Southwestern Heights wishes to announce the valedictorian and salutatorian of the graduating class of 2025.
Ryan Kisner, principal, has announced Yasmin Garcia Ochoa as valedictorian and Kooper Scripsick as salutatorian for the class of 2025.
Yasmin is the daughter of Juan and San Juana Aracely Garcia of Plains and Kooper is the son of Matt and Stacy Scripsick of Kismet. These selections are based on the students’ cumulative grade point averages throughout high school.
Saturday, April 26, Artesian Valley Health System and the Meade County Health Department are givingpeople a chance to get a variety of tests and immunizations at a low cost, with some of them at no cost.
AVHS and MCHD are hosting the annual Meade County Health Fair, and Artesian Valley Marketing Manager Crystal Torres said there will be discounted lab and imaging tests and several free tests the day of the health fair.
“This year, Mobile Tone, a mobile audiology clinic, will be set up in our hospital parking lot consulting patients,” she said.
The 2025-26 school year will be here before everyone knows it, and the USD 480 staff is already working to make sure enrollment goes smoothly for everyone, including incoming kindergarteners.
In March, the Kansas Department of Transportation hosted a series of six listening sessions in Western Kansas, including one in Liberal, as part of the agency’s Highway Mobility and Expansion Strategy.
The study looks at various ways to improve highway mobility, safety and accessibility in 44 counties in and near Southwest Kansas.
KDOT Director of Planning and Development Mike Moriarity said the idea for the listening sessions came out of local consult meetings, which he considers KDOT’s premiere public engagement effort.
There continues to be a flurry of activity from the governor’s office, including the signing of the fiscal year budget bill.
Wednesday, Gov. Laura Kelly announced she signed the state’s budget, Senate Bill 125, which allocates funding for Fiscal Years 2025, 2026, 2027, and 2028.
“While I appreciate the bipartisan effort that went into crafting this bill, I remain concerned about the long-term fiscal impact this budget will have on our ability to invest in programs and services that Kansas families rely on, given that this budget will put the state in the red by Fiscal Year 2028,” Gov. Laura Kelly noted in a release from the State of Kansas. “I am also concerned that the Legislature will adjourn before the release of Consensus Revenue Estimates, meaning we won’t fully understand the fiscal impact of this budget until after the Legislature has left town. Despite my overall concerns, I appreciate that this budget includes funding for programs that improve state resources for Kansans. I will continue to prioritize fiscal responsibility and look forward to working with the Legislature to make commonsense investments that provide Kansans the resources they need to prosper without risking the future of our state.”
