That Podcast In Hutch

We’re embarking on something new here at That Podcast in Hutch, and I can barely tell you how excited we are about it!  That Podcast in Hutch has partnered with the Hutchinson Recreation Commission to present a new Podcast - Rooted. A podcast that focuses on how HutchRec builds community through its programming, events, and sports activities in Hutchinson and Reno County.  We’ll be exploring a dif...

Join producer Christopher as he leaves Hutchinson to meet up with Jason in Burden Kansas, a stop along the Bike Across Kansas route. Christopher joins Jason, along with several other cyclists on BAK as they discuss the hardships and struggles of BAK, the community they have built, the history of the ride, and the towns along the way.

They say that History doesn't repeat itself, but that it sure does rhyme.  On this week's episode of That Podcast in Hutch, I have the Reno County Historical Society joining me - which includes both the Reno County Museum, and Strataca - the underground salt museum.  The team from the historical society visit about the challenges they're facing - including an aging building in desperate need of re...

This week's episode is electrifying! I'm sure you'll get a real jolt out of it! It might be the most shocking episode yet! OK. Enough with the Dad jokes.  This week's episode of That Guy In Hutch features a couple of stand out Allen STEM Magnet School students - and their coach - who are headed to the World KidWind Competition in Madison, Wisconsin after taking tops the Statewide Competition.  You...

You’ve seen the work going on at the corner of 5th and Main over the past several years - and today I’m happy to sit down for a conversation with Laura Meyer Dick, developer of the Meyer Landmark building.  In our conversation, you’ll learn about her motivation for renovating the once-dilapidated building - including her initial battle with the pigeons who had taken up residency in the building. ...

We’re wrapping up our series on Kansas Property taxes this week with Chris Courtwright, who served as the principal economist for the Kansas Legislature for 34 years.  In that role, Chris provided lawmakers with unbiased and reliable economic data used to make key decisions about the state budget. He also led the twice-a-year Consensus Revenue Estimating Group, which the legislature and the govern...

We’re continuing our series on Kansas Property taxes this week, with former Hutchinson City Council member Jon Richardson, who left the council in January. I asked Jon to talk about the difficulty of managing a city budget, especially when faced with a changing landscape - and mandates - from the state and federal governments.  We discuss a number of different topics in our conversation, and the t...

We’re continuing our series on Kansas Property taxes this week, with Reno County Appraiser Michael Plank, who joined That Podcast in Hutch to discuss property valuations here and across the state.  Like lots of people, you might still be reeling from the recent valuation statement that came in the mail. And like some, your first instinct might have been to cuss the county appraiser’s office - and...

Property taxes seem to be on everyone’s minds these days.  Residents dread opening their valuation statements for fear of what they’ll see. Politicians keep promising relief, and local governments try to balance meeting the wants and needs of their communities with ongoing demands for lower taxes.  Yet, for something that affects so many of us, it’s an area that is complex and layered and can be d...

Not long ago, Hutchinson’s city manager responded to a comment with a question that stuck with me: Do you believe Hutch has peaked? Is this as good as it’s ever going to get? Or is there a brighter future worth investing in? That question sparked one of the most widely read essays here. Now, ahead of the March 3 sales tax vote, he’s joining me on the podcast for a real conversation about what this...

This week’s episode of That Podcast in Hutch takes a dive into something most of us have had to deal with at one time or another - Homeowner’s Insurance - with my friend Dave Inskeep, owner of Joe McGuire Insurance.  In recent months, I’ve had a number of conversations with lenders, bankers, community advocates, and others about the critical need for more housing. This need spans the state, and ac...

This week’s episode of That Podcast in Hutch features Haley Kottler, the anti-hunger campaign director for Kansas Appleseed.  Haley has worked extensively on food and hunger policy in Kansas, and she shares some of her insights and experiences working to defend programs like SNAP, or the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program.  SNAP provides vulnerable families with an average of around $171 pe...

It's one of my favorite times of the year - the opening of Farmer's Market Season! For this episode of That Podcast in Hutch, we visit with my friend Kelli Snider-Short. She serves on the board of the Reno County Farmer's Market and is the market's media manager.  Saturday, May 3 is opening day of the market, so it was a perfect time to visit about the benefits of shopping local and supporting sma...

This week’s episode of That Podcast in Hutch features my friends Emily and Will Ptacek.  Emily suffered a traumatic brain injury during a traffic accident in Reno County. It left her with lasting injuries that will affect her cognition the rest of her life.  In this episode, Emily and Will talk about what their lives looked like before the accident, and what it looks like now. It has required an i...

For this episode of That Podcast in Hutch, I bring in my friend Lindsey Hatfield - though anyone who grew up with her would recognize her by the name Lindsey Payne.  I have been lucky to become friends with Lindsey over the past several years - and the more I visit with her the more I become interested in her life, and her story.  She grew up in Hutchinson, attended Buhler schools, and lived the s...

In this week’s episode of That Podcast in Hutch, I visit with Lacey Stone-Tillman, whose family has owned the Medicine Shoppe for nearly 30 years.  If you have ever used a local pharmacy for your prescription drugs, you’ll want to listen to this episode.  If you are a proud supporter of free markets, you’ll want to listen to this episode.  If you believe in shopping local, and in supporting hometo...

Artist Brady Scott didn’t hesitate when I asked if he’d join me in the somewhat crazy idea of recording an episode of That Podcast in Hutch in front of a live audience.  He was all about it.  We gathered at the Hutchinson Public Library on one of the coldest days of this winter in front of the brave souls who came out to listen. We had a great time recording in front of them - and I was happy that...

Christopher and I first met McKenna while recording downtown during the Dog Days of Summer Third Thursday event last year. We wanted to record audio snippets of people talking about their dogs, when we noticed this teenager walking around with a parrot on her shoulder. When the thien 16-year-old McKenna sat down to visit with us, we quickly realized there was a much bigger story to be told. This w...

In this episode of That Podcast in Hutch, we try to shed a little light on an issue that touches a lot of people in Hutchinson and the surrounding area - the impasse between the Hutchinson Clinic and Blue Cross and Blue Shield insurance.  I sat down with Julie Schott, medical reimbursement specialist for the Hutchinson Clinic. She walked me through the issue from the perspective of Hutchinson Clin...

 I don't want to say that this week's episode gets a little heated, but I don't know what else you'd expect when we bring in the Hutchinson Fire Department and the Hutchinson Police Department to square off to win the trophy and bragging rights in the annual Battle of the Badges competition.  It's all in the spirit of community service - and in raising awareness of the pressing need for blood dono...

I hope everyone had the chance to enjoy friends and family over the holiday season. I know I enjoyed the chance to slow down a bit and share time with my family. It's the most important part of Thanksgiving and Christmas for me.  As we turn to the New Year and the start of 2025, our first episode of this season will begin by looking backwards to the end of 2024 - by turning the microphone around o...

This edition of That Podcast in Hutch brings in one of my closest friends and somewhat frequent guest Tyler Kershner. Tyler has a history of doing extraordinary things, such as riding his bicycle more than 200 miles in a day, fasting for extended periods of time, or in this case - walking 50 miles in a single day.  He got the idea from President Teddy Roosevelt, who believed that officers under hi...

This week’s episode of That Podcast in Hutch centers on the work of the United Way of Reno County and two dynamic people who help lead the organization - Executive Director Lacey Mills and Director of Community Impact, Valerie Taylor.  We visit about the United Way’s ongoing fundraising campaign - which is a critical part of supporting our non-profit community in Hutchinson. The United Way is an i...

Producer Christopher takes over the podcast! he takes the recording equipment on the road and sets up at Sandhills Brewing during the launch of Jasons Prost for Probst Oktoberfest to ask attendees why they love Hutch.

This one is going to hurt.  In this episode of That Podcast in Hutch, my friend Brandy Sheahan Harris talks about the loss of her son, Sebastian, to a fentanyl overdose.  Sebastian passed away on April 15, 2022. He was 21 years old.  Brandy tells us about her son, moving us through his young life and lets us see, through a mother’s eyes, Sebastian’s life. She also walks us through his struggles wi...