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Kansas City’s ban on rejecting housing vouchers — landlords say it’ll shrink options, renters think it’ll help
Thousands of low-income residents in Kansas City count on vouchers to make their rent affordable. Meanwhile, 285 residents find themselves without housing options amid a shortage of apartments willing to take on tenants who rely on subsidies. The post Kansas City’s ban on rejecting housing vouchers — landlords say it’ll shrink options, renters think it’ll help appeared first on The Beacon.
FAQ: Your guide to the 2024 Missouri Republican caucus
This year, the way Missouri Republicans weigh in on the presidential race will be a bit different. Thanks to a 2022 law, Missouri counties are no longer responsible for conducting presidential preference primaries. Instead, that falls to county Republican and Democratic parties across the state. Registered Republicans and unaffiliated voters will have the opportunity to […] The post FAQ: Your guide to the 2024 Missouri Republican caucus appeared first on The Beacon.
With a casino on their phones, more Kansas City gamblers risk addiction
Takeaways: When Andrew Gallamore clocks out of work at his job in Bonner Springs, he clicks on his phone. Sometimes, to bet. His DraftKings app makes dropping $5 or $10 on a prop bet so easy. And once he’s back home in Missouri, having even a few dollars riding on how many yards a player […] The post With a casino on their phones, more Kansas City gamblers risk addiction appeared first on The Beacon.
How much can the tax money Kansas might spend on child care help?
Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly wants to spend another $30 million on grants for day care operators to expand. But the $55 million the state has already spent added only 5,500 child care openings. The post How much can the tax money Kansas might spend on child care help? appeared first on The Beacon.
This mother wants an ADHD specialist in every Kansas school district
Takeaways: Lisa Reynolds pulled her son out of school because educators struggled to handle his symptoms of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. He was called a distraction. Or lazy. He regularly ran into disciplinary issues. Olathe Public Schools or online school — it didn’t make a difference. Special education teachers kept giving him failing grades, and […] The post This mother wants an ADHD specialist in every Kansas school district appeared first on The Beacon.
Kansas foster kids could soon pick their families
Takeaways: Kids who age out of foster care face a heightened risk of homelessness, unemployment, drug and drinking problems or stubborn mental health issues. They leave the system with few close, personal connections. But Kansas is preparing for a drastic shift that would give them more say in their lives. The state could be the […] The post Kansas foster kids could soon pick their families appeared first on The Beacon.
Chiefs, Super Bowl and sports bets. Millions will be wagered, but Kansas will see little
Takeaways: The Kansas City Chiefs are back in the Super Bowl, which means millions more will be wagered in Kansas on the game. But sports betting remains illegal in Missouri — lawmakers continue to wrangle on a law that would change that — and bettors regularly travel to Kansas to wager on who might win […] The post Chiefs, Super Bowl and sports bets. Millions will be wagered, but Kansas will see little appeared first on The Beacon.
Celebratory gunfire after Chiefs games is getting worse
As the Kansas City Chiefs get ready for a Super Bowl appearance with the San Francisco 49ers on Feb. 11, Missouri lawmakers advanced a measure to raise the penalty for shooting a gun skyward in celebration. Kansas City saw more celebratory gunfire on Sunday — an increase from when the Chiefs won the AFC championship […] The post Celebratory gunfire after Chiefs games is getting worse appeared first on The Beacon.
Kansas public defenders got raises. But their dissatisfaction with pay almost doubled
Takeaways: Kansas lawmakers gave public defenders a historic raise in recent years, yet a survey of those attorneys found that their concerns over pay almost doubled. In 2019, the State Board of Indigents’ Defense Services lost a fourth of its attorneys. In 2022, it lost another fifth. That led lawmakers to raise wages last year, […] The post Kansas public defenders got raises. But their dissatisfaction with pay almost doubled appeared first on The Beacon.
Kansas flat-tax plan vetoed by Gov. Laura Kelly. Here’s what happens next
Takeaways: A Republican-led Kansas tax plan that would bring $1.6 billion in tax cuts over three years was vetoed by the state’s Democratic governor on Friday. Now, the Legislature and governor prepare for a bitter fight over taxes that makes it unclear whether Kansans will get a tax break — or what form it might […] The post Kansas flat-tax plan vetoed by Gov. Laura Kelly. Here’s what happens next appeared first on The Beacon.
Jackson County sent the Royals stadium tax to the ballot. Now, labor gears up for tough talks
Takeaways: The Kansas City Royals want voters to promise four more decades of tax money to underwrite a new stadium. Parking attendants, beer vendors and the other people who tend to fans want more leverage on their wages. And the Royals say the team stands willing to bargain, offering to enter into a community benefits […] The post Jackson County sent the Royals stadium tax to the ballot. Now, labor gears up for tough talks appeared first on The Beacon.
How ransomware attacks at Kansas City hospitals threaten your privacy and health
Takeaways: It happened in Topeka in November. In Liberty in December. And seemingly all the time everywhere: Hackers crack open a hospital’s digital heart, seize control of its computer network and hold it hostage. Those ransomware attacks threaten to spill your most intimate medical secrets onto the internet and lock up a hospital’s ability to […] The post How ransomware attacks at Kansas City hospitals threaten your privacy and health appeared first on The Beacon.
Got an outrageous utility bill? These eight officials have the power to keep Kansas City’s rates down
January kicked off with bone-chilling, pipe-bursting temperatures. By the end of the month, Kansas City residents can expect energy bills, many topping $200, extending their wintertime misery. Those bills — ranking among the most expensive in the country — come approved by regulators in both states. The post Got an outrageous utility bill? These eight officials have the power to keep Kansas City’s rates down appeared first on The Beacon.
A Kansas business tax credit can offset the cost of child care. But almost nobody uses it
Takeaways: The child care shortage in Kansas costs families dearly, yet a business tax credit to offset those costs goes mostly unused. The credit is designed to encourage small businesses to offset costs for their employees and get money shaved off their state tax bill as a reward. A business spending $5,000 a year contracting […] The post A Kansas business tax credit can offset the cost of child care. But almost nobody uses it appeared first on The Beacon.
Kansas Democrats and Republicans both proposed tax cuts. Here’s how they compare
Takeaways: Republicans and Democrats propose dueling tax-cut plans in the Kansas Legislature that could spend down a surplus and set policy for a generation. The Republican plan includes things the Democratic governor has said she’ll never sign. The Democrats’ plan lacks items that Republicans say are must-haves. Yet even as each side says the other’s […] The post Kansas Democrats and Republicans both proposed tax cuts. Here’s how they compare appeared first on The Beacon.
Pregnancy is deadlier if you’re Black. Missouri wants to shrink maternal mortality rates
Takeaways: Traci Dancy got pregnant with her first daughter at age 30. She didn’t have diabetes, high cholesterol or any other conditions that added extra danger to her pregnancy. Still, she worried. “As a person of color, I am very aware of the dangers and risks,” said Dancy, who lives in Lee’s Summit with her […] The post Pregnancy is deadlier if you’re Black. Missouri wants to shrink maternal mortality rates appeared first on The Beacon.
When the Chiefs win, Kansas Citians shoot their guns skyward. A lawmaker wants the team to speak out
Every year — on New Year’s Eve, July 4, when a sports team wins a championship — police and politicians practically beg people not to fire their guns into the air in celebration. In Kansas City, reports of shots fired go up when the NFL playoffs roll around. Meanwhile, a proposal to slightly strengthen the […] The post When the Chiefs win, Kansas Citians shoot their guns skyward. A lawmaker wants the team to speak out appeared first on The Beacon.
The multi-million dollar cost behind eliminating free bus fares in Kansas City
Takeaways: The Kansas City Area Transportation Authority could soon stick riders with fares again — after spending millions on modern fare boxes. Facing a $12 million to $15 million gap in its budget, the agency has been talking about reintroducing bus fares, three years after becoming the first major U.S. city to make public transit free. […] The post The multi-million dollar cost behind eliminating free bus fares in Kansas City appeared first on The Beacon.
Here’s how Kansas Gov. Laura Kelly wants to spend the state’s tax dollars
Takeaways: The Kansas budget would include the largest single-year investment in child care under the plan set out by Gov. Laura Kelly on Thursday The governor’s recommendations are just one step in the lengthy process of setting a final budget. Proposals to expand Medicaid and invest more in special education and her tax-cut plans draw […] The post Here’s how Kansas Gov. Laura Kelly wants to spend the state’s tax dollars appeared first on The Beacon.
An EPA grant is helping Kansas foster kids get environmental jobs
Takeaways: A growing program in Kansas and Missouri aims to set up more kids for environmental jobs — and it’s focusing on foster kids. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is spending more than $450,000 to help foster children in the two states land environmental jobs. Those kids spend days in the classroom studying for key […] The post An EPA grant is helping Kansas foster kids get environmental jobs appeared first on The Beacon.
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The Kansas City Beacon is an online news outlet focused on in-depth journalism in the public interest. It launched in 2020 and is part of The Beacon, a regional nonprofit news network serving Kansas and Missouri. Our reporting centers issues in local government, health care, education, economics, environment and civic engagement.
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