.

DAVIS, Okla. (AP) – Authorities say two people were struck and killed while changing a vehicle’s tire along an interstate in southern Oklahoma.

The Oklahoma Highway Patrol says the deadly collision happened Tuesday afternoon on Interstate 35 near Davis, about 70 miles south of Oklahoma City. According to a preliminary report, the car with a flat tire was parked on the shoulder of the northbound I-35 lanes, partially blocking the inside lane of traffic.

The highway patrol says a 17-year-old boy from Killeen, Texas, was struck and killed by an oncoming SUV, as was 47-year-old Shane Miller of Hutchinson, Kansas. Both were changing the car’s flat tire when they were hit.

The driver of the SUV suffered an arm injury and was treated and released from a nearby hospital.

HUTCHINSON, Kan. — Union Pacific and BNSF Railway are starting to dig out from the economic downturn that caused the nation’s two largest railroads to make deep cuts in employees and working equipment.

BNSF, the third largest property taxpayer in Reno County and Union Pacific, the fourth, both saw carload increases due to more lax regulations on the coal industry, thus bumping up shipments from the Wyoming coal fields.

According to figures released by Market Realist, Union Pacific’s carloads, excluding coal and coke, jumped 2.9 percent in the 26th week of 2017. The company moved ~74,500 railcars, excluding coal, compared with 72,500 railcars in the same week last year

Berkshire Hathaway’s BNSF Railway’s overall railcars, excluding intermodal, grew 4.8 percent. The company hauled ~100,000 railcars that week, compared with 95,000 railcars in the 26th week of 2016.

The growth in the company’s overall railcars was fueled by the growth in BNSF’s coal and coke railcars. Railcars, excluding coal and coke, jumped 3.5 percent, and the company moved 62,000 railcars excluding coal, compared with 60,000 railcars in the week ending on July 2, 2016.

Both railroads are expected to post strong earnings when they release their quarterly reports later this month.

HUTCHINSON, Kan. — According to District Attorney Keith Schroeder, Judge Trish Rose has set a date for the sentencing of the 18-year-old Hutchinson man convicted of two counts of murder, attempted murder and aggravated arson.

Samuel Vonachen will be sentenced on Friday, July 28, at 3 p.m. for the killings of his mother and sister back in September of 2013.

There has been a delay in the sentencing because of the judge’s desire to have another mental evaluation of the teen completed. The state tried to appeal the decision, partly because evaluations had been done prior to trial showing that he was competent.

A Reno County jury convicted the teen for the killings of his mother and sister who died after he set fire to the family home. His father was able to escape.

Vonachen was also convicted of attempted first-degree murder for trying to kill his father and aggravated arson for the actual setting of the fire.

HUTCHINSON, Kan. — We now have a funeral service date for former State Representative Jan Pauls, who died Wednesday.

According to a release from Elliott Mortuary, the service for Pauls will be next Tuesday at 1:30 p.m. at the First Church of the Nazarene at 4290 N. Monroe. That will be followed by a private burial.

Pauls died Wednesday at St. Francis Select Specialty Hospital. She was 64.

Pauls, a former judge and attorney, served in the Kansas Legislature beginning in 1991. She represented the 102nd district as a Democrat until switching to the Republican party in 2014 to advocate for conservative social issues. In December 2015, she was named as chairwoman of the House committee that handles legislation on abortion and gay rights.

Pauls lost her bid for re-election last November to Democrat Patsy Terrell, who died last month near the end of her first legislative session.