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The YMCA of Greater Kansas City closed operations at a Head Start center near Swope Park today, after closing three others earlier this month. Officials say staffing levels were insufficient to serve the 289 children enrolled in the program.
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Kansas averages 25 dangerously hot days per year. That’s 10 more than it would in a world without climate change, according to the report.
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Even after Missouri Republicans pushed through a measure that would ban most abortions again, which voters will likely see on the 2026 ballot, Planned Parenthood will continue offering abortion services throughout the state.
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Congressional Republicans are looking to cut at least $880 billion from a pool of federal funding that includes Medicaid — and the program is likely to take a major hit. A previous budget crunch in Missouri offers a window into how cuts ripple through people's lives.
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Federal lawmakers are considering big cuts to the health care program Medicaid. Some Kansans fear they’ll lose coverage or benefits.
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Voters will likely see the issue on the ballot in 2026. The amendment would ban most abortions, with limited exceptions before 12 weeks of pregnancy, and also includes language banning gender-affirming care for minors — something that's already in state law.
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The bipartisan bill allows requests for an investigation to be submitted by individuals or community groups, not just local governments.
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Missouri’s system for providing legal representation to families ensnared in the foster care system is highly decentralized and has little state oversight. The result is that some parents go without legal help at all, while kids stay in foster care far longer than the national average.
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The legislation, which state Rep. Jim Murphy called "a pro-life bill that everybody agrees with," also expands tax credits for maternity homes and diaper banks and creates a "Zero-Cost Adoption Fund."
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With elder abuse cases in Kansas on the rise, investigators are taking on three times the number of cases they can adequately manage. The state says it can't release data on caseloads but advocates say metrics for evaluating elder abuse are lacking.
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The number of people waiting in jail to be transferred to state mental health facilities reached an all-time high in February. People are sometimes being incarcerated for longer than if they’d actually received the maximum sentence for the crime they were charged with.
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A memo from President Trump earlier this year revealed plans to remove transgender service members from the military — a plan the Supreme Court has allowed to be enforced while the legal battle plays out. Thousands of transgender service members now face the possible end of their careers.
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Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey has been seeking medical records on gender-affirming health care for minors from providers across Missouri. An appeals court said Planned Parenthood must produce "de-identified" medical records or otherwise cite exemptions.
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Officials say an unvaccinated child in Sedgwick County has tested positive for measles.