ELLY GRIMM

   • Leader & Times

November could see a shakeup in the U.S. Senate, and Noah Taylor is one of the candidates looking to possibly make that happen.

As Taylor tells it, Kansas has always been his home, with hard work being a natural part of his life.

“I grew up El Dorado, and my dad worked as a pipefitter and my mom's a nurse. I joined the military after a year at college because frankly, I had no idea what I was doing,” Taylor said. “I became an infantryman, and I was deployed to Afghanistan, attached to Special Forces. We had a job called village stability operations where we'd go into Taliban-controlled areas, push them back, and then the big army would do their job. After that, I became a counterintelligence analyst for the military. Since I moved back, I've had a slew of jobs and right now, I'm helping run a bunch of small businesses that help other local companies grow and create jobs and perform at scale.”

EARL WATT

    • Leader & Times

Seward County is a “house on fire” with a “toxic” environment according to Seward County Administrator April Warden.

Those were comments she made in an email sent to Seward County commissioners Tuesday evening and obtained by the Leader & Times through an Open Records request.

While Warden did not state what has created the environment, she suggested that the county pause hiring additional personnel under the current circumstances.

ROBERT PIERCE

   • Leader & Times

When childhood trauma comes to mind, many people think of its physical aspects, but a large part of trauma also stems from emotional and mental abuse from abuse or neglect.

Southwest Medical Center Trauma Program Coordinator Katie Coleman said when addressing trauma, officials look particularly at possible domestic or school violence, bullying and parents who are separated.

“All those affect the children,” she said. “That’s considered childhood trauma. Loss of a loved one, whether it’s sudden or a traumatic loss, is considered a childhood trauma. We’re looking at the different aspects. Rather than physical, we’re looking at mental and emotional.”

ELLY GRIMM

   • Leader & Times

Child care has always been a major hot topic and recently, some action taken at the state level is meant to help with that.

Monday, Gov. Laura Kelly announced the signing of Senate Bill 82, which expands access to tax credits for employer expenses for child care and contributions to third parties that expand the availability of community child care. The bill also creates income tax credits for the sale of higher-ethanol blends of fuels and the purchase of lockable gun and ammunition storage, according to a release from the State of Kansas.