News

Cottonwood Elementary preps for 2024 Patriot Day celebration

ROBERT PIERCE

• Leader & Times

Aspen Jaramillo was 2 years old when the events now etched in minds across America took place Sept. 11, 2001, and she said much of what she has learned about the tragic day comes from her early days in school.

“Growing up and going through elementary school, my teachers would always take about 30 minutes on the anniversary day to discuss the events of 9/11,” she said. “They would always answer any questions we had and helped us to remember the importance of why we remember the fallen.”

Jaramillo, who is now a music teacher at Liberal’s Cottonwood Elementary, said because of this, her interest and knowledge of 9/11 has grown, and she can now pass that knowledge on to her students as part of the school’s annual Patriot Day observance.

Second round of water local consult meetings announced

ELLY GRIMM

• Leader & Times

Water conservation continues to be a hot topic throughout the state and soon, people will be able to make their thoughts known about just that.

Wednesday, Gov. Laura Kelly announced the dates for the second round of local consult meetings to gather input on strategies for implementing the 2022 Kansas Water Plan. The September meetings will build on the first round of local consult and Regional Advisory Committee meetings held earlier this summer. Kansans can RSVP for the second round of meetings at https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/WaterLC2.

“Preserving the quality and quantity of our water is an existential issue for our state,” Gov. Kelly noted in a release from the State of Kansas. “These meetings will help build a program that provides the collective, coordinated action on water conservation and quality that communities across Kansas need, in both the short and long term.”

TAX INCREASE FAILS TO PASS

ROBERT PIERCE

• Leader & Times

Approval of the budget for Seward County’s upcoming fiscal year will take a little longer after commissioners heard from some local constituents at Tuesday’s Revenue Neutral Rate public hearing.

Chairman Scott Carr opened the hearing for audience members to come to the podium and voice their concerns. First to speak was county resident Justin Alexander, who said his property taxes have gone up about 21.5 percent in the last three years, and with the county potentially exceeding the RNR for this year, they could go up even more.

“I’ve looked at the valuation notice you guys sent out, and based on that and what I calculated, I should be pushing somewhere around a 30 percent increase in the last four years on my property,” Alexander said. “To me, that seems pretty extravagant.”

Grace Place to host youth rally Sept. 18

ROBERT PIERCE

• Leader & Times

Part of the purpose of Liberal’s Grace Place Pregnancy Care Center is to educate women about pregnancy.

As part of its annual fundraising banquet, center officials bring in speakers from across the country to educate women about pregnancy issues, including teen pregnancy and abortions.

This year’s banquet will take place Sept. 17 at the Seward County Ag Building with nationally known sex education speaker Pam Stenzel, and the following night, Stenzel will be back at the Ag Building for a youth rally also hosted by Grace Place.

AVHS welcomes orthopedic surgeon Dr. Kawtharani to surgical team

Artesian Valley Health System

MEADE – Artesian Valley Health System (AVHS) is excited to announce the addition of orthopedic surgeon Dr. Firas Kawtharani, M.D., to its surgical staff.

AVHS has established a partnership with Southwest Medical Center (SWMC) in Liberal to bring Dr. Kawtharani to Meade, where he will provide orthopedic surgical services. He brings with him a wealth of experience and a steadfast commitment to patient care.