ROBERT PIERCE

   • Leader & Times

Feb. 17, high winds and dry conditions resulted in wildfires in several locations across Kansas and Oklahoma, and several of the fires continued throughout the week.

Many of these wildfires resulted in agricultural, including livestock. Last week, U.S. Senator Dr. Roger Marshall convened a meeting between Kansas agricultural leaders and local farmers and ranchers who lost livestock, hay, grazing stock and structures to the recent fires.

Producers from across southwest Kansas filled the Meade County Fairgrounds to ask questions and provide feedback in person as they work through government program applications to recover some of their losses.

Agriculture agency leaders travelled from across the state to give overviews of available relief programs and take questions directly from producers, and many local Farm Service Agency and Natural Resource Conservation Services directors were present as well.

ELLY GRIMM

   • Leader & Times

Changes to the Medicare Advantage market have needed to happen for a while and recently, some action was taken to help with that.

Federal regulators have begun rolling out a series of rule changes aimed at tightening oversight of the Medicare Advantage market after a congressional committee found the average U.S. senior citizen paid nearly 10 percent higher, or more than $200, annually, for Medicare premiums. 

Cristin Bishop Hopkin, chief operating officer and insurance expert for The Brokerage Inc., said work has been going on with making these changes for a long time.

ROBERT PIERCE

   • Leader & Times

After tackling the issues of the state’s budget and wind energy, four area lawmakers moved on to other concerns from the crowd at the Liberal Chamber of Commerce’s Legislative Coffee March 14 at the Depot.

Kathleen Alonso, a leader in the Seward County Democratic Party, asked about Senate Bill 452, which she said would ensure federal law enforcement could not be sued for intentional or negligent harm while engaged in immigration law enforcement activities.

Kansas 39th District Senator Bill Clifford said the bill had a recent hearing, and he said the bill primarily refers to Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers being put under the immunity of state and local law enforcement.

ELLY GRIMM

   • Leader & Times

Plans to help revitalize Downtown Liberal have been discussed for multiple months now, and one of the major aspects of that work is putting together a master plan.

“Activation and redevelopment of Downtown Liberal through investments in public spaces and infrastructure was identified as a key goal in the Launch Liberal 2035 Comprehensive Plan,” Chief Communications Officer Keeley Young said. “Working with experts in city planning, engineering, and design to create a redevelopment plan which considers a holistic approach to both the form and function of built public spaces will help provide us with a cost-effective, phased approach to creating a thriving downtown district. A Request for Qualifications (RFQ) was issued in December to identify firms interested in conducting research and public engagement activities to draft a Downtown Redevelopment Master Plan which assesses current economic and market data; identifies market opportunities for additional retail, office, civic, and residential uses; and provides visual descriptions for transportation systems, infrastructure, streetscape, and public spaces to support connectivity and placemaking goals.”