News

Sen. Moran joins colleagues in introducing bill to counter fentanyl-laced pill production

ELLY GRIMM

• Leader & Times

Fentanyl production continues to be a hot topic and recently, lawmakers introduced a bill designed to help counter that.

Tuesday, U.S. Senator Jerry Moran announced he joined Sens. John Cornyn (R-Texas), John Fetterman (D-Pa.), Thom Tillis (R-N.C.), Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.) and Chris Coons (D-Del.) in introducing the Fight Illicit Pill Presses Act, which would help stop the production of counterfeit and fentanyl-laced pills and make it easier for federal law enforcement to take action against cartels by requiring pill presses, punches and dyes to be engraved with serial numbers.

Commission differs on how to fund services while also respecting taxpayers

ROBERT PIERCE

• Leader & Times

After a public hearing that saw commissioners narrowly approve a resolution to exceed the Revenue Neutral Rate by more than 13 mills, attention was then turned to a public hearing that likewise saw the same narrow adoption of the Fiscal Year 2026 budget for Seward County.

Before constituents took to the podium, county staff and commissioners spoke about what was included this year’s budget.

“That was the 2026 budget for Seward County with spending authority of $41,422,542 and ad valorem tax of $16,151,840 to support that budget,” Administrator April Warden said.

City to discuss Oktoberfest, study downtown

ELLY GRIMM

• Leader & Times

The Liberal City Commission will have a wide variety of topics to discuss at its next meeting this evening starting at 5:30. This evening’s meeting will be in the commission chambers at the Liberal Recreation Center at 950 S. Grant Ave.

Up first for the commission will be discussion of Ordinance No. 4640 concerning a Temporary Event Permit for the Seward County United Way.

“Seward County United Way has requested a Temporary Event Permit in order to host an Oktoberfest fundraiser on Lincoln Avenue between 2nd Street and 3rd Street Saturday, Oct. 11,” the agenda information noted. “The fundraiser will include vendor booths, food trucks, crafts, local businesses and agencies, live music, activities for children, and craft beer from local breweries. United Way will be selling tickets for the alcohol and will be responsible for this permit upon approval of the ordinance. City staff recommends the approval of Ordinance No. 4640 to issue a Temporary Event Permit to United Way in order to host its 2025 Oktoberfest fundraiser.”

Grace Place shares stories of teen moms

ROBERT PIERCE

• Leader & Times

Katie Coleman and Micaela Thomas were both teenagers when they found at they were pregnant, and for both, the situation was a scary one.

“I felt like my world had stopped,” Coleman, who was 16 at the time, said.

“I was supposed to be going into my senior year of high school, ready to celebrate the closing chapter of a story,” Thomas, who was 17 at the time, said. “Instead, I opened a new one, a scary one.”

Chamber welcomes Myers Roofing as newest business in Liberal

ELLY GRIMM

• Leader & Times

Those possibly needing some future roofing work done now have a new option with Myers Roofing.

Owners Mark and Carrington Myers hosted a ribbon-cutting for the company at the Rock Island Depot last week, and both said they have been working on the company for a long time.

“We'd been talking about putting something like this together before we moved back to Liberal from Washington. We were business partners with some friends of ours there, and we'd been working in roofing for about five years with them, and we wanted to provide that same service to the people in Liberal for a good price,” Mark said.