According to documents obtained by KCUR, the agency plans to cut nearly half of its routes, drastically reduce weekend service and pare down its operating hours. It will also lay off about 171 workers.

The city is pulling from several funding sources, including $12 million from the Housing Trust Fund, to support the first phase of development for Parade Park. The community was a Black-owned housing co-op and a source of pride for Kansas City's Black families.

Kansas City’s new streetcar has spurred the construction of more than 1,400 new apartment units along Main Street since 2017. These are some of the highlights, including historic renovations and new buildings.

During March and April this year, Kansas City will work with four area shelters to extend the city's Zero KC emergency cold-weather plan to last the entire year. The new policy eases restrictions for people who've been kept out of shelters because of mental health, addiction or other issues — and adds additional beds.

The Kansas City Area Transportation Authority has struggled for years to provide fast and frequent bus service. Many suburbs have pulled their funding, which resulted in route cuts, and a feud between Kansas City leaders and the agency may result in even more.

Missouri is one of just 10 states that do not require any driver to take driver’s education classes before getting behind the wheel. A proposed bill would make it a mandatory part of high school health classes.

Kansas has a lack of housing in both rural and urban areas. The bill would focus on areas with “minimal building activity.”

Black homeownership is a path to generational wealth, but many Black families in Kansas City have been prevented from buying homes due to decades-old racist lending practices. Habitat for Humanity Kansas City is helping more Black families buy homes.

The city of Lenexa will now allow Project 1020 to accept up to 50 people per night. The organization said it's been “overwhelmed” by demand for shelter and had to turn away people during Kansas City's recent winter storms.

Each year, volunteers venture out nationwide on a single night for the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s point-in-time count in an effort to tally the country’s homeless population. Rural volunteers say they rely on the count to aid their unhoused populations. Meanwhile, experts say HUD may be undercounting.

The Missouri State Highway Patrol says that 148 pedestrians were struck and killed on the state's roadways last year, 16% more than the year before.

As the cost to buy a home continues to rise in the Midwest, real estate experts say the regional rental market offers affordable housing options and biding your time before buying may be the smart move in 2025.