Working as a paralegal for a local law firm for 14 years, it would seem a natural fit for Fanny Contreras’s next career step to take her to the world of law enforcement.
As a paralegal, Contreras worked with mostly criminal defense and family law, and she said she has been interested in law enforcement since her childhood.
Contreras grew up in Los Angeles, moving to Liberal at the age of 10, and in urban California, she saw much of what happens in law enforcement.
Following her time as a paralegal, Contreras came to the Seward County Sheriff’s office, where she worked for a few months as a criminal records clerk, and there, she said, she saw more of what happens with rural law enforcement and what deputies in the department did.
While millions of Americans are likely hitting stores and the Internet for Christmas shopping this time of year, the holiday season also means tax season for many property owners.
From Nov. 1 to Dec. 31, workers in the Seward County Treasurer’s office take payments for the current tax year for the next budget year.
Treasurer Mary Rose said by statute, the first half of payments is due Dec. 20, but because that date falls on a Saturday this year, the deadline has been extended to Dec. 22. She said this includes real estate, personal property and estate taxes.
The second half of these payments is due May 10, but similarly to the first half, that date likewise falls on a Saturday, so this year’s deadline has been extended to May 12, 2026.
Much discussion has been going on recently about Adventure Bay Water Park, and as Recreation Director Matt Quint tells it, those discussions have been keeping him and his staff busy for a while.
“At the end of every season, the staff and I go through a checklist of all the work needing to be done for the following year, and that was when we'd started discussing getting a third party in to evaluate the water park,” Quint said. “We know there are a lot of issues – there are multiple repairs needed in the pumphouse, there's a broken line going to the baby pool area, and a few other things that need repaired and/or replaced. We knew there would need to be a lot of construction work needed, and we decided it would be best to have an outside third party come in and evaluate what needs done and an estimated timeline on when everything would need either repaired or replaced. Everything started there, and then there were also discussions with Scarlette Diseker and Alicia Hidalgo, and they confirmed the necessity of bringing in a third party to evaluate everything. We've got the company Water's Edge out of Kansas City doing that, and they've worked on the pools in Garden City and Dodge City, so it's a very well-respected company. They've done multiple walk-throughs during the season and out of season to look at the flow of traffic when people were there and check the concrete and a lot of the equipment. After all of that, we've been discussing his recommendations and going from there.”
SCCC alumni who studied Criminal Justice in the late 1990s and early ‘90s surprised retired instructor Larry Wade, now residing in Booker, Texas, with a mini-reunion the first weekend in November.
The gathering, organized by SCCC alum Dennis McDowell of Fowler, met on campus for a 90-minute tour guided by Director of Outreach Laura Rosales.
McDowell recalls his time at SCCC (1988–1990) fondly.
Changes to Adventure Bay Water Park will be taking another step forward thanks to action taken by the Liberal City Commission at its most recent meeting.
Among the items on the commission’s agenda was discussion of a subsurface investigation of the facility.
“We are requesting approval to hire GPRS – Ground Penetrating Radar Systems – to conduct a subsurface investigation of the City Pool and the surrounding deck area. This analysis will determine whether any voids, subsidence, or structural concerns exist below the concrete or pool shell,” Recreation Director Matt Quint said. “As many of you know, over time, pools and the surrounding deck structures are subject to soil erosion, water migration, plumbing leaks, and natural settling. If these issues occur out of sight beneath the surface, they can create voids – empty gaps below the concrete or pool structure. GPRS is a nationally recognized leader in ground penetrating radar, concrete scanning, and subsurface mapping. They specialize in non-invasive imaging techniques that allow us to see what is happening underground without excavation or damage to the facility. GPRS uses advanced radar equipment that sends signals into the ground or concrete. These signals reflect back and create a detailed image of what lies below the surface. We want this done in order to protect the community, manage public funds responsibly, and safeguard the long-term viability of the pool facility. This proactive step ensures accurate, scientific data guiding any future repairs or improvements, and it demonstrates our commitment to safety, transparency, and responsible stewardship of city resources.”
