News

ELLY GRIMM

   • Leader & Times

The Liberal City Commission will look to have an easy 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 the purchase of a backhoe for the Water Department.

“The Water Department is seeking approval to purchase a 2026 Cat Backhoe. The one we currently use is a 2006. The old one will be handed down to the Wastewater Department, as they are in need of one,” the agenda information noted. “We received two quotes from Bobcat and Foley Equipment. This is the first Bobcat backhoe they've released, so it's essentially their prototype. Staff recommends going with the quote from Foley Equipment for an amount not to exceed $115,000 to be funded from the Water Department Equipment Reserve.”

ROBERT PIERCE

   • Leader & Times

Many breast cancer survival stories involve years of battle with the disease before victory comes.

For Angie Eatmon, the story has been considerably shorter, but it still involved many hospital visits before she overcame her cancer.

A lifelong resident of Liberal, Eatmon’s cancer journey began with a diagnosis in the summer of 2020

“In July, I did my biopsy,” she said. “I actually discovered the lump myself. It was funny how I discovered it. I was eating a snack and as I was cleaning up the crumbs, I felt something, and I remember thinking ‘That’s weird.’ I never had felt it before that day. I thought that was kind of strange.”

ELLY GRIMM

   • Leader & Times

The streets will soon be filled with young witches and zombies and superheroes for the Halloween holiday, and the Liberal Police Department will be making sure everyone stays safe.

“Halloween is on a Friday this year, so that means we won't be dealing with everyone going back to school the next day, but that also means young trick-or-treaters will probably be out later that night,” LPD Capt. Jeff Wade said. “Along with that, we're also expecting an increase in parties in the community, so we're going to be in the neighborhoods and the different hot spots where everyone will be gathering, and I like reminding people to keep the music down. That way, not only are you being respectful of your neighbors, you'll also be able to hear children and everything else so everyone stays safe. We've been fortunate in the past few years in terms of not having had to deal with any major issues, and anything we have had to deal with was relatively minor. We'll have extra officers out and definitely be a presence throughout town and on the main streets, and we want to remind drivers to slow down and pay extra attention since more people – especially younger ones – will be milling about the neighborhoods. The traffic is a little heavier on Halloween night because we do see people come in from the smaller towns and do their trick-or-treating, and there are some restaurants in town that have specials that night for meals and all of that, but that's completely up to those places. I do expect we'll mostly see more foot traffic than anything else since everyone will be walking around and about town.”

Special to the Leader & Times

The Kansas Department for Children and Families (DCF) has received a letter from the USDA’s Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) regarding Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits for November amid the ongoing federal government shutdown. That letter to all states says that if a lapse in funding, caused by the shutdown, continues, there will not be enough money to pay full SNAP benefits for November.

The letter directs agencies to hold off on processing November benefits until further notice. Until a budget agreement or continuing resolution is reached at the federal level, or the federal government identifies a funding pathway, November SNAP benefits may be delayed or interrupted entirely. If no federal action is taken by October 28, 2025, November SNAP benefits will not be disbursed until the federal government reaches a resolution.

SNAP provides benefits for approximately 42 million people across the country. That includes a total distribution of more than $34.4 million to more than 93,000 Kansas households – nearly 188,000 Kansans – who depend on SNAP each month to help put food on their tables.