News

Gov. Kelly sues Attorney General Kobach in Kansas Supreme Court

ELLY GRIMM

• Leader & Times

Gov. Laura Kelly has filed a lawsuit against Attorney General Kris Kobach in the Kansas Supreme Court to protect the State of Kansas and the constitutional powers of the Office of the Governor, according to a release from the State of Kansas.

“The lawsuit is necessary due to Attorney General Kobach’s failure to defend Kansans against the Trump Administration’s unlawful federal overreach, despite repeated requests to do so,” Gov. Kelly noted in a release from the State of Kansas. “Time and again, Attorney General Kobach’s blatant partisanship is on display, harming and embarrassing Kansas. While he was quick to sue the previous presidential administration, alleging he would protect Kansans from federal overreach, he has not once followed through on that claim now that the Trump Administration has repeatedly done just that. Not only has the attorney general’s willful ignorance undermined my administration’s efforts to protect Kansans, but it has also cost our state millions of dollars for essential programs and services. If the Attorney General refuses to stand up for Kansas, at least Kansans can rest assured knowing I will.”

Seward County United Way to host conference on ‘The Power of Being a Woman’

ROBERT PIERCE

• Leader & Times

In 2024, Liberal’s Bienestar Total hosted the Empoderate Mujer women’s conference, and this year, Seward County United Way is hosting the next edition of the conference, this time entitled “The Power of Being a Woman.”

Scheduled for Nov. 14 at the Liberal Conference Center, the conference will feature many fun activities, and SCUW Director Patricia Fierro said the event is a day of women empowerment in Spanish.

Annual parade reaches 25 years

ELLY GRIMM

• Leader & Times

The Halloween decorations may have only just come down, but that will not stop some people in the area from thinking about and planning the upcoming Christmas holiday.

The 2025 Downtown Christmas Parade will be Saturday, Dec. 6, with everything going through downtown, and the theme for this year is 'Oh What Fun It Is to Ride.' This year's parade route will be going from south to north – participants will line up and start at Trail Street (by the railroad tracks), go north and then turn off at 6th Street. The parade will start at 6:30 that evening,

City adds workout location in Light Park

ELLY GRIMM

• Leader & Times

Those looking for a good spot to get in some extra exercise now have just that in Light Park.

A new fitness court project was approved by the Liberal City Commission at its May 27 meeting and recently completed. As Chief Communications Officer Keeley Young tells it, the project has been in the works for quite some time.

How did my house get valued? Appraiser explains process on determining value

ROBERT PIERCE

• Leader & Times

The recent proposed hike in Seward County’s mill levy for Fiscal Year 2026 has called into question many of the county’s practices.

With a difference in valuation of about $66 million between what the county appraised the Arkalon Ethanol plant at and what that company appraised the value, some of those practices come from the office of Appraiser Angela Eichman.

Eichman recently explained the appraisal process and some of what made up the difference between the appraised values from the county and Arkalon. She said there are three approaches to assessed value – the cost approach, the sales approach and the income approach – and she explained the use of each.