Go
Saints!

Friday
March 29th, 2024

Seward County reported 528 total positive cases with no deaths, 10 hospitalized and 686 negative test results.  Seward County ranked number 3 in the state for total positve cases behind Wyandotte and Ford counties.

Stevens County continues to see a steady climb in cases since the first case was announced on Mar. 26th, and is at 11 total positive cases with no reported deaths, While Meade County is at six cases and Haskell County with seven.  No deaths have been reported in either of these counties.

In the Oklahoma Panhandle, Texas County also continues to see steady increase in new coronavirus cases with 138 reported and 2 deaths.  The majority of cases in the county have been reported from Guymon at 93.  Other county totals are: Hooker -31, Tyrone -6, Optima -2, Goodwell -1, Texhoma -3, Hardesty -1, and 1 case unspecified. The Oklahoma State Department of Health reports 40 recovered cases in Texas County.

Texas county currently ranks 5th in Oklahoma in number of total cases.

Liberal Local News

Governor Kelly signs bill honoring wartime chaplain Father Emil Kapaun

kapaun funeral church pageThe remains of Father Emil Kapaun are brought out from the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency headquarters at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, in September 2021. Last Friday, Gov. Laura Kelly signed a bill directing the creation of a memorial honoring Kapaun and his service. FILE PHOTO/TRAVIS HEYING/THE WICHITA EAGLEELLY GRIMM • Leader & Times

 

Father Emil Kapaun has been a prominent figure for Kansas Catholics for many years, having served as a chaplain in the Burma Theater of World War II, then served again as a chaplain with the U.S. Army in Korea, where he was captured and ultimately died in a prisoner of war camp. 

His remains were unaccounted for until 2021, when they were finally returned to Kansas and interred in Wichita.

Last Friday, Gov. Laura Kelly signed Senate Bill 431, which directs the Capitol Preservation Committee to create a memorial honoring Chaplain (Captain) Kapaun, according to a release from the State of Kansas.

“Father Emil Kapaun was known for his selfless, dedicated service and providing care to all, regardless of their religion or beliefs,” Gov. Kelly noted in the State of Kansas release. “I am proud to honor his legacy and sacrifices for our country by signing this bipartisan bill. Father Kapaun is the most highly decorated chaplain in United States Army history. After serving as a Roman Catholic priest in the Diocese of Wichita, he tok his ministry to World War II and the Korean War. He was captured in the Battle of Unsan while refusing to leave the wounded and ultimately died as a prisoner of war in North Korea.”

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ELLY GRIMM • Leader & Times

 

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Southwestern Heights High School Principal Ryan Kisner has [ ... ]

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Seward County EMS Director John Ralston talks about some of the activity his department sees on a daily [ ... ]

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Elsa Manriquez with Al Shank Insurance looks over some notes while talking to the Liberal City Commission [ ... ]

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Liberal Area Sports

EARL WATT • Leader & Times

 

Two first round upsets busted brackets early in the Bracketbuster [ ... ]

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Taylor Harding (4) gets a high five from Lexi Miller after scoring a run against Bucklin Friday. Harding [ ... ]

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The swimming season kicked off at the Northwest Invitational [ ... ]

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Other Interests

NATIONAL HEADLINES

Opinion

Key bills still have a chance to pass

RYCKMAN RECAP, Ron Ryckman, 38th District Senator

 

This last, Week 11, for most committees to meet in the Legislature was kind of different from past years, in that there didn’t seem to be any big “crunch” to get everything done. 

We did work a fair number of bills — particularly in Ag and Fed and State, but used our full hour of meeting time only once — and that without even approving the bill which consumed most of it (SB 446, seeking to limit foreign property ownership) because it had simply become too cumbersome. 

The big news, I suppose, was that both houses held hearings on Medicaid expansion for the first time in four years, yet without moving it out of committee. The House provided some hope that tax relief might have another shot; however, with a two-tier instead of single rate like that adopted by the Senate, there is still a lot of “negotiating” to do to get a finished product that is “veto proof.” We’ll know more after their formal Floor consideration next week, but right now I’m optimistic we can come up with something taxpayers have been waiting on far too long.

Three totally unrelated measures that have generated a lot of constituent interest and do have a good chance of making it through are S Sub HB 2124, dealing with operational enhancement for “little guy” microbreweries; HB 2783, prohibiting government agencies from restricting the sale of motor vehicles based on energy source; and SB 527/HB 2813, making it a crime to coerce a woman into having an abortion. 

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