ELLY GRIMM

   • Leader & Times

The Kansas Insurance Commissioner’s office is one of many seeking a new face, and Dinah Sykes is one of the candidates seeking the office.

Sykes, who currently serves as the Minority Leader of the Kansas Senate, said her interest in politics was sparked a decade ago.

“I first ran for office in 2016 when I was a PTA mom and seeing how budget cuts were affecting my children's school,” Sykes said. “I actually joined some friends and other moms and walked from Marion to Topeka to raise awareness about what was going on. It was there I met then-Sen. Laura Kelly, and she was talking about needing more people in the Kansas Legislature who would listen to constituents, ask hard questions, and really kind of get us back on track after the Brownback experiment. That got me thinking, and I knew some legislators in my area because of PTA, so I reached out to them and essentially said I was interested in getting more involved in politics, but I wasn't sure how to go about the process. After I sent that email, door after door kind of opened up for me, and I ended up running for the Senate.”

Special to the Leader & Times

Winners of the Little Miss Firecracker contests have been released from the Fourth of July celebration in Light Park.

The winners are:

Division 1 (Ages 1–3)

1st Place: Amaree Oliveros

2nd Place: Wrynli Warren

3rd Place: Paisley Koons

L&T staff report

The Liberal High School Class of 1963, including the classes of 1962 and 1964, and other classes that may care to join, are planning a reunion in Liberal Sept. 25 through 27.

For more information contact Bill Graham at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..