News

USD 483 looking to make holidays brighter for district families

ROBERT PIERCE

• Leader & Times

Thanksgiving is less than two weeks away, and the next day marks the official start of the Christmas shopping season.

Locally, officials with USD 483 have been making the holidays a little brighter for families for years through the district’s Angel Tree project.

This year’s project is already under way, and USD 483 Nurse Norma Sanchez, who coordinates the project with fellow employee Kayla Mendoza, said sign-ups for this year’s Angel Tree will be different than they have been in the past.

“It’s going to be through Event Brite,” Sanchez said. “There will be a link and a QR code that’s going to go out to families in the USD 483 area. They just need to click the link and put in all their information.”

Campaign stresses importance of buckling up

Seward County Sheriff’s Office

Thanksgiving is one of the busiest traveling holidays, with that comes an increase in crashes. The Seward County Sheriff’s Office wants to remind everyone to always buckle up.

The sheriff’s office joins law enforcement across the state to provide education about the importance of seat belts. Drivers can expect to see increased law enforcement presence on local roads during the statewide Thanksgiving Safe Arrival campaign, which runs from Nov. 22 through 29.

According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, buckling up is the single most effective thing you can do to protect yourself in a crash. Being buckled up during a crash helps keep you safe and secure in your vehicle.

Pickup total loss from Tuesday fire

Special to the Leader & Times

At 5:38 p.m. Tuesday, Liberal firefighters were dispatched to 2421 Lilac Drive for a reported vehicle on fire in the driveway with potential exposure to the residence.

First arriving units encountered a pickup truck with a fully involved engine compartment near the residence. As firefighters began extinguishing the fire it intensified significantly due to an unknown fuel leak under the truck. Firefighters then focused on protecting the residence until the fuel fire could be controlled with a Class “B” extinguisher and one additional hose line. Once the fire was extinguished the home was checked for any possible extension into the attic space and the fuel spill was treated with an emulsifier to prevent ignition. The fire was declared under control at 6:14 p.m.

The residence suffered damage to the eave and siding. The pickup truck was a total loss. The exact source of ignition has not been determined.

The Liberal Fire Department responded with 12 personnel and three engines. All units had cleared the scene and returned to service at 7:40 p.m.

City completes buyout of county for fire station

ELLY GRIMM

• Leader & Times

After multiple months of work and discussions, the 15th Street fire station is now officially under City of Liberal authority.

A contract regarding the matter was unanimously approved by the Liberal City Commission at its most recent meeting Tuesday evening.

County to wait for ‘13th month’ before considering reductions to 2026 budget

ROBERT PIERCE

• Leader & Times

With an adopted budget including a 14.8-mill increase over the Revenue Neutral Rate for Seward County, discussions continue regarding how to fix it, and the budget was much of the discussion during the county commission’s most recent meeting on Nov. 3.

At the beginning of the meeting, as part of a list of items added to the agenda, Commission Vice Chair Steve Helm added a budget discussion to the agenda, and when commissioners and staff got to the item, Helm’s first concern was how much of the 14.8-mill increase would go to paying back Arkalon Energy as part of an appraisal dispute between that company and the county.