ELLY GRIMM

   • Leader & Times

Those looking for a delicious place for a meal now have a new option with Tacos Mi Pueblo at 405 E. Pancake Blvd.

Owner Melanie Rodriguez said she has been working toward her own truck for multiple years.

“I've lived in Liberal for about 10 years, and I'd worked at another food truck for nine years. I didn't necessarily work there with the intent to open up my own truck, but I did learn a lot from working on that truck,” Rodriguez said. “Then, finally, with God's guidance, I started on the path to my own food truck, and this is something I knew I wanted. I decided to open it up and put all my experience and trust in God into practice. There just came a moment a while ago when I realized I wanted to do something for myself and make my own path and prosper.”

ELLY GRIMM

   • Leader & Times

The U.S. Senate will have multiple seats up for election this coming cycle, and Erik Murray is one of many candidates looking to help change Kansas representation there.

As Murray tells it, his roots in the Sunflower State run deep.

“I was born and raised in Kansas City, meaning I grew up in Wyandotte County, and I'm a fourth-generation Kansas City resident raising the fifth generation,” Murray said. “I went to the number one public high school in the state, and my mother had graduated from that same school in 1957, when it was an all-Black high school, and I've got two children in that same school now. All of that means I've got really, really deep roots in Wyandotte County. I've also got a deep love for public education – my mother was a schoolteacher, as is an aunt, several cousins and one of my nieces. In terms of my professional career, I got into commercial real estate not too long after graduating from the University of Southern California. My degree was in public health, and I did a short stint with the HIV and AIDS Prevention and Planning Unit in Orange County and ended up not being a fan of how much of that work was tied up in bureaucracy, and I didn't like how the money being spent wasn't being spent on patient care and the community.”

ELLY GRIMM

   • Leader & Times

A local middle school teacher is facing more than 30 counts of crimes against a minor.

Aaron Sullenger, a science teacher and football coach at Seymour Rogers Middle School, is facing charges of rape and human trafficking, among others, according to court records.

In the records, the first seven counts are for rape between Feb. 11 2023 and Feb. 11, 2024 as well as between Feb. 11, 2024 and May 30, 2024, with each count including prison time and fines.

ELLY GRIMM

   • Leader & Times

The USD 480 school board made quick work of its agenda at its most recent meeting Monday evening.

Near the beginning, the meeting started by recognizing Meadowlark Elementary School Interventionist Kristin Classen as the final Educator of the Month for the school year.