News

Candidate list grows to fill county commission vacancies

L&T staff report

The list of candidates to fill the three vacancies on the Seward County Commission has grown.

As of press time, the current list includes:

District 2 (Presephoni Fuller vacancy)

Don Barr, Jr.

Christopher Linenbroker

Clay Louderback

District 3 (Scott Carr vacancy)

Jairo Vazquez

District 4 (Tammy Sutherland-Abbott vacancy)

Mike Hale

Jimmy Dean Holman

Eduardo Magallanes

Christina Yearick

The three districts will conduct a convention beginning at 5 p.m. Dec. 29 at the Leader & Times at 16 S. Kansas Ave. The three conventions will take place in succession, and the three winning candidates will have their names submitted to Gov. Laura Kelly who had seven days to certify the names or they become official after seven days.

The goal of the Seward County Republican Party is to fill the positions in time to conduct regular county business at the Jan. 5 meeting.

Anyone in the affected districts can still run by contacting Seward County Republican Party Chair Bill Hatcher at (620) 629-7333.

City of Liberal helps those in need with food drive

ELLY GRIMM

• Leader & Times

Recent times have proven rather rough for people in terms of food security and throughout the holiday season, multiple entities throughout town have stepped up to help families in need, including the City of Liberal.

Donations for the City of Liberal food drive were collected through Dec. 8 and were able to be dropped off in the administration lobby at City Hall. As Chief Communications Officer Keeley Young tells it, the food drive more than exceeded her expectations.

Crispy Ring cuts ribbon on donut shop

ELLY GRIMM

• Leader & Times

Those looking for a spot to get some delicious baked goods in town now have a new option thanks to Crispy Ring Donuts at 633 S. Kansas Ave.

Owner Vanchan Tok said the journey to Liberal was a rather winding one.

“I'm originally from Boston and for a long time I wanted to have my own business. I did research a lot to decide what type of new business I wanted for me. Before, I had an employment agency, but right now, that is not good, so I started to research putting together a new business,” Tok said. “So I went out of the state for a couple months, and then I go to research again in San Antonio for couple months, and I go to California for two months, and then I decided to start the new business, which ended up becoming Crispy Ring Donuts. I started last year and right now we have a couple location – one in Hugoton and now the one in Liberal. The shop in Hugoton sees a lot of people, they love how our donuts are very soft, tasty and now I'm excited for people in Liberal to try what we have. We take pride in crafting each item using quality ingredients and time-tested recipes, ensuring every bite is soft, warm, and deliciously satisfying. Whether you’re wanting a classic glazed donut, a savory kolache, or one of our signature breakfast items, you can count on it being fresh.”

New enforcement initiative seeks to eliminate fentanyl

ELLY GRIMM

• Leader & Times

Fentanyl on the streets continues to be a major issue and recently, efforts have been going on to help remove the deadly drug from the streets.

The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) is continuing its fight against the deadly threat of synthetic opioids with the launch of Fentanyl Free America, an enforcement initiative and public awareness campaign aimed at reducing both the supply and demand for fentanyl. As DEA Special Agent in Charge Michael Davis tells it, efforts to combat fentanyl have been ongoing for a long time.

Several candidates emerge for open county seats

L&T staff report

Several candidates have emerged to fill the vacancies left by the resignations of Seward County commissioners Presephoni Fuller, Scott Carr and Tammy Sutherland-Abbott.

District 2 was vacated Monday night when Fuller resigned effective immediately at the end of the Seward County Commission meeting. Candidates Don Barr, Jr., and Clay Louderback are seeking to fill the gap.

District 3 was vacated when Carr tendered his resignation Tuesday. So far, Misty Gallegos and Jairo Vazquez have announced their intentions to fill the opening.

District 4 was vacated after Sutherland-Abbott provided her resignation Tuesday. Three candidates are looking to fill the vacancy including Mike Hale, Eduardo Magalanes and Christina Yearick.

Each candidate will have the opportunity to speak to the precinct representatives during a convention for each district beginning at 5 p.m. Dec. 29 at the Leader & Times Community Room at 16 S. Kansas Ave. After the presentations, the precinct representatives of each district will vote by secret ballot, and the winners will be forwarded to Kansas Gov. Laura Kelly to be certified. Kelly has seven days to certify or the appointments will become official without the governor’s approval.

The objective is to fill the positions by Jan. 5 to avoid any disruptions to the normal operation of Seward County.