News

Stevens County Hospital commemorates 75th anniversary with celebration

ROBERT PIERCE

• Leader & Times

In the 1946 general election, the residents of Stevens County voted for bonds of $150,000 for a county hospital, and a later special election took place, allowing $50,000 in additional funding to be approved by voters.

In 1948, $50,000 more was allocated to fund equipment and furnishings, and as time went on, community members rallied with fundraisers to continue to raise money for more necessary equipment.

Municipal Concert Band to perform Saturday at Light Park

Special to the Leader & Times

The City of Liberal’s newly formed Municipal Concert Band will perform their second concert for the Summer 2025 season at Light Park.

The concert will be Saturday at the Gazebo stage in Light Park. The music will begin at 7 p.m. with food vendors on site.

With more than 40 local musicians in the orchestra, performing a variety of pieces, the concert will offer something for everyone to enjoy.

For more information about the event, or to sign up as a food vendor, contact Candy Garcia at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or (620) 626-2206.

KDOT to host public open house on U.S. 50 expansion east of Dodge City

Kansas Department of Transportation

The Kansas Department of Transportation will host a public open house for the U.S. Highway 50 Expansion Dodge City East Project on Thursday, July 24, from 5 to 7 p.m., at the USD 443 Public Administration Building, 2112 First Ave., in Dodge City.

Attendees may stop by at any time during the open house to view proposed plans and speak with project staff. The project is in the preliminary design stage and includes evaluating a potential realignment of U.S. Highway 283 near its connection points with U.S. 50, east of Dodge City.

Those unable to attend can view meeting information and submit comments online after the event at: at ksdot.gov/us50-dodgecity-east.

Ruby Red Slipper Slide comes to Liberal

ELLY GRIMM

• Leader & Times

Liberal has been known as the home of Dorothy Gale of “The Wizard of Oz” fame for many years now, and late last week, a new attraction was officially opened to help emphasize that.

Friday, the City of Liberal, Convention and Tourism Bureau and other entities hosted a grand opening for the new Ruby Red Slipper Slide at the Convention and Tourism Bureau building at 1 Yellow Brick Road.

City of Liberal, Seward County to join forces on GIS service

ROBERT PIERCE

• Leader & Times

Seward County’s Geographic Information Systems (GIS) Department has spent a good amount of time performing work and assisting the City of Liberal with various services.

With a unanimous vote from the county commission at its July 7 meeting, the county will fully provide cooperative GIS services to the city.

Commissioners approved a resolution regarding cooperative use of the county’s GIS services in the city and an interlocal agreement between city and county commissioners concerning the services.