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The Kansas City Beacon
Neighborhood blocks a low-barrier shelter some see as key to solving homelessness in Kansas City
Takeaways: Ken Simard mainly slept under the Blue Parkway bridge near the railroad tracks along the Blue River for the seven years he was homeless, numbing himself with meth and weed. “If it were not for the drugs that I did, I would have been suicidal,” he said. “I would do anything to take my […] The post Neighborhood blocks a low-barrier shelter some see as key to solving homelessness in Kansas City appeared first on The Beacon.
More Kansas City schoolkids are asking for help with their mental health. A few are finding it
Takeaways: Melvin White sits with his generation at a demographic Ground Zero for mental stress. The Schlagle High School junior survived COVID isolation during middle school. He’s never known a world without smartphones. And he’s finishing high school amid the FOMO energy of a social media world in its own adolescence. All of those factors, […] The post More Kansas City schoolkids are asking for help with their mental health. A few are finding it appeared first on The Beacon.
Republican infighting kills effort to make it harder for voters to change Missouri law
Takeaways: After years of effort, Missouri Republicans were poised to take a step toward making it harder for initiative petitions to pass. For the majority of the spring, Republicans seemed on the same page about a plan they would send to voters on the August ballot. Then the little, fragile unity that remained among Republicans […] The post Republican infighting kills effort to make it harder for voters to change Missouri law appeared first on The Beacon.
FAQ: How Berkley Riverfront is going from a dumping ground to an entertainment district
A sparkly new development coming to Kansas City’s riverfront? Like we haven’t heard that line before. Seemingly every decade like clockwork, somebody pushes an idea that would finally put Kansas City’s 55-acre blemish along the Missouri River to good use. And, inevitably, the proposal ends up elsewhere — and the riverfront remains empty. But this time, it looks to be finally happening. Like, really, truly happening. The post FAQ: How Berkley Riverfront is going from a dumping ground to an entertainment district appeared first on The Beacon.
KCPS talked about shutting these schools down. Now, they’re growing
Adding about 970 K-12 students — a 7% increase — between September and mid-April has upended the conversation in the district from talk of school closures to discussions of class sizes. The post KCPS talked about shutting these schools down. Now, they’re growing appeared first on The Beacon.
Minimum wage, abortion, sports betting, an Ozarks casino: What will land on Missouri ballots?
Whether Missouri legalizes abortion and sports betting, allows a casino at the Lake of the Ozarks or raises the minimum wage hinges on whether state and local officials judge that most of 1.25 million signatures on four petitions are legitimate. The secretary of state’s office has three more weeks to process the petitions and ship […] The post Minimum wage, abortion, sports betting, an Ozarks casino: What will land on Missouri ballots? appeared first on The Beacon.
Schools say a lawsuit targeting Jackson County property assessments would be ‘catastrophic’
School districts in Jackson County saw home property assessments leap by nearly a third — and add more heft to their tax bases. They set their property tax rates lower to reflect the beefier assessments — amid a furor from homeowners and politicians contending the numbers inflated the real value of properties in the county. That tossed Jackson County into the center of a court challenge from the state that could test who can challenge assessments and how. School districts in the county claimed in court this week that a win for the homeowners would prove “catastrophic,” costing school districts nearly $1,500 per student. The post Schools say a lawsuit targeting Jackson County property assessments would be ‘catastrophic’ appeared first on The Beacon.
Hospitals can stop reporting COVID numbers. That worries some public health officials
In some ways, a number changed how we viewed the pandemic. Early in the spread of COVID-19, the federal government made hospitals report how many of their beds were filled with patients suffering from the virus. News accounts — and often hospitals themselves — began sharing that tally with the public. The COVID count became […] The post Hospitals can stop reporting COVID numbers. That worries some public health officials appeared first on The Beacon.
Kansas City police jump-started a missing persons unit. Now they need to build trust with Black families
Takeaways: T’Montez Hurt had just started working at a Price Chopper in Grain Valley to save money after a semester away from Missouri Western State University. Then in the early hours of Feb. 1, the 19-year-old placed an anxious phone call to his grandmother, Tecona Donald-Sullivan, saying he thought he’d been drugged. The day before […] The post Kansas City police jump-started a missing persons unit. Now they need to build trust with Black families appeared first on The Beacon.
The Missouri legislature is cutting local governments’ power to pass their own laws
Takeaways: If Kansas City had its way, the local minimum wage would run $17 per hour, grocery stores would only use paper bags and you’d need to pass a background check to buy a gun in town. But politicians and businesses that see these policy ideas as threats to their authority or their bottom lines, […] The post The Missouri legislature is cutting local governments’ power to pass their own laws appeared first on The Beacon.
Why Kansas City students are joining nationwide protests supporting Palestine
Protests, kindled by livestreamed images from Palestine and set ablaze by university crackdowns on demonstrators, rage at colleges and universities across the country. Students have pitched encampments and occupied campus buildings while calling for an end to violence in Gaza — and demanding their institutions divest of companies they believe support the war there. “We […] The post Why Kansas City students are joining nationwide protests supporting Palestine appeared first on The Beacon.
‘We cannot continue down this path’: KCKPS special education can’t shake issues with staffing, trust
A team of researchers found heavy staff turnover and poor retention. That leaves more work for those who stay and makes it harder for them to give students the services they’re legally entitled to. The post ‘We cannot continue down this path’: KCKPS special education can’t shake issues with staffing, trust appeared first on The Beacon.
Missouri won’t let Kansas City become a sanctuary city, but the mayor wants more immigrant workers
Takeaways: Kansas City Mayor Quinton Lucas has essentially invited immigrants to come and fill the local labor pool. He’s offering officials in New York and Denver help from the crush of immigrants in those cities and welcoming foreign workers to Kansas City. That quickly sparked accusations that Lucas appeared bent on making Kansas City a […] The post Missouri won’t let Kansas City become a sanctuary city, but the mayor wants more immigrant workers appeared first on The Beacon.
KC residents will soon be able to throw away twice as much garbage. Will that help or hinder efforts to recycle?
Kansas City is about to bottle up its trash better. Bins will replace bags, keeping animals out of the garbage. But the convenience of a lidded trash bin may come at a cost for the environment. Kansas City set a goal in 2009 to divert 80% of its waste from landfills. Now 15 years later, the city is halfway there. The bins, with their bigger capacity, threaten to reverse that progress. And it might still take more effort to keep trash safe from raccoons. The post KC residents will soon be able to throw away twice as much garbage. Will that help or hinder efforts to recycle? appeared first on The Beacon.
New Kansas City housing subsidies set by ZIP code could avoid segregating renters
For generations, federal housing subsidies have provided a lifeline to families struggling to afford rent. But the maximum amount families got for rent stayed the same regardless of which neighborhood best suited their needs — effectively segregating them into low-income areas. Come this fall, the rent cap for a standard apartment will vary from one […] The post New Kansas City housing subsidies set by ZIP code could avoid segregating renters appeared first on The Beacon.
Kansas City, Kansas, school bond would mean higher taxes, new schools, but only if voters approve
The bond would pay to consolidate six elementary schools into three schools and replace Argentine and Central middle schools. The post Kansas City, Kansas, school bond would mean higher taxes, new schools, but only if voters approve appeared first on The Beacon.
Missouri’s senior property tax freeze still dogged by unanswered questions
Takeaways Last year, the Missouri General Assembly scrambled to act on an issue popular with voters who turn out in large numbers: property tax cuts for seniors in the form of a tax freeze. Lawmakers passed a vague directive letting counties freeze property tax bills for seniors, without defining what “senior” meant, who was going […] The post Missouri’s senior property tax freeze still dogged by unanswered questions appeared first on The Beacon.
Why the FAFSA is so hard in 2024, and where to get help in Kansas City
An updated version of the FAFSA, shorter and intended to be easier than previous editions, was released months later than usual. Then website malfunctions hindered families trying to complete the application. The post Why the FAFSA is so hard in 2024, and where to get help in Kansas City appeared first on The Beacon.
A Kansas ban on gender-affirming care couldn’t overcome a veto last year. Things are different now
Takeaways: Conservative Kansas lawmakers couldn’t ban gender-affirming care for transgender children last year after Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly vetoed the bill and Republicans fell short on an override vote. This year, they’ve passed a more restrictive ban and run into another veto from Kelly. Yet a veto override that would outlaw puberty blockers, hormone treatments […] The post A Kansas ban on gender-affirming care couldn’t overcome a veto last year. Things are different now appeared first on The Beacon.
KC roads could just get bumpier. Eco-friendly cars are chipping away at street repair funds
The signs of springtime are among us: The smell of new flowers, the sight of children playing at the park and the sound of metal scraping against asphalt as cars kerplunk into potholes. But for all of the racket these potholes cause every spring — and all the money that City Hall dumps into street resurfacing every year — Kansas City’s streets may only become more of a problem in the future. The post KC roads could just get bumpier. Eco-friendly cars are chipping away at street repair funds appeared first on The Beacon.
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