News

ELLY GRIMM

   • Leader & Times

Election time will be here soon, and one of the major offices that will be on the ballot will be for Kansas Attorney General, and Chris Mann is one of the candidates for that office.

As Mann tells it, it took a bit of time for him to officially decide to throw his name in the mix.

Seward County Community College

The Seward County Community College academic year 2025-26 began Wednesday, with students beginning day and evening classes. Enrollment at the college continues on an upward trend, following a record-breaking summer and growing numbers in the Saints Anywhere online platform.

Enrollment is still open for the fall semester, and multiple sessions begin at various dates in the coming months. For a full schedule, or for more information about how to begin college in August, visit sccc.edu online or contact the Admissions office at 620-417-1100.

Special to the Leader & Times

National Carriers, Inc. has announced three finalists for 2025 Driver of the Year. Rafael Murillo, Willie Grady III, and Bernard Talimeliyor were named Driver of the Month for May, June and July, respectfully. Each driver was recognized with a $1000 bonus and is now a finalist for Driver of the Year along with its $10,000 bonus awarded in March of 2026.

Owner-operator Rafael Murillo of Liberal was named Driver of the Month for May. He is dispatched on the national refrigerated fleet. Joining NCI as a student driver, he has excelled in both safe driving and customer service. After completing his training, he became a company driver and recently has become an owner-operator.

Special to the Leader & Times

The Kansas Department of Health and Environment (KDHE) announced Thursday the measles outbreak affecting southwest Kansas has officially ended. Two full incubation periods, for a total of 42 days, have passed since the last confirmed case was reported. As there is not an active outbreak in southwest Kansas, KDHE is no longer recommending the early measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccination dose for infants 6-11 months old. Health care providers should now refer to the standard childhood schedule for MMR administration.

As of Aug. 21, 87 cases of measles have been confirmed in the outbreak, which began in January 2025. More than 80 percent of the cases were children, and over 90 percent of the cases were not vaccinated against measles. Eight people were hospitalized over the course of the outbreak.