News

Special to the Leader & Times

National Carriers, Inc. has announced three finalists for 2025 Driver of the Year. Rafael Murillo, Willie Grady III, and Bernard Talimeliyor were named Driver of the Month for May, June and July, respectfully. Each driver was recognized with a $1000 bonus and is now a finalist for Driver of the Year along with its $10,000 bonus awarded in March of 2026.

Owner-operator Rafael Murillo of Liberal was named Driver of the Month for May. He is dispatched on the national refrigerated fleet. Joining NCI as a student driver, he has excelled in both safe driving and customer service. After completing his training, he became a company driver and recently has become an owner-operator.

Special to the Leader & Times

The Kansas Department of Health and Environment (KDHE) announced Thursday the measles outbreak affecting southwest Kansas has officially ended. Two full incubation periods, for a total of 42 days, have passed since the last confirmed case was reported. As there is not an active outbreak in southwest Kansas, KDHE is no longer recommending the early measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccination dose for infants 6-11 months old. Health care providers should now refer to the standard childhood schedule for MMR administration.

As of Aug. 21, 87 cases of measles have been confirmed in the outbreak, which began in January 2025. More than 80 percent of the cases were children, and over 90 percent of the cases were not vaccinated against measles. Eight people were hospitalized over the course of the outbreak.

ELLY GRIMM

   • Leader & Times

The summer can be a great time to catch up on different work, and students throughout USD 480’s secondary schools spent some time making progress on their academics through summer school.

As the coordinators tell it, much progress was indeed made by the program’s participants.

ROBERT PIERCE

   • Leader & Times

The adoption of a budget for the county encompasses the single most important responsibility for Seward County’s commissioners.

That from Administrator April Warden, who said at the commission’s most recent town hall meeting in Liberal, the board likewise holds the ultimate authority to approve and adopt a county budget.

“The commissioners have always allowed the department heads to be active in the budget work sessions and to hear from them what resources they need to run their department,” she said. “The department heads have always had an active role in that.”