KCUR

Poor Homeowners Were Unfairly Targeted By Jackson County Assessments, Critics Say

The fight over the Jackson County reassessment mess is dragging on and becoming even more contentious as critics alleged the assessment discriminated against poorer areas. The county Board of Equalization (BOE) on Thursday had a plan on its agenda that would throw out the assessment and cap property value increases at no more than 14 percent.

Celia Llopis-Jepsen / Kansas News Service

Amid National Hepatitis A Outbreaks, Kansas Requires Vaccine For Schoolkids

'Saying No Is Not The Answer': The Reasons Driving Missouri Republicans' Shift On Criminal Justice

For People Of Color In Kansas City, 'Go Back Where You Came From' Is A Familiar Refrain

By Luke X. Martin • 13 hours ago

During a week when President Donald Trump continued attacks on four members of Congress after tweeting that they should "go back and help fix the totally broken and crime infested places from which they came," people of color in Kansas City are reacting with anger, frustration and sadness.

One emotion that's less common is surprise.

After Visit To Kansas City, Buttigieg Pledges To Spread The Word About Tiny Houses For Veterans

By Christina Elias • Jul 17, 2019

Presidential candidate Pete Buttigieg said the Kansas City-based Veterans Community Project is “deeply impressive” during a campaign visit Wednesday morning. The nonprofit offers a range of veteran services, including temporary housing assistance.

“I’m going to be sharing this story everywhere I go,” he said after touring the VCP Village, where homeless veterans can live temporarily in a “tiny house.”

Seeing Apollo Through The Eyes Of Astronauts

By Ryan Kellman • Jul 17, 2019

Fifty years ago, two astronauts became the first humans to set foot on the moon. Like many explorers, they documented their accomplishment in photographs. The images they took are some of the most enduring of the 20th century, traveling from Life magazine to MTV to Twitter.

For most of us, the photos brought back by Apollo 11 are iconic and a little difficult to comprehend. But for astronauts, they represent something more: hours of training, risks taken and the many people on the ground who worked to make the journey possible.

Scientists Desert USDA As Agency Relocates To Kansas City Area

By Merrit Kennedy • Jul 17, 2019

Two vital research agencies at the U.S. Department of Agriculture are hemorrhaging staff as less than two-thirds of the researchers asked to relocate from Washington to the Kansas City area have agreed to do so.

As Anti-Vax Movement Grows In Missouri, Families With Sick Children Fear For Their Lives

By Alex Smith • Jul 17, 2019

Listen

Listening...

4:29

Vaccinations not only protect your health, they protect the health of the community by slowing or stopping the spread of illness.

But Missouri now has some of the lowest measles vaccination rates in the nation, and that’s especially troubling for families with children who can’t get the shots for medical reasons.

Missouri's Foster Kids Can No Longer Be Doped Up Thanks To A New Legal Settlement

By Dan Margolies • Jul 16, 2019

Thousands of kids in Missouri's foster care system are likely to benefit from a first-of-its-kind legal settlement under which state officials have agreed to strict limits on how and when kids can be given psychotropic drugs.

The settlement resolves a class action lawsuit charging that Missouri foster care officials failed to safeguard the conditions under which the powerful medications are dispensed. U.S. District Judge Nanette Laughrey gave preliminary approval to the agreement on Monday.

Kander To Lead Expansion For Group Trying To End Veterans Homelessness

By Jason Rosenbaum • Jul 16, 2019

After a few months away from the public spotlight, Jason Kander is back.

But Kander isn’t venturing into the electoral arena. Instead, he’s leading the national expansion of a group that is trying to eradicate homelessness among veterans.

Missouri Mothers Are At Risk For Postpartum Depression, And A New Drug Might Not Be Much Help

By Emily Aiken • Jul 16, 2019

Woman poses in front of backdrop in KCUR studio — Luke X. Martin / KCUR 89.3

Every woman who gives birth has the possibility of developing postpartum depression. That includes nearly one in seven mothers in Missouri, which ranks 11th in the nation for those who experience the condition, according to the the United Health Foundation.

Kansas Mom Hopes Her Family's Story Will Help Convince Lawmakers To Expand Medicaid

By Anne Kniggendorf • Jul 16, 2019

Listen

Listening...

4:11

Laura Robeson quit her job as a fourth-grade teacher to care for her son, who has cerebral palsy and other health problems. But as politicians considered cuts to various health care programs, she felt compelled to become an activist, working with others to speak out for families like hers.

That culminated at the State of the Union Address in February. Kansas Congresswoman Sharice Davids chose Robeson to attend as her guest, providing a real-world example of the role federal healthcare policies play in a citizen's life.

Medicare Advantage Plans Overbill Taxpayers By Billions Annually, Records Show

By editor • Jul 16, 2019

Health insurers that treat millions of seniors have overcharged Medicare by nearly $30 billion over the past three years alone, but federal officials say they are moving ahead with long-delayed plans to recoup at least part of the money.

Pages