News

ELLY GRIMM

   • Leader & Times

The spooky season is upon the area, and the Liberal Police Department would like to help be part of that.

The 2024 Arkalon Trail of Terror will take place from 8 to 11 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 19 at Arkalon Park (11123 Arkalon Park Road) east of Liberal on U.S. Hwy 54. Tickets are $10/person or $25/person for a Fast Pass, and multiple vendors will be on hand, including Lynnies, 2 MOMs, LLC, Sweet & Simple Designs, and Kaptured Photo Booth Experiences.

ROBERT PIERCE

   • Leader & Times

A Liberal man is dead following a fatality accident early Sunday morning in Beaver County, Okla.

The Oklahoma Highway Patrol said the accident happened just after 1:30 a.m. Sunday on U.S. Highway 83 at Hollow E0210 Road about 11 miles south of Turpin, Okla., when a 2013 Hyundai Elantra and a black 2016 Kia Optima were disabled in the roadway from a previous collision. OHP said a third vehicle, a 2020 3500, failed to observe and struck both the Elantra and Optima.

The driver of the Hyundai, 41-year-old Serjio Rutiaga of Liberal, was pronounced dead at the scene by the Oklahoma Medical Examiner due to injuries sustained.

ROBERT PIERCE

   • Leader & Times

The Kansas Highway Patrol has released the names of the two pedestrians who died after being struck by a train Sunday evening in west Liberal.

KHP said the fatality occurred shortly after 8 p.m. Sunday on Western Avenue near the railroad tracks there.

KHP said a pedestrian, Adam J. Flores, 61, of Bangor, Maine, was pushing another pedestrian, 42-year-old Deanna M. Flores, also of Bangor, in a wheelchair when they attempted to cross the railroad crossing while the crossing arms were down and the warning signals were active. Both were struck by a train and died at the scene.

The Flores were taken to Miller Mortuary in Liberal. KHP also said the train, Union Pacific No. 8891, was driven by Byron K. Eaton, 52, of Hartley, Texas. He and a passenger, 25-year-old Michael J. Carbone of Keller, Texas, suffered no apparent injuries and were wearing their seat belts at the time.

ROBERT PIERCE

   • Leader & Times

When Erica Nordling holds a paint brush, her soul finds freedom, and she said for her, she loves the freedom painting brings to her.

“It’s like connecting to your soul,” she said. “Whenever I get to sit down, when I get to paint, my soul gets to breathe.”

While the Hugoton resident has been doing art her whole life, it was only in 2020 when she first began practicing on a daily basis, and this is when she was giving herself more freedom to create without trying to do what she had seen in other artwork.