Seward County, KS

At 3:06pm Seward County Fire Department was dispatched to a vegetation fire in 5000 block of Road P threatening several homes and buildings in the area. While returning from a previous Fire, Water Tender 2 arrived on scene and reported 1 outbuilding fully involved with several structures threatened. Additional units arrived to find Fire burning to the North, South, and East. Forward progress was stopped on the North Fire, as deputies and Fire command staff stopped forward progress to the East with Water Extinguishers. Firefighters then worked to extinguish the outbuilding. Due to high temperatures, Seward County EMS was requested for standby. The Fire Department responded with 2 chief officers, 6 firefighters, three engines, and two Water tenders. The department was assisted by the Seward County Sheriff’s Office. No injuries were reported and the cause of the fire is under investigation. No damage loss was available at press time.

At 130pm on Wednesday, June 23rd, the Seward County Fire Department was dispatched to a vegetation fire on Road V and Road 15, E1 from Kismet arrived on scene within 3 minutes and stop forward progress preventing the fire from entering a wheat field, additional units arrived on scene and assisted in extguishing the fire. No injuries was reported and the fire was caused by a equipment malfunction on a sprinkler. The department responded with 2 engines , attack truck, a water tender, 4 firefighters, and 2 chief officers.

Seward County commissioners and other entity leaders took part in a discussion of about 40 minutes Monday concerning the local Emergency Operations Center. Administrator April Warden said the item was discussed at the June 7 commission meeting, and she was asked to put it back on the agenda, along with talk about signage in the community regarding COVID-19 testing and vaccination.

The Seward County Historical Society Board of Directors has elected Todd Stanton as the Chairman of the Society to succeed Earl Watt. The Society operates the Coronado Museum, Dorothy’s House and the Land of Oz and serves as the official repository for the records and history of Seward County. In...

The Seward County Commission met Monday evening and approved an agreement with Tria Health for chronic condition management. Impact to the County is $20,000. In the first year of service, Tria Health offers a 1:1 financial guarantee. At the end of the first contract year, Tria Health will provide its financial report within 30 days of receiving the final month’s data. Should Tria Health fail to provide savings equal to or greater than the client’s investment, Tria Health will repay the difference between the verified savings and the client’s investment.

Arkalon Ethanol will be constructing four new tanks on the site of its plant east of Liberal, but the four tanks they are replacing will no longer be in service. Monday, June 7, Seward County commissioners approved a conditional use permit allowing for construction of the four new tanks. Later...

Mr. Craig’s letter referring to the school bond had a lot of good questions and unfortunately some misinformation about the school bond project that was overwhelmingly supported by the public seven years ago, and since he mentioned the paper supported the project, I thought it would be important to explain his inaccuracies and also help answer some of his questions.

SAINTS PERSPECTIVE, Rachel Coleman, SCCC Director of PR and Marketing. Years ago, when my young adult children were small and full of questions, I held the line when it came to hot beverages. Coffee beguiled them. Maybe the allure came from the rituals connected to obtaining the best morning brew: coffee beans in the grinder, my oddly-shaped Italian stovetop espresso pot with its gurgling sounds. The aroma.

The Leader & Times is published Tuesday through Friday and Sunday and reaches homes throughout the Liberal, Kansas retail trade zone. The Leader & Times is the official newspaper of Seward County, USD No. 480, USD No. 483 and the cities of Liberal and Kismet. The Leader & Times is a member of the Liberal Chamber of Commerce, the Kansas Press Association and the Associated Press.

The use of seatbelts is incredibly important for vehicle drivers and their passengers and recently, the Seward County Sheriff’s Department, along with other area law enforcement, completed the Click It or Ticket campaign, which took place from May 21 through 31. The purpose of the campaign is to remind people...

Issues with several county roads were part of a discussion of more than half an hour Monday evening. The discussion was part of the Seward County Commissioners’ regular meeting, and prior to an agenda item, one resident addressed the board during the citizens comments portion of the meeting. Les Jantzen...

You can listen to archived Broadcast Square audio from the week of June 7 to 11, 2021. Monday, June 7: Sarah Cooley of Liberal Police Department, on Liberal Night Out in Light Park June 25. Tuesday, June 8: Clarissa Carrillo of Seward County United Way, on fundraising goals and upcoming...

LIBERAL, Kan.- Seward County Community College Athletic Department releases the Spring 2021 Athletic Director’s Honor Roll. For their academic success, the Department honors 67 student-athletes that surpassed a 3.0 GPA while enrolled in 12 or more credits. Throughout the seven programs, the Athletic Department had an average GPA of 3.02, and 16 student-athletes had a 4.0 GPA. We thank all of the student-athletes for their hard work and dedication during the busy Spring semester.

The Seward County Board of County Commission met Monday evening and discussed with Road and Bridge Supervisor, Tony Herrman, problems concerning the Panhandle Road and other roads throughout the County. Commissioners gave Herman permission to grind rough spots on the Panhandle Road and hire a consultant to look at possible solutions regarding future solutions on the cCounty’s roads. and set a date for a work session regarding County Roads prior to the budget work sessions.

Seward County Fire Chief Andrew Barkley released information about a semi truck fire Thursday afternoon near the Arkalon Ethanol plant east of Liberal. “The truck was traveling west on 54 and had a mechanical issue,” he said. “The driver pulled over to inspect and found the engine compact with fire. Cause is undetermined. The truck was complete loss. Two engines, one tender, five firefighters and two chief officers responded assisted by the Seward County Sheriff's office.”

The Seward County Commissioners will have a work session on Monday, June 7th at 4:45 p.m., prior to the Commission Meeting, to discuss the fees charged by Seward County Jail. The work session will be in the Commission Chambers.

A vehicle making a turn caused another vehicle to strike it Tuesday afternoon. That according to a press release from the Liberal Police Department regarding a non-injury accident at 15th Street and Kansas Avenue. Around 4 p.m. Tuesday, the release said, the LPD, the Liberal Fire Department, the Seward County...

The Seward County Fire Department responded to a truck on fire on Highway 54 at approximately 2:15 pm Thursday afternoon. The truck was traveling west on 54 when it experienced a mechanical issue. The driver pulled over to inspect the truck and found the engine compartment was on fire. The cause of the fire is undetermined, and the truck was a total loss. The Seward County Fire Department responded with 2 engines, 1 tender, 5 firefighters and 2 chief officers. They were assisted by Seward County Sheriff’s Office.

LIBERAL, Kan. – The Seward County Community College Baseball team announces that Braden Boisvert, Corey Didier, and Sam Berberich have signed on to four-year universities. Boisvert has signed on to continue his baseball and academic careers at Oregon State University. Corey Didier has signed on to continue his academics and baseball career at Texas Weslynn University. Sam Berberich has signed on to attend and compete for Abilene Christian University.

LIBERAL, Kan. – Seward County Community College will host women’s basketball camps this summer in the Greenhouse. There will be an individual camp that will start on June 14th and a team camp will start on July 5th. The Lady Saints coaches and current student-athletes will be present to help assist participants in drills and skill development.