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Upcoming Events

Thursday Jan 16

  • Coffee at The Cosmosphere, 9 – 10 a.m. at the Cosmosphere. Presenting “CosmoShox: Wichita Sate’s 2025 NASA SUITS Team”
  • Third Thursday Downtown, 6 – 8 p.m. in Memorial Hall, 101 S Walnut St.

Friday Jan 17

  • Kansas Mission of Mercy, beginning at 5:30 a.m. in the Meadowlark Building on the Kansas State Fairgrounds, 2000 N Poplar St. Visit Kansas Dental Charitable Foundation for more information
  • Money Mastery 101, 6 p.m. at Stringer Fine Arts Center, 600 E 11th Ave, part of the Martin Luther King Jr Celebration ’25. Q&A sessions, consultations with industry experts, budging and credit, investments, life insurance, trusts and estates, family planning, Home Buying 101, Entrepreneurship 101
  • “Sonic The Hedgehog 3,” 7 p.m. at the Cosmosphere. Tickets are $10 for adults, $8.50 for children and $9 for seniors. Ask at the box office for the Movie Night Combo for adults

Saturday Jan 18

  • Kansas Mission of Mercy, beginning at 5:30 a.m. in the Meadowlark Building on the Kansas State Fairgrounds, 2000 N Poplar St. Visit Kansas Dental Charitable Foundation for more information
  • #Lead The Change Summit, 11 a.m. at Stringer Fine Arts Center, 600 E 11th Ave, at Stringer Fine Arts Center, 600 E 11th Ave, part of the Martin Luther King Jr Celebration ’25
  • “Sonic The Hedgehog 3,” 7 p.m. at the Cosmosphere. Tickets are $10 for adults, $8.50 for children and $9 for seniors. Ask at the box office for the Movie Night Combo for adults
  • Nicolle Galyon & Friends Live at Hutchinson’s Historic Fox Theatre, 7:30 p.m. A fundraiser benefitting the firstborn fund, For more information and to purchase tickets online, visit the event page

Sunday Jan 19

  • The Community Celebration, 2 p.m. at Stringer Fine Arts Center, 600 E 11th Ave, part of the Martin Luther King Jr Celebration ’25.
  • The Concert: Songs of Faith, 3:30 p.m. at Stringer Fine Arts Center, 600 E 11th Ave, part of the Martin Luther King Jr Celebration ’25.
  • “Sonic The Hedgehog 3,” 5 p.m. at the Cosmosphere. Tickets are $10 for adults, $8.50 for children and $9 for seniors. Ask at the box office for the Movie Night Combo for adults
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Thursday Jan 16 Coffee at The Cosmosphere, 9 - 10 a.m. at the Cosmosphere. Presenting “CosmoShox: Wichita Sate’s 2025 NASA SUITS Team” Third Thursday Downtown, 6 - 8 p.m. in Memorial Hall, 101 S Walnut St. Friday Jan 17 Kansas Mission of Mercy, beginning at 5:30 a.m. in the

Sports

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By John Mesh The winning streak is now five in a row for the Hutchinson Community College men’s basketball team. The Blue Dragons came from behind in the second half to defeat Pratt Community College 87-77 Saturday at the Dennis Lesh Sports Arena in Pratt. The Blue Dragons improved to

Government

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CAPTION: U.S. Senator Roger Marshall speaks to reporters in a Zoom press conference held Friday, Jan. 10. CREDIT SCREEN CAPTURE FROM ZOOM By Michael Glenn U.S. Senator Roger Marshall discussed the beginning of the 119th Congress in a press conference Friday afternoon.  Marshall said he and Republican Senators

Sports

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Graphic courtesy of Blue Dragon Sports Information By John Mesh The No. 1 Hutchinson Community College women’s basketball team posted its 89th victory in 100 meetings with a 92-47 victory over Pratt Community College Saturday afternoon at Dennis Lesh Sports Arena in Pratt. The Hutchinson women now are

Opinion

By Michael Glenn

When I heard on the TV stations that Hutchinson was going to get a decent amount of snow right before Trinity began its second semester, I didn’t think too much about it. 

Especially when it comes to winter weather, I always think Hutch will get the short end of the stick. Either the storm goes around us or we don’t get anything at all. 

I am now glad to say that I was wrong about that. 

With the ice and snow we received this past weekend and the additional snow we received Thursday and Friday, it’s safe to say that we did not miss out on a winter wonderland this year. 

I’ve always enjoyed snow. When I was growing up, it was more common for schools to cancel the morning of the school day rather than the evening before. As so, I spent many winter days with my parents watching the little rotating hot bar on the news to see if we had canceled school.

As a student, snow is amazing. However, as a driver and reporter, snow can be a pain. While schools and other businesses may have the option to call of operations that day, some industries can’t. 

We should be thankful for the first responders and city workers who worked tirelessly to ensure that Hutchinson didn’t come to a halt for winter weather. Especially with the hard ice we received over the weekend, it isn’t easy to get that off the ground in a timely manner. 

While there are still some slick spots and not fun places to drive in Hutchinson, the City did a fine job salting and plowing the roads to cause the least amount of inconvenience possible. 

I’d also like to discuss a shape-up in the Hutchinson City Council. The council elected Stacy Goss to serve as mayor at their last meeting, and I believe it’s a great thing for Hutchinson. 

As we try to grow and incentivize new people to live here, we have to have public officials who are embedded in the community. Three out of the five council members own businesses that contribute to the business community in Hutchinson, and Goss works for Hutchinson Public Schools. I’m sure she has great goals in mind for our city to reach.

We need a young, diverse city council that can culminate ideas to attract young people and families who will establish roots and stay in Hutchinson, and we have the proper council to do that.

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By Michael Glenn When I heard on the TV stations that Hutchinson was going to get a decent amount of snow right before Trinity began its second semester, I didn’t think too much about it.  Especially when it comes to winter weather, I always think Hutch will

Opinion

CREDIT Visit Topeka

By Gina Long

The 2025 Kansas legislative session gavels in on Monday, January 13, and I have a few suggestions for Reno County’s new and incumbent representatives.

  • Property tax relief for working families and elderly homeowners is the top priority cited by voters. Reno County’s property valuations are skyrocketing, and even with a hefty increase in the tax-exempt base amount, increases are reaching a critical tipping point. The cost pass-through raises rent amounts, harming low-income workers, retirees and small businesses. The legislature can help by broadening the tax base, beginning with holding corporations who beg for tax breaks with hat in hand, who then send profits out of state instead of investing in the Kansas workforce, then passing the shifts through as state-level property tax cuts.
    • Why was a bill to change Daylight Saving Time the first filed? See the first point.
    • Invest in updating computer systems. Aging infrastructure and applications based on computer code created in the late 1960s are not sustainable in the 21st century. As critical state services and functions move online, citizens should expect their data to be protected and networks to defend against fraud. Systems investments include people, and Kansas universities train thousands of IT graduates yearly. What can our legislators do to encourage those high-skilled workers to stay here?
    • Give the Kansas Corporation Commission the power to stand up to utility companies. Utility rates higher than those in surrounding states cost working families, the elderly, and small businesses the most and discourage investment and entrepreneurship. They make Kansas less competitive than surrounding states. Every dollar sent out of state to multibillion-dollar hedge funds impoverishes the Main Street economy. Encourage energy production from multiple sources — Kansas has the land and the know-how to be an energy producer.
    • Rural depopulation is an existential danger. Well-paying jobs with benefits, strong schools, quality affordable housing, and child care are investments in the rural future. It is possible to support rural and urban areas without pitting them against each other. However, Kansas will not survive without a comprehensive water management plan based on cooperation instead of burdensome mandates.
    • Finally, I expect our elected officials to represent us. Not Wichita, Topeka, Johnson County, Texas, Missouri, or Washington, D.C. All power is inherent in the people, and a rising tide lifts all boats. This includes the big boats, the loud boats, and the boats with the biggest wallets.

    Best of luck during this year’s session. Make us proud and try to stay out of the bad headlines. Be worthy of the hallowed walls through which you walk. We will be watching.

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    CREDIT Visit Topeka By Gina Long The 2025 Kansas legislative session gavels in on Monday, January 13, and I have a few suggestions for Reno County's new and incumbent representatives. Property tax relief for working families and elderly homeowners is the top priority cited by voters. Reno County's

    Sports

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    CAPTION: Hutchinson Trinity High School alumnus Kaleb Hammeke is now the all-time leading men’s scorer in Fort Hays State University history. CREDIT FHSU SPORTS INFORMATION By John Mesh The Fort Hays State University men’s basketball team improved to 10-4 overall and 3-2 in the MIAA with a

    County News

    CAPTION: Donna Patton at her retirement party in the Reno County Courthouse Jan. 9. CREDIT SANDRA MILBURN/RENO COUNTY

    By Emmie Boese

    After 33 years of service to Reno County, Donna Patton is officially retiring from the Reno County Clerk’s Office. 

    Patton held the position of Reno County Clerk since Jan. 14, 2013. She started working in Reno County in 1991 in the tag office. She began working in the County Clerk’s office in April of 1998. Before becoming the county clerk, she held several positions in that office including secretary, payroll clerk and deputy county clerk. 

    “I just loved it all,” Patton said. “I felt so humbled to have that job and honored to have that job and I think just getting to know every aspect of the office and getting to meet new people forge new friendships.” 

    The County Clerk’s office handles all aspects of elections, accounts payable, board minutes for the Reno County Commission, balance to the treasurer’s books, provides RNR (Revenue Neutral Rate) notices and sends out budget information worksheets to all of the county’s taxing entities. 

    “We’ve got about 85 (taxing entities) of those I think,” Patton said. “So those all have to be sent out and then if anybody goes over their RNR levy then that’s when we have to send out the RNR notices. Then we have to notify other counties and get information from other counties to get the tax roll ready to go and then we send that to the printers who in return you know send it out and bring it back. We take the annual reports. We get those from all of the taxing entities.” 

    Patton said the work of the county clerk’s office is vital. Work that often goes behind the scenes. 

    You know especially that we handle all of the elections,” Patton said. “We have to get all the board workers. We have over 200 board workers and we have to get all of those trained and ready to go and that takes a lot of behind-the-scenes work. It takes hours behind the scenes to get the budget information worksheets to the taxing entities and everything we do just takes time.” 

    Patton said her favorite part about living and working in Hutchinson and the Reno County area for a little over three decades is the people. She also enjoys having close access to larger cities. 

    “You know it doesn’t take that long to get to Wichita really,” Patton said. “Even Kansas City or Oklahoma City or anything like that so it’s really centrally located and easy to get around everything and there’s a lot to do around here.” 

    Patton’s retirement plans include going to her grandkids’ games, traveling and spending some time at the bar she, her daughter and grandson bought in Nickerson. 

    “I just want to thank the citizens for electing me you know for 12 years which would have been three terms so I was really humbled to have my job and so proud to work for Reno County. I love working for the county and I love the administrators we had and the department heads are so good to work with. All the employees are really good and easy to work with. Not just the department heads, all the employees are easy to work with so I really appreciated that.” 

    Patton’s last day of work is on Monday, Jan. 13. 

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    CAPTION: Donna Patton at her retirement party in the Reno County Courthouse Jan. 9. CREDIT SANDRA MILBURN/RENO COUNTY By Emmie Boese After 33 years of service to Reno County, Donna Patton is officially retiring from the Reno County Clerk’s Office.  Patton held the position of Reno County Clerk

    Government

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    CAPTION: Rep.-elect Kyler Sweely. By Michael Glenn Rep.-elect Kyler Sweely outlined his priorities for the upcoming 2025 Kansas Legislative session beginning Monday, Jan. 13. In an email exchange with The Hutchinson Tribune, Sweely wrote he is looking forward to advancing policies that focus on fiscal responsibility and limit