News

Old Farmer’s Almanac

The first day of winter in the Northern Hemisphere is marked by the winter solstice, which occurs 9:03 a.m. CST Sunday.

For the Northern Hemisphere, the winter solstice occurs every year between Dec. 20 through 23, most often on December 20 or 21.

The winter solstice is the day with the fewest hours of sunlight throughout the year, making it the shortest day of the year.

Thankfully, after we reach the winter solstice, the days begin to grow longer and longer again until we reach the summer solstice — the first day of summer and the longest day of the year.

Think of it this way: Although the winter solstice means the start of winter, it also means the return of more sunlight. It only gets brighter from here.

Kansas Department of Transportation

The Kansas Department of Transportation (KDOT) and Kansas Highway Patrol (KHP) are launching a new safety campaign sharing safety guidance for Western Kansas drivers traveling through areas with blowing dust and high winds.

A public service announcement (PSA) highlighting dangers in dust storms was created as part of the safety campaign. KDOT and KHP encourage media outlets, traffic safety partners and the public to share the PSA, which can be viewed at youtu.be/DoDWPzY_kRM.

Dust storms often occur from December to April. The region’s flat plains, open agricultural fields, ongoing drought conditions and strong wind patterns create an environment where hazardous dust storms can develop rapidly.

L&T staff report

Seward County Republican Chair Bill Hartcher has called a convention for the precincts of Seward County Commission Districts 2, 3 and 4, for 5:30 p.m. Dec. 29 at the Leader & Times community room located at 16 S. Kansas.

The purpose of the meeting is to select Seward County commissioners for the three districts that were recently vacated.

Anyone interested in becoming a Seward County commissioner can reach out to Hatcher. Candidates are asked to provide a brief biography and will have the opportunity to address the precinct committee members from their district during the convention. To qualify, the candidates must be  registered voters and reside within the district they wish to represent.

By law, only the precinct committee representatives are allowed to vote to fill a vacancy, and the appointed commissioners will serve until the 2026 elections.

Hatcher can be reached by calling 620-629-7333.

ELLY GRIMM

   • Leader & Times

The staff of the Liberal Animal Shelter works hard every day, and recently, those efforts have been extending into their adoption efforts.

Liberal Animal Shelter Director Tara Logan said recent adoption efforts have been going very well.

“Our recent efforts have been going really well, we've been adopting a lot of animals out to individuals and families recently. We've had multiple events to help with that, including the one we did with Tortuga Brewing Company and other events and programs we've done at the shelter and in the community,” Logan said. “In October, we did 27 adoptions and in November, we did 21 adoptions. Between the adoption event we coordinated with Tortuga Brewing Company and the spaying/neutering clinics and microchipping events, we've been really successful because doing those events lets us reduce the adoption price. All of the money we use for those efforts comes from the shelter budget, but it's truly worth it because that means we're not euthanizing anyone to make sure there's space for other incoming animals.”