LIBERAL FIRST
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The city of Liberal will see some new updates in a couple different areas thanks to some action by the Liberal City Commission at its most recent meeting Tuesday evening.
One of the major update projects has been with the City of Liberal logo, which Chief Communications Officer Keeley Young said has been in the works for a long time.
The city’s Treatment Court continues to make strides with people in the community, and as program leader Judge Jason Maxwell tells it, he is very proud.
“This program has grown as we’ve gone throughout the years, and I couldn’t be prouder of the work we’re doing,” Maxwell said. “We started with a pilot program in 2019 at that time, we weren’t really that structured, we got more structured as we really started to develop the program in 2020, and we’ve been revising and improving the program in that time. There have been a couple of recent changes, including us adding a second track – we began with a high-risk, high-need track, which was what was recommended at the national level. That refers to a person being at a high risk of reoffending and possibly committing new offenses, and the high-need refers to a person being at a high need for treatment. We’ve been very successful with that, but we discovered we’re missing a piece that would be for the clients who are earlier on in their issues and they’re more low-risk, so we added that track for the clients who are coming in who aren’t in quite as much trouble and we’re able to provide that assistance and early intervention for them before they get into more trouble. We also began an alumni association that is picking up steam and providing support for not only alumni but also clients who are in one of the later phases of our program. As the clients progress and graduate to those later phases, we want them to start adjusting to where they’re going to be once they get done with everything and how they can adjust and have that needed support after they’re done. As far as who we serve, that’s a little tough to say ... if you look at our numbers of defendants, we have thousands of cases every year that come through, and the majority of them I don’t see again – they start with their first appearance and then pay their ticket or fine, or have their case dismissed, and there are some of those clients I don’t even end up seeing. Those cases don’t require a lot of resources. As things track upwards, there are fewer people we work with defendants, but as that necks down and we get to fewer and fewer people, the resources go the other way.”
The need for improvements to Kansas roads continues to be discussed and some recent action will help with just that.
Tuesday, Gov. Laura Kelly announced $25 million for 30 projects to improve intersections and roads across the state, including U.S. Hwy 50 in Dodge City, U.S. Hwy 50B in Garden City, and K-23 in Meade. The projects were selected for funding through the Kansas Department of Transportation’s (KDOT) City Connecting Link Improvement Program (CCLIP).
The phrase “for the birds” often has a negative connotation, but for Audubon of Kansas (AOK) Director Dr. Jackie Augustine, the phrase has a more positive point of view.
Earlier this summer, Augustine visited libraries throughout the Sunflower State, including Kismet Public Library, to talk to young people about birds and bird watching.
Augustine’s visit to KPL included a fun migration game and a reading of the book “Ruby’s Birds,” and participants also paid a visit to some of Kismet’s outdoors to look for some feathered friends in the neighborhood.
The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) has significantly impacted the lives of millions of Americans with disabilities and late last week, the ADA reached a significant milestone.
Friday, Gov. Laura Kelly joined Kansas legislators, disability advocates, and stakeholders to celebrate the 35th anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) becoming law.
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