By
ROD ZOOK <a href="https://hutchpost.com">Hutch Post</a>


HUTCHINSON — Three medical professionals from Hutchinson painted a bleak 
picture of the COVID-19 spread among residents during Tuesday’s County 
Commission meeting. For now, they feel they have the capacity to handle 
the situation, but they don't want that to change.

With that 
information, the County Commission rescinded its own ordinance regarding
 mask-wearing, thus putting the governor’s mandate in place.&nbsp; Reno 
County Health Department Director Nick Baldetti said that, while he is 
not one to make demands on the public, the rapidly increasing number of 
positive cases of COVID-19 is forcing him to do so.

“The actions 
we take now are only going to see the ramifications three or four weeks 
down the road,” Baldetti said. “I think, as you’ve heard from everyone 
who spoke today, that certainly we’re trending in the wrong direction.”

Baldetti
 was joined by Dr. Rex Degner of Hutchinson Regional Medical Center, Dr.
 Regina Johnson of Prairie Star Health Center and Dr. Scott Pauly of the
 Hutchinson Clinic. All three talked about rapidly increasing numbers 
and the percentage of positive cases per tests is jumping above 10%. 
Pauly noted that the numbers currently in the county are now above where
 they were when schools and businesses were shut down.

“We are in a
 situation where we thought we didn’t want to be back in April, in May,”
 Pauly said. “To the point where the governor was closing schools, at 
the point, we were closing up shop, restaurants were closed. We do need 
to flatten the curve, but I think we’re at a more critical junction now 
than we were then.”

As far as the ability for the hospital to care
 for the increasing numbers, Degner says they are currently able to 
handle anything that comes their way at this time.

“We have a plan
 that is very scalable for a surge that we have developed,” Degner 
stressed. “We still feel we’ll be able to staff this up and scale this 
up should we need to.”&nbsp;

Degner says they also have enough PPE to keep them going at a constant 60 to 90 day supply.&nbsp;

Not
 all of the commission was in agreement with the mandate. During the 
discussion, Commissioner Ron Hirst questioned the ability to enforce the
 mandate and asked Sellers about not wearing a mask, which was met with a
 blunt response.

“I think you’re making a statement to the 
community about how you feel about the community to be quite blunt,” 
Sellers said. “If you don’t want the community to prosper, for kids to 
go to school in a month, don’t wear your mask.”

Hutchinson Mayor 
Jade Piros de Carvalho also stressed that small businesses in the city 
are becoming concerned over the lack of mask-wearing as they want to 
protect both their business and their staff. 

Several others spoke out against the mandate saying it wasn’t necessary.

The vote was 2-1 with Commissioner Ron Hirst voting no.

By
ROD ZOOK <a href="https://hutchpost.com">Hutch Post</a>
HUTCHINSON — Three medical professionals from Hutchinson painted a bleak 
picture of the COVID-19 spread among residents during Tuesday’s County 
Commission meeting. For now, they feel they have the capacity to handle 
the situation, but they don't want that to change.With that 
information, the County Commission rescinded its own ordinance regarding
 mask-wearing, thus putting the governor’s mandate in place.&nbsp; Reno 
County Health Department Director Nick Baldetti said that, while he is 
not one to make demands on the public, the rapidly increasing number of 
positive cases of COVID-19 is forcing him to do so.“The actions 
we take now are only going to see the ramifications three or four weeks 
down the road,” Baldetti said. “I think, as you’ve heard from everyone 
who spoke today, that certainly we’re trending in the wrong direction.”Baldetti
 was joined by Dr. Rex Degner of Hutchinson Regional Medical Center, Dr.
 Regina Johnson of Prairie Star Health Center and Dr. Scott Pauly of the
 Hutchinson Clinic. All three talked about rapidly increasing numbers 
and the percentage of positive cases per tests is jumping above 10%. 
Pauly noted that the numbers currently in the county are now above where
 they were when schools and businesses were shut down.“We are in a
 situation where we thought we didn’t want to be back in April, in May,”
 Pauly said. “To the point where the governor was closing schools, at 
the point, we were closing up shop, restaurants were closed. We do need 
to flatten the curve, but I think we’re at a more critical junction now 
than we were then.”As far as the ability for the hospital to care
 for the increasing numbers, Degner says they are currently able to 
handle anything that comes their way at this time.“We have a plan
 that is very scalable for a surge that we have developed,” Degner 
stressed. “We still feel we’ll be able to staff this up and scale this 
up should we need to.”&nbsp;Degner says they also have enough PPE to keep them going at a constant 60 to 90 day supply.&nbsp;Not
 all of the commission was in agreement with the mandate. During the 
discussion, Commissioner Ron Hirst questioned the ability to enforce the
 mandate and asked Sellers about not wearing a mask, which was met with a
 blunt response.“I think you’re making a statement to the 
community about how you feel about the community to be quite blunt,” 
Sellers said. “If you don’t want the community to prosper, for kids to 
go to school in a month, don’t wear your mask.”Hutchinson Mayor 
Jade Piros de Carvalho also stressed that small businesses in the city 
are becoming concerned over the lack of mask-wearing as they want to 
protect both their business and their staff. Several others spoke out against the mandate saying it wasn’t necessary.The vote was 2-1 with Commissioner Ron Hirst voting no.

With numbers surging, Reno Co. will comply with mask order

By ROD ZOOK &amp; NICK GOSNELL <a href="https://hutchpost.com">Hutch Post</a>

HUTCHINSON — Two world wars, The Great Depression and 9/11 could not stop the Kansas State Fair from holding its annual get-together. But the pandemic has won out.

On Monday, the fair board decided to cancel the fair ending 107 consecutive runs.&nbsp;

"I got a couple of letters that were just really frustrated that we would make a decision about the state fair over finances, when it's really about the 4-H and the kids coming up here," said Fair General Manager Robin Jennison Monday. "That's great, but people need to understand that what makes it possible for us to do all of that are the vendors and the sponsors that are in partnership with the Kansas State Fair. When we don't have those, it's really going to limit our ability to do some of those things."

Although officials believed they could run the fair in a safe manner, many vendors opted not to attend since many area fairs were canceled.

The fair announced Monday that all gate admission tickets, packages and food tickets already purchased will be valid for the 2021 Kansas State Fair.&nbsp;

Staff is currently working to reschedule the 2020 Nex-Tech Wireless Grandstand lineup. If rescheduled, those tickets will also be honored at next year’s fair. How to obtain refunds will be announced soon.&nbsp;

While there will not be a 2020 Kansas State Fair, the fair will have 4-H and FFA youth livestock competitions, plus open class livestock exhibitions in September. The board is also considering having youth static competitions. The board will reconvene Aug. 4 to gather more information.

Livestock events begin Thursday, Sept. 3, and continue for three weekends, ending Sunday, Sept. 20. Event rules will be modified.

Grand Drive: FFA and 4-H youth from across the state compete to be the best of the best in this premier Kansas livestock competition. The Grand Drive is Sept. 11-13 and features the market beef, sheep, swine and goat shows. These shows are closed to outside spectators but can be viewed on Walton Webcasting. The event is sponsored by Midwest Ford and other great partners.

Deadline to enter the Grand Drive is July 15.

Champion Livestock Show: The Kansas State Fair is partnering with Special Olympics Kansas to introduce a new event: the Champion Livestock Show. The competition takes place at 1:30 p.m. Friday, Sept. 11.

Ten athletes will be selected by Special Olympics and paired with 4-H or FFA members to show a meat goat. The athletes will have time to work with their mentor and animal the morning of the event. Open Range Trailer Sales and Services and Cimarron Trailers is the event sponsor. Key Apparel will provide T-shirts for participating competitors and mentor exhibitors. This show is closed to outside spectators but can be viewed on Walton Webcasting.

Mustang Days: Youth train untamed yearlings in the Mustang Beginnings Youth Challenge. They work to gentle the Bureau of Land Management wild horses over the summer then demonstrate their training skills. The event is Sept. 12-13.

Supreme Drive: The Supreme Drive recognizes the best bull and female of each breed in the open beef shows. The event is Sept. 19.

4-H Horse Show: This annual event will occur Sept. 17-20.

Many of these events will happen this year thanks to the fair’s great partnership with 4-H and FFA and these organizations’ staff and volunteers. This includes the fair’s Grand Drive event.

All shows will be closed to the public to help create a safe event. Entry deadline is July 15 for the 4-H/FFA Grand Drive and Aug. 15 for all open livestock shows.

On June 30, Kansas Department of Health and Environment Secretary Dr. Lee Norman advised the State Fair Board that they should cancel this year's fair.

"If I were only talking about it from a public health perspective, it would be best to not have the State Fair," Norman said. "There's no question, it will engender illness." Norman didn't think fairgoers would wear masks.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/7/1594652217162.png" alt="Photo courtesy Kansas State Fair" />
 <figcaption>Photo courtesy Kansas State Fair</figcaption>
 </figure>By ROD ZOOK &amp; NICK GOSNELL <a href="https://hutchpost.com">Hutch Post</a>HUTCHINSON — Two world wars, The Great Depression and 9/11 could not stop the Kansas State Fair from holding its annual get-together. But the pandemic has won out.On Monday, the fair board decided to cancel the fair ending 107 consecutive runs.&nbsp;"I got a couple of letters that were just really frustrated that we would make a decision about the state fair over finances, when it's really about the 4-H and the kids coming up here," said Fair General Manager Robin Jennison Monday. "That's great, but people need to understand that what makes it possible for us to do all of that are the vendors and the sponsors that are in partnership with the Kansas State Fair. When we don't have those, it's really going to limit our ability to do some of those things."Although officials believed they could run the fair in a safe manner, many vendors opted not to attend since many area fairs were canceled.The fair announced Monday that all gate admission tickets, packages and food tickets already purchased will be valid for the 2021 Kansas State Fair.&nbsp;Staff is currently working to reschedule the 2020 Nex-Tech Wireless Grandstand lineup. If rescheduled, those tickets will also be honored at next year’s fair. How to obtain refunds will be announced soon.&nbsp;While there will not be a 2020 Kansas State Fair, the fair will have 4-H and FFA youth livestock competitions, plus open class livestock exhibitions in September. The board is also considering having youth static competitions. The board will reconvene Aug. 4 to gather more information.Livestock events begin Thursday, Sept. 3, and continue for three weekends, ending Sunday, Sept. 20. Event rules will be modified.Competitions include:Grand Drive: FFA and 4-H youth from across the state compete to be the best of the best in this premier Kansas livestock competition. The Grand Drive is Sept. 11-13 and features the market beef, sheep, swine and goat shows. These shows are closed to outside spectators but can be viewed on Walton Webcasting. The event is sponsored by Midwest Ford and other great partners.Deadline to enter the Grand Drive is July 15.Champion Livestock Show: The Kansas State Fair is partnering with Special Olympics Kansas to introduce a new event: the Champion Livestock Show. The competition takes place at 1:30 p.m. Friday, Sept. 11.Ten athletes will be selected by Special Olympics and paired with 4-H or FFA members to show a meat goat. The athletes will have time to work with their mentor and animal the morning of the event. Open Range Trailer Sales and Services and Cimarron Trailers is the event sponsor. Key Apparel will provide T-shirts for participating competitors and mentor exhibitors. This show is closed to outside spectators but can be viewed on Walton Webcasting.Mustang Days: Youth train untamed yearlings in the Mustang Beginnings Youth Challenge. They work to gentle the Bureau of Land Management wild horses over the summer then demonstrate their training skills. The event is Sept. 12-13.Supreme Drive: The Supreme Drive recognizes the best bull and female of each breed in the open beef shows. The event is Sept. 19.4-H Horse Show: This annual event will occur Sept. 17-20.Many of these events will happen this year thanks to the fair’s great partnership with 4-H and FFA and these organizations’ staff and volunteers. This includes the fair’s Grand Drive event.All shows will be closed to the public to help create a safe event. Entry deadline is July 15 for the 4-H/FFA Grand Drive and Aug. 15 for all open livestock shows.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/5/1590778958989.png" alt="KDHE Secretary Dr. Lee Norman" />
 <figcaption>KDHE Secretary Dr. Lee Norman</figcaption>
 </figure>On June 30, Kansas Department of Health and Environment Secretary Dr. Lee Norman advised the State Fair Board that they should cancel this year's fair."If I were only talking about it from a public health perspective, it would be best to not have the State Fair," Norman said. "There's no question, it will engender illness." Norman didn't think fairgoers would wear masks.

Update: Board votes to cancel 2020 Kansas State Fair

HUTCHINSON, Kan. — The Kansas State Fair Board is allowing the fair to go forward in 2020, despite a&nbsp;<a href="https://hutchpost.com/posts/87f4b55e-59f3-456b-9b1e-534c987ffe66">recommendation from the state's top health official</a>&nbsp;that the board not continue the fair.

"We understand what a difficult decision you guys have," said Fair General Manager Robin Jennison. "It was relatively easy for us to put together the safest plan we thought there was to have a fair. The only thing that I would say to you to make sure that you're all doing what's really in your heart in this case is, the further we go, the tougher it is to unwind, and that's why we picked today."

The board voted 8 to 5 to continue forward with the fair, but canceled the rabbit show and to change online and advance tickets to $10 with on-site tickets at the gate now $12 for adults.

"I think we've all studied this to death since it started," Jennison said. "I've read more about COVID. I read a 1940 study on how, when people cough, what happens. We will do everything we can to make this fair as safe as possible. If we determine between now and then that we need to do some social distancing in the buildings or on the, in the grandstands, we'll make every attempt to do it as effectively as we can."

The Kansas State Fair is scheduled for Sept. 11 to 20, 2020.

HUTCHINSON, Kan. — Kansas Department of Health and Environment Secretary Dr. Lee Norman advised the State Fair Board at their meeting on Tuesday that they should cancel the fair.

"If I were only talking about it from a public health perspective, it would be best to not have the State Fair," Norman said. "There's no question, it will engender illness."

Norman doesn't think fairgoers will wear masks.

"I think it will be a really tough sell for people to comply with social distancing and mask wearing for example, at a fair, whether it's a state fair, county fair, music venue, that kind of thing," Norman said. "People just aren't doing it, quite honestly."

Another concern is that inmates from the Hutchinson Correctional Facility often work helping to clean up the fairgrounds.

"I'm making the strong recommendation to Secretary Zmuda to not allow the offenders out of there," Norman said. "I've been through this at Lansing, I've been through this in the Wichita Work Release. If a few people go into that facility, there's going to be a thousand cases inside the correctional facility at Hutchinson. Not being hysterical, that's just what we've seen. Anytime it's a confined living situation like that and that facility is old."

At least sixteen other state fairs across the U.S. have already been canceled.

Check the Post for additional details on the State Fair as they become available.

By NICK GOSNELLHutch PostHUTCHINSON, Kan. — The Kansas State Fair Board is allowing the fair to go forward in 2020, despite a&nbsp;<a href="https://hutchpost.com/posts/87f4b55e-59f3-456b-9b1e-534c987ffe66">recommendation from the state's top health official</a>&nbsp;that the board not continue the fair."We understand what a difficult decision you guys have," said Fair General Manager Robin Jennison. "It was relatively easy for us to put together the safest plan we thought there was to have a fair. The only thing that I would say to you to make sure that you're all doing what's really in your heart in this case is, the further we go, the tougher it is to unwind, and that's why we picked today."The board voted 8 to 5 to continue forward with the fair, but canceled the rabbit show and to change online and advance tickets to $10 with on-site tickets at the gate now $12 for adults."I think we've all studied this to death since it started," Jennison said. "I've read more about COVID. I read a 1940 study on how, when people cough, what happens. We will do everything we can to make this fair as safe as possible. If we determine between now and then that we need to do some social distancing in the buildings or on the, in the grandstands, we'll make every attempt to do it as effectively as we can."The Kansas State Fair is scheduled for Sept. 11 to 20, 2020.-------------<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/2/1580602266609.png" alt="Dr. Lee Norman, KDHE Secretary" />
 <figcaption>Dr. Lee Norman, KDHE Secretary</figcaption>
 </figure>HUTCHINSON, Kan. — Kansas Department of Health and Environment Secretary Dr. Lee Norman advised the State Fair Board at their meeting on Tuesday that they should cancel the fair."If I were only talking about it from a public health perspective, it would be best to not have the State Fair," Norman said. "There's no question, it will engender illness."Norman doesn't think fairgoers will wear masks."I think it will be a really tough sell for people to comply with social distancing and mask wearing for example, at a fair, whether it's a state fair, county fair, music venue, that kind of thing," Norman said. "People just aren't doing it, quite honestly."Another concern is that inmates from the Hutchinson Correctional Facility often work helping to clean up the fairgrounds."I'm making the strong recommendation to Secretary Zmuda to not allow the offenders out of there," Norman said. "I've been through this at Lansing, I've been through this in the Wichita Work Release. If a few people go into that facility, there's going to be a thousand cases inside the correctional facility at Hutchinson. Not being hysterical, that's just what we've seen. Anytime it's a confined living situation like that and that facility is old."At least sixteen other state fairs across the U.S. have already been canceled.Check the Post for additional details on the State Fair as they become available.

Kansas State Fair to go forward, despite KDHE Sec.'s advice to cancel

By
NICK GOSNELL <a href="https://hutchpost.com">Hutch
Post</a>


HUTCHINSON,
Kan. — 
Gas prices are continuing their traditional summer rise.

"In the 
past week, we've gone up four cents a gallon," said Shawn Steward with 
AAA Kansas. "We're at $1.94, pretty much the same story with the 
national gas price. It went up six cents a gallon in the past week to 
$2.17 a gallon."

Compared to this time last year, we are still over 50 cents lower.

"Gasoline
 demand actually saw a small week over week decline this past week, 
although we've been seeing a general upward trend recently," Steward 
said. "Gas demand continues to be significantly lower, about 21% less, 
compared to one year ago."

Gas prices are up 27 cents a gallon over a month ago in Kansas.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/6/1592583302431.jpeg" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>By
NICK GOSNELL <a href="https://hutchpost.com">Hutch
Post</a>
HUTCHINSON,
Kan. — 
Gas prices are continuing their traditional summer rise."In the 
past week, we've gone up four cents a gallon," said Shawn Steward with 
AAA Kansas. "We're at $1.94, pretty much the same story with the 
national gas price. It went up six cents a gallon in the past week to 
$2.17 a gallon."Compared to this time last year, we are still over 50 cents lower."Gasoline
 demand actually saw a small week over week decline this past week, 
although we've been seeing a general upward trend recently," Steward 
said. "Gas demand continues to be significantly lower, about 21% less, 
compared to one year ago."Gas prices are up 27 cents a gallon over a month ago in Kansas.

Still much lower than last year, but gas prices going up


HUTCHINSON,
Kan. —State Board of Education member Ben Jones believes Education Commissioner Dr. Randy Watson when he says school will start on time in August. 


"At this time, it's going to be in person, in buildings," Jones said. "That's what we're anticipating for most of this next year. That's what we're planning on. Plan A is to have our kids and teachers back together again."

There will be a lot of decisions that happen below the State Board level.

"We're dealing with issues that have to deal with local school boards, which is operations," Jones said. "They hire, fire. They have to be held accountable to their voters. We work with them, but for the most part, our districts really do look to the department for guidance."

Guidance is exactly what the documents presented to the board will be, because Kansas has a variety of school situations.

"We have to make it nimble enough," Jones said. "Creating a statewide plan, what works for, say the Blue Valley school district in Johnson County or Olathe does not work for the St. Francis school district up in the northwest corner, or Liberal, or Dodge City, or Lyons or Hutchinson or Fairfield. They all have their unique challenges and they need that ability to create a plan for their local district."

The guidance will come to the state board at their next meeting in July.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/6/1592929033779.jpeg" alt="Ben Jones KSBE" />
 <figcaption>Ben Jones KSBE</figcaption>
 </figure>
By
NICK GOSNELL
Hutch
Post
HUTCHINSON,
Kan. —State Board of Education member Ben Jones believes Education Commissioner Dr. Randy Watson when he says school will start on time in August. 
"At this time, it's going to be in person, in buildings," Jones said. "That's what we're anticipating for most of this next year. That's what we're planning on. Plan A is to have our kids and teachers back together again."There will be a lot of decisions that happen below the State Board level."We're dealing with issues that have to deal with local school boards, which is operations," Jones said. "They hire, fire. They have to be held accountable to their voters. We work with them, but for the most part, our districts really do look to the department for guidance."Guidance is exactly what the documents presented to the board will be, because Kansas has a variety of school situations."We have to make it nimble enough," Jones said. "Creating a statewide plan, what works for, say the Blue Valley school district in Johnson County or Olathe does not work for the St. Francis school district up in the northwest corner, or Liberal, or Dodge City, or Lyons or Hutchinson or Fairfield. They all have their unique challenges and they need that ability to create a plan for their local district."The guidance will come to the state board at their next meeting in July.

Kan. Board of Education member expects classes to begin on time

By
NICK GOSNELL <a href="https://hutchpost.com">Hutch Post</a>


HUTCHINSON,
Kan. —&nbsp;Even though the economy is still shrinking, the June edition of 
the Rural Mainstreet Index was somewhat better than the historically bad
 numbers in April and May.

"This began in March, a really 
significant downturn," said Creighton University economist Ernie Goss. 
"In quarter one, we had a decline of a little over 4%, almost 5% in GDP.
 This is a survey of rural bank CEOs in 10 states, including Kansas."

Kansas specifically is trending down at about the same rate as the rest of the region.

"If
 you look at last year at this time, Kansas urban area is down in 
employment about 9 to 10%, likewise the rural areas, down about 9 to 
10%. That's better than the region. The region is down about 12%, that's
 rural areas of the ten-state region, which is heavily dependent on 
agriculture, right down the middle of the country."

Agriculture is being challenged right now, as the global pandemic is having a negative effect on export markets.

"The
 question is, is the recovery, once it begins, is it going to be shaped 
like a V, a U, or a W?" Goss asked. "Right now, it's still up in the 
air."

The truth is an event like the global pandemic hasn't 
occurred in about a century and there aren't numbers available from back
 then that reflect the interconnected economy we have today.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/6/1592838771182.jpeg" alt="Ernie Goss" />
 <figcaption>Ernie Goss</figcaption>
 </figure>
By
NICK GOSNELL <a href="https://hutchpost.com">Hutch Post</a>
HUTCHINSON,
Kan. —&nbsp;Even though the economy is still shrinking, the June edition of 
the Rural Mainstreet Index was somewhat better than the historically bad
 numbers in April and May."This began in March, a really 
significant downturn," said Creighton University economist Ernie Goss. 
"In quarter one, we had a decline of a little over 4%, almost 5% in GDP.
 This is a survey of rural bank CEOs in 10 states, including Kansas."Kansas specifically is trending down at about the same rate as the rest of the region."If
 you look at last year at this time, Kansas urban area is down in 
employment about 9 to 10%, likewise the rural areas, down about 9 to 
10%. That's better than the region. The region is down about 12%, that's
 rural areas of the ten-state region, which is heavily dependent on 
agriculture, right down the middle of the country."Agriculture is being challenged right now, as the global pandemic is having a negative effect on export markets."The
 question is, is the recovery, once it begins, is it going to be shaped 
like a V, a U, or a W?" Goss asked. "Right now, it's still up in the 
air."The truth is an event like the global pandemic hasn't 
occurred in about a century and there aren't numbers available from back
 then that reflect the interconnected economy we have today.

Goss: Economy still struggling, recovery type still up in the air

By
NICK GOSNELL <a href="https://hutchpost.com">Hutch
Post</a>


HUTCHINSON — 
Demand continues to increase as the summer solstice approaches, so gas prices have continued to rise in Kansas.

"Since
 mid-May nationwide, gasoline demand has increased 18% to about 7.9 
million barrels per day," said Shawn Steward with AAA Kansas. "That slow
 but steady demand has pushed the national gas price up by 13% in that 
same time frame. In Kansas, today's average gas price is $1.90, which is
 up from $1.58 a month ago."

Gas will continue to go up in the short term, but not dramatically right away.

"More
 driving is leading to growing gasoline demand," Steward said. "It's 
slow but steady, but we don't anticipate seeing a spike to typical 
summer prices. The demand this summer won't be sufficient to drive down 
the stock levels of gas that we had in the system backed up from during 
the shutdowns during the coronavirus. There's so much oil and gas in the
 system. It's taking a while for us to work through that."

With 
that said, gas will likely get above $2 a gallon at some point, but not 
near $2.50 as it has been during the summer in past years.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/6/1592583302431.jpeg" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>
By
NICK GOSNELL <a href="https://hutchpost.com">Hutch
Post</a>
HUTCHINSON — 
Demand continues to increase as the summer solstice approaches, so gas prices have continued to rise in Kansas."Since
 mid-May nationwide, gasoline demand has increased 18% to about 7.9 
million barrels per day," said Shawn Steward with AAA Kansas. "That slow
 but steady demand has pushed the national gas price up by 13% in that 
same time frame. In Kansas, today's average gas price is $1.90, which is
 up from $1.58 a month ago."Kansas is 11th cheapest in the nation.Gas will continue to go up in the short term, but not dramatically right away."More
 driving is leading to growing gasoline demand," Steward said. "It's 
slow but steady, but we don't anticipate seeing a spike to typical 
summer prices. The demand this summer won't be sufficient to drive down 
the stock levels of gas that we had in the system backed up from during 
the shutdowns during the coronavirus. There's so much oil and gas in the
 system. It's taking a while for us to work through that."With 
that said, gas will likely get above $2 a gallon at some point, but not 
near $2.50 as it has been during the summer in past years.

Gasoline demand and prices going up slowly

HUTCHINSON, Kan. —&nbsp;Bob Hamilton is running for the United States Senate as a Republican, and he was in Hutchinson Thursday morning. He knows the people in the Big First district know some of his opponents a lot better than they know him.

"I started a business in 1983 in the Kansas City area," Hamilton said. "It was just my wife and I and we've grown that business to over 160 people in the Kansas City area with high-paying jobs and health care for all of my employees."

Hamilton is not a career politician and he considers that an advantage in helping President Trump.

"I don't think politics is rocket science," Hamilton said. "I think anybody can figure it out, well maybe not everybody, because we're sending professional politicians that can't figure anything out up to Washington. We need an outsider that knows how to get things done, that knows how to fix things. That's been my whole career is fixing things. That's what we need."

Hamilton admits he doesn't have the agriculture background that the retiring Pat Roberts has.

"I don't understand all the idiosyncrasies of ag, but I own quite a bit of farm ground myself," Hamilton said. "I work with four different farmers that farm my ground. I'm close to the ag people. I would love to get on the ag committee when I'm up in Washington, because, you know, farmers, I want to make sure we have their back. We need to support our farmers and our family farms and to revive our family farms."

Learn more about Hamilton's campaign in the Republican primary at&nbsp;<a href="https://bobhamiltonforkansas.com/">bobhamiltonforkansas.com</a>.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/6/1592496908105.jpeg" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>By NICK GOSNELLHutch PostHUTCHINSON, Kan. —&nbsp;Bob Hamilton is running for the United States Senate as a Republican, and he was in Hutchinson Thursday morning. He knows the people in the Big First district know some of his opponents a lot better than they know him."I started a business in 1983 in the Kansas City area," Hamilton said. "It was just my wife and I and we've grown that business to over 160 people in the Kansas City area with high-paying jobs and health care for all of my employees."Hamilton is not a career politician and he considers that an advantage in helping President Trump."I don't think politics is rocket science," Hamilton said. "I think anybody can figure it out, well maybe not everybody, because we're sending professional politicians that can't figure anything out up to Washington. We need an outsider that knows how to get things done, that knows how to fix things. That's been my whole career is fixing things. That's what we need."Hamilton admits he doesn't have the agriculture background that the retiring Pat Roberts has."I don't understand all the idiosyncrasies of ag, but I own quite a bit of farm ground myself," Hamilton said. "I work with four different farmers that farm my ground. I'm close to the ag people. I would love to get on the ag committee when I'm up in Washington, because, you know, farmers, I want to make sure we have their back. We need to support our farmers and our family farms and to revive our family farms."Learn more about Hamilton's campaign in the Republican primary at&nbsp;<a href="https://bobhamiltonforkansas.com/">bobhamiltonforkansas.com</a>.

Hamilton says he 'knows how to fix things', hopes to do so in U.S. Senate

HUTCHINSON— Former Kansas Lt. Gov. Tracey Mann ran for Congress once before in 2010, but now he's got more experience as he looks at the Big First seat in 2020.

"Politics were off my radar, but they got on my radar in a big way when I was appointed by Jeff Colyer to serve as his lieutenant governor," Mann said. "I served as the 50th lieutenant governor of Kansas. That put politics back on my radar, and now, with the seat opening with Roger Marshall running for the U.S. Senate, I decided to run for this open Congressional seat here in the Big First."

Mann grew up on a farm near Quinter, which he believes gives him the perspective needed to represent the district's agricultural interests.

"Agriculture is the biggest driver of our economy in the Big First," Mann said. "Hutch, Salina, McPherson also are impacted by commodity prices. When commodity prices are high, when agriculture does well, there's more money to spend on Main Street in Reno County and across the district."

It's vitally important, in Mann's opinion, that the Big First's representative be on the House Agriculture committee.

"I think we'd be amazed to know how many members of the House Ag committee have never really toured a modern farm today, that really understand where their meat comes from, where their products come from," Mann said. "I think, through this COVID thing, I think a lot of people in urban areas of our country have been so used to going to the grocery stores and having fewer worries that there will be everything on the shelf. I think there's an increased appreciation for farmers and ranchers and I would like to carry that momentum to the House Ag committee."

Mann was endorsed recently by the Kansas Farm Bureau for the First District's Republican nomination.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/6/1591976850719.jpeg" alt="Kansas Farm Bureau endorsed Tracy Mann in the race for congress in the Big First District" />
 <figcaption>Kansas Farm Bureau endorsed Tracy Mann in the race for congress in the Big First District</figcaption>
 </figure>By NICK GOSNELLHutch PostHUTCHINSON— Former Kansas Lt. Gov. Tracey Mann ran for Congress once before in 2010, but now he's got more experience as he looks at the Big First seat in 2020."Politics were off my radar, but they got on my radar in a big way when I was appointed by Jeff Colyer to serve as his lieutenant governor," Mann said. "I served as the 50th lieutenant governor of Kansas. That put politics back on my radar, and now, with the seat opening with Roger Marshall running for the U.S. Senate, I decided to run for this open Congressional seat here in the Big First."Mann grew up on a farm near Quinter, which he believes gives him the perspective needed to represent the district's agricultural interests."Agriculture is the biggest driver of our economy in the Big First," Mann said. "Hutch, Salina, McPherson also are impacted by commodity prices. When commodity prices are high, when agriculture does well, there's more money to spend on Main Street in Reno County and across the district."It's vitally important, in Mann's opinion, that the Big First's representative be on the House Agriculture committee."I think we'd be amazed to know how many members of the House Ag committee have never really toured a modern farm today, that really understand where their meat comes from, where their products come from," Mann said. "I think, through this COVID thing, I think a lot of people in urban areas of our country have been so used to going to the grocery stores and having fewer worries that there will be everything on the shelf. I think there's an increased appreciation for farmers and ranchers and I would like to carry that momentum to the House Ag committee."Mann was endorsed recently by the Kansas Farm Bureau for the First District's Republican nomination.

Kansas Farm Bureau endorses Mann in Big First District race

HUTCHINSON, Kan. — The bill signed by Kansas Governor Laura Kelly for COVID-19 response has important provisions in it to balance public health and privacy concerns regarding contact tracing.

"When you're talking about a global pandemic that in Kansas has affected every county, there's not a confirmed case in every county, but there was a state of emergency, and where you're talking about adding literally hundreds of people to do this contact tracing, the issue is, of course, those folks all gather information that sometimes is really quite personal about people," said Kansas Attorney General Derek Schmidt. "What happens to the information? How can it be used? Who may access it? What happens to it when the pandemic is past? All of those basic questions, that in a 21st century information economy we're accustomed to asking about everything, from our cell phones to our video games, have never been asked about contact tracing."

The measure puts in place a privacy law that's specifically targeted at COVID-19 contact tracing. It sets out those basic privacy and civil liberty rights, including an important one for everyone with a device in their pocket.

"One of the modern tools is, of course, digital," Schmidt said. "You can track a person's cell phone and figure out where they've been and whether they've been close to another person's cell phone and then you know they've had contact, so you can communicate that way, but that's really disturbing to a lot of Kansans, understandably. This new law flat prohibits that sort of contact tracing, the cell phone location data tracing."

The scope of contact tracing is the reason to regulate this so tightly. There is a chance some contact tracers may not have as much training this time around as would be typical in smaller disease events.

"It's one thing if you have a very limited outbreak of a disease in a discrete geographic location and the people who are doing the contact tracing are, in their day jobs, for lack of a better term, trained public health professionals and they are used to dealing with things like HIPAA and medical privacy. It's quite another thing when the scope of contact tracing may be so broad, as it is now, that hundreds of people, who aren't necessarily connected to the public health community at all, are being hired to ask these questions and gather this information on behalf of the public health community."

The statute limits the questions those contact tracers can ask, it limits them to sharing the information with only those people who need to know it and it provides for the destruction of the information, once the pandemic has passed

By NICK GOSNELLHutch PostHUTCHINSON, Kan. — The bill signed by Kansas Governor Laura Kelly for COVID-19 response has important provisions in it to balance public health and privacy concerns regarding contact tracing."When you're talking about a global pandemic that in Kansas has affected every county, there's not a confirmed case in every county, but there was a state of emergency, and where you're talking about adding literally hundreds of people to do this contact tracing, the issue is, of course, those folks all gather information that sometimes is really quite personal about people," said Kansas Attorney General Derek Schmidt. "What happens to the information? How can it be used? Who may access it? What happens to it when the pandemic is past? All of those basic questions, that in a 21st century information economy we're accustomed to asking about everything, from our cell phones to our video games, have never been asked about contact tracing."The measure puts in place a privacy law that's specifically targeted at COVID-19 contact tracing. It sets out those basic privacy and civil liberty rights, including an important one for everyone with a device in their pocket."One of the modern tools is, of course, digital," Schmidt said. "You can track a person's cell phone and figure out where they've been and whether they've been close to another person's cell phone and then you know they've had contact, so you can communicate that way, but that's really disturbing to a lot of Kansans, understandably. This new law flat prohibits that sort of contact tracing, the cell phone location data tracing."The scope of contact tracing is the reason to regulate this so tightly. There is a chance some contact tracers may not have as much training this time around as would be typical in smaller disease events."It's one thing if you have a very limited outbreak of a disease in a discrete geographic location and the people who are doing the contact tracing are, in their day jobs, for lack of a better term, trained public health professionals and they are used to dealing with things like HIPAA and medical privacy. It's quite another thing when the scope of contact tracing may be so broad, as it is now, that hundreds of people, who aren't necessarily connected to the public health community at all, are being hired to ask these questions and gather this information on behalf of the public health community."The statute limits the questions those contact tracers can ask, it limits them to sharing the information with only those people who need to know it and it provides for the destruction of the information, once the pandemic has passed

Kan. AG: COVID-19 legislation regulates contact tracing


HUTCHINSON — 
An advocate for the Kansas Association of School Boards says the Kansas 
State Board of Education is working on recommendations for school 
districts for how they should approach reopening in the fall.

"Everyone
 is hopeful that schools will reopen," Tallman said. "The question is, 
what kinds of restrictions may there be on things like social distancing
 and activities and students coming together."

An unknown factor is the attitude of parents toward putting their kids back together with others in school.

"How
 many parents may not want their kids to come back or come right away, 
how do we accommodate that?" Tallman asked. "We've got a group of people
 who are extremely anxious to make sure school starts and we've got 
another group who are very concerned about school starting and we're 
going to have to work through how we try to address both of those 
concerns."

This decision, like many in the state after the Governor's orders have changed, will likely be different in each district.

"A
 lot of the actual implementation is going to have to be at the local 
level," Tallman said. "I think we could see variations. We, of course, 
saw some of that just in the continuous learning plans. What ability did
 a district have to get internet-based instruction to all of its 
students? Some had very little difficulty doing that. Everyone had some 
struggles. In other districts, it was a much greater challenge."

Economics
 were an issue in getting online curriculum delivered, so what sorts of 
flexibility districts will have will be important.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/2/1582221969260.jpeg" alt="Mark Tallman, Kansas Association of School Boards" />
 <figcaption>Mark Tallman, Kansas Association of School Boards</figcaption>
 </figure>
By
NICK GOSNELL <a href="https://hutchpost.com">Hutch
Post</a>
HUTCHINSON — 
An advocate for the Kansas Association of School Boards says the Kansas 
State Board of Education is working on recommendations for school 
districts for how they should approach reopening in the fall."Everyone
 is hopeful that schools will reopen," Tallman said. "The question is, 
what kinds of restrictions may there be on things like social distancing
 and activities and students coming together."An unknown factor is the attitude of parents toward putting their kids back together with others in school."How
 many parents may not want their kids to come back or come right away, 
how do we accommodate that?" Tallman asked. "We've got a group of people
 who are extremely anxious to make sure school starts and we've got 
another group who are very concerned about school starting and we're 
going to have to work through how we try to address both of those 
concerns."This decision, like many in the state after the Governor's orders have changed, will likely be different in each district."A
 lot of the actual implementation is going to have to be at the local 
level," Tallman said. "I think we could see variations. We, of course, 
saw some of that just in the continuous learning plans. What ability did
 a district have to get internet-based instruction to all of its 
students? Some had very little difficulty doing that. Everyone had some 
struggles. In other districts, it was a much greater challenge."Economics
 were an issue in getting online curriculum delivered, so what sorts of 
flexibility districts will have will be important.

Tallman: 'Everyone is hopeful that schools will reopen'

Naee Williams speaks to the group about the injustice that is happening in the world. Photos by Tabitha Barr.

HUTCHINSON— With vehicles adorned with the words "Black Lives Matter" and other signs, a group gathered for a peaceful protest in the death of George Floyd at the hands of a police officer. Local teacher Naee Williams put the gathering together with support from the local chapter of the NAACP and Hutchinson Police.&nbsp;

“I actually noticed some underlying racism here in the community of Hutchinson,” Williams said. “And then with everything going on with the George Floyd case and the Ahmaud Arbery case, I decided we needed to use our platform here to take a stand.”

Guests included officials from the NAACP along with Rep. Jason Probst and Mayor Jade Piros de Carvalho.

“Tell me what you want and I’ll do it,” Probst announced. “Day after day I see or read another story of people of color suffering unjust deaths.”

The meeting was set by Williams with support from the NAACP and a meeting with the Hutchinson Police Department.

“The events are tragic and unfortunate,” Hutchinson Police Chief Jeff Hooper said. “What’s amazing about Hutchinson and amazing about what’s happened here is that everybody came together with an effort to build things up as opposed to tearing them down.”

Samtella talks about the white/brown privilege that needs to be used for good to help black lives. Hutchinson Police Chief Jeff Hooper holds a sign to bring awareness to the situation.

Hooper met with Williams on Thursday and was very positive about the meeting.

“It was a really great conversation, I think we met for a couple of hours on Thursday . . . with her and her group and members of the NAACP,” Hooper said. “She’s a really great young lady, had the right frame of mind and really wanted to get the message out.”

Darrell Pope with the local chapter of the NAACP says it was great to see a large and diverse crowd on hand despite the hot weather.

“We all live in this world together,” Pope said. “It takes all of us to make sure that if there’s justice for one, there’s justice for everyone. And so when we all come together and work together and support what’s right, then that’s when we see people living together and peaceful coexistence.”&nbsp;

Protesters hold signs to show support for those like George Floyd.

For Williams, she hopes it is the start of continued dialogue between law enforcement and the community to address the issues.

“Our political leaders definitely need to do what they're supposed to prevent history from repeating itself,” Williams said. “People just need to stop being so oblivious to what’s going on.”

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/5/1590964256594.jpeg" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>Naee Williams speaks to the group about the injustice that is happening in the world. Photos by Tabitha Barr.By ROD ZOOKHutch PostHUTCHINSON— With vehicles adorned with the words "Black Lives Matter" and other signs, a group gathered for a peaceful protest in the death of George Floyd at the hands of a police officer. Local teacher Naee Williams put the gathering together with support from the local chapter of the NAACP and Hutchinson Police.&nbsp;“I actually noticed some underlying racism here in the community of Hutchinson,” Williams said. “And then with everything going on with the George Floyd case and the Ahmaud Arbery case, I decided we needed to use our platform here to take a stand.”Guests included officials from the NAACP along with Rep. Jason Probst and Mayor Jade Piros de Carvalho.“Tell me what you want and I’ll do it,” Probst announced. “Day after day I see or read another story of people of color suffering unjust deaths.”The meeting was set by Williams with support from the NAACP and a meeting with the Hutchinson Police Department.“The events are tragic and unfortunate,” Hutchinson Police Chief Jeff Hooper said. “What’s amazing about Hutchinson and amazing about what’s happened here is that everybody came together with an effort to build things up as opposed to tearing them down.”<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/5/1590964278230.jpeg" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>Samtella talks about the white/brown privilege that needs to be used for good to help black lives. Hutchinson Police Chief Jeff Hooper holds a sign to bring awareness to the situation.Hooper met with Williams on Thursday and was very positive about the meeting.“It was a really great conversation, I think we met for a couple of hours on Thursday . . . with her and her group and members of the NAACP,” Hooper said. “She’s a really great young lady, had the right frame of mind and really wanted to get the message out.”Darrell Pope with the local chapter of the NAACP says it was great to see a large and diverse crowd on hand despite the hot weather.“We all live in this world together,” Pope said. “It takes all of us to make sure that if there’s justice for one, there’s justice for everyone. And so when we all come together and work together and support what’s right, then that’s when we see people living together and peaceful coexistence.”&nbsp;<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/5/1590964813456.jpeg" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>Protesters hold signs to show support for those like George Floyd.For Williams, she hopes it is the start of continued dialogue between law enforcement and the community to address the issues.“Our political leaders definitely need to do what they're supposed to prevent history from repeating itself,” Williams said. “People just need to stop being so oblivious to what’s going on.”

Peaceful protest Sunday in Hutchinson


HUTCHINSON —&nbsp;Gas prices this spring have been the lowest we've seen in years 
at times, but as we get closer to summer, prices are going back up.

"Nationally,
 we're at an average of $1.96," said Shawn Steward with AAA Kansas. 
"Here in Kansas, we're at $1.68, which is up four cents in the past week
 and about 19 or 20 cents in the past month."

The increased demand
 of returning to work along with the beginning of the traditional summer
 travel season have boosted prices, but they're still lower than last 
year.

"We still don't see that this summer's average is going to 
be as expensive as last year's season," Steward said. "If we look back a
 year ago from now, in Kansas, we were at $2.59 a gallon, about 90 cents
 more than we are now. We don't see it getting back to that level.

"There
 was a push back in the deadline for removing the winter blend gas from 
the system, just because of COVID-19 and the glut of fuel in the 
system," Steward said. "There was an allowance to push that to later 
this year."

That allowance is due to expire at the end of the 
month and the summer blend gas that replaces it is more expensive to 
make, so it is likely prices will continue to climb in the short term.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2019/12/1577112566279.jpeg" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>
By
NICK GOSNELL <a href="https://hutchpost.com">Hutch
Post</a>
HUTCHINSON —&nbsp;Gas prices this spring have been the lowest we've seen in years 
at times, but as we get closer to summer, prices are going back up."Nationally,
 we're at an average of $1.96," said Shawn Steward with AAA Kansas. 
"Here in Kansas, we're at $1.68, which is up four cents in the past week
 and about 19 or 20 cents in the past month."The increased demand
 of returning to work along with the beginning of the traditional summer
 travel season have boosted prices, but they're still lower than last 
year."We still don't see that this summer's average is going to 
be as expensive as last year's season," Steward said. "If we look back a
 year ago from now, in Kansas, we were at $2.59 a gallon, about 90 cents
 more than we are now. We don't see it getting back to that level."There
 was a push back in the deadline for removing the winter blend gas from 
the system, just because of COVID-19 and the glut of fuel in the 
system," Steward said. "There was an allowance to push that to later 
this year."That allowance is due to expire at the end of the 
month and the summer blend gas that replaces it is more expensive to 
make, so it is likely prices will continue to climb in the short term.

Prices going up at the pump, rise likely to continue

By NICK GOSNELL <a href="https://hutchpost.com">Hutch Post</a>


HUTCHINSON —&nbsp;Kansas First District Congressman Dr. Roger Marshall wants to be 
sure China is held accountable for its role in allowing the COVID-19 
pandemic to spread across the globe.

"I don't know whether they 
purposely let this virus go, or they just were trying to cover it up," 
Marshall said. "There's a whole lot of there there. This bill gives the 
President the authority, the power to shine a light on China as well as 
the World Health Organization and expose this cover up for what it is."

The goal is to get the Chinese to be honest with the rest of the world.

"We
 are going to require China to close their wet markets," Marshall said. 
"It's going to help bring the pharmaceutical supply chain home as well 
as put sanctions on China. Things like freezing their assets, travel 
bans, visas, those types of things, as well."

The reason the U.S. still needs China as a part of the economic world is it's too large a market to leave on the table.

"What
 we have to do is hold them accountable for their commitments to the 
trade agreement that we worked so hard with President Trump to get done 
in January," Marshall said. "We are keeping an eye on that. We're trying
 to make sure that we're continuing to ship out milo from across Kansas 
as well as wheat and cattle, all those types of things."

Making 
sure that even in the face of the pandemic, China keeps their economic 
promises is going to be an important part of keeping the global economy 
afloat going forward.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/3/1584054346770.jpeg" alt="Marshall" />
 <figcaption>Marshall</figcaption>
 </figure>By NICK GOSNELL <a href="https://hutchpost.com">Hutch Post</a>
HUTCHINSON —&nbsp;Kansas First District Congressman Dr. Roger Marshall wants to be 
sure China is held accountable for its role in allowing the COVID-19 
pandemic to spread across the globe."I don't know whether they 
purposely let this virus go, or they just were trying to cover it up," 
Marshall said. "There's a whole lot of there there. This bill gives the 
President the authority, the power to shine a light on China as well as 
the World Health Organization and expose this cover up for what it is."The goal is to get the Chinese to be honest with the rest of the world."We
 are going to require China to close their wet markets," Marshall said. 
"It's going to help bring the pharmaceutical supply chain home as well 
as put sanctions on China. Things like freezing their assets, travel 
bans, visas, those types of things, as well."The reason the U.S. still needs China as a part of the economic world is it's too large a market to leave on the table."What
 we have to do is hold them accountable for their commitments to the 
trade agreement that we worked so hard with President Trump to get done 
in January," Marshall said. "We are keeping an eye on that. We're trying
 to make sure that we're continuing to ship out milo from across Kansas 
as well as wheat and cattle, all those types of things."Making 
sure that even in the face of the pandemic, China keeps their economic 
promises is going to be an important part of keeping the global economy 
afloat going forward.

Marshall: Time to hold China accountable for COVID-19

By CORINNE BOYER <a href="https://www.hppr.org/post/kansas-news-deserts-leave-increasingly-fewer-reporters-cover-covid-19-outbreak">Kansas News Service</a>

GARDEN CITY — During a pandemic, local news 
coverage means more than keeping tabs on the city council or high school
 sports. The stories published in a newspaper, broadcast on a network TV
 affiliate or aired on the radio bring critical information about the 
public health crisis to communities.

People count on reporters in
 their town or region to let them know about the latest spread of 
disease, about what’s safe and what’s not — especially in small 
meatpacking towns that have become coronavirus hot spots.

“They’re
 doing the best they can,” said Angela Labrier, who turns to the Fox 
News Channel and The Garden City Telegram to stay on top of what’s 
happening with the coronavirus.

But it’s getting harder for local news outlets, just about everywhere.

In Kansas, <a href="https://www.usnewsdeserts.com/states/kansas/">58 of the state’s 105 counties</a>
 find themselves left with a single newspaper. Since 2004, Kansas has 
lost 18 daily newspapers. The surviving news outlets find themselves 
thinned out, with fewer reporters to track down and distill the news in 
the communities they struggle to cover.

The pandemic only made 
things worse. Stay-at-home orders, and the economic collapse that 
followed, put hundreds of thousands of Kansans out of work. That 
business free-fall cut deep into advertising revenue. For generations, 
news organizations have relied on ads as the foundation of their 
business models.

Now many news outfits that had to cut 
journalists off the payroll before a virus undid the economy face new 
economic pressure to slice even deeper.

Gatehouse, which owns the
 largest number of newspapers in Kansas, recently merged with Gannett. 
Editors and reporters at the chain making $38,000 or more will be <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/2020/03/30/gannett-newspapers-furloughs/">furloughed</a>
 for one week without pay in May, June and July. McClatchy — it owns the
 two largest media outlets in Kansas, The Wichita Eagle and The Kansas 
City Star — finds itself in <a href="https://www.mcclatchydc.com/news/nation-world/national/article240139933.html">bankruptcy</a>.

In
 central Kansas, the Hays Post — a digital outlet run by Eagle Radio — 
created a coronavirus section on its website early on, said Eagle Radio 
News Director Ron Fields. The Hutch Post, the Salina Post and the Great 
Bend Post, and all of Eagle Radio’s websites, did the same thing.

In a testament to the hunger for local news in a crisis, web traffic doubled in little more than three weeks.

“In that short time period, there were just over a million individual devices that hit those four sites,” Fields said.

But Eagle Radio is the exception to the rule.

Over
 the last 15 years, 2,100 American newspapers have shuttered, said Penny
 Muse Abernathy, a communications professor at the University of North 
Carolina. The coronavirus will likely accelerate the news desert issue 
that Abernathy has tracked for 15 years.

“We’re going to see 
hundreds of newspapers go under,” she said. “We’re going to see many 
more newspapers come back even more slimmed down.”

Abernathy 
studies news deserts — places she defines as having “limited access to 
the sort of credible and comprehensive news and information that feeds 
democracy at the grassroots level.”

She sees an emergence of “ghost newspapers,” the remnants left when large chains consolidate and strip down papers.

“So
 first, they stripped out printing and distribution,” Abernathy said. 
“Then they started stripping out sales functions, and ... then they 
started stripping out editing and reporting functions.”

Elisa
 Shearer is a research associate at the Pew Research Center, which has 
surveyed people about the new coronavirus since March.

“Most 
people say that they’re following (the news) at both the local and the 
national level and almost half say that local outlets are a major source
 of news for them,” Shearer said.

Yet more than a third say they look to state and local officials, 
meaning those public figures can drive public understanding of the 
outbreak without the context and fact-checking that people traditionally
 turned to journalists for.

The media still matter. Steven 
Smethers, director of the A.Q. Miller School of Journalism and Mass 
Communications at Kansas State University, said that when newspapers or 
other outlets cover less news, people notice.

“When you ask them 
then about what would be a good substitute if they didn’t have that 
local newspaper or that local radio station, it’s a sobering moment,” he
 said. “They can’t imagine life without the newspaper or the radio or 
television station either.”

Yet professional news organizations continue to shrink, even disappear. That’s created a growing thirst for coverage.

Since
 on-campus college classes have switched to online instruction, 
reporters at K-State’s student newspaper, The Collegian, continued 
covering COVID-19 remotely.

“The Collegian has been on top of 
this story from day one,” Smethers said. “We have about five students 
who have kept reporting on this beat.”

In areas with few or no 
media outlets, people often turn to social media for news. In the early 
days of the pandemic, bogus cures circulated widely.

“The good 
news is at least Facebook and Google are trying to take those down,” 
said Abernathy, the North Carolina researcher, “The bad news is they can
 still stay out there for long periods of time.”

In Dodge City, 
Pablo Candia started the bilingual Informative Hispanic American 
newspaper in 2012. But printing stopped once businesses that advertised 
started shutting down because of the coronavirus. If the newspaper 
doesn’t survive, he said the community will miss out on information. 
would leave a hole, a new news desert, in the community.

“If our publication (doesn’t) return, readers will lose an independent newspaper” Candia said.

Corinne
 Boyer covers western Kansas for High Plains Public Radio and the Kansas
 News Service. You can follow her on Twitter @corinne_boyer or email 
cboyer@hppr.org.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/5/1589824181508.png" alt=" A dump truck hauls printing presses from The Garden City Telegram. Corinne Boyer / Kansas News Service" />
 <figcaption> A dump truck hauls printing presses from The Garden City Telegram. Corinne Boyer / Kansas News Service</figcaption>
 </figure>By CORINNE BOYER <a href="https://www.hppr.org/post/kansas-news-deserts-leave-increasingly-fewer-reporters-cover-covid-19-outbreak">Kansas News Service</a>GARDEN CITY — During a pandemic, local news 
coverage means more than keeping tabs on the city council or high school
 sports. The stories published in a newspaper, broadcast on a network TV
 affiliate or aired on the radio bring critical information about the 
public health crisis to communities.People count on reporters in
 their town or region to let them know about the latest spread of 
disease, about what’s safe and what’s not — especially in small 
meatpacking towns that have become coronavirus hot spots.“They’re
 doing the best they can,” said Angela Labrier, who turns to the Fox 
News Channel and The Garden City Telegram to stay on top of what’s 
happening with the coronavirus.But it’s getting harder for local news outlets, just about everywhere.In Kansas, <a href="https://www.usnewsdeserts.com/states/kansas/">58 of the state’s 105 counties</a>
 find themselves left with a single newspaper. Since 2004, Kansas has 
lost 18 daily newspapers. The surviving news outlets find themselves 
thinned out, with fewer reporters to track down and distill the news in 
the communities they struggle to cover.The pandemic only made 
things worse. Stay-at-home orders, and the economic collapse that 
followed, put hundreds of thousands of Kansans out of work. That 
business free-fall cut deep into advertising revenue. For generations, 
news organizations have relied on ads as the foundation of their 
business models.Now many news outfits that had to cut 
journalists off the payroll before a virus undid the economy face new 
economic pressure to slice even deeper.Gatehouse, which owns the
 largest number of newspapers in Kansas, recently merged with Gannett. 
Editors and reporters at the chain making $38,000 or more will be <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/2020/03/30/gannett-newspapers-furloughs/">furloughed</a>
 for one week without pay in May, June and July. McClatchy — it owns the
 two largest media outlets in Kansas, The Wichita Eagle and The Kansas 
City Star — finds itself in <a href="https://www.mcclatchydc.com/news/nation-world/national/article240139933.html">bankruptcy</a>.<h2>Local coronavirus news coverage</h2>In
 central Kansas, the Hays Post — a digital outlet run by Eagle Radio — 
created a coronavirus section on its website early on, said Eagle Radio 
News Director Ron Fields. The Hutch Post, the Salina Post and the Great 
Bend Post, and all of Eagle Radio’s websites, did the same thing.In a testament to the hunger for local news in a crisis, web traffic doubled in little more than three weeks.“In that short time period, there were just over a million individual devices that hit those four sites,” Fields said.But Eagle Radio is the exception to the rule.Over
 the last 15 years, 2,100 American newspapers have shuttered, said Penny
 Muse Abernathy, a communications professor at the University of North 
Carolina. The coronavirus will likely accelerate the news desert issue 
that Abernathy has tracked for 15 years.“We’re going to see 
hundreds of newspapers go under,” she said. “We’re going to see many 
more newspapers come back even more slimmed down.”Abernathy 
studies news deserts — places she defines as having “limited access to 
the sort of credible and comprehensive news and information that feeds 
democracy at the grassroots level.”She sees an emergence of “ghost newspapers,” the remnants left when large chains consolidate and strip down papers.“So
 first, they stripped out printing and distribution,” Abernathy said. 
“Then they started stripping out sales functions, and ... then they 
started stripping out editing and reporting functions.”<h2>Importance of local news</h2>Elisa
 Shearer is a research associate at the Pew Research Center, which has 
surveyed people about the new coronavirus since March.“Most 
people say that they’re following (the news) at both the local and the 
national level and almost half say that local outlets are a major source
 of news for them,” Shearer said.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/5/1589824258540.jpeg" alt=" Printing presses from The Garden City Telegram. Credit Corinne Boyer / Kansas News Service" />
 <figcaption> Printing presses from The Garden City Telegram. Credit Corinne Boyer / Kansas News Service</figcaption>
 </figure>Yet more than a third say they look to state and local officials, 
meaning those public figures can drive public understanding of the 
outbreak without the context and fact-checking that people traditionally
 turned to journalists for.The media still matter. Steven 
Smethers, director of the A.Q. Miller School of Journalism and Mass 
Communications at Kansas State University, said that when newspapers or 
other outlets cover less news, people notice.“When you ask them 
then about what would be a good substitute if they didn’t have that 
local newspaper or that local radio station, it’s a sobering moment,” he
 said. “They can’t imagine life without the newspaper or the radio or 
television station either.”Yet professional news organizations continue to shrink, even disappear. That’s created a growing thirst for coverage.Since
 on-campus college classes have switched to online instruction, 
reporters at K-State’s student newspaper, The Collegian, continued 
covering COVID-19 remotely.“The Collegian has been on top of 
this story from day one,” Smethers said. “We have about five students 
who have kept reporting on this beat.”In areas with few or no 
media outlets, people often turn to social media for news. In the early 
days of the pandemic, bogus cures circulated widely.“The good 
news is at least Facebook and Google are trying to take those down,” 
said Abernathy, the North Carolina researcher, “The bad news is they can
 still stay out there for long periods of time.”In Dodge City, 
Pablo Candia started the bilingual Informative Hispanic American 
newspaper in 2012. But printing stopped once businesses that advertised 
started shutting down because of the coronavirus. If the newspaper 
doesn’t survive, he said the community will miss out on information. 
would leave a hole, a new news desert, in the community.“If our publication (doesn’t) return, readers will lose an independent newspaper” Candia said.Corinne
 Boyer covers western Kansas for High Plains Public Radio and the Kansas
 News Service. You can follow her on Twitter @corinne_boyer or email 
cboyer@hppr.org.

Kan. news deserts: Fewer reporters to cover outbreak


HUTCHINSON — 
An economist with the Sandlian Center for Entrepreneurial Government 
with the Kansas Policy Institute believes that the choice of locking 
down the state to stop the spread of COVID-19 has created more economic 
problems than the health problems it has solved.

"Using a lockdown
 to combat COVID-19 is very much like using a sledgehammer to crack a 
nut," said Michael Austin. "Not only is it overkill, but it's such a 
blunt instrument you're guaranteed to have unintended consequences. In 
Kansas, lockdown policy has turned a potential public health crisis, I 
think, into a severe economic recession."

Homebase is a scheduling
 and time-tracking tool used by 100,000 businesses and their hourly 
employees. Some statistics from earlier in the month illustrate how much
 of a slowdown was caused by COVID-19 restrictions.

"As of May 4, 
which is day one of the phasing out lockdown plan, about 31% of all 
Kansas businesses are closed. Roughly 29% of hourly employees are off 
the job. Productivity-wise, hours worked is down about 35%."

Austin
 says Homebase updates its data daily, so we'll be able to tell how 
quickly businesses bounce back as the reopening happens.

"I think 
that the slow approach undertaken by state and local governments here, 
unfortunately, will make the economic recovery take far longer than it 
needs to," Austin said. "When you make public health the sole goal of 
government, I know it most certainly can seem laudable, but there are 
also consequences we just can't ignore. Social gathering restrictions, 
the continued closure of some businesses and the early inability to get 
those unemployment payments out, means a higher chance some families go 
into poverty."

The balance between legitimate economic damage 
concerns and the public health threat will continue to be a source of 
tension for as long as COVID-19 continues to shape policy. 

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/5/1589211108733.jpeg" alt="Michael Austin" />
 <figcaption>Michael Austin</figcaption>
 </figure>
By
NICK GOSNELL
Hutch
Post
HUTCHINSON — 
An economist with the Sandlian Center for Entrepreneurial Government 
with the Kansas Policy Institute believes that the choice of locking 
down the state to stop the spread of COVID-19 has created more economic 
problems than the health problems it has solved."Using a lockdown
 to combat COVID-19 is very much like using a sledgehammer to crack a 
nut," said Michael Austin. "Not only is it overkill, but it's such a 
blunt instrument you're guaranteed to have unintended consequences. In 
Kansas, lockdown policy has turned a potential public health crisis, I 
think, into a severe economic recession."Homebase is a scheduling
 and time-tracking tool used by 100,000 businesses and their hourly 
employees. Some statistics from earlier in the month illustrate how much
 of a slowdown was caused by COVID-19 restrictions."As of May 4, 
which is day one of the phasing out lockdown plan, about 31% of all 
Kansas businesses are closed. Roughly 29% of hourly employees are off 
the job. Productivity-wise, hours worked is down about 35%."Austin
 says Homebase updates its data daily, so we'll be able to tell how 
quickly businesses bounce back as the reopening happens."I think 
that the slow approach undertaken by state and local governments here, 
unfortunately, will make the economic recovery take far longer than it 
needs to," Austin said. "When you make public health the sole goal of 
government, I know it most certainly can seem laudable, but there are 
also consequences we just can't ignore. Social gathering restrictions, 
the continued closure of some businesses and the early inability to get 
those unemployment payments out, means a higher chance some families go 
into poverty."The balance between legitimate economic damage 
concerns and the public health threat will continue to be a source of 
tension for as long as COVID-19 continues to shape policy.