Blaise Mesa
Reporter, Kansas City BeaconBlaise Mesa is based in Topeka, where he covers the Legislature and state government for the Kansas City Beacon. He previously covered social services and criminal justice for the Kansas News Service. He also worked as a reporter for the Topeka Capital-Journal.
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Child care is expensive for families, yet it doesn't bring in enough money for providers to grow or pay workers high wages. Kansas is at a crossroads.
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Audits of the Kansas foster care system raise concerns about mental health access, unreliable data and foster kids moving between homes too often.
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People in jail or prison can't keep up with technology. A program for inmates in Kansas and Missouri will help them learn job skills.
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One former Lawrence Police Officer was charged with a crime after pinning his wife to the couch during an argument. He lost his job, but then found work at a jail.
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The ruling found the Kansas Highway Patrol use of maneuver to detain out-of-state drivers for drug searches is unlawful.
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Kansas Attorney General Kris Kobach sued Gov. Laura Kelly over dueling interpretations of a law restricting transgender Kansans’ ability to change their gender on state IDs.
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People undergoing domestic abuse are more likely to lose their jobs. Fort Hays State University is trying to teach businesses how to change that.
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Problems with foster care agencies was a common reasons parents stopped fostering.
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Geary County Secure Care can be ‘the last hope for these youth.’ But others say the jail-like facility only makes things worse.
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The Lansing prison is reducing the number of visitation hours each week. It says that will allow more families to visit because the demand for visitation is so high.