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H OM EM ADE CH IC K EN TEN DER S AND GIZ ZAR DS

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LEADER&TIMES

SAINTED
Fitzgerald to
be a Saint

N.M. looks to remedy mine waste spill PAGE 6A

FRIDAY May 20, 2016

PAGE 1B

Two of Liberals own

to represent at Miss
Kansas pageant

JACK & GEORGETTA

By ELLY GRIMM
Leader & Times

Jack and Georgetta Taylor share a special

moment at Thursdays retirement reception in
their honor. Watch for a special feature
regarding the couples accomplishments in
Liberal in Sundays L&T. L&T photo/Elly Grimm

Merz explains the wonders of 3D printing to a group of fifth-grade students touring the
Industrial Technology Division. Courtesy photo

Tractor-trailer
A life of learning, by design
driver arrested in
fiery Kansas crash
SALINA (AP) A tractor-trailer driver from
Texas is charged in Kansas in a fiery Interstate 70
crash that killed the driver of another rig.
Thomas County court documents say 45-year-old
Fednor Duclona, of Fort Worth, Texas, attempted a
U-turn on the interstate on the same day as the
January crash that killed 52-year-old Rodney A.
Hongsermeier, of North Platte, Nebraska. He faces
charges that include vehicular homicide and reckless
driving. Duclona was released Wednesday from the
Johnson County Jail on a $200,000 bond.
It wasnt immediately known if he had an
attorney.

Manning appeal seeks

reversal of charges or
reduced sentence
By DAVID DISHNEAU
Associated Press

Imprisoned U.S. Army Private Chelsea Manning

has asked a military appeals court to reverse her
2013 conviction or reduce her 35-year sentence for
sending mountains of classified information to the
anti-secrecy website WikiLeaks while serving as an
intelligence analyst in Iraq, according to a court
document released Thursday.
Mannings civilian attorney Vincent Ward said the
28-year-old transgender soldier was deprived of a
fair court-martial because overzealous prosecutors
confused the judge in their unsuccessful effort to
convict Manning of aiding the enemy.
I think that thats apparent from some of the
judges rulings in the way that she interpreted the
law on all of these legal issues, Ward said in a
telephone interview.
Manning, formerly Bradley Manning, was
convicted of six Espionage Act violations and 14
other offenses for leaking more than 700,000 secret
military and State Department documents, plus
some battlefield video. She is imprisoned at the Fort
Leavenworth, Kansas.
Lt. Col. Jennifer Johnson, an Army spokeswoman

N See MANNING/Page 3A

Merz will celebrate retirement from both

educational entities, which became one in 2008.
College President Dr. Ken Trzaska invites the
public to a reception in Merzs honor from 2 to 4
p.m. Sunday, in the Industrial Technology
Division main building (former vo-tech)
Seward County Community College

When Steve Merzs family moved to Liberal, his

father chose the location because of one
important factor: accessibility to higher education.
My dad was transferred to this area with the
Kansas-Nebraska Natural Gas company. His
territory was the Oklahoma and Texas
Panhandles, but Liberal had the vo-tech, recalled
Merz. That was a real big drawing card. I was just

15 years old, but I remember when we moved to

Liberal, the vo-tech and the college were going to
provide great educational opportunities for us
kids. The two schools which are now one, became
a true family affair.
This weekend, Merz will celebrate retirement
from both educational entities, which became one
in 2008. College President Dr. Ken Trzaska invites
the public to a reception in Merzs honor from 2
to 4 p.m. Sunday, in the Industrial Technology
Division main building (former vo-tech).
Its just the right time, Merz said. I wanted to
retire while I still have health and the ability to do
other things.
Thus far, Merz has done a lot. He taught
drafting and design a total of 24 years, first at
Liberal Area Vocational-Technical School, which

N See MERZ/Page 3A

The annual Miss Kansas

pageant has several contestants from around all parts
of the state, and this years
pageant will have very
Liberal representation.
Recent Liberal High
School graduates Gabriela
Amparan and Catherine
LeNeve will both be participating in this years Miss
Kansas pageant, which will
take place June 7, 8 and 11
at
Pratt
Community
College in Pratt. Both
became eligible to compete
for Miss Kansas after
receiving the titles of Miss
Liberal and Miss Midwest,
respectively.
I just want to go out
there and do the best I can,
represent Liberal well, grow
as a person, and develop
some professional skills,
Amparan said. This is the
biggest thing Ive ever done,
and while Im not
completely sure what to
expect, Im excited to meet
all the other girls and learn
from them as well.
I am really looking

AMPARAN

LENEVE
forward to the opportunity
for scholarships, as well as
gaining

lifelong

friends

N See DUO/Page 3A

Celebration Nation: A one-stop party station

By ROBERT PIERCE
Leader &Times Senior Reporter
With holidays and birthdays taking
place throughout the year, parties take
place all the time, and with those parties
come supplies and equipment such as
cups, plates, napkins, and in some cases
,costumes.
These are just some of what people use
to throw a party any time and anywhere,
and now, Liberal will soon have a new
business where they can find much in the
way of those supplies.
About two months ago, local couple
Jeremy and Sarah Archer bought the
building at 315 S. Kansas in Liberal,
formerly operated by Cypret Glass.
Jeremy said what the Archers
purchased was actually two buildings and
have now been combined into one store,
appropriately called Celebration
Nation.
Its a 3,700-square foot building, he
said. The actual retail space, were using
1,700 square feet of that. Its going to be
all your party supplies to balloon
bouquets. We can build balloon
bouquets. Eventually, were going to be
getting in rental items like chairs. During
Halloween, well have Halloween
costumes. During Christmas, well have
all your Christmas items, your Christmas
decorations, wrapping paper. Well also
deliver the balloon bouquets too. Its
pretty much anything for your party

needs. Well have catering dishes and

stuff like that. Well have all the platters
here.
Sarah said though stores which offer
party supplies are in Liberal, like
Walmart and Dollar Tree, those stores
likely dont do everything needed for a
celebration.
You can get a little bit here, a little bit
there and a little bit over there, she said.
We just combined it all into one store.
Jeremy said when the store eventually
opens, there will be supplies available for
budgets of all sizes.
What makes us a little bit different,
well have all your licensed products, all
your Disney, Star Wars, Frozen, all that
decor, he said. All your party plates will
have the picture on it. All the way from
the high end retail stuff to the stuff like
they have down at Dollar Tree. Well have
dollar stuff too.
Sarah added Celebration Nation will
likewise have licensing for sports
packages, including the NFL, NBA and
Major League Baseball, though she said
much of that merchandise must be
ordered about three to four months in
advance of the season.
As for their location, Sarah said the
Archers did not necessarily choose the
location, but rather, it chose them.
Leasing was so expensive, Jeremy

Stocking is an important and often tedious job, but when the finished
product is ready to go, this group of hard workers will be ready to serve
Page 3A customers of all kinds. L&T photo/Robert Pierce

N See CELEBRATION NATION

Kansas changing interagency policies for voter registration

Alcoholics Anonymous
group to meet every
Saturday at SWMC
Special to the L&T

The New Horizons group of Alcoholics

Anonymous is inviting all to attend meetings at 5
p.m. every Saturday at SWMC in Conference Room
No. 1.

The notice, filed shortly before midnight

Wednesday, comes a day after a federal court ruled
thousands of Kansas residents who did not provide
such documents must be added to voter rolls for
federal elections
By ROXANA HEGEMAN
Associated Press

WICHITA Kansas Secretary of State Kris

Kobach has told a federal court that he is changing
interagency policies to improve the states ability to
verify proof of citizenship for people who register to
vote at motor vehicle offices.
The notice, filed shortly before midnight
Wednesday, comes a day after a federal court ruled
thousands of Kansas residents who did not provide
such documents must be added to voter rolls for
federal elections. The judge stayed her ruling until
May 31 so the state could appeal, which Kobach has

Vol. 130 Iss. 346 14 Pa ges

said he plans to do.

In his court filing, Kobach contends that the new
policies were being implemented prior to Tuesdays
ruling.
One policy says motor vehicle offices accept and
scan documents proving U.S. citizenship. Another
change gives the secretary of states office and election
officials in all 105 counties Internet access to check
whether motor vehicle offices possess such
documents.
Some who sued the state over its proof-ofcitizenship requirements had provided the required
birth certificate or passport at the motor vehicle
offices, and others were not advised they lacked the
necessary documentation or were incorrectly assured
when they got their drivers licenses that they had
successfully registered to vote.
U.S. District Judge Julie Robinson said it is clear
from the evidence that coordination is lacking
between the Secretary of States office and the states
Department of Revenue, which operates the motor

vehicle offices.
While Kobach has publicly cited human errors
made by motor vehicle office employees in registering
noncitizens to vote as one of the reasons proof-ofcitizenship is needed, there is no evidence that better
training was attempted under the old law and it
appears little has been done to train employees on the
new law, the judge noted.
Under the policy at the Division of Motor Vehicles,
which Bryan Caskey, the deputy assistant secretary of
state for elections, said in an affidavit was put in place
May 10, a person providing documentary proof of
citizenship to register to vote can do so when
obtaining or renewing a drivers license or even if there
is no drivers license transaction.
Caskey also said that the Secretary of States office
has asked all of the states counties to use the new
interagency Internet access to determine whether the
Division of Motor Vehicles possesses citizenship
documents for voter registration applicants on the
suspense list.

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