News

During any given week, local hip-hop artist Les Izmore may be found free-styling in the Crossroads, fronting an 18 piece afro-beat/funk dance band, or opening for big acts coming through, like Kendrick Lamar and next week, Talib Kweli.

Members of U.S. House and Senate committees are about to start work on a new farm bill. And with a mood to cut spending in Washington, some things could be on the chopping block.

Kansas Senator Jerry Moran says the next federal farm bill is likely to cut back or eliminate some farm subsidies.

The federal investigator who requested Missouri’s list of conceal carry weapons holders testified under oath Wednesday before a State Senate committee.

Keith Schilb of the Social Security Administration's Inspector General's office told the Senate Appropriations Committee that part of his job is to seek and develop projects that could indicate whether there is enough evidence of fraud to warrant an investigation.  He says that’s how the inquiry into Missouri’s conceal carry database began.

Legislation has stalled in the Missouri Senate that would allow investor-owned electric companies to charge consumers for infrastructure improvements.

Opponents argued that Ameren Missouri, Empire District and Kansas City Power and Light (KCP&L) make enough money to pay for improvements without levying an Infrastructure System Replacement Surcharge (ISRS) on their customers.  Several Senators are blocking the measure, including Republican Rob Schaaf of St. Joseph.

A federal investigator testified befor a Missouri Senate committee about why he asked for a list of conceal carry permit holders.  Kansas City’s Channel 2 is going digital.  The founders of the Kemper Museum step down from the board.

Kansas Citians can expect the picture to get sharper on Channel 2, the city government's cable TV channel.

The station is preparing to go digital HD. The city council finance committee has endorsed a $300,000 expenditure for new equipment to replace the 20-year-old control room equipment that is the backbone of the city's cable television communication system.

KCCG Channel 2 broadcasts council legislative and committee meetings and other city government related programs. It also rebroadcasts some meetings of the Jackson County Legislature.

The constitutional right to bear arms has long been viewed as a critical American principle. But, does this right threaten public safety or allow us to better shield ourselves from random gun violence?  Starting July 1 it will be legal to bring a concealed weapon into all Kansas buildings with a concealed carry permit unless the building provides "adequate security."  In Missouri, state agencies have been under fire for providing concealed carry permit information to federal agents. In response the Senate has voted to defund the DMV.  Are these bills and laws necessary?  Will they really make us safer? And why do some oppose them?

Wyatt Townley, a fourth-generation Kansan, has been named the new Poet Laureate of Kansas for 2013-2015.

Kansas attempts to repopulate rural counties with financial incentives for new residents.  The job growth rate in Kansas is rising but could be hindered by global economic conditions.  Missouri legislators took votes on a gun rights, malpractice, and criminal codes bills.

A new report projects an increase in the rate of job growth in Kansas this year. There are some economic forces that could temper that growth in the future.

The report from Wichita State University Center for Economic Development and Business Research projects modest job growth in Kansas this year. It’s driven partially by the energy, construction and services sectors.

The Missouri House has passed another bill that would expand the rights of gun owners and reduce the role of the state Department of Revenue.

Efforts in Missouri to restore caps on non-economic damages in medical malpractice lawsuits are in limbo.

Legislation that would overhaul Missouri’s criminal code has received first-round approval in the Missouri House.

When the Homestead Act of 1862 made land in the Great Plains virtually free, people rushed in to settle rural Kansas. But 150 years later, the dust has truly settled. Between 2000 and 2010, more than half of Kansas counties declined in population — many by 10 percent or more.