HUTCHINSON, Kan. — Kansas U.S. Senator Dr. Roger Marshall sees a challenge in front of President Joe Biden as he gives his State of the Union speech on Thursday. He spoke on a press conference from Washington Thursday afternoon.

"I think that the challenge before him tonight is to go in front of America and convince them that he's mentally and physically capable of doing this job another four years, does he have the stamina? Does he have any fire in the belly left?"

When Hutch Post pointed out that if former President Donald Trump, the presumptive Republican nominee, is elected again, he would be about the same age at this point in a four-year term as Biden is now, Marshall was quick to cite Senate colleagues who are currently older than Biden who he sees as still sharp.

"I think it's way more than just their age," Marshall said. "Bernie Sanders, a person I've gotten to know really well up here, I'm sure he's at least as old as Joe Biden (Sanders is almost a full year older), mentally is as sharp as anyone I've ever met. Senator Grassley (Chuck Grassley from Iowa) is over 90, he spoke in prayer breakfast this week, physically and mentally, he acts like he's a 60 year old."

The doctor, who was a long time obstetrician in Great Bend, Kansas before entering politics, ultimately said that it is up to the American people who they believe will be the best choice and that's why we have elections.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/3/1709840865248.jpeg" alt="Kansas U.S. Senator Dr. Roger Marshall speaks to the media March 7, 2024 via Zoom." />
 <figcaption>Kansas U.S. Senator Dr. Roger Marshall speaks to the media March 7, 2024 via Zoom.</figcaption>
 </figure>NICK GOSNELL Hutch PostHUTCHINSON, Kan. — Kansas U.S. Senator Dr. Roger Marshall sees a challenge in front of President Joe Biden as he gives his State of the Union speech on Thursday. He spoke on a press conference from Washington Thursday afternoon."I think that the challenge before him tonight is to go in front of America and convince them that he's mentally and physically capable of doing this job another four years, does he have the stamina? Does he have any fire in the belly left?"When Hutch Post pointed out that if former President Donald Trump, the presumptive Republican nominee, is elected again, he would be about the same age at this point in a four-year term as Biden is now, Marshall was quick to cite Senate colleagues who are currently older than Biden who he sees as still sharp."I think it's way more than just their age," Marshall said. "Bernie Sanders, a person I've gotten to know really well up here, I'm sure he's at least as old as Joe Biden (Sanders is almost a full year older), mentally is as sharp as anyone I've ever met. Senator Grassley (Chuck Grassley from Iowa) is over 90, he spoke in prayer breakfast this week, physically and mentally, he acts like he's a 60 year old."The doctor, who was a long time obstetrician in Great Bend, Kansas before entering politics, ultimately said that it is up to the American people who they believe will be the best choice and that's why we have elections.

Marshall sees challenge before Biden ahead of State of Union address

HUTCHINSON — Shawn Steward with AAA Kansas told Hutch Post that the trend from the last few weeks regarding gas prices is continuing.

"We've started to see those gas prices go up at the pumps," Steward said. "Both national and state averages have jumped a pretty good amount, up seven cents nationally and up five cents in Kansas over the past week."

"Right now, we're seeing some rise in demand for gasoline here, domestically, according to the latest reports and also supply has tightened up a bit," Steward said. "Plus, crude oil prices have gone up recently, as well. We're in the $80 a barrel range right now, approaching $80 for West Texas Intermediate Crude, after recently, we had been fluctuating in the mid 70s."

"This is generally a time when we start seeing demand rise," Steward said. "As the weather improves, we head toward spring break, as far as road trips and then we head toward summer vacation time, as well."

In addition, summer blend gasoline costs a little more to refine than the winter blend, so that has a little upward pressure on prices as the switchover happens in the mid to late spring.

HUTCHINSON — Shawn Steward with AAA Kansas told Hutch Post that the trend from the last few weeks regarding gas prices is continuing."We've started to see those gas prices go up at the pumps," Steward said. "Both national and state averages have jumped a pretty good amount, up seven cents nationally and up five cents in Kansas over the past week."Both are up 18 cents over a month ago."Right now, we're seeing some rise in demand for gasoline here, domestically, according to the latest reports and also supply has tightened up a bit," Steward said. "Plus, crude oil prices have gone up recently, as well. We're in the $80 a barrel range right now, approaching $80 for West Texas Intermediate Crude, after recently, we had been fluctuating in the mid 70s.""This is generally a time when we start seeing demand rise," Steward said. "As the weather improves, we head toward spring break, as far as road trips and then we head toward summer vacation time, as well."In addition, summer blend gasoline costs a little more to refine than the winter blend, so that has a little upward pressure on prices as the switchover happens in the mid to late spring.

Prices at pump continue upward trend

HUTCHINSON, Kan. — The Kansas State Fair Board voted unanimously to rescind the motion to demolish the racetrack at the fair and to make a deal with Mel Hambleton Ford for the 2024 racing season.

"After two meetings with the race committee concerning the proposals that we were presented on the Kansas State Fair Grandstand track, it is our recommendation to the Kansas State Fair Board to enter into a one year license agreement with Mel Hambleton Ford Racing," said committee chair and Fair Board member Dylan Evans. "We're going to propose a fee structure that is $7500 per single race event date, when the attendance is 3000 people and above, $6250 per single race event date when the attendance is 2999 or below. In the case of a two-day show, the second date will be $2500. In the case of a rainout, the cost would be $3125. If a make up date is held, the amount will be credited towards the rental amount, which will total either the $6250 or the $7500, depending on the race attendance."

The motion also said that the Fair Board will decline the offer from C. Ray Hall to continue to run the Hutchinson Nationals. The official agreement still needs to be drawn up by state staff and it will need board approval and they will have to set up a special meeting to do that approval once the contract is drawn up.

"We're so late to the game, some of those dates are doubled up on some of the other tracks with Salina and Hays," Phil Nightingale said. "I'm going to have to work some dates out with Salina and Hays. I do not want to run on top of Salina, because I think that will just spread our car count out. I don't think that will effect our audience in Hutch vs. Salina. I just don't want to lose the car count."

Nightingale will be working on the wall and on the track surface, but that won't happen until the official agreement is approved and signed. With the moisture we have received, it will likely be a few weeks before that can get done anyway, so there is time to get all the legal language worked out first.

"The dates that we proposed were not on top of any livestock or horse shows," said General Manager Bryan Schulz. "If they were, it was a Saturday show. The horses would be coming in Friday night. If the board approves this, we will make sure that Nathan or whoever takes over that position reaches out to those individuals right away."

The Fair Board will notify the media when the special meeting is held for the official contract approval once the legal language is finalized.

NICK GOSNELL&nbsp;Hutch PostHUTCHINSON, Kan. — The Kansas State Fair Board voted unanimously to rescind the motion to demolish the racetrack at the fair and to make a deal with Mel Hambleton Ford for the 2024 racing season."After two meetings with the race committee concerning the proposals that we were presented on the Kansas State Fair Grandstand track, it is our recommendation to the Kansas State Fair Board to enter into a one year license agreement with Mel Hambleton Ford Racing," said committee chair and Fair Board member Dylan Evans. "We're going to propose a fee structure that is $7500 per single race event date, when the attendance is 3000 people and above, $6250 per single race event date when the attendance is 2999 or below. In the case of a two-day show, the second date will be $2500. In the case of a rainout, the cost would be $3125. If a make up date is held, the amount will be credited towards the rental amount, which will total either the $6250 or the $7500, depending on the race attendance."The motion also said that the Fair Board will decline the offer from C. Ray Hall to continue to run the Hutchinson Nationals. The official agreement still needs to be drawn up by state staff and it will need board approval and they will have to set up a special meeting to do that approval once the contract is drawn up."We're so late to the game, some of those dates are doubled up on some of the other tracks with Salina and Hays," Phil Nightingale said. "I'm going to have to work some dates out with Salina and Hays. I do not want to run on top of Salina, because I think that will just spread our car count out. I don't think that will effect our audience in Hutch vs. Salina. I just don't want to lose the car count."Nightingale will be working on the wall and on the track surface, but that won't happen until the official agreement is approved and signed. With the moisture we have received, it will likely be a few weeks before that can get done anyway, so there is time to get all the legal language worked out first."The dates that we proposed were not on top of any livestock or horse shows," said General Manager Bryan Schulz. "If they were, it was a Saturday show. The horses would be coming in Friday night. If the board approves this, we will make sure that Nathan or whoever takes over that position reaches out to those individuals right away."The Fair Board will notify the media when the special meeting is held for the official contract approval once the legal language is finalized.

Kan. State Fair Board makes deal to keep racetrack for 2024

HUTCHINSON, Kan. — Kansas U.S. Senator Roger Marshall, M.D. said that the border crisis continues despite the meeting in Mexico between Mexican leaders and U.S. cabinet members.

"Under Joe Biden, we've had ten million people cross the border illegally," Marshall said. "Ten million, including 1.7 million got-aways. We have no idea who they are, where they are, what they are doing. Certainly, we know some of them are terrorists, many of them are aliens of interest. This is our number one national security threat that we face. All along, Joe Biden's had the ability to stop this, to slow it down, with simple policies."

Marshall has a simple question for the administration.

"Why do we have to beg the President of the United States to secure our border?" Marshall asked, rhetorically. "That's his job. He took an oath to protect us from enemies, both domestic and foreign. He's not doing it."

There is literally no way to know the background of those that Border Patrol has not caught, but the cross section of those captured is concerning.

"We've caught 24,000 Chinese nationals, young men of military age," Marshall said. "You would think, if we caught 24,000, how many more are there in the got-aways? Tens of thousands of people from countries of concern, like Iran and Iraq, as well. Known terrorists, we've caught over 100 known terrorists. We've known these aren't good people."

That's setting aside the flood of fentanyl that is still crossing the border, as well. Marshall said he doesn't understand the President's motivations, but he asks constituents to watch his actions.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/12/1703784440657.png" alt="Sec. of State Antony Blinken during meeting Wednesday in Mexico-photo U.S. Department of State" />
 <figcaption>Sec. of State Antony Blinken during meeting Wednesday in Mexico-photo U.S. Department of State</figcaption>
 </figure>NICK GOSNELL&nbsp;Hutch PostHUTCHINSON, Kan. — Kansas U.S. Senator Roger Marshall, M.D. said that the border crisis continues despite the meeting in Mexico between Mexican leaders and U.S. cabinet members."Under Joe Biden, we've had ten million people cross the border illegally," Marshall said. "Ten million, including 1.7 million got-aways. We have no idea who they are, where they are, what they are doing. Certainly, we know some of them are terrorists, many of them are aliens of interest. This is our number one national security threat that we face. All along, Joe Biden's had the ability to stop this, to slow it down, with simple policies."Marshall has a simple question for the administration."Why do we have to beg the President of the United States to secure our border?" Marshall asked, rhetorically. "That's his job. He took an oath to protect us from enemies, both domestic and foreign. He's not doing it."There is literally no way to know the background of those that Border Patrol has not caught, but the cross section of those captured is concerning."We've caught 24,000 Chinese nationals, young men of military age," Marshall said. "You would think, if we caught 24,000, how many more are there in the got-aways? Tens of thousands of people from countries of concern, like Iran and Iraq, as well. Known terrorists, we've caught over 100 known terrorists. We've known these aren't good people."That's setting aside the flood of fentanyl that is still crossing the border, as well. Marshall said he doesn't understand the President's motivations, but he asks constituents to watch his actions.

Marshall: Biden Administration border response is lacking

HUTCHINSON — Kansas Attorney General Kris Kobach is demanding that President Biden's Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms drop a proposed rule that he says violates the Second Amendment.

"This letter is a comment to a proposed regulation," Kobach said. "We were joined by 25 other state attorneys general from across the country. This is not just me speaking. This is a concern voiced by a majority of states in our nation. What this rule would do is basically redefine who is a firearms dealer. The old definition, which is the one you and I would think is a reasonable one is if you repetitively sell firearms for a livelihood. This new definition that they are proposing would basically indicate that if you just sell one firearm, there's no minimum, sell one firearm for a profit, there's no clear definition of what a profit is, you might be a dealer and it would be illegal for you to sell that firearm unless you have a federal firearms license."

Kobach notes that this would chill a lot of gun sales in this country.

"Americans have been selling firearms between friends and family for as long as there have been firearms, for as long as this has been a country," Kobach said. "This is an effort by the ATF to quietly broaden the definition, so that it's almost impossible for us to do that."

If it becomes necessary to fight the regulation in court, Kobach is prepared for that.

"Hey, this violates the 2nd Amendment, don't do this," Kobach said. "If you do this, we don't say it directly in the letter, but the implication is, we may take the federal government to court."

In addition to the Arizona State Legislature and Attorney General Kobach, the attorneys general of the following states also signed the letter: Iowa, Montana, Alabama, Alaska, Arkansas, Georgia, Idaho, Kentucky, Louisiana, Missouri, Mississippi, Nebraska, New Hampshire, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Virginia, West Virginia, and Wyoming.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/6/1654635365476.png" alt="Photo Kansas News Service" />
 <figcaption>Photo Kansas News Service</figcaption>
 </figure>NICK GOSNELL&nbsp;Hutch PostHUTCHINSON — Kansas Attorney General Kris Kobach is demanding that President Biden's Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms drop a proposed rule that he says violates the Second Amendment."This letter is a comment to a proposed regulation," Kobach said. "We were joined by 25 other state attorneys general from across the country. This is not just me speaking. This is a concern voiced by a majority of states in our nation. What this rule would do is basically redefine who is a firearms dealer. The old definition, which is the one you and I would think is a reasonable one is if you repetitively sell firearms for a livelihood. This new definition that they are proposing would basically indicate that if you just sell one firearm, there's no minimum, sell one firearm for a profit, there's no clear definition of what a profit is, you might be a dealer and it would be illegal for you to sell that firearm unless you have a federal firearms license."Kobach notes that this would chill a lot of gun sales in this country."Americans have been selling firearms between friends and family for as long as there have been firearms, for as long as this has been a country," Kobach said. "This is an effort by the ATF to quietly broaden the definition, so that it's almost impossible for us to do that."If it becomes necessary to fight the regulation in court, Kobach is prepared for that."Hey, this violates the 2nd Amendment, don't do this," Kobach said. "If you do this, we don't say it directly in the letter, but the implication is, we may take the federal government to court."In addition to the Arizona State Legislature and Attorney General Kobach, the attorneys general of the following states also signed the letter: Iowa, Montana, Alabama, Alaska, Arkansas, Georgia, Idaho, Kentucky, Louisiana, Missouri, Mississippi, Nebraska, New Hampshire, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Virginia, West Virginia, and Wyoming.

Kansas AG: Proposed ATF rule is unconstitutional

HUTCHINSON, Kan. — As part of the Board of County Commissioners meeting on Wednesday, the tiebreaker was held for an election in a Reno County community.

"We have a tie vote in Langdon city, for the city council," said Reno County Deputy Elections Clerk Jenna Fager. "They each received three write in votes, and that was for Lathan Keener and Karen Fisher. Today, we do need to go ahead and break that tie."

The Board of Canvassers chose a coin toss to break the tie and they had Chaplain Richard Haley toss the coin. It came up heads, so Lathan Keener wins the city council seat.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/11/1700666822194.jpeg" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>NICK GOSNELL&nbsp;Hutch PostHUTCHINSON, Kan. — As part of the Board of County Commissioners meeting on Wednesday, the tiebreaker was held for an election in a Reno County community."We have a tie vote in Langdon city, for the city council," said Reno County Deputy Elections Clerk Jenna Fager. "They each received three write in votes, and that was for Lathan Keener and Karen Fisher. Today, we do need to go ahead and break that tie."The Board of Canvassers chose a coin toss to break the tie and they had Chaplain Richard Haley toss the coin. It came up heads, so Lathan Keener wins the city council seat.

Coin toss decides city council race in Kansas

HUTCHINSON, Kan. — The Kansas State Fair Board on Tuesday talked to their legal counsel and after their advice, decided that it would be best to hold off a decision on any potential racetrack proposals until their January meeting.

Answers had yet to come from the Department of Administration on whether a full-year track proposal like the one laid out by Phil Nightingale would require a formal RFP process.&nbsp;

While they await those answers, they want to learn more about what the proposal with Mel Hambleton Ford in charge might look like, so Nightingale and Save Our Track leader William Nusser will be serving on a committee during December.

The commitee is to be chaired by Fair Board member Dylan Evans and to include Fair Board members John Leslie and Bob Atkisson representing the board and Fair Board member Kayla Savage serving in her capacity with the Department of Commerce.

Also, there are plans to ask a member of the Chamber or CVB to serve and to have a member from the Hutchinson City Council.

Those committee meetings will be public. Evans asked that in light of the Christmas holiday, that the committee not meet between Dec. 16 and Dec. 26.

The intent is for that committee to come back with a report for the board on Jan. 9, 2024 and for a decision to be made then.

There are issues that waiting until January creates. Sanctioning bodies want to be able to give racers an idea of which tracks will be racing when and so they usually try to get deals for the next spring done the previous fall or winter.

If the Department of Administration decides that there needs to be a lengthy RFP period of 30 or 60 days, depending on when they let the Fair Board's lawyers know, that could make it impossible to race in the spring, not to mention giving the Fair Board more potential proposals to need to look through.&nbsp;

Also, there are still the five wall panels that need to be replaced and the dirt work that needs to be done on the track itself that now likely can't happen until the ground thaws out, presuming we have freezing weather between now and the Jan. 9 meeting.

NICK GOSNELL&nbsp;Hutch PostHUTCHINSON, Kan. — The Kansas State Fair Board on Tuesday talked to their legal counsel and after their advice, decided that it would be best to hold off a decision on any potential racetrack proposals until their January meeting.Answers had yet to come from the Department of Administration on whether a full-year track proposal like the one laid out by Phil Nightingale would require a formal RFP process.&nbsp;While they await those answers, they want to learn more about what the proposal with Mel Hambleton Ford in charge might look like, so Nightingale and Save Our Track leader William Nusser will be serving on a committee during December.The commitee is to be chaired by Fair Board member Dylan Evans and to include Fair Board members John Leslie and Bob Atkisson representing the board and Fair Board member Kayla Savage serving in her capacity with the Department of Commerce.Also, there are plans to ask a member of the Chamber or CVB to serve and to have a member from the Hutchinson City Council.Those committee meetings will be public. Evans asked that in light of the Christmas holiday, that the committee not meet between Dec. 16 and Dec. 26.The intent is for that committee to come back with a report for the board on Jan. 9, 2024 and for a decision to be made then.There are issues that waiting until January creates. Sanctioning bodies want to be able to give racers an idea of which tracks will be racing when and so they usually try to get deals for the next spring done the previous fall or winter.If the Department of Administration decides that there needs to be a lengthy RFP period of 30 or 60 days, depending on when they let the Fair Board's lawyers know, that could make it impossible to race in the spring, not to mention giving the Fair Board more potential proposals to need to look through.&nbsp;Also, there are still the five wall panels that need to be replaced and the dirt work that needs to be done on the track itself that now likely can't happen until the ground thaws out, presuming we have freezing weather between now and the Jan. 9 meeting.

Future still uncertain for Kansas State Fair race track

HUTCHINSON — Gas prices continue heading toward the $3 a gallon mark.

"Right now, we're at $3.07 a gallon on average in Kansas, which is the lowest we've been in a while," said Shawn Steward with AAA Kansas. "That's down ten cents in the past week, down 35 cents in the past month. If we go back to last year, we're 32 cents less than where we were a year ago."

"Demand has been typically sliding, as we get into the fall months," Steward said. "That's a normal trend. Sometimes, we'll get into a year that doesn't end up being normal, but this year seems to be trending that way. It also helps that crude oil prices have stayed fairly stable and have fallen."

Prices were a little above $77 a barrel for WTI crude as of Wednesday morning.

"The cost of crude oil makes up 50 to 60 percent of what we see in terms of a price of a gallon of gas," Steward said. "We've definitely seen some downward trending on the crude oil market."

Looking at general trends, if demand continues to slow and crude oil prices stay below $80 a barrel, it is possible that the state could go under $3 a gallon on average. The last time that happened was in January.

NICK GOSNELL&nbsp;Hutch PostHUTCHINSON — Gas prices continue heading toward the $3 a gallon mark."Right now, we're at $3.07 a gallon on average in Kansas, which is the lowest we've been in a while," said Shawn Steward with AAA Kansas. "That's down ten cents in the past week, down 35 cents in the past month. If we go back to last year, we're 32 cents less than where we were a year ago.""Demand has been typically sliding, as we get into the fall months," Steward said. "That's a normal trend. Sometimes, we'll get into a year that doesn't end up being normal, but this year seems to be trending that way. It also helps that crude oil prices have stayed fairly stable and have fallen."Prices were a little above $77 a barrel for WTI crude as of Wednesday morning."The cost of crude oil makes up 50 to 60 percent of what we see in terms of a price of a gallon of gas," Steward said. "We've definitely seen some downward trending on the crude oil market."Looking at general trends, if demand continues to slow and crude oil prices stay below $80 a barrel, it is possible that the state could go under $3 a gallon on average. The last time that happened was in January.

AAA: Gas prices in Kansas continue to fall

HUTCHINSON, Kan. — As part of the Dillon Lecture Series at Hutchinson Community College, Dr. Temple Grandin spoke Tuesday about different kinds of thinkers.

"I've got a new book, Visual Thinking, I've got a couple of copies with me," Grandin said. "The Hidden Gifts of People Who Think in Pictures, Patterns, and Abstractions. Research shows, there's people like me that are object visualizers. Everything I think about's a picture. It's not words. My kind of mind is good at art, skilled trades, mechanical, all kinds of mechanical things, photography and working with animals. Animals don't think in words. The thing that my kind of mind is terrible at is algebra. You need us. If you want to have the infrastructure keep working? Let me tell you, you need us non-mathematicians. Then, when you go back to the food processing plant, my kind of mind makes all the mechanical equipment, but we need the mathematicians for boilers and refrigerations. I noticed you had a boiler factory here in town. You need both kinds of minds and you have your more mathematical, pattern thinker. Your pattern thinkers, music and math go together. In the visual thinking, art and mechanics go together. I know it sounds crazy, but, it's true. I write about it in my book."

Grandin said a lot of people are mixtures of the different kinds of thinking.

"When a kid gets a label, you tend to have, autism, dyslexia, ADHD, whatever, they tend to be much more uneven in skills," Grandin said. "An extreme object visualizer or an extreme mathematician. The verbal thinkers, one of the things they tend to do is over generalize. You have this big concept, like inclusive classroom, let's just say that. My mind thinks more bottom up. What are things I can do to make a classroom inclusive? Get bullying under control. Get rid of LED lights that flicker. Some of the people with head injuries, dyslexia and some other conditions have problems with the flicker of flourescent lights. You can find it with slow motion video on your phone. The other thing is, I have a very bad working memory. I do not remember long lists of verbal information. Tests that have a sequence, let me have a pilot's checklist."

Grandin did note that it is harder for people who think visually to succeed in traditional academics.

"The next Temple Grandin is getting screened out by the algebra requirement," Grandin said. "I am not kidding. I've talked to students who want to become veterinary nurses on their third algebra class. How about geometry? How about statistics, or maybe accounting, or maybe business math, practical math, like a shop. That's keeping a lot of them out, but you need us."

Grandin's latest book is a New York Times best-seller.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/10/1698771018567.jpeg" alt="Dr. Temple Grandin-Photo by Nick Gosnell" />
 <figcaption>Dr. Temple Grandin-Photo by Nick Gosnell</figcaption>
 </figure>NICK GOSNELLHutch PostHUTCHINSON, Kan. — As part of the Dillon Lecture Series at Hutchinson Community College, Dr. Temple Grandin spoke Tuesday about different kinds of thinkers."I've got a new book, Visual Thinking, I've got a couple of copies with me," Grandin said. "The Hidden Gifts of People Who Think in Pictures, Patterns, and Abstractions. Research shows, there's people like me that are object visualizers. Everything I think about's a picture. It's not words. My kind of mind is good at art, skilled trades, mechanical, all kinds of mechanical things, photography and working with animals. Animals don't think in words. The thing that my kind of mind is terrible at is algebra. You need us. If you want to have the infrastructure keep working? Let me tell you, you need us non-mathematicians. Then, when you go back to the food processing plant, my kind of mind makes all the mechanical equipment, but we need the mathematicians for boilers and refrigerations. I noticed you had a boiler factory here in town. You need both kinds of minds and you have your more mathematical, pattern thinker. Your pattern thinkers, music and math go together. In the visual thinking, art and mechanics go together. I know it sounds crazy, but, it's true. I write about it in my book."Grandin said a lot of people are mixtures of the different kinds of thinking."When a kid gets a label, you tend to have, autism, dyslexia, ADHD, whatever, they tend to be much more uneven in skills," Grandin said. "An extreme object visualizer or an extreme mathematician. The verbal thinkers, one of the things they tend to do is over generalize. You have this big concept, like inclusive classroom, let's just say that. My mind thinks more bottom up. What are things I can do to make a classroom inclusive? Get bullying under control. Get rid of LED lights that flicker. Some of the people with head injuries, dyslexia and some other conditions have problems with the flicker of flourescent lights. You can find it with slow motion video on your phone. The other thing is, I have a very bad working memory. I do not remember long lists of verbal information. Tests that have a sequence, let me have a pilot's checklist."Grandin did note that it is harder for people who think visually to succeed in traditional academics."The next Temple Grandin is getting screened out by the algebra requirement," Grandin said. "I am not kidding. I've talked to students who want to become veterinary nurses on their third algebra class. How about geometry? How about statistics, or maybe accounting, or maybe business math, practical math, like a shop. That's keeping a lot of them out, but you need us."Grandin's latest book is a New York Times best-seller.

Dr. Temple Grandin discusses her new book at Dillon Lecture Series

HUTCHINSON, Kan. — The golden shovels were out on Monday in Hutchinson. The groundbreaking ceremony took place with the Hutchinson/Reno County Chamber of Commerce, Amber Hotel LLC and many community leaders who helped make the new Hilton Garden Inn project at 1715 North Waldron happen.

"This 112 room hotel is going to help fill some of the void," said chamber CEO Debra Teufel. "We hope it proves out that it will be just the first step in new investment for Raju Sheth and his development teams."

Sheth is familiar with working in Hutchinson. He helped develop the Holiday Inn Express and Fairfield Inn projects previously.

"It was a lot of back and forth," Sheth said. "It takes time. As things have changed after COVID, the process has become very long. I would have really liked to break ground six months ago, but no engineering firm would make drawings for six or seven months. Then, all the approval process with the franchise. That takes a long time, but we are glad to be here. One of the biggest things that happened to make this project possible is the financing from the bank, the First National Bank."

Darrel Miller of First National Bank spoke about his memories of when he realized just how dire the hotel situation was in Hutchinson.

"I was in a meeting on the north side of town," Miller said. "I drove back to the bank and I drove down Lorraine Street and there were crews putting plywood on a building there on Lorraine Street. I'll never forget that. I think you all know what building I'm talking about. I went back to the bank and I thought. This is a plight and it's a blight in Hutchinson, so I resolved that day that if there was ever a chance that something like this would come to Hutchinson, that we would be a part of it."

Miller also acknowledged Pat Fallon of Plains State Bank, as they are also assisting on the project.

The project goal is to finish by March of 2025, in time for the 2025 NJCAA Division I Men's Basketball Tournament.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/10/1698705945819.jpeg" alt="Community leaders from across Hutchinson joined Amber Hotel, LLC developers and city officials, along with the Hutchinson/Reno County Chamber of Commerce at a groundbreaking for the new Hilton Garden Inn on October 30, 2023. Photo by Nick Gosnell." />
 <figcaption>Community leaders from across Hutchinson joined Amber Hotel, LLC developers and city officials, along with the Hutchinson/Reno County Chamber of Commerce at a groundbreaking for the new Hilton Garden Inn on October 30, 2023. Photo by Nick Gosnell.</figcaption>
 </figure>NICK GOSNELL&nbsp;Hutch PostHUTCHINSON, Kan. — The golden shovels were out on Monday in Hutchinson. The groundbreaking ceremony took place with the Hutchinson/Reno County Chamber of Commerce, Amber Hotel LLC and many community leaders who helped make the new Hilton Garden Inn project at 1715 North Waldron happen."This 112 room hotel is going to help fill some of the void," said chamber CEO Debra Teufel. "We hope it proves out that it will be just the first step in new investment for Raju Sheth and his development teams."Sheth is familiar with working in Hutchinson. He helped develop the Holiday Inn Express and Fairfield Inn projects previously."It was a lot of back and forth," Sheth said. "It takes time. As things have changed after COVID, the process has become very long. I would have really liked to break ground six months ago, but no engineering firm would make drawings for six or seven months. Then, all the approval process with the franchise. That takes a long time, but we are glad to be here. One of the biggest things that happened to make this project possible is the financing from the bank, the First National Bank."Darrel Miller of First National Bank spoke about his memories of when he realized just how dire the hotel situation was in Hutchinson."I was in a meeting on the north side of town," Miller said. "I drove back to the bank and I drove down Lorraine Street and there were crews putting plywood on a building there on Lorraine Street. I'll never forget that. I think you all know what building I'm talking about. I went back to the bank and I thought. This is a plight and it's a blight in Hutchinson, so I resolved that day that if there was ever a chance that something like this would come to Hutchinson, that we would be a part of it."Miller also acknowledged Pat Fallon of Plains State Bank, as they are also assisting on the project.The project goal is to finish by March of 2025, in time for the 2025 NJCAA Division I Men's Basketball Tournament.

Ground broken on $18 million Hutchinson hotel project

HUTCHINSON, Kan. — Kansas First District Congressman Tracey Mann voted for new Speaker of the House, Mike Johnson on Wednesday, saying, "I like Mike!" He told Hutch Post why.

"He is a fantastic guy," Mann said. "He's a good friend. He is from Shreveport, Louisiana. I think if folks have a word to describe Mike Johnson, it would be humble. His faith is very important to him. He's humble. He's a servant leader, very conservative. What you see is what you get. I think he's exactly what our caucus, the Congress and the country need right now, and I'm really excited to have him as our new Speaker."

There is a looming deadline next month to pay the country's bills, but Mann believes there is time to do things the right way.

"I think we're going to keep working through the budget process," Mann said. "On the House side, the appropriations bills, the ones that have been done so far account for 70% of federal spending. Those are over on the Senate side. It's way past time, in my view, that Chuck Schumer chooses to take up those bills. Meanwhile, we're going to churn through more House appropriations bills today and next week, with an eye on this deadline that's coming up next month."

Mann said that even though floor work had to stop until they had a Speaker, other work has been going on.

"Committees are still in place," Mann said. "Committees have been meeting over the last three weeks. When you don't have a Speaker, business on the floor stops. However, that didn't stop committees continued to have met, work continues to be done. It's not a full restart for everybody or other bills that have passed this year. It's significant changes for Congressman Johnson, but everyone else, it's full steam ahead."

Mann does not know what effect, if any, the stoppage may have on the Farm Bill process, as they do not have the final language on that, yet.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/10/1698250303541.png" alt="House Speaker Mike Johnson" />
 <figcaption>House Speaker Mike Johnson</figcaption>
 </figure>NICK GOSNELL Hutch PostHUTCHINSON, Kan. — Kansas First District Congressman Tracey Mann voted for new Speaker of the House, Mike Johnson on Wednesday, saying, "I like Mike!" He told Hutch Post why."He is a fantastic guy," Mann said. "He's a good friend. He is from Shreveport, Louisiana. I think if folks have a word to describe Mike Johnson, it would be humble. His faith is very important to him. He's humble. He's a servant leader, very conservative. What you see is what you get. I think he's exactly what our caucus, the Congress and the country need right now, and I'm really excited to have him as our new Speaker."There is a looming deadline next month to pay the country's bills, but Mann believes there is time to do things the right way."I think we're going to keep working through the budget process," Mann said. "On the House side, the appropriations bills, the ones that have been done so far account for 70% of federal spending. Those are over on the Senate side. It's way past time, in my view, that Chuck Schumer chooses to take up those bills. Meanwhile, we're going to churn through more House appropriations bills today and next week, with an eye on this deadline that's coming up next month."Mann said that even though floor work had to stop until they had a Speaker, other work has been going on."Committees are still in place," Mann said. "Committees have been meeting over the last three weeks. When you don't have a Speaker, business on the floor stops. However, that didn't stop committees continued to have met, work continues to be done. It's not a full restart for everybody or other bills that have passed this year. It's significant changes for Congressman Johnson, but everyone else, it's full steam ahead."Mann does not know what effect, if any, the stoppage may have on the Farm Bill process, as they do not have the final language on that, yet.

Mann: New House Speaker is 'good friend', conservative

HUTCHINSON, Kan. — After contact between Phillipine and Chinese vessels in the South China Sea over the weekend, Kansas U.S. Senator Jerry Moran commented on the general desire of China to expand its influence in recent years.

"The Communist Party of China, which controls the country's government, is interested in superseding the Western world, the free world with their form of government and certainly, their economic system to the huge detriment of America, our economy and, most importantly, our freedoms and liberties," Moran said Monday.

The dispute at sea between the Phillipines and China has prompted the U.S. to call China's actions dangerous and unlawful.

"I don't have any evidence, but I would not at all be surprised, but what China's engagement around the world in creating havoc is increasing now," Moran said. "As we also see in the Middle East, as they see the United States in disarray and uncertain of actions that we would be able to take, this is all, in my view, connected to an effort to change dramatically, the nature of the free world."

A maritime incident in the South China Sea may not seem like an issue for Kansas, but Moran would contend that it is.

"The Phillipines has been outside the realm of U.S. influence for awhile," Moran said. "They've come back, because they're fearful of the threat of China. We need to be helpful, because China is not just interested in the Phillippines, it's interested in the United States of America. This is the primary responsibility of a Congress, of me as a United States Senator, is the national defense of our nation."

On July 12, 2016, the Philippines won the arbitration case it lodged against China after the Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague, Netherlands invalidated Beijing's nine-dash line claim over the South China Sea. China refused to acknowledge the arbitral ruling.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/10/1698074551887.jpeg" alt="This image released by the Armed Forces of the Philippines, shows a Chinese militia vessel, top, and Philippine coast guard vessel BRP Cabra as they approach Second Thomas Shoal, locally called Ayungin Shoal, at the disputed South China Sea on Sunday Oct. 22, 2023. (Armed Forces of the Philippines via AP)" />
 <figcaption>This image released by the Armed Forces of the Philippines, shows a Chinese militia vessel, top, and Philippine coast guard vessel BRP Cabra as they approach Second Thomas Shoal, locally called Ayungin Shoal, at the disputed South China Sea on Sunday Oct. 22, 2023. (Armed Forces of the Philippines via AP)</figcaption>
 </figure>NICK GOSNELL Hutch PostHUTCHINSON, Kan. — After contact between Phillipine and Chinese vessels in the South China Sea over the weekend, Kansas U.S. Senator Jerry Moran commented on the general desire of China to expand its influence in recent years."The Communist Party of China, which controls the country's government, is interested in superseding the Western world, the free world with their form of government and certainly, their economic system to the huge detriment of America, our economy and, most importantly, our freedoms and liberties," Moran said Monday.The dispute at sea between the Phillipines and China has prompted the U.S. to call China's actions dangerous and unlawful."I don't have any evidence, but I would not at all be surprised, but what China's engagement around the world in creating havoc is increasing now," Moran said. "As we also see in the Middle East, as they see the United States in disarray and uncertain of actions that we would be able to take, this is all, in my view, connected to an effort to change dramatically, the nature of the free world."A maritime incident in the South China Sea may not seem like an issue for Kansas, but Moran would contend that it is."The Phillipines has been outside the realm of U.S. influence for awhile," Moran said. "They've come back, because they're fearful of the threat of China. We need to be helpful, because China is not just interested in the Phillippines, it's interested in the United States of America. This is the primary responsibility of a Congress, of me as a United States Senator, is the national defense of our nation."On July 12, 2016, the Philippines won the arbitration case it lodged against China after the Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague, Netherlands invalidated Beijing's nine-dash line claim over the South China Sea. China refused to acknowledge the arbitral ruling.

Moran comments on China after incident with Phillipine vessel

HUTCHINSON, Kan. — Kansas State Fair General Manager Bryan Schulz is willing to listen to race promotion proposals from outside entities, but he made one thing clear, those folks will have to take on the burden.

"To become a race promoter, that's not something that we are interested in doing," Schulz said Friday. "From a staffing point, we just don't have enough staff. We are mandated by the Kansas Legislature how many people we can have. When you start looking at running these major events, you're going to have to have quite a few more people on staff and we just don't have those allocations."

There are no written proposals thus far, with a deadline for those by the end of the month.

"We've had one person that has shown some interest, but we haven't seen anything in writing," Schulz said. "That's what we need is we need a full on proposal from whoever is interested in doing it, before the end of this month, postmarked or delivered by the 31st. That will give our board at least two weeks to be looking it over. Then, on the 14th of November, the board will get together, they will review the proposals and then there will be a small public input session. Location and time are all still pending, we'll be meeting this Tuesday coming up, to make all those decisions."

When Schulz was in North Dakota at the Red River Valley Fair, the track up there was nearly closed.

"We had the fastest half mile track in the Upper Midwest," Schulz said. "That was from the World of Outlaws. That, too, was an area where, we were a non-profit. It ran most Fridays, but we were running it as our staff. People weren't attending. Our car counts were down. After my first year there, the board said to do an analysis of it. We did. We were still losing a lot of money. We decided to close it down or try finding a promoter. The Schatz family, if you follow World of Outlaws, the Schatz family is very big. They took it over, ran it for three years. They said, there's no money to be made here. They backed out. They invested over $1.5 million into it. They backed out. We put it back out for people to run it, promote it. It sat empty for two years. We had a promoter that came in and started running it. I think they are still there today, but the numbers are still touch and go."

According to&nbsp;<a href="https://www.fargomoorhead.org/what-to-do/red-river-valley-speedway/">fargomoorhead.org</a>, even when the Schatz family put the money in, the track was reconfigured. "RRVS was reconfigured from the original 1/2 mile to a smaller 3/8 of a mile track in the spring of 2010," according to the site. "Also during that time the track switched from Friday nights to Wednesday nights. In 2012, RRVS ran it's final race on August 25th until it was re-opened again in 2016. Racing once again returned to Friday nights."

It remains to be seen what proposals from the potential promoters look like and how much money they would be willing to contribute to save the track.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/9/1632137556905.jpeg" alt="KSF Grandstand Racetrack-Photo by Nick Gosnell" />
 <figcaption>KSF Grandstand Racetrack-Photo by Nick Gosnell</figcaption>
 </figure>NICK GOSNELL&nbsp;Hutch PostHUTCHINSON, Kan. — Kansas State Fair General Manager Bryan Schulz is willing to listen to race promotion proposals from outside entities, but he made one thing clear, those folks will have to take on the burden."To become a race promoter, that's not something that we are interested in doing," Schulz said Friday. "From a staffing point, we just don't have enough staff. We are mandated by the Kansas Legislature how many people we can have. When you start looking at running these major events, you're going to have to have quite a few more people on staff and we just don't have those allocations."There are no written proposals thus far, with a deadline for those by the end of the month."We've had one person that has shown some interest, but we haven't seen anything in writing," Schulz said. "That's what we need is we need a full on proposal from whoever is interested in doing it, before the end of this month, postmarked or delivered by the 31st. That will give our board at least two weeks to be looking it over. Then, on the 14th of November, the board will get together, they will review the proposals and then there will be a small public input session. Location and time are all still pending, we'll be meeting this Tuesday coming up, to make all those decisions."When Schulz was in North Dakota at the Red River Valley Fair, the track up there was nearly closed."We had the fastest half mile track in the Upper Midwest," Schulz said. "That was from the World of Outlaws. That, too, was an area where, we were a non-profit. It ran most Fridays, but we were running it as our staff. People weren't attending. Our car counts were down. After my first year there, the board said to do an analysis of it. We did. We were still losing a lot of money. We decided to close it down or try finding a promoter. The Schatz family, if you follow World of Outlaws, the Schatz family is very big. They took it over, ran it for three years. They said, there's no money to be made here. They backed out. They invested over $1.5 million into it. They backed out. We put it back out for people to run it, promote it. It sat empty for two years. We had a promoter that came in and started running it. I think they are still there today, but the numbers are still touch and go."According to&nbsp;<a href="https://www.fargomoorhead.org/what-to-do/red-river-valley-speedway/">fargomoorhead.org</a>, even when the Schatz family put the money in, the track was reconfigured. "RRVS was reconfigured from the original 1/2 mile to a smaller 3/8 of a mile track in the spring of 2010," according to the site. "Also during that time the track switched from Friday nights to Wednesday nights. In 2012, RRVS ran it's final race on August 25th until it was re-opened again in 2016. Racing once again returned to Friday nights."It remains to be seen what proposals from the potential promoters look like and how much money they would be willing to contribute to save the track.

Will anyone save the dirt track at Kansas State Fairgrounds?

HUTCHINSON, Kan. — Trapped alone in a Utah canyon for nearly a week and pinned by a half-ton boulder, Aron Ralston had to choose between his hand and his life. Even though he lost that limb, he said at his Dillon Lecture Series press conference on Tuesday, he gained a great amount of perspective.

"It was a tremendous gift for me," Ralston said. "That's what I try to share with people about what happened, not just to me, but for me, that I would be given all of these incredible gifts of insight into my life and the value of what's important to me, just having life. Being able to share that with other people became this incredible purpose, that might touch and reach people who might find themselves in a dark place."

Connection with others is what has become most important to Ralston in the past 20 years.

"While I was trapped, by talking to my family in my video camera that I had with me, although, yes, I was extraordinarily isolated, you'd have to be on the other side of the moon to be more isolated than what I felt, but that I felt connected, simultaneously."

Given that COVID-19 has caused everyone to have some forced isolation at one time or another in the last few years, a message like Ralston's can resonate as communities come back together.

"We are the social animals that we are," Ralston said. "It's reinforced how precious and how, at the same time, precarious, all of that is, which, I hope, means that we remember how valuable it is. Those are the gifts that adversity can give us. Sometimes, it's we only realize how much we value something when it's taken away and then, when we get it back, how fulfilling it is, to have that again."

2023 is the 42nd season for the Dillon Lecture Series on the HutchCC Campus. For more information on the Dillon Lecture Series or to become a patron, visit&nbsp;<a href="http://www.hutchcc.edu/dls">www.hutchcc.edu/dls</a>&nbsp;or call Becky Rogers at 620-665-3505.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/9/1695743778207.jpeg" alt="Aron Ralston-Photo by Nick Gosnell" />
 <figcaption>Aron Ralston-Photo by Nick Gosnell</figcaption>
 </figure>NICK GOSNELL&nbsp;Hutch PostHUTCHINSON, Kan. — Trapped alone in a Utah canyon for nearly a week and pinned by a half-ton boulder, Aron Ralston had to choose between his hand and his life. Even though he lost that limb, he said at his Dillon Lecture Series press conference on Tuesday, he gained a great amount of perspective."It was a tremendous gift for me," Ralston said. "That's what I try to share with people about what happened, not just to me, but for me, that I would be given all of these incredible gifts of insight into my life and the value of what's important to me, just having life. Being able to share that with other people became this incredible purpose, that might touch and reach people who might find themselves in a dark place."Connection with others is what has become most important to Ralston in the past 20 years."While I was trapped, by talking to my family in my video camera that I had with me, although, yes, I was extraordinarily isolated, you'd have to be on the other side of the moon to be more isolated than what I felt, but that I felt connected, simultaneously."Given that COVID-19 has caused everyone to have some forced isolation at one time or another in the last few years, a message like Ralston's can resonate as communities come back together."We are the social animals that we are," Ralston said. "It's reinforced how precious and how, at the same time, precarious, all of that is, which, I hope, means that we remember how valuable it is. Those are the gifts that adversity can give us. Sometimes, it's we only realize how much we value something when it's taken away and then, when we get it back, how fulfilling it is, to have that again."2023 is the 42nd season for the Dillon Lecture Series on the HutchCC Campus. For more information on the Dillon Lecture Series or to become a patron, visit&nbsp;<a href="http://www.hutchcc.edu/dls">www.hutchcc.edu/dls</a>&nbsp;or call Becky Rogers at 620-665-3505.

Dillon Lecture Series: He amputated his own hand to stay alive

HUTCHINSON — According to Shawn Steward with AAA Kansas, the pain for drivers at the pump is increasing.

"We've seen quite a spike in gas prices here, not only in Kansas, but basically the entire Central Plains and Upper Midwest," Steward said. "There's been some talk through the industry that refineries in the region have been down for regular maintenance or some repairs."

Area counties are up considerably from last week. Prices were checked on Saturday, Sept. 16.

The statewide average is $3.74 and the fundamentals suggest that prices may stay up for the short term.

"In addition to the refinery issue, we've also seen crude oil prices rising back to around $90 per barrel amidst trader's concerns that crude supplies will remain tight through the rest of the year," Steward said. "Specifically, Saudi Arabia and Russia, some of the top OPEC+ producers have played a role in tightening supplies by continuing their output cuts."

It's not really that more people are driving, in fact, it's the opposite lately.

"We're in a period here where we typically see lower demand," Steward said. "We are seeing that, in terms of gasoline demand in the U.S. currently being down, but all these other factors with tightening supply in the global market and then these issues with refinery outages, hopefully those will be temporary, but all of those factors are driving prices up at the pumps."

A year ago, the statewide average was $3.41 a gallon.

NICK GOSNELL,&nbsp;Hutch PostHUTCHINSON — According to Shawn Steward with AAA Kansas, the pain for drivers at the pump is increasing."We've seen quite a spike in gas prices here, not only in Kansas, but basically the entire Central Plains and Upper Midwest," Steward said. "There's been some talk through the industry that refineries in the region have been down for regular maintenance or some repairs."Area counties are up considerably from last week. Prices were checked on Saturday, Sept. 16.The statewide average is $3.74 and the fundamentals suggest that prices may stay up for the short term."In addition to the refinery issue, we've also seen crude oil prices rising back to around $90 per barrel amidst trader's concerns that crude supplies will remain tight through the rest of the year," Steward said. "Specifically, Saudi Arabia and Russia, some of the top OPEC+ producers have played a role in tightening supplies by continuing their output cuts."It's not really that more people are driving, in fact, it's the opposite lately."We're in a period here where we typically see lower demand," Steward said. "We are seeing that, in terms of gasoline demand in the U.S. currently being down, but all these other factors with tightening supply in the global market and then these issues with refinery outages, hopefully those will be temporary, but all of those factors are driving prices up at the pumps."A year ago, the statewide average was $3.41 a gallon.

Gas prices continue to climb across Kansas

HUTCHINSON, Kan. — Sarah Pratt involves her family throughout the butter sculpting process and this year was no different. With the help of her 10-year-old son Dean's research, Pratt decided to sculpt Kansas legend Amelia Earhart for the 2023 Kansas State Fair Butter Sculpture.

"He made me a little note that said you should sculpt Amelia Earhart and then wrote next to it, to the stars through their difficulty," said Pratt. "And he was like, mom this is perfect. Their state motto perfectly fits Amelia Earhart and he was right."&nbsp;

Kansans likely know Amelia Earhart as a native of Atchison, Kansas who was the first female aviator to fly solo across the Atlantic Ocean.&nbsp; Pratt said she learned through her own research that Earhart was so much more than just that.&nbsp;

&nbsp;"She was also a community advocate for people who were in need, people who were sick and people who maybe didn't have the opportunities she did and so it showed me this entirely different side to her," Pratt said. "I hope that people see that and maybe, you know, learn a little bit more about her and certainly take pride in the fact that she claims Kansas as her home."

Pratt has been the lead butter sculptor at the Kansas and Illinois State Fair since 2016. She's been the lead sculptor in her home state of Iowa since 2006. Pratt took over after her mentor Norma Duffy Lyon retired from sculpting.&nbsp;

"One of the things I love about butter sculpting is that I get to do it with my family," Pratt said. Depending on the different fairs we are visiting, my husband will travel with me, my daughter Grace has traveled out of state with me and then here in Iowa my twin daughters Hannah and Grace are my two apprentices, so it's a huge joy to do it together as a family."&nbsp;

The butter sculpture is sponsored by Southwest Dairy Farmers and is on display in the Pride of Kansas building. Every other year, a dairy cow butter sculpture is sculpted to represent the dairy industry.&nbsp;

More information about butter sculpting is available next to the sculpture display or by going to <a href="https://www.kansasstatefair.com/">kansasstatefair.com</a>

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/9/1694769636074.jpeg" alt="Butter Sculptor Sarah Pratt with 2023 Kansas State Fair subject, Amelia Earhart.-Photo by Andy Pratt" />
 <figcaption>Butter Sculptor Sarah Pratt with 2023 Kansas State Fair subject, Amelia Earhart.-Photo by Andy Pratt</figcaption>
 </figure>EMMIE BOESE Hutch PostHUTCHINSON, Kan. — Sarah Pratt involves her family throughout the butter sculpting process and this year was no different. With the help of her 10-year-old son Dean's research, Pratt decided to sculpt Kansas legend Amelia Earhart for the 2023 Kansas State Fair Butter Sculpture.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/9/1694769866712.jpeg" alt="Amelia Earhart is the 2023 Kansas State Fair Butter Sculpture-Photo by Sarah Pratt" />
 <figcaption>Amelia Earhart is the 2023 Kansas State Fair Butter Sculpture-Photo by Sarah Pratt</figcaption>
 </figure>"He made me a little note that said you should sculpt Amelia Earhart and then wrote next to it, to the stars through their difficulty," said Pratt. "And he was like, mom this is perfect. Their state motto perfectly fits Amelia Earhart and he was right."&nbsp;Kansans likely know Amelia Earhart as a native of Atchison, Kansas who was the first female aviator to fly solo across the Atlantic Ocean.&nbsp; Pratt said she learned through her own research that Earhart was so much more than just that.&nbsp;&nbsp;"She was also a community advocate for people who were in need, people who were sick and people who maybe didn't have the opportunities she did and so it showed me this entirely different side to her," Pratt said. "I hope that people see that and maybe, you know, learn a little bit more about her and certainly take pride in the fact that she claims Kansas as her home."Pratt has been the lead butter sculptor at the Kansas and Illinois State Fair since 2016. She's been the lead sculptor in her home state of Iowa since 2006. Pratt took over after her mentor Norma Duffy Lyon retired from sculpting.&nbsp;"One of the things I love about butter sculpting is that I get to do it with my family," Pratt said. Depending on the different fairs we are visiting, my husband will travel with me, my daughter Grace has traveled out of state with me and then here in Iowa my twin daughters Hannah and Grace are my two apprentices, so it's a huge joy to do it together as a family."&nbsp;The butter sculpture is sponsored by Southwest Dairy Farmers and is on display in the Pride of Kansas building. Every other year, a dairy cow butter sculpture is sculpted to represent the dairy industry.&nbsp;More information about butter sculpting is available next to the sculpture display or by going to <a href="https://www.kansasstatefair.com/">kansasstatefair.com</a>

Earhart is subject of 2023 Kansas State Fair Butter Sculpture

HUTCHINSON, Kan. — The Dariyland building on the Kansas State Fairgrounds is a place where Kansans can learn about where their milk comes from. Dairy farming is a growing part of animal agriculture in Kansas.&nbsp;

Kari Hamilton works as a mobile classroom instructor for Southwest Dairy Farm. She presents live cow milking demonstrations every day at the fair.&nbsp;

"It is so very important to let everyone know how good milk is for you and how well the animals are taken care of," said Hamilton. "Dairy cows are very happy, healthy animals and I just like to spread the awareness about how important milk is for us."

On Tuesday morning, Hamilton did a live milking demonstration of a Jersey dairy cow named Hazel Grace Blossom. She used a milking claw. The claw works by suctioning the milk out of a cow's udder.&nbsp;

Hamilton said Jersey cows are milked twice in the morning and evening, and can produce 6 gallons of milk per day.&nbsp;

She also talked to the crowd about why milk is an essential part of a daily diet, and the features of a dairy cow. Milk from Jersey cows is best used for butter, cheese and ice cream.

"When you are getting those 3-4 servings of dairy you are giving yourself healthy blood pressure," Hamilton said to the audience. "It's good for our body in so many ways, so remember to get those 3-4 or more servings of dairy every day."&nbsp;

More information about dairy cattle and Southwest Dairy Farmers is available at&nbsp;<a href="https://www.southwestdairyfarmers.com/">southwestdairyfarmers.com</a>.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/9/1694596882304.jpeg" alt="Kari Hamilton teaches about cow milking on Tuesday, Sept. 12 at the Kansas State Fair-Photo by Emmie Boese" />
 <figcaption>Kari Hamilton teaches about cow milking on Tuesday, Sept. 12 at the Kansas State Fair-Photo by Emmie Boese</figcaption>
 </figure>EMMIE BOESEHutch PostHUTCHINSON, Kan. — The Dariyland building on the Kansas State Fairgrounds is a place where Kansans can learn about where their milk comes from. Dairy farming is a growing part of animal agriculture in Kansas.&nbsp;Kari Hamilton works as a mobile classroom instructor for Southwest Dairy Farm. She presents live cow milking demonstrations every day at the fair.&nbsp;"It is so very important to let everyone know how good milk is for you and how well the animals are taken care of," said Hamilton. "Dairy cows are very happy, healthy animals and I just like to spread the awareness about how important milk is for us."On Tuesday morning, Hamilton did a live milking demonstration of a Jersey dairy cow named Hazel Grace Blossom. She used a milking claw. The claw works by suctioning the milk out of a cow's udder.&nbsp;Hamilton said Jersey cows are milked twice in the morning and evening, and can produce 6 gallons of milk per day.&nbsp;She also talked to the crowd about why milk is an essential part of a daily diet, and the features of a dairy cow. Milk from Jersey cows is best used for butter, cheese and ice cream."When you are getting those 3-4 servings of dairy you are giving yourself healthy blood pressure," Hamilton said to the audience. "It's good for our body in so many ways, so remember to get those 3-4 or more servings of dairy every day."&nbsp;More information about dairy cattle and Southwest Dairy Farmers is available at&nbsp;<a href="https://www.southwestdairyfarmers.com/">southwestdairyfarmers.com</a>.

State Fair: Milking parlor teaches about growing Kansas industry

HUTCHINSON, Kan. — Kansas First District Congressman Tracey Mann said at the Kansas State Fair over the weekend, even though the federal fiscal year ends at the end of the month, the Farm Bill is not done.

"I'm frustrated with how slowly it's going," Mann said. "That said, I think we are making progress. I think the committee's done a good job listening to producers. We're working our tail off to make sure that this is a Farm Bill that works for our Kansas ag producers, which is the most important thing."

U.S. Senator Dr. Roger Marshall used an analogy from his days in obstetric practice.

"This is my second farm bill," Marshall said. "I know a little bit more about obstetrics than I do a farm bill, as a matter of fact, I saw two kids I delivered over in the sheep showing program, as well. If the farm bill was a pregnant mom, I'd say, we're a week overdue and it's time to induce her."

Marshall would rather see the farm bill finished than just an extension, but an extension is what appears most likely at this point in the process.

"As agriculture goes, so goes Kansas," Marshall said. "What a farm bill does is give us a great amount of certainty. It allows our producers to make a five year plan, rather than a one year plan. When you're an ag lender, it helps you understand, are we going to be able to make this payment year three, year four, year five, as well. I think that's the struggle before us. I think the biggest impediment to getting a farm bill done is our $33 trillion national debt. This country is spending $700 billion on interest."

The other problem is that in an inflationary economy, more people in poverty need to use the food programs that are actually now the majority of the funds disbursed within a farm bill and the underlying food costs more.

"In 2018, we budgeted, we'd be spending $65 billion for food stamps, for the nutrition programs, $65 billion. The last two years, we're spending $180 billion a year, almost triple. We could dive down to why that's happening, but nevertheless, we've went from $65 billion to $180 billion and as we look at a budget for this farm bill, they are saying it's going to go down to $120 billion. It's hard for me, as a former business owner, to square all that."

It's likely that full language for the farm bill won't even be finalized to be hashed over until at least November.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/9/1694426842459.png" alt="Kansas First District Congressman Tracey Mann and Congressman Roger Marshall participated in an Ag Forum at the Kansas State Fair on September 9, 2023-photo courtesy Renew Kansas Biofuels Association" />
 <figcaption>Kansas First District Congressman Tracey Mann and Congressman Roger Marshall participated in an Ag Forum at the Kansas State Fair on September 9, 2023-photo courtesy Renew Kansas Biofuels Association</figcaption>
 </figure>NICK GOSNELL Hutch PostHUTCHINSON, Kan. — Kansas First District Congressman Tracey Mann said at the Kansas State Fair over the weekend, even though the federal fiscal year ends at the end of the month, the Farm Bill is not done."I'm frustrated with how slowly it's going," Mann said. "That said, I think we are making progress. I think the committee's done a good job listening to producers. We're working our tail off to make sure that this is a Farm Bill that works for our Kansas ag producers, which is the most important thing."U.S. Senator Dr. Roger Marshall used an analogy from his days in obstetric practice."This is my second farm bill," Marshall said. "I know a little bit more about obstetrics than I do a farm bill, as a matter of fact, I saw two kids I delivered over in the sheep showing program, as well. If the farm bill was a pregnant mom, I'd say, we're a week overdue and it's time to induce her."Marshall would rather see the farm bill finished than just an extension, but an extension is what appears most likely at this point in the process."As agriculture goes, so goes Kansas," Marshall said. "What a farm bill does is give us a great amount of certainty. It allows our producers to make a five year plan, rather than a one year plan. When you're an ag lender, it helps you understand, are we going to be able to make this payment year three, year four, year five, as well. I think that's the struggle before us. I think the biggest impediment to getting a farm bill done is our $33 trillion national debt. This country is spending $700 billion on interest."The other problem is that in an inflationary economy, more people in poverty need to use the food programs that are actually now the majority of the funds disbursed within a farm bill and the underlying food costs more."In 2018, we budgeted, we'd be spending $65 billion for food stamps, for the nutrition programs, $65 billion. The last two years, we're spending $180 billion a year, almost triple. We could dive down to why that's happening, but nevertheless, we've went from $65 billion to $180 billion and as we look at a budget for this farm bill, they are saying it's going to go down to $120 billion. It's hard for me, as a former business owner, to square all that."It's likely that full language for the farm bill won't even be finalized to be hashed over until at least November.

Kan. First District Congressman talks farm bill at the State Fair

HUTCHINSON, Kan. — Kansas U.S. Senator Roger Marshall, M.D. spoke on Saturday at the Kansas State Fair about the importance of caring for your neighbors with mental health issues, especially those working in agriculture.

"September is Mental Health Awareness Month," Marshall said. "Specifically, we're trying to educate folks about the challenges in agriculture. Farmers and ranchers have an almost four times higher suicide rate than the general population. The pressures are for real. Many of us, I'm a fifth-generation farm kid, many are six and seven generations out here. The pressure to keep that farm alive and well for future generations is enormous."

It's getting harder and harder to go from pencil to profit in production agriculture. Costs are not what they were even a few years ago.

"Interest rates alone, the average farmer has about $1 million operation loan," Marshall said. "They were paying two percent interest on that particular loan three years ago and now it's, I'm hearing nine and ten percent. That was the profit margin in their entire operation. Most farmers and ranchers are not having any profit left. At the end of the day, they're working for free."

Marshall said cultivating relationships with those farmers that live near you is important to keeping them alive and healthy.

"Call 988 for the suicide prevention hotline, if they need it," Marshall said. "Most important, just be a good neighbor and reach out. When you see your neighbor struggling, invite them back to church. Invite them to a ballgame, invite them to go get some lunch with you. Be a good neighbor."

According to <a href="https://www.ruralminds.org/serving-rural-america">Rural Minds</a>, pre-pandemic in 2018, nearly two thirds of rural counties in America did not have a psychiatrist.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/9/1694426842459.png" alt="Kansas First District Congressman Tracey Mann and Senator Roger Marshall&nbsp; at the State Fair on Saturday-photo courtesy&nbsp;Renew Kansas Biofuels Association" />
 <figcaption>Kansas First District Congressman Tracey Mann and Senator Roger Marshall&nbsp; at the State Fair on Saturday-photo courtesy&nbsp;Renew Kansas Biofuels Association</figcaption>
 </figure>NICK GOSNELL Hutch PostHUTCHINSON, Kan. — Kansas U.S. Senator Roger Marshall, M.D. spoke on Saturday at the Kansas State Fair about the importance of caring for your neighbors with mental health issues, especially those working in agriculture."September is Mental Health Awareness Month," Marshall said. "Specifically, we're trying to educate folks about the challenges in agriculture. Farmers and ranchers have an almost four times higher suicide rate than the general population. The pressures are for real. Many of us, I'm a fifth-generation farm kid, many are six and seven generations out here. The pressure to keep that farm alive and well for future generations is enormous."It's getting harder and harder to go from pencil to profit in production agriculture. Costs are not what they were even a few years ago."Interest rates alone, the average farmer has about $1 million operation loan," Marshall said. "They were paying two percent interest on that particular loan three years ago and now it's, I'm hearing nine and ten percent. That was the profit margin in their entire operation. Most farmers and ranchers are not having any profit left. At the end of the day, they're working for free."Marshall said cultivating relationships with those farmers that live near you is important to keeping them alive and healthy."Call 988 for the suicide prevention hotline, if they need it," Marshall said. "Most important, just be a good neighbor and reach out. When you see your neighbor struggling, invite them back to church. Invite them to a ballgame, invite them to go get some lunch with you. Be a good neighbor."According to <a href="https://www.ruralminds.org/serving-rural-america">Rural Minds</a>, pre-pandemic in 2018, nearly two thirds of rural counties in America did not have a psychiatrist.

Marshall at State Fair: Mental health for farmers a major issue

HUTCHINSON, Kan. — Kansas U.S. Senator Jerry Moran said Saturday at the Kansas Farm Bureau breakfast at the Kansas State Fair that he believes there is good news on the Senate side when it comes to the appropriations process as the federal fiscal year comes to a close at the end of the month.

"We've passed 12 appropriation bills in the U.S. Senate, out of the committee," Moran said. "Three of them will be on the Senate floor starting Tuesday. One of them is Ag approps. That's a good thing, because it means that we very well may complete the appropriations process, send it to the House and Ag approps will not be one of the appropriation bills that are at risk of being part of a continuing resolution, meaning that no changes would be made to the bill, we would just fund everything the way it was last year, this year. We worked hard as an Ag appropriations subcommittee member and a former chairman of that subcommittee, to make sure that Kansas priorities are included in Ag approps and we will see if we can't get it passed in the next ten days in the United States Senate. I predict that will happen."

Moran told a story about when he brought now House Appropriations Ranking Member Rosa DeLauro, a Democrat from Connecticut, to Kansas a few years ago and how building that relationship helps keep the needs of Kansas farmers at the forefront, no matter which party may be in power at any given time.

"Kendall Hodgson in particular, in Rice County, we were at Cheryl's Cafe in Little River, where I learned that she wasn't a vegetarian, because we had coconut cream pie and cheeseburgers and we spent the afternoon at Kendall Hodgson's farm, with the neighboring farmers teaching, learning about what this piece of equipment does and what farmers do. We had her at the State Fair the next morning, where our best ambassadors, our absolute best ambassadors, no offense to any farmer that was with us in Little River, was the 4-H kids and the FFA kids who were here at the State Fair, who gave her a tour of the state fair and showed her their work and their product and their lives. Rosa DeLauro, now, is still somebody that I get greeting cards from at Christmas and we can go to her when Tracey and I need help, because we showed her, in Kansas, you showed her, in Kansas, what farmers do."&nbsp;

This year, Senate Appropriators reported all twelve individual appropriations bills out of Committee for the first time in five years.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/9/1694278127802.jpeg" alt="U.S. Senator Jerry Moran spoke at the Farm Bureau Breakfast at the Kansas State Fair Saturday-Photo by Nick Gosnell" />
 <figcaption>U.S. Senator Jerry Moran spoke at the Farm Bureau Breakfast at the Kansas State Fair Saturday-Photo by Nick Gosnell</figcaption>
 </figure>NICK GOSNELL Hutch PostHUTCHINSON, Kan. — Kansas U.S. Senator Jerry Moran said Saturday at the Kansas Farm Bureau breakfast at the Kansas State Fair that he believes there is good news on the Senate side when it comes to the appropriations process as the federal fiscal year comes to a close at the end of the month."We've passed 12 appropriation bills in the U.S. Senate, out of the committee," Moran said. "Three of them will be on the Senate floor starting Tuesday. One of them is Ag approps. That's a good thing, because it means that we very well may complete the appropriations process, send it to the House and Ag approps will not be one of the appropriation bills that are at risk of being part of a continuing resolution, meaning that no changes would be made to the bill, we would just fund everything the way it was last year, this year. We worked hard as an Ag appropriations subcommittee member and a former chairman of that subcommittee, to make sure that Kansas priorities are included in Ag approps and we will see if we can't get it passed in the next ten days in the United States Senate. I predict that will happen."Moran told a story about when he brought now House Appropriations Ranking Member Rosa DeLauro, a Democrat from Connecticut, to Kansas a few years ago and how building that relationship helps keep the needs of Kansas farmers at the forefront, no matter which party may be in power at any given time."Kendall Hodgson in particular, in Rice County, we were at Cheryl's Cafe in Little River, where I learned that she wasn't a vegetarian, because we had coconut cream pie and cheeseburgers and we spent the afternoon at Kendall Hodgson's farm, with the neighboring farmers teaching, learning about what this piece of equipment does and what farmers do. We had her at the State Fair the next morning, where our best ambassadors, our absolute best ambassadors, no offense to any farmer that was with us in Little River, was the 4-H kids and the FFA kids who were here at the State Fair, who gave her a tour of the state fair and showed her their work and their product and their lives. Rosa DeLauro, now, is still somebody that I get greeting cards from at Christmas and we can go to her when Tracey and I need help, because we showed her, in Kansas, you showed her, in Kansas, what farmers do."&nbsp;This year, Senate Appropriators reported all twelve individual appropriations bills out of Committee for the first time in five years.

Moran at State Fair: Good news on ag appropriations 

HUTCHINSON, Kan. — With the 2023 Kansas State Fair opening Friday, General Manager Bryan Schulz noted some of the improvements made for this year's Fair, including the walking surface in much of the grounds.&nbsp;

"Right now, we spent close to a million dollars, it will be closer to $2 million when we get done. The legislature a couple of years ago, gave us some monies to start upgrading, one of them was for asphalt and we have put down a lot of asphalt on these grounds."

There is also a new integrated PA system that is the largest by area covered in the state.

"That was another part of the monies that we got from the legislature," Schulz said. "When I started, it was, okay, how do we tell people, we're in tornado alley, how do we tell people that there could be imminent weather? How do we tell people that we've got a lost child? How do we tell people you've triple parked, please move your car. We worked with Hopp's Sound out of McPherson and the sound system that we have is absolutely phenomenal. We've been able to create 19 different emergency announcements by the push of a button, both in English and Spanish. That can tell people that we've got a storm coming, but then we're also able to play a little bit of background music and be able to talk to people as they are coming and going."

The hope is that the fair can get back to the pre-COVID attendance numbers they had a few years back.

"We're hoping to get to 350,000, absolutely," Schulz said. "That's kind of the average we had prior to COVID. We're hoping to gain back up into that."

The Kansas State Fair is Sept. 8 to 17 in Hutchinson.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/9/1632137691150.jpeg" alt="Grandstand at the Kansas State Fair-Photo by Nick Gosnell" />
 <figcaption>Grandstand at the Kansas State Fair-Photo by Nick Gosnell</figcaption>
 </figure>NICK GOSNELLHutch PostHUTCHINSON, Kan. — With the 2023 Kansas State Fair opening Friday, General Manager Bryan Schulz noted some of the improvements made for this year's Fair, including the walking surface in much of the grounds.&nbsp;"Right now, we spent close to a million dollars, it will be closer to $2 million when we get done. The legislature a couple of years ago, gave us some monies to start upgrading, one of them was for asphalt and we have put down a lot of asphalt on these grounds."There is also a new integrated PA system that is the largest by area covered in the state."That was another part of the monies that we got from the legislature," Schulz said. "When I started, it was, okay, how do we tell people, we're in tornado alley, how do we tell people that there could be imminent weather? How do we tell people that we've got a lost child? How do we tell people you've triple parked, please move your car. We worked with Hopp's Sound out of McPherson and the sound system that we have is absolutely phenomenal. We've been able to create 19 different emergency announcements by the push of a button, both in English and Spanish. That can tell people that we've got a storm coming, but then we're also able to play a little bit of background music and be able to talk to people as they are coming and going."The hope is that the fair can get back to the pre-COVID attendance numbers they had a few years back."We're hoping to get to 350,000, absolutely," Schulz said. "That's kind of the average we had prior to COVID. We're hoping to gain back up into that."The Kansas State Fair is Sept. 8 to 17 in Hutchinson.

Improvements to State Fair include walking surface, PA system

&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; NICK GOSNELL &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; Hutch Post

HUTCHINSON, Kan. — Kansas U.S. Senator Jerry Moran was at Hutchinson Regional Medical Center Thursday afternoon to announce federal funding for a partnership between the healthcare system and Hutchinson Community College.

"A couple of years ago, the Senate and the House changed the rules," Moran said. "There was a period of about 10 years in which, what we used to call earmarks were banned. We didn't reinstate earmarks, but we now have Congressionally Designated Spending. We are utilizing that opportunity, money that would be spent somewhere in the budget someplace in some state or congressional district elsewhere to try to make certain that those dollars find their way to Kansas."

A significant amount of those dollars are coming to Hutchinson.

"I am here to announce a Congressionally Designated Spending of $3 million to Hutchinson Community College for purposes of nursing education. President Carter File can describe better than I how the money will be spent, but it is mostly designed to increase the space available and increase the laboratory capabilities of the nursing program. My understanding is that this $3 million, when it's completed, will allow for 20 additional students to participate in nursing education at Hutchinson Community College."

File clarified that it is an additional 20 slots per year in the nursing program at HutchCC.&nbsp;

"There is not a community in Kansas, there's not a hospital in Kansas, there's not a health care provider in Kansas who doesn't wish we had more nurses," Moran said. "This is an opportunity for us to combine a very important institution, Hutchinson Community College, to this community, with another very important institution to this community, Hutchinson Regional Medical Center."

Moran said the money will be available to the college in September to work on the expansion of space at Hutchinson Regional Medical Center for students to use for lab work with simulators that can give them the feel of live patients without risk to patients while they are learning.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/8/1693532718496.jpeg" alt="Jonna Jenkins, Doctor of Nursing Practice (D.N.P.), Chief Nursing Officer for Hutchinson Regional Healthcare System, U.S. Senator Jerry Moran and HutchCC President Carter File all spoke at the Thursday press event announcing federal funds to allow for a partnership between the healthcare system and the college. Photo by Nick Gosnell" />
 <figcaption>Jonna Jenkins, Doctor of Nursing Practice (D.N.P.), Chief Nursing Officer for Hutchinson Regional Healthcare System, U.S. Senator Jerry Moran and HutchCC President Carter File all spoke at the Thursday press event announcing federal funds to allow for a partnership between the healthcare system and the college. Photo by Nick Gosnell</figcaption>
 </figure>&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; NICK GOSNELL &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; Hutch PostHUTCHINSON, Kan. — Kansas U.S. Senator Jerry Moran was at Hutchinson Regional Medical Center Thursday afternoon to announce federal funding for a partnership between the healthcare system and Hutchinson Community College."A couple of years ago, the Senate and the House changed the rules," Moran said. "There was a period of about 10 years in which, what we used to call earmarks were banned. We didn't reinstate earmarks, but we now have Congressionally Designated Spending. We are utilizing that opportunity, money that would be spent somewhere in the budget someplace in some state or congressional district elsewhere to try to make certain that those dollars find their way to Kansas."A significant amount of those dollars are coming to Hutchinson."I am here to announce a Congressionally Designated Spending of $3 million to Hutchinson Community College for purposes of nursing education. President Carter File can describe better than I how the money will be spent, but it is mostly designed to increase the space available and increase the laboratory capabilities of the nursing program. My understanding is that this $3 million, when it's completed, will allow for 20 additional students to participate in nursing education at Hutchinson Community College."File clarified that it is an additional 20 slots per year in the nursing program at HutchCC.&nbsp;"There is not a community in Kansas, there's not a hospital in Kansas, there's not a health care provider in Kansas who doesn't wish we had more nurses," Moran said. "This is an opportunity for us to combine a very important institution, Hutchinson Community College, to this community, with another very important institution to this community, Hutchinson Regional Medical Center."Moran said the money will be available to the college in September to work on the expansion of space at Hutchinson Regional Medical Center for students to use for lab work with simulators that can give them the feel of live patients without risk to patients while they are learning.

Moran announces $3 million for Hutch CC nursing program

HUTCHINSON, Kan. —&nbsp; Shawn Steward with AAA Kansas is glad to see prices at the pump start to give some relief to drivers.

"For drivers, we're in a good trend," Steward said. "In terms of gas prices, we've seen them fall over the past couple of weeks after a couple of months of headed upward, which certainly got people's attention, because we had some pretty big jumps there. Right now, we're at $3.60 a gallon on average in Kansas and that's down six cents from a week ago."

Kansas currently has the 13th&nbsp;lowest average gas price in the nation.&nbsp;

NICK GOSNELL Hutch PostHUTCHINSON, Kan. —&nbsp; Shawn Steward with AAA Kansas is glad to see prices at the pump start to give some relief to drivers."For drivers, we're in a good trend," Steward said. "In terms of gas prices, we've seen them fall over the past couple of weeks after a couple of months of headed upward, which certainly got people's attention, because we had some pretty big jumps there. Right now, we're at $3.60 a gallon on average in Kansas and that's down six cents from a week ago."Kansas currently has the 13th&nbsp;lowest average gas price in the nation.&nbsp;"Crude oil prices, we are at about $79 per barrel," Steward said. "A couple weeks ago, we were in the $83 per barrel range. That reduction in crude oil prices has, it looks like, started to show up at the gas pumps in terms of a little bit lower prices."Though the remnants of Harold are still breaking up in Texas, there hasn't been a reason for the weather to stop oil refining yet this season."Thus far, we haven't seen any tropical impact to the refineries on the Gulf Coast, fortunately," Steward said.Between the potential for a demand bump with Labor Day and the Atlantic hurricane season still active, it's not clear whether this week's drop can be sustained in the near term.