L&T staff report

The Kansas Board of Tax Appeals recently issued a stay order, clearing the way for Seward County Treasurer Mary Rose to reduce property tax to revenue neutral in the county and issue refunds and credits.

The order comes with an improved settlement that initiated property tax relief for county residents following a decision by the county to reverse significant property tax increases.

ROBERT PIERCE

   • Leader & Times

Saturday, cowboys and cowgirls will converge on the rodeo arena at the Seward County Fairgrounds for a one-of-a-kind event to help raise money for a local non-profit agency.

Crossroads Therapeutic Riding Center is hosting its annual Ranch Rodeo, the agency’s biggest fundraiser, and Associate Director Natalie Adame said she and the rest of the staff are excited for the upcoming event.

“We already have all of our teams filled up,” she said. “We’re slowly getting some more vendors. We’re open to having more people call in and sign up to be a vendor for the rodeo as well. If anybody has a small business or they want to sell something or do games or have advertisement for  what they do at the rodeo, they can do that as well. We have a vendor fee if you’re selling something. We have tables and chairs available for the vendors. It gives people a chance when they’ve been sitting a while watching the rodeo to get up and walk around, get some concessions, look at the different vendors, do some games for the kids.”

Artesian Valley Health System

MEADE — Artesian Valley Health System (AVHS) in Meade is thrilled to announce Jon Bigler, PA-C, a familiar and trusted provider, is rejoining the Meade Rural Health Clinic to serve the community once again.

Bigler is returning with a focus on improving the health of individuals and families to support a healthier, stronger community. His primary care services will help residents stay healthy and thrive, making a meaningful difference at every stage of life.

AVHS is proud to welcome Bigler back. It values his commitment to improving the community’s quality of life through caring and ongoing support.

Bigler is now seeing patients at the clinic. To schedule an appointment or for more information, call the clinic at 620-873-2112.

ROBERT PIERCE

   • Leader & Times

After finishing as the overall winners at the Southwest Kansas Regional First LEGO League Robotics Competition in March in Liberal, a group of students from Hugoton Middle School is now headed to Houston for the 2026 FIRST Championship.

The championship will take place April 29 through May 2, and team member Kyson Morelos said he and his teammates have put in the work to help them get there.

“We have practices every Tuesday and Thursday from 3:30 to 5:30 p.m.,” he said. “We started in August. We’ve got 12 team members.”

Teammate Aiden McDaniels said this year’s performance is consistent with Hugoton’s recent past in robotics.