Former credit union employee has to pay restitution

A Winfield woman who was a former employee of William Newton Memorial Hospital Credit Union was sentenced to time served after pleading guilty to stealing from that employer. Audrey Elkins admitted to embezzling nearly $600,000. She also gets two years of supervised release and will have to pay $260,500 in restitution. The crimes allegedly happened … Read more

Department of Agriculture offering free webinar series

Raising and marketing purebred livestock has never been easy, but in recent years, it has become increasingly challenging. For five weeks this fall, the Kansas Department of Agriculture will be offering a free webinar series designed to provide more insight into innovative livestock marketing plans and strategies. The five-part webinar series will be held Wednesday … Read more

KDOT gathering info on electric charging stations

The Kansas Department of Transportation is announcing a Request for Information (RFI) in advance of a Request for Proposals (RFP) to install electric vehicle (EV) charging stations along the state’s most traveled highways. Nationwide there has been a strong push for the adoption of electric vehicles from both the public and private sectors. While some … Read more

New business investment for Hutchinson

Governor Laura Kelly joined Superior Boiler to cut the ribbon on their new 73,000-square-foot facility – totaling a $2,786,000 business investment – in Hutchinson, Kansas. The Hutchinson facility currently employs 135 individuals. They employ 141 Kansans total across all worksites in the state. In addition, the company plans on hiring an additional 15 workers as … Read more

Grape stomping planned for Kansas State Fair

Feel the squish of the grapes in the time-honored tradition of grape stomping as you help celebrate the grape and farm winery industries in Kansas. The Kansas Department of Agriculture will host the 15th annual Kansas Grape Stomp on Saturday, Sept. 11, at 1:00 p.m. on the Hutchinson Regional Healthcare System Stage at Lake Talbott … Read more

Vaccine and testing clinics set in Kansas

With the increased presence of the Delta variant in Kansas, local health departments, providers, and community groups are continuing to hold free COVID-19 vaccine and testing clinics. As of September 8, 2021, 50.2% of Kansans have received at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine.

Consumer protection information available at State Fair

The Kansas Attorney General’s office will provide Kansans with consumer protection and public safety information at the Kansas State Fair, which opens Friday, Attorney General Derek Schmidt announced. The booth will be in the Meadowlark Building on the fairgrounds in Hutchinson. Staff from the attorney general’s office will be available throughout the fair to answer … Read more

Harper County man sentenced for sex crimes

A Harper County man has been sentenced to nearly 14 years in prison for convictions on three child sex crimes, Kansas Attorney General Derek Schmidt said yesterday. Jason Spooner, 56, of Bluff City, was sentenced by Harper County District Court Judge Gaten Wood to 167 months in a Kansas Department of Corrections facility. Spooner pleaded … Read more