ELLY GRIMM

   • Leader & Times

Since 1926, the U.S. has seen the rise of improved technology and medicine, new car models, multiple wars, and multiple fashion trends.

And Liberal’s Helen Cody, who will be turning 100 on Oct. 28, has seen them all. And as Cody tells it, longevity seems to run in her family.

“I had four brothers, and they all lived to be at least 90, but I did have a brother who was killed in World War 2. My mother lived to be 101, and I had two sisters, one of whom lived to be 104,” Cody said. “My mom's family was originally from Indiana, and my dad’s family eventually ended up in North Dakota or South Dakota. When they got married, they left the Amish Church and then went to the Mennonite Church, and then they later left the Mennonite Church and went to the Methodist Church, which I still go to every so often, though not as much in the past few months. And then I had four children of my own. Three of them are still alive, but I had a son who got killed while working on an oil rig when he was 23. I’ve got eight grandchildren, one of whom was named Miss USA in 1991, and multiple great-grandchildren. I was raised in a happy family. We had a lot of fun. That's when you would eat breakfast, dinner, and supper every day instead of going for fast food every meal. And then for holidays, we would all go to my parents’ next door and gather, and all the kids would be running around having fun, so those were great times.”

ELLY GRIMM

   • Leader & Times

Those looking for a new yet familiar salon in town now have just that with El-Kan Hair Shop at 1029 N. Kansas Ave.

Owner LaDawna McVey said she is well acquainted with the space and cosmetology as a whole.

“I'm originally from Liberal, I graduated from Liberal High School in 1986, and I started beauty school about four days later, and it's something that I've always wanted to do. I've been doing hair for 39 years, mostly here in Liberal,” McVey said. “I’m very artistic, so hair is definitely a passion. I love people, so that also helps a lot. I like to make someone feel better about themselves and how they look. My first salon, I opened it in Liberal in 1994, and then I bought another salon on Western Ave. in 2001, and I eventually sold it. I ended up in this building in 2016, worked here for seven years, and then I moved away. I moved to Missouri to become a cosmetology instructor, but I ended up not really liking that, so I moved back. This building came available, and I reopened El-Kan Hair Shop about a month ago.”

EARL WATT

   • Leader & Times

EDITOR’S NOTE — This is Part 2 of a series of stories on the lawsuit filed by Seward County treasurer Mary Rose against the Seward County Board of County Commissioners. The first part addressed Rose’s discovery of unexplained tax collections concerning the DCP refund and how that discovery led to hostility toward the treasurer’s office.

When Seward County Treasurer Mary Rose believed she was coming under attack from administration and members of the Seward County Board of County Commissioners, she sought legal representation for her official capacity as treasurer. Since that time, the commission voted not to pay those fees and instead wanted Rose to use the counsel that represents the commission.

ELLY GRIMM

   • Leader & Times

Much has been happening in the relationship between the U.S. and Russia in recent times, and concerns have been raised throughout the U.S.

Sen. Jerry Moran has been among those to voice concerns, most recently about diesel fuel imports announced last Friday.

“Sanctions on Russian fuel exports have, for the last several years, deprived funding for Putin’s unjust war in Ukraine and provided leverage to help end it,” a statement from Moran’s office noted. “We should be tightening sanctions further, not undercutting them by allowing the import of Russian diesel and risking erasing our leverage, damaging our credibility with allies, and emboldening our adversaries.”