News

ELLY GRIMM

   • Leader & Times

Rural health centers in Kansas are incredibly important and recently, some action was taken to help them.

Last Thursday, Gov. Laura Kelly announced the state is taking steps to develop an application for the $50 billion Rural Health Transformation Program (RHTP). The Rural Health Transformation Program is part of H.R. 1, which enacted significant funding and coverage cuts to the Medicaid program that will threaten the viability of rural hospitals across the state that were already at risk of closing, according to a release from the State of Kansas.

ELLY GRIMM

   • Leader & Times

The Liberal Hearing Aid Center has been a fixture in the community for many years and recently, the company underwent a slight change by being renamed Midwest Hearing Aids Inc.

Employee Debbie Sumner said the process of undergoing the change has been happening for a little while.

“Midwest Hearing Aids was started in 1948, and we've been the Liberal Hearing Aid Center since the end of the 1960s. In 2004 was when Midwest Hearing Aids bought us out, so we've been part of that group for several years,” Sumner said. “We'd always kept the Liberal Hearing Aid Center name and since the beginning of this year, when Zack [Miller] took over, we've been transitioning to officially becoming Midwest Hearing Aids. We were always a division of the company, and now we're officially changing the name. I've personally been here for almost 37 years.”

ELLY GRIMM

   • Leader & Times

Saturday brought about perfect conditions not just in terms of weather, but also for multiple lucky people in the community.

Saturday was the 24th running of the annual Duck Race Festival, and it ended up being a very good day for multiple community members. Winners of the $10,000 in prize money from the race were Shandon Gilmore in winning the $5,000 grand prize, Holly Donahoo in second place winning $2,000, Clarissa Carillo in third place winning $1,000, Osiel Arroyo in fourth place winning $500, Trae Jordan in fifth place winning $400, Miguel Gomez in sixth place and winning $300, Amanda Collins in seventh place and winning $200, and Donna Odneal  in eighth place and winning $100. The Lucky Duck picked was adopted by Ismael Carillo and was worth $500. The winner of the 2025 Jeep Wrangler raffled off by the Seward County United Way was Liberal  citizen Bart Osstavam, who had purchased his tickets at the recent Seward County PRCA Rodeo.

Seward County Community College

Seward County Community College will be presenting “Widen Your Lens: Find Your Career Path,” a panel discussion on the success stories of Hispanic professionals at 2 p.m.Wednesday in the Clifford and Irene Pepper Showcase Theater on the SCCC campus.

The event is sponsored by the SCCC Hispanic American Leadership Organization in celebration of Hispanic Heritage Month.