Opinion

OPINION – Ready to take a new angle to Downtown Liberal development

L&T Publisher Earl Watt

Before I eclipsed the 50-year-old mark, I was one of the younger people in the room where discussions about Liberal’s future were taking place. I started working at the newspaper when I was 19, and that exposed me to a lot of the ideas that were being kicked around.

Several came true, like the restoration of the Rock Island Depot. Before that, I grew up watching Liberal become the home of Dorothy, the establishment of the Mid-America Air Museum, the construction of a fountain in Downtown Liberal, the construction of an overpass, the construction of the Seward County Activity Center and other community enhancements.

OPINION – A chance of rain

THE POSTSCRIPT, Carrie Classon

I knew it was going to rain. I looked up the weather before I headed out, and there was a 94% chance of rain at 7:00. That was precisely the hour I planned to walk home.

“It’s going to rain,” I told my husband, Peter.

“Not until later,” he said. “Google says it’s not going to rain until 9:00.”

“Hmmm.”

OPINION - Does New Frontiers really support voting by looks?

L&T Publisher Earl Watt

At last week’s USD 480 School Board meeting, Kathleen Alonso representing what she referred to as “New Frontiers,” a nonprofit agency, wanted to know how the school district would respond to ICE activity in the area and what access ICE would have to local schools or even being close to district property.

It is important to note that Kansas HR 2717 prohibits local jurisdictions from impeding federal immigration authorities. It also does not allow local jurisdictions to issue any type of identification cards to replace other forms of identity such as a driver’s license. The law also prohibits local jurisdictions from allowing noncitizens to vote in local or state elections. Noncitizen voting is already banned at the federal level.

Small businesses: Protecting your personal assets with an LLC

GUEST COLUMN, Mabel Alarcon-Craven, Center for Rural Affairs

Many small businesses start as bootstrapped, one-person operations: just you, your idea, and a whole lot of hustle.

But as your business grows, so do your responsibilities and risks. You might begin taking on bigger projects, handling more income, or working with contractors and vendors. Once you reach this point, it may be time to consider formalizing your business.

Forming a limited liability company, or LLC, is one of the most popular ways to do it.

Fiscal responsibility at SCCC through the years

SAINTS PERSPECTIVE, SCCC President Brad Bennett

At Seward County Community College, our mission extends beyond education — it includes fiscal responsibility to the taxpayers who support our institution. As we prepare for the 2026 fiscal year, I want to share how SCCC is prioritizing community investment by maintaining a consistent mill levy that aligns closely with the 2025 rate.

Our Board of Trustees has chosen to set the 2026 operational mill levy at 34.991, just slightly above the 2025 rate of 34.720. This decision is guided by our ongoing commitment to long-term financial stewardship and transparency. While inflation, utility costs, and labor expenses rise, we are doing our part to hold the line on tax impacts.