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 across all income levels.

There are a number of barriers that prevent needed development, and one of those that I think we don’t talk about often enough is the rising cost of insurance, policy changes that make it harder to adequately maintain a home, and the chilling effect all of that has on the housing and development market.

According to a report by the Consumer Federation of America, the average price of homeowner’s insurance increased an average of $628 between 2021 and 2024. In Kansas, the average rate rose 14 percent, but as you’ll learn, that isn’t consistent across the state - some areas saw higher, and lower, rate increases.

Kansas already had one of the highest insurance costs in the country, landing a spot among one of the seven most expensive states for insurance, which include Florida and Louisiana. On average, a homeowner pays more than $4,200 per year for coverage on a $350,000 home.

Dave does a great job of walking me through a lot of the complexities of insurance, and, I think, gives us an honest assessment of what is happening in the insurance industry.

If you own a home, plan to sell a home, hope to own a home, or have anything to do with homes, I think you’ll find this episode informative and enlightening. I know you’ll walk away knowing more about insurance than you did beforehand.

Link to the Consumer Federation of America report -
https://consumerfed.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/OverburdenedReport.pdf

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 per month in food assistance, which is less than $2 per meal, per person. In our conversation, Haley pushes back against some of the prevailing myths that exist around safety net programs like SNAP, and explains how ensuring access to food has broader economic benefits to our communities, state, and country.

Additionally, Haley shares some of SNAP’s history - including its ties to Kansas and its fierce defense by the late Kansas Senator Bob Dole.

During the past 10 years, and continuing today, programs such as SNAP have come under heavy assault. Opponents have claimed SNAP is flooded with fraud and abuse, and have called for restrictions and in some cases elimination. Haley walks through her experiences and insight in working to help people understand the truth and the importance of programs like SNAP.

I think you’ll not only enjoy this episode, I expect you’ll learn a great deal, too. I know I did!

To learn more about the history of SNAP read Kansas Appleseed’s report.

https://www.kansasappleseed.org/snap-report/

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 small business. And there's nothing more local or small about buying your food from the farmer's market.

As you'll hear Kelli explain, each producer has been directly involved in growing the food you purchase. Whether it's vegetables and leafy greens, honey, meat, bread, or hand-crafted toys, the Farmer's Market is a dynamic place where value is found in a number of ways.

If you're a regular Farmer's Market shopper, listening to Kelli will get you pumped for opening day. If you're new to the market, she'll help you understand why so many people love spending Saturday mornings at the corner of 2nd and Washington.

For more information about the Reno County Farmer's Market, visit https://www.rcfmks.com/

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 intentional shift in the way they manage life and time, and it has required grace and patience.

It has also required love, and I hope that is something that comes across in this episode. At its core, this episode is about the sort of resolute love required for two people to support each other through difficult times.

But you’ll also learn that there’s humor after tragedy. There’s hope. And there’s resilience to start again.

You’ll also hear how Emily built the tools she needed for recovery - by establishing a support group for traumatic brain injury patients in Hutchinson. The group meets the 2nd Wednesday of each month at 1 p.m in the Hutchinson Public Library.

I hope you enjoy my conversation with Emily and Will Ptacek.

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 sort of life familiar to many people in and around this area. But right after graduation, she went off to Los Angeles to follow her dream of becoming a working actress.

Fast forward to today - she's returned home to raise her family in her hometown. A Boomerang, who gave up the bright lights of the big city for the peace of Middle America. Here, she's found a home for her family and has dedicated her time to giving back to our community - including a run for public office in 2024.

We talk about her experience in Los Angeles - what it's like to audition for movies, to work on a sitcom, and the challenges of managing a demanding career while raising a family.

And we talk about how Dolly Parton influenced her life and inspired Lindsey to write, direct, produce, and star in her one-woman show "Dolly" - which she's performed in theaters around the country, including Hutchinson, and Los Angeles.

I had a lot of fun recording this episode, and I think you'll have a lot of fun learning more about my friend Lindsey Hatfield.

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 so many of them had questions for Brady after we recorded the show.

If you’ve been in Hutchinson or Kansas in the past decade, you’ve likely come across Brady’s work. His murals can be found throughout Hutchinson, and as you’ll learn in this episode, throughout Kansas and around the country.

Brady walked us all through his painting process, and his path to building a career in art, and offered a great deal of insight into his life. I think you’re going to really like this episode.

Don’t forget that Brady’s collection “Haunted Landscapes” will be on display at City Arts in Old Town in Wichita. There’s a big artist reception of Friday, March 7 and his work will be on display for the entire month of March. For more information visit
https://www.wichita.gov/172/CityArts

To see more of Brady’s artwork, go to
http://www.bscottart.com/ or follow Brady creative on instagram

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 wasn't just someone with a pet parrot - this was someone who has a passion for birds and is actively working to build a career in training big birds. You can hear that episode here

It took a few months, but we finally brought McKenna into the studio to tell us more about her love of birds, and the adventures she's had traveling the United States learning how to raise, care for, and train birds.

You can also follow McKenna's fun and light-hearted feathered tales at her Instagram - it's filled with cute pictures of birds and funny comedic bits.