L&T staff report

Monday is the deadline to become a candidate for three open positions on the Seward County Commission, and so far only two candidates have signed up to run.

Dist. 4, currently held by John Mettlen (R), has former Liberal Mayor Jose Lara (D) as the lone candidate for the seat. The seat was vacated by Tammy Sutherland-Abbott in December, and Mettlen was selected by the Dist. 4 precinct committee representatives.

ELLY GRIMM

   • Leader & Times

The Liberal High School Redskins football team will have a new yet familiar face at the head of its program at the beginning of the coming season with Marc Svaty.

As Svaty tells it, his roots in football and the state run deep.

“I’m from Fredonia, where I graduated from high school in 1994, and then I went to Bethany College and played from 1994 to 1999,” Svaty said. “I worked there as a coach, but before that, I was a captain my senior year. Later on, I worked at Kansas State University as an intern, working into their strength and conditioning department, but at that time also had the opportunity to come out to Liberal, and my first teaching job was at West Middle School. I very quickly moved up to the high school and coached with Coach Cornelson and his staff from 1999 to 2007, and I had a lot of success during that time. Then, I got my first head coaching opportunity in Halstead, which was a really good opportunity, and we were there for seven years. Then, a head coaching opportunity opened up at Parsons High School, and I went there for two years. During that time, my father got sick, and it ended up being the right move to move back to Fredonia, since that’s where they still lived. That job opened up, and that’s where we’ve been for the last 10 years.”

Seward County Clerk’s office

Candidate filing for Seward County 2026 August primary

SEWARD COUNTY COMMISSIONER DISTRICT 2

Kay Burtzloff (D)

ROBERT PIERCE

   • Leader & Times

Late May and early June means area schools have finished school for the year, and with summer vacation comes time for fun and relaxation for young people.

No matter what else they do during the summer, though, like everyone else, youth need to eat, and with parents working in many households, children and teenagers are left to fend for themselves to find food.

For years, USD 483 has been helping its students find sustenance with its summer meals program. This year’s program is scheduled to kick off Monday, and School Nurse Norma Sanchez said while meals remain of the grab and go variety, the location for the Plains community has changed for this year.