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CREDIT HUTCH REC

By Gina Long

Christmas lights and music will work through downtown Hutchinson on Saturday evening, crowning the second annual Light Up Hutch Christmas Parade and Festival.

Festivities begin in Memorial Hall with gingerbread house decorating from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. The free event includes decorating materials and space, visits with Santa, and games. Carriage rides outside Memorial Hall run from 10 to noon.

Downtown businesses are hosting a Christmas Open House from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m.

The Spread The Light Holiday Park at DCI Park from 4 to 6 p.m. supports local nonprofit organizations and provides holiday activities.

A map of the parade route. Parking along Main St. from Avenue B to 3rd Avenue will be blocked off at 3 p.m. City parking lots are available along Washinton St. and Walnut St. CREDIT HUTCH REC

The Light Up Hutch Christmas Parade begins at 6 p.m. at Avenue B and moves along Main St. to 7th Avenue. Beginning at 3 p.m., Main St. from Avenue B to 3rd Ave. will be blocked off as a pedestrian-only viewing area. Vehicles can park along Main St. from 3rd to 7th Avenues, and city parking is available in lots along Walnut St. and Washington St.

Many downtown businesses will be open until 8 p.m. and several will sell coffee and hot chocolate.

For more information, visit the Light Up Hutch Christmas Parade Facebook page.

CREDIT HUTCH REC By Gina Long Christmas lights and music will work through downtown Hutchinson on Saturday evening, crowning the second annual Light Up Hutch Christmas Parade and Festival. Festivities begin in Memorial Hall with gingerbread house decorating from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. The free event includes

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By John Mesh Hutchinson Community College women’s soccer midfielder Kaitlyn Edwards was named a First Team All-American by the NJCAA. Edwards is just the fifth First Team selection in the history of HutchCC women’s soccer and the first since 2014. HutchCC sophomore forward Katharina Marx is a

By Michael Glenn

Superintendent of USD 308 Dr. Dawn Johnson discussed the $109,000,000 bond resolution set to be voted on April 1, 2025, in an interview with The Hutchinson Tribune. 

The four main projects that will take place if the bond passes is the construction of a unified 6th – 8th-grade middle school, a remodeling of HMS-8 to become a preschool and student services center, building additional gymnasiums and storm shelters in elementary schools and moving the soccer and baseball fields from 23rd and Severance, where the middle school is set to be located.

“We know the middle school is the big piece of that,” Johnson said. “In the case of the middle school, that is the bulk of this $109 million. I was told when they purchased that land at 23rd and Severance, it was to put a middle school there. They added on to HMS-7 and HMS-8 and over time, it just has not been affected or efficient.”

Johnson said before HMS-7 and HMS-8 came about as one-grade schools, USD 308 had Liberty and Sherman Middle Schools, which created a North-South divide in the district. 

With a combined middle school, Johnson said it would give more incentive for parents to be more involved in middle school and for students to build positive relationships with staff and teachers. 

Currently, Johnson said elementary schools provide a connection to the local community and neighborhood which can be lost during the four school changes from sixth to ninth grade.

“We move kids out of the environment where they’re connected to the community, moving to seventh grade, where there’s no PTO since kids are out of the system in a year,” Johnson said. “There’s not investment, and it brought out a lot of negatives.”

Neither current middle school building could host a combined middle school, and the only land large enough to construct a middle school that USD 308 owns is at the Salthawk Sports Complex, located near 23rd Avenue and Severance St.

The current soccer fields would be replaced at Don Michael Field, and Johnson said the athletic director of the high school is discussing with the Parks and Facilities director of the City of Hutchinson to find where to best relocate the baseball diamonds.

“The students would vacate HMS 7 and HMS 8,” Johnson said. “We’ve had folks say they’re interested in HMS-7. We would repurpose HMS-8 into a learning center and student service offices. The first floor would be the childhood center, and the second, third and fourth floors would be the service center.”

The district would sell HMS-7 as well as the current administration center, located at 1520 North Plum. The district would also sell Grandview and MidTown. 

“Selling those buildings could save taxpayer money,” Johnson said. “We don’t have the deferred maintenance on those buildings anymore.”

The other main focus of the bond is kindergarten readiness. Johnson said the first floor of HMS-8 would become a preschool center. 

The final part of the bond includes ensuring all six elementary schools in USD 308 have two gyms. 

“Three of them have two gyms, three do not,” Johnson said. “If you have a two-gym school, you can have lunch and P.E. at the same time. We want to be able to make sure everyone has that capacity to have gym space.”

The gyms will also serve as storm shelters in the case of a natural disaster.

“As those gyms become FEMA storm shelters, we’ve talked about should a very catastrophic tornado head our way, we want to open those shelters to the neighborhoods,” Johnson said. 

By Michael Glenn Superintendent of USD 308 Dr. Dawn Johnson discussed the $109,000,000 bond resolution set to be voted on April 1, 2025, in an interview with The Hutchinson Tribune.  The four main projects that will take place if the bond passes is the construction of a

CAPTION: The Atrium Hotel and Conference Center, located at 1400 N Lorraine St. CREDIT CITY OF HUTCHINSON

By Michael Glenn

The demolition of the Atrium Hotel and Conference Center will begin on Friday, December 6, 2024.

That’s according to an official Monday press release by the City of Hutchinson, who said the demolition follows a process which began in August.

An August 20, 2024, city council resolution declared the property unsafe and dangerous and an October 1, 2024, city council vote moved forward with the demolition. 

Demolition is being handled by Kansas Concrete LLC and is scheduled to be completed by the end of March 2025.

“The Atrium Hotel, once a key part of Hutchinson’s hospitality and conference industry, has deteriorated to the point where it no longer meets safety and building standards,” the press release read. “The City is committed to removing the hazard in an effort to make the community safer.”

While the City of Hutchinson will oversee the demolition process, it will not take ownership of the property at any point.

CAPTION: The Atrium Hotel and Conference Center, located at 1400 N Lorraine St. CREDIT CITY OF HUTCHINSON By Michael Glenn The demolition of the Atrium Hotel and Conference Center will begin on Friday, December 6, 2024. That's according to an official Monday press release by the City

By Kate Irelan

The Buhler USD 313 School District is experiencing a temporary bus driver shortage due to an increase of illness after the Thanksgiving holiday.

One bus route is affected, resulting in busing students, primarily from Buhler High School, to the CrossPoint Church parking lot to be picked up by their guardians. The shortage should only last a few days until drivers are able to return to work.

“We are experiencing sickness in our driver fleet, and some substitute drivers are out too,” USD 313 Superintendent Cindy Couchman said. “When this happens, we use the CrossPoint Church parking lot at a drop-off point. The law requires the school to provide a bus service for distances more than 2.5 miles. Cross Point Church is under 2.5 miles”

Affected students received a text message from USD 313 transportation director Mandy Gantenbein with instructions for parents to have students at the parking lot by 7:35 a.m. to be bused to school and then parents needed to be at the parking lot by 4:00 p.m. to pick students back up.

“We call it the CrossPoint Shuttle, but it is still a USD 313 school bus,” said Couchman. “It mostly affects Buhler High School students. We did this quite a bit last year, but this is the first time this year. Those students who have been at the school for a while are pretty used to it.”

Couchman said that parents have done a good job working with us and communicating. Students will stay on the bus, especially in inclement or cold weather until their parent or guardian arrives to pick them up.

“The school district is currently fully staffed with bus drivers and could always use more substitute drivers for a case just like this,” said Couchman. “We train the drivers and Mandy is great. The school district pays for the training and testing. Applicants just have to be willing to put in the time. Mandy has a 100% pass rate for her drivers.”

If people are interested in applying for a substitute driver position, visit the USD 313 website job opportunities.

By Kate Irelan The Buhler USD 313 School District is experiencing a temporary bus driver shortage due to an increase of illness after the Thanksgiving holiday. One bus route is affected, resulting in busing students, primarily from Buhler High School, to the CrossPoint Church parking lot

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Andale High School coaches, cheerleaders and fans celebrate the team’s Kansas Class 4A state championship. Andale defeated Topeka Hayden 36-19 Saturday afternoon at Gowans Stadium in Hutchinson. CREDIT Mackenzie Weller/Sports in Kansas By John Mesh Seven more Kansas state champions were crowned on Saturday to go along with

Wednesday Dec 4

  • Jingle Jams by HutchCC Fine Arts, 7 p.m. at Stringer Fine Arts, 700 E 11th Ave.

Thursday Dec 5

  • “Nuncrackers,” 7:30 p.m. at the Flag Theater, 310 N Main St. Tickets available at the box office, Bookends, Absolutely Home, and on the Family Community Theatre website. Doors open at 6:30 p.m.

Friday Dec 6

  • Holiday Happy Hour, 6-9 p.m. at the Hutchinson Zoo. Enjoy music, food and beverages on the zoo grounds. Adult beverages
  • “Wicked,” 7 p.m. on the Carey Digital Dome at the Cosmosphere
  • An Olde English Christmas With Herman’s Hermits Starring Peter Noone, 7:30 p.m. at the Fox Theatre, 18 E 1st Ave. Part of the Fox Live Series. For more information and to purchase tickets online, visit the event page on the Fox Theatre website
  • “Nuncrackers,” 7:30 p.m. at the Flag Theater, 310 N Main St. Tickets available at the box office, Bookends, Absolutely Home, and Family Community Theatre website. Doors open at 6:30 p.m.

Saturday Dec 7

  • Gingerbread House decorating, 10 a.m. – 1 p.m. at Memorial Hall, 101 S Walnut St.
  • TECH Holiday Open House, 10 a.m. – 3 p.m. at 10 S. Main, Ste. B
  • Light It Up Hutch Downtown Christmas Parade 2024, along Main St., beginning at 6 p.m. For more information and to see a map of pedestrian-only areas, visit the event’s Facebook page
  •  “Wicked,” 7 p.m. on the Carey Digital Dome at the Cosmosphere
  • “Nuncrackers,” 7:30 p.m. at the Flag Theater, 310 N Main St. Tickets available at the box office, Bookends, Absolutely Home, and on the Family Community Theatre website. Doors open at 6:30 p.m.

Sunday Dec 8

  • “Nuncrackers,” 3 p.m. at the Flag Theater, 310 N Main St. Tickets available at the box office and on the Family Community Theatre website. Doors open at 2 p.m.
  • “Wicked,” 7 p.m. on the Carey Digital Dome at the Cosmosphere

Wednesday Dec 4 Jingle Jams by HutchCC Fine Arts, 7 p.m. at Stringer Fine Arts, 700 E 11th Ave. Thursday Dec 5 “Nuncrackers,” 7:30 p.m. at the Flag Theater, 310 N Main St. Tickets available at the box office, Bookends, Absolutely Home, and on the Family Community Theatre website.

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CAPTION: Gov. Laura Kelly speaks to Democratic supporters at a Nov. 5, 2024, watch party in Overland Park. CREDIT CHLOE ANDERSON FOR KANSAS REFLECTOR By Michael Glenn TOPEKA – Governor Laura Kelly announced Wednesday more than $10 million in federal funding will be allocated to community-based organizations and