News

Community celebrates completion of local artist’s mural

ROBERT PIERCE

• Leader & Times

Over the Fourth of July weekend, many communities across America celebrated the nation’s independence, and in Liberal, the holiday was marked with another celebration.

The City of Liberal, the Liberal Chamber of Commerce and other community members attended a ribbon cutting for local artist Karem Gallo-Flores’s mural project in Light Park as part of a joint effort from the city, the Kansas Arts Commission and the National Endowment for the Arts.

Knudsen new children’s librarian at Liberal Memorial Library

ELLY GRIMM

• Leader & Times

The children’s section at Liberal Memorial Library now has a new face with local Mikayla Knudsen.

As Knudsen tells it, her path to her new position, which she officially started in April, was rather winding.

Gov. Kelly ceremonially signs bill establishing task force to address state’s water challenges

ELLY GRIMM

• Leader & Times

Water conservation and care has long been a priority of the Kelly Administration and recently, a bill was signed to help with just that.

Wednesday, Gov. Laura Kelly ceremonially signed Senate Substitute for House Bill 2172 in Hays, establishing the water program task force to create a long-term investment program for water with a dedicated revenue source. The task force will also evaluate current funding for water and the state’s water planning statutes, submitting reports detailing its findings to the governor and the Kansas Legislature in 2026 and 2027, according to a release from the State of Kansas.

Southwest Medical Center welcomes Nurse Practitioner Saira Ugarte to Knudsen Clinic for Women’s Health

Southwest Medical Center

Southwest Medical Center is proud to welcome Saira Ugarte, APRN-CNM, as the newest nurse practitioner at Knudsen Clinic for Women’s Health. Saira brings a deep passion for women's health and years of experience caring for patients in our community.

A longtime member of the Southwest Medical Center team, Ugarte has worked in the OB unit since 2014. Her journey into health care began at a young age, inspired by her mother’s cancer diagnosis when she was just 15. That experience shaped her desire to become a nurse who delivers compassionate, patient-centered care.