ELLY GRIMM

   • Leader & Times

A natatorium project between the City of Liberal, Seward County Community College and USD 480 took a step forward Tuesday evening thanks to some action by the Liberal City Commission at its most recent meeting.

The final item of new business on Tuesday evening’s agenda was discussion of a Memorandum of Agreement regarding the project.

Seward County Community College

The Seward County Community College Library is proud to host “Americans,” a Smithsonian Institution traveling exhibition on Native Americans in American culture, beginning April 13 until May 24.

The exhibition, which explores the ways American Indian images, names, and stories have been part of the nation’s identity since before the country began, features photographs, hands-on interactives, objects, and videos that invite visitors to explore this history and representation of Native Americans.

Americans is based on an exhibition of the same name that is currently on display at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of the American Indian and curated by Paul Chaat Smith (Comanche) and Cécile R. Ganteaume.

ROBERT PIERCE

   • Leader & Times

Gisell Martinez, like many teenagers, has a variety of hobbies she enjoys.

“I love doing sports,” she said. “I like fishing, word puzzles, reading. I like going to the gym, power lifting, swimming. I want to try new things as well, but I haven’t got into that. Right now, my new thing is having the classes.”

Those classes Martinez, a junior at Liberal High School, are not at the high school itself but rather at Baker Arts Center, where among other things, she teaches crafts.

ROBERT PIERCE

   • Leader & Times

Following the debriefing on the mid-February fires on March 2, the Seward County Commission hosted its regular meeting, and like many recent meetings, the board heard from several citizens during the citizen comments portion of the meeting.

Former Emergency Management Director Greg Standard took the podium first to talk about the recent controversy surrounding a video of a phone call between Commission Chair Steve Helm and former Fire Chief Andrew Barkley in which Helm asked Barkley to provide Administrator April Warden with a radio.

“There’s been a lot of talk for some reason, and I’d like to put a little clarity out there for people who are wondering what was going on,” Standard said. “In my experience over the last 26 years, the Seward County administrator has never been a weather spotter or ever acted as a weather spotter in any situation. Seward County has had a very small emergency management department and relies on support from other county agencies to support the emergency operations center (EOC).”