Hutchinson

(HUTCHINSON, Kan.) They have all the makings of your average bike. But there's something about the two wheelers, sitting on downtown Hutchinson corners, that's very different. "I think just having the bikes available to people, on a regular basis, is just a really interesting idea and I wanted to try it out," explains Jennifer Randall.  She and other area artists are turning donated bikes into one-of-a-kind community vehicles. The concept is pretty basic, bikes will be in racks throughout Hutchinson.

A Hutchinson man is in critical condition after crashing his car early Wednesday morning.  Hutch police say the man crashed into a tree at 19th and Main around 2:00 am. Initially, the man was taken to a hospital in Hutchinson, but was later airlifted to another hospital in Wichita. Police believe alcohol was a factor in the crash.  They are still investigating.

by Michael Schwanke (HUTCHINSON, Kan.) Neighbors surrounding a Hutchinson home say they've had enough. "It's very smelly. The odor coming through there was just unreal," says Donna Wilson who lives next door to the home on East Sixth "The electricity has been cut off since about April," says Sawana Shipley who bought the foreclosed home. Through a dirty basement window, if you look hard enough, you can see the problem.  It's a freezer that's been turned off for months.

January 17th, 2001 is a day Colleen Bugglen will never forget. “I was in a daze. I saw the ceiling falling down. I don't recall hearing the explosion. I recall looking up and it was all in black and white,” says Bugglen who was working at the Décor Wedding and Party Supplies store in downtown Hutchinson. “I believe I was knocked out because when I came to I was throwing stuff off of me. It was unbelievable. You thought you were in a dream….this doesn't happen to you.” Next door to Colleen was Devon Hayes at Woody's Furniture.

Hutc hinson Regional Mecial Center says it's gearing up for the future. The center Thursday announced plans for a five million dollar renovation and expansion of the emergency department. It will expand from ten beds to 20..and will include two major trauma rooms, and 14 private treatment rooms. Those who work in the center say the expansion will be especially helpful during the busiest times in the evenings. Nursing director Joyoce Radke tells us  "Most of the time we have patients in the waiting room, which we would love to not have them have to wait in the waiting room it's very hard on people.

A man dies after a tree falls on him Tuesday afternoon in Hutchinson. The victim has been identified as 46-year-old Joseph T. Fredrick of Hutchinson. The accident happened at 1127 W. Fourth Street. Fredrick worked for Ramsey Oil, where the accident happened. He was cutting down trees for the business when one fell on his back, killing him.

Emergency dispatch in Hutchinson says emergency crews have cleared the scene at a chlorine leak at the water treatment plant. Police have also reopened roads around E. 23rd and Severance. No one was hurt. Authorities have not evacuated homes or businesses in the area.

For the second time Tuesday, Hutchinson firefighters have put out a house fire. This time, in the 100 block of E. 12th St.  The fire started in the front yard. Hutchinson Fire Chief Rex Albright says they went defensive on the house fire. Crews tried to make entry but couldn't because the fire in the attic. As far Albright knows, no one was at home at the time of the fire and no one is hurt. Stay tuned on-air and online at www.KWCH.com for the latest.

A surprise rain shower has helped crews battle the worst wildfire in Colorado's history. Two people have died, 400 homes are gone after the blaze erupted in the Black Forest area near Colorado Springs. But a Kansas contingency is trying to help put out the flames.   The group with the Hutchinson fire science program said they are aware of the danger, but are honored to help behind the scenes. "You can have all the fireman you want up on that hill but eventually they have to eat, sleep, rest and have something to drink.

In a state known for wind energy, there is a community now blocking residents from using wind turbines at home. Some Hutchinson homeowners use turbines as an alternative energy source. But the city says they must come down. Doug Myers, resident and business owner said he calls it the "God complex," where the city is trying to take ownership of the air. "When you talk to them, that's what you get," he said. "Like you will do what we say. If we say you're not going to use the air, you won't use it. " Myers makes and sells residential turbines.

A teen is air-lifted to a Wichita hospital after he's hit by a car while riding on his moped. The accident happened Monday afternoon at the intersection of 3rd & Severance in Hutchison. Witnesses tell Hutchinson police the 15-year-old was traveling eastbound on 3rd Street, when he ran a red light and was struck by a car traveling northbound on Severance. He was wearing a helmet, but it came off during the collision. The teen suffered a broken leg and a lump on his head. Hutchinson police say the accident is still under investigation, and no citations have been issued at this time.

The main road leading into Clearwater has a sinking problem and Sedgwick County wondered if it's dangerous.  Scientists studied the issue and found answers that surprised them. The problem area is along 135th Street just north of 87th Street South.  "We kind of wonder about it every now and then, especially when you see all them sinkholes.  Like up in Hutchinson, other places, people driving along and your car just falls through," said resident Darrel Snyder. Snyder isn't alone, Sedgwick County has also been wondering about the sinking because it's responsible for maintaining 135th Street.  "They just keep repairing it, but it doesn't get any better," said Snyder.

As you head to work or school this morning, allow yourself extra time.  Roads are slick in many parts of Kansas. Click here for Map of Road Conditions The Wichita Public School District says buses will avoid elevated roadways because of the conditions.  That means buses may be running late. Several minor accidents have happened across Wichita. The Emergency Accident Reporting Plan is also in effect in Wichita.  If you are in an accident and no one is hurt and no drugs or alcohol are involved, go to a police substation or Quik Trip to pick up an accident reporting form.

The spring storm has left its mark in Hutchinson.  The ice overnight coated trees, causing many limbs to snap off. The tree limbs landed on many cars, causing quite a bit of damage. Click here for Storm Shots In Hutchinson the ice brought down not just branches, but, at times, entire trees.  The ice is coating everything, thickly. "I hate scraping windows," said Hutchinson resident Amy Walden, cleaning off her car.  "It takes too much time, you have to get up earlier and it's just too cold.

It started with a simple question, 'Why not?'  Now a Hutchinson woman's question is connecting farmers, ranchers and other members of the agricultural world online. It's called FarmTime . "It's been a lot of fun, actually," said Angie Bergmeier. FarmTime is a social networking site specifically for farmers. "When I say farmers, I'm talking about ranchers, all the people in the agriculture world," said Bergmeier. After watching everyone connecting on Facebook and Twitter, Bergmeier came up with the idea for FarmTime because of what she was hearing from farmers around her. "They talked about how they used to go to the coffee shop and how they used to communicate all the time.  Well, they just don't have time to do that anymore," said Bergmeier.  "And I was just thinking, why not create a social network site for farmers?"

The third place game in the NJCAA Tournament went down to the wire. After trailing by a few buckets for most of the game Hutchinson was able to defeat Gulf Coast State 63-61. "Our kids showed a lot of toughness," head coach John Onitjes said. "We fought from behind the whole time. It was a great win for our ball club. We had a great season. " This was just one day after the Lady Dragons lost in the semi-finals to Trinity Valley. With under a minute left the game was tied.

A Hutchinson man has been arrested again just minutes after a Reno County judge dismissed charges. Dwight Jergens returned to court Friday morning in connection to charges of promoting prostitution. Judge Rose dismissed those charges, but Jergens was immediately arrested on a different warrant. His new charges include two counts of aggravated human trafficking, two counts of attempted aggravated human trafficking, one count aggravated criminal sodomy and one count of rape. Authorities said the human trafficking charges are in connection to Jergens' authority to control a person due to his bonding business.

A large military plane has been causing turbulence at a small Kansas airport. Several Eyewitness New viewers contacted the newsroom about a low-flying plane that would approach the airport, then fly by. Some people were even lucky enough to take pictures of the plane. Don Rogers caught the flight on camera. "We had the biggest bird coming down for a low approach, gear down, like they were going to land," he said. He said this went on for about 45 minutes. Click here to see photos of the E-4B The aircraft caused quite a scene.