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National conservative groups are working to limit transgender rights. They’re finding success in Missouri
Missouri may offer a prime example of a red state primed for plug-and-play laws restricting transgender rights. A robust network of conservative advocacy groups stretching across the country has eagerly seized the chance to show the Show Me State just how to do that. Last year, lawmakers passed a ban on access to gender-affirming care […] The post National conservative groups are working to limit transgender rights. They’re finding success in Missouri appeared first on The Beacon.
The proposals to whittle down a 10-year waitlist for Kansans with intellectual disabilities
Kansas has money to help such families with overnight respite care, wellness monitoring and other in-home services. But families wait an average of 10 years to qualify. That’s so long that kids have aged out of support before ever getting it. The post The proposals to whittle down a 10-year waitlist for Kansans with intellectual disabilities appeared first on The Beacon.
Meet your 2024 Liberty school board candidates
Voters will see Darren Siebert and incumbents Jeffrey “Drew” Marriott and Nicholaus “Nick” Bartlow on their April 2 ballot. Two out of three will earn spots on the school board. The post Meet your 2024 Liberty school board candidates appeared first on The Beacon.
Meet the 2024 school board candidates in the Center School District
All three Center school board candidates — Mariah Roady, Da’Jion Lymore and Michael Sarver — are newcomers competing for two open seats to serve a three-year term. The post Meet the 2024 school board candidates in the Center School District appeared first on The Beacon.
These nine candidates want to be on the North Kansas City school board
All nine candidates responded to our questions about their background, priorities and positions. Here’s what they had to say. The post These nine candidates want to be on the North Kansas City school board appeared first on The Beacon.
KC curveball: If voters OK sales taxes for a ballpark, Royals will ask the city and state for up to $700 million more
The proposed extension of Jackson County’s sales tax won’t be enough to pay for a new downtown Kansas City Royals stadium. So the team is in conversation with city officials and Missouri Gov. Mike Parson to fill a $700 million funding gap with taxpayer dollars from Kansas City and the state. The post KC curveball: If voters OK sales taxes for a ballpark, Royals will ask the city and state for up to $700 million more appeared first on The Beacon.
5 companies own 8,000 Kansas City area homes, creating intense competition for residents
Brenna Dwyer was in a race to buy her first home. When she and her sister decided to purchase a house together in 2020, they didn’t realize how steep the competition would be — or who they were up against. “If we would find a house we liked and needed to think about it, by […] The post 5 companies own 8,000 Kansas City area homes, creating intense competition for residents appeared first on The Beacon.
Missouri legalized weed last year, yet Kansas saw little increase in drug arrests
Takeaways: More than 1 million Kansans live within an hour’s drive of Missouri and its dispensaries selling legal cannabis at seemingly every strip mall. Yet even with that new, easy access to legal weed, fewer people face arrest in Kansas on marijuana charges. Prosecutors and police remain obliged to enforce the state’s prohibition on cannabis […] The post Missouri legalized weed last year, yet Kansas saw little increase in drug arrests appeared first on The Beacon.
Missouri House and Senate OK two plans making it harder for voters to amend the state constitution
The Republican-controlled Missouri House and Senate advanced two different proposals Thursday that would make it harder for voters to change the state constitution using a constitutional amendment. The Senate passed a bill on a party-line vote that would dramatically crank up the difficulty of passing a constitutional amendment proposed by voters using an initiative petition […] The post Missouri House and Senate OK two plans making it harder for voters to amend the state constitution appeared first on The Beacon.
What is the state of tax cuts in Kansas?
Takeaways: – Kansas lawmakers are in a deadlock over tax cuts, primarily centered around Republicans advocating for a flat income tax.– Republicans are making a second attempt at a flat tax through an amended bill. The second attempt has fewer Social Security tax cuts.– The fate of sweeping tax cuts in Kansas remains unclear but […] The post What is the state of tax cuts in Kansas? appeared first on The Beacon.
The Royals want your tax dollars for a new stadium. What to know before the April 2 vote
Upward of $1.7 billion taxpayer dollars are on the line this April. After years of planning and negotiations, the Kansas City Royals want to demolish six blocks of the Crossroads district to make way for a shiny new baseball stadium. But first, they will need voters to agree to tax themselves for four decades to subsidize the Royals and the Kansas City Chiefs. The post The Royals want your tax dollars for a new stadium. What to know before the April 2 vote appeared first on The Beacon.
Artificial intelligence already plays a part in Kansas City health care, without much regulation
Takeaways: In September, the mom of a 4-year-old boy made national news when she used ChatGPT to diagnose her son’s pain, teeth grinding and leg dragging, a diagnosis that had eluded 17 doctors over three years. It’s an increasingly common scenario: Patients are looking to artificial intelligence for health care answers. And so are medical […] The post Artificial intelligence already plays a part in Kansas City health care, without much regulation appeared first on The Beacon.
A new specialized court aims to help Kansas families dealing with substance abuse to get kids out of foster care
Takeaways: Drug addiction can rip families apart. Nearly one in 10 Kansas kids who landed in foster care last year were there because they or their parents had an addiction, according to state foster care data. Another 4% were taken from a family because an infant was affected by drugs. Nationwide, about 8.7 million kids […] The post A new specialized court aims to help Kansas families dealing with substance abuse to get kids out of foster care appeared first on The Beacon.
Missouri House Democrats launch uphill push to give cities more power over gun control
Takeaways: Missouri House Democrats reacted to the fatal shooting that followed Kansas City’s Super Bowl celebration by pushing to give mayors and city councils more leeway on gun control. House Minority Leader Crystal Quade and her Democratic caucus bristle at the way Missouri’s lawmakers refuse to consider legislation that would create more firearms restrictions in […] The post Missouri House Democrats launch uphill push to give cities more power over gun control appeared first on The Beacon.
FAQ: What to know about Missouri’s Democratic presidential primary
Missouri Democrats wanting to weigh in on the party’s nominee for president can either go to the polls this spring or mail in their ballots. A 2022 law eliminated Missouri’s state-run presidential primaries, leaving the parties to sort out their own ways to weigh in on the contests. Democrats decided on a presidential primary and […] The post FAQ: What to know about Missouri’s Democratic presidential primary appeared first on The Beacon.
Kansas City hospitals had long dreaded, and prepared for, a day of shootings like this
The burst of gunfire that killed a young mother and wounded almost two dozen others could have turned out even deadlier. But one critically injured young man made it to the operating room at University Health Kansas City within minutes after being hit. Had he not been triaged at the scene and rushed to the […] The post Kansas City hospitals had long dreaded, and prepared for, a day of shootings like this appeared first on The Beacon.
One of the best things for a child traumatized by Kansas City’s mass shooting? Experts stress routine
Some children, the experts say, need to talk about their concerns. That, they say, needs to be balanced against dwelling too much on what happened or trying to force conversations that could backfire. The post One of the best things for a child traumatized by Kansas City’s mass shooting? Experts stress routine appeared first on The Beacon.
Some Kansas Citians look for gun control after the Super Bowl parade, but state law limits get in the way
It’s possible to imagine Kansas City — anguished by chronic gun violence and freshly angered by Wednesday’s nightmarish Super Bowl rally — clamping down on guns. If only it could. State lawmakers and the governor of Missouri see guns more as a tool of self-defense than as the source of carnage. They put laws in place that bar Kansas City, Jackson County or anywhere else in the state from imposing local gun control. The post Some Kansas Citians look for gun control after the Super Bowl parade, but state law limits get in the way appeared first on The Beacon.
What questions do you have in the wake of the shooting at the Kansas City Chiefs Super Bowl rally?
This is one tough week. Kansas City crowded together in celebration of a game, and walked away wounded. A mother dead. Children shot. A city’s sense of safety dissolved in a few seconds of gunfire. We’ll publish stories in the coming days and weeks that dig into a range of issues that came into focus […] The post What questions do you have in the wake of the shooting at the Kansas City Chiefs Super Bowl rally? appeared first on The Beacon.
Kansas GOP eyeing election changes, targeting drop boxes and mail votes
Takeaways: Some bills moving through the Kansas Legislature could overhaul the way the state runs elections, including some slammed by opponents as “pure voter suppression.” They target drop boxes and mail ballots, and some were killed in recent legislative sessions. But past lawmaking defeats won’t stop the Republicans who dominate the Statehouse and say confidence […] The post Kansas GOP eyeing election changes, targeting drop boxes and mail votes appeared first on The Beacon.
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