News

It's been a long time since Kansas City was a Cowtown, but the city's rich history as a meat-industry hub has bestowed us with an equally rich present as a meat-lover's heaven.

A pediatric rheumatologist who once worked at Children’s Mercy Hospital was sentenced to 10 years in prison Thursday after he pleaded guilty to coercion and enticement of a minor.

In his guilty plea agreement in September, Mark Franklin Hoeltzel admitted that he created a fake Facebook persona under the name “Ryan Gardner” to contact minor girls, including an 8th grader from whom he requested sexually explicit photographs.

Kansas City officials got another look on Thursday at what a new terminal at Kansas City International Airport might look like, although the design is still in the early phase. 

Although the two-story fountain featured in the original conceptual design is still absent, the architect from Skidmore, Owings & Merrill (SOM) assured city councilmembers that they’re working on one, possibly in the retail area.

The first thing that Kansas City residents will see approaching the airport is… the parking garage.

Nearly 5,000 women in Missouri were diagnosed with breast cancer in 2015, the last year for which figures are available from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. That’s about 130 cases per 100,000 women, making breast cancer the leading type of cancer for Missouri women by far – nearly two-and-a-half times the diagnosis rate for lung cancer.

The incidence of breast cancer in Kansas isn’t much lower – about 124 cases per 100,000 women.

Everything about Walt Disney is legendary, especially in his hometown of Kansas City where a mythology has grown up around the young ad man who created the world’s most-beloved character.

But, what does anyone really know about that mouse?

"How can the most popular fictional character in the world be someone that no one knows anything about?" author Jeff Ryan asked Central Standard host Gina Kaufmann.

In a post-election bombshell, a moderate Republican from Mission Hills, Kansas, has defected to the Democrats just ahead of the 2019 legislative session.

Sen. Barbara Bollier tells KCUR the party of Donald Trump frightens her and the last election proves the Kansas GOP belongs to the president.

A plan to demolish a prominent church on the Country Club Plaza and replace it with a 12-story, mixed-use project is unfolding as the latest historic preservation battle over the soul of the venerable district.

Legacy Development wants to redevelop the current site of the Seventh Church of Christ, Scientist at the northwest corner of 47th and Pennsylvania, according to a proposal submitted recently to the City Plan Commission.

After operating in Kansas City for the past three months, Lime plans on removing its scooters from the area for the next few weeks.

In an email to Kansas City, Missouri, city officials on Tuesday, the electric scooter company announced it will temporarily suspend its service, citing winter weather conditions in December and January. The company also said it plans to analyze its operations and progress in Kansas City before returning in the spring.

Eleven Johnson County voters are challenging the eligibility of newly elected Adam T. Thomas, an Olathe Republican, to take his seat in the Kansas House of Representatives.

The voters, 10 residents of Olathe and one resident of Spring Hill, allege that Thomas, who won the 26th District seat, was not a resident of the district when he declared his candidacy or ran for the seat. If true, that would violate the Kansas Constitution.

Updated at 7:20 p.m. Dec. 10 with a response to the investigation from the Office of the Attorney General.

Updated at 2:10 p.m. Dec. 10 with secretary of state's office requesting the auditor's help in the investigation— Missouri Attorney General Josh Hawley is under investigation for possibly using "public funds" in his bid for U.S. Senate, the Secretary of State's Office announced Thursday.

Missouri saw its highest turnout for the November midterm election in 20 years, and is one of only 12 in the U.S. that doesn’t have a form of no-excuse absentee voting.

Kansas City Democratic Sen. Lauren Arthur is looking to change that in the next legislative session. Her measure is one of several bills that were prefiled ahead of the 2019 legislative session to deal with the state’s election and initiative petition processes.

The Jesse James Bank Museum in Liberty, Missouri, is a repository of myth and legend about the notorious 19th century outlaws Frank and Jesse James. It's where they pulled off the first successful daytime bank robbery in 1866 that occured not during wartime.

More than 100 local officials from both Kansas and Missouri gathered Saturday morning to discuss ways to combat climate change on the local and regional level. 

'This is by far the largest collection of elected officials that are addressing climate change, climate disruption and global warming that I've seen in my time here," said Brian Alferman, sustainability manager of Johnson County, Kansas. "So I want it to be a part of it and hope that it drives some of the work that I do."

The Kansas City Chiefs are ranked No. 1 in the AFC West and come in at No. 4 in the just-released NFL power rankings. Chiefs fans are feeling proud.

But there’s also bullying. Not just by former star running back Kareem Hunt, who was released by the team after video showed him kicking and pushing a woman in a Cleveland hotel in February, but also of an entire minority group.

President Donald Trump visited Kansas City, Missouri, Friday to speak at a national conference for Project Safe Neighborhoods, a Justice Department initiative that aims to partner local and federal officials in order to reduce violent crime.

At the Westin Kansas City at Crown Center, a crowd of hundreds of law enforcement officials and prosecutors from around the country greeted the president with warm applause, dozens of cell phones popping up in the air to capture his entrance.

The Recording Academy on Friday announced the nominees for the 2019 Grammy Awards, and Kansas City-based blues artist Danielle Nicole is up for her first Grammy.

Her second solo album, "Cry No More," was tapped for Contemporary Blues Album.

Funny is where you find it.

But to save time scouting out the stuff that will more than likely put a smile on your face, here’s a batch of comedians, musicians and Santas that could keep you ho-ho-ho-ing all weekend.

That’s right, Santas, as in more than one. Tell the tykes at your own risk!

1. Lewis Black: The Joke’s on US Tour

People who have been convicted of certain felonies will soon have a chance to get a job serving alcohol in Kansas City.

The Kansas City Council approved changes to the liquor card program on Thursday, just a week after voting the proposal down.

Kansas City leaders got some good news from the federal government today.

Missouri Congressman Sam Graves announced that the U.S. Department of Transportation has awarded a $25 million Better Utilizing Investments to Leverage Development (BUILD) Transportation Discretionary Grant to replace the Buck O’Neil Bridge.

The bridge carries 40,000 vehicles daily between downtown Kansas City and the Northland. At more than 60 years old, it’s nearing the end of its useful life.

A day after candidates could officially file for the chance to be the next mayor of Kansas City, Missouri, nine contenders made their cases at a forum organized by students at East High School on Van Brunt Boulevard. 

Unlike other debates and forums over the past few months, most of the questions Wednesday night came from people who won’t be old enough to cast a vote for mayor.

Robert Mnookin grew up in the 1950s as a member of B’nai Jehudah, one of the biggest and oldest Jewish temples in Kansas City. But asked to describe himself, the Harvard law professor doesn’t immediately say, “I’m Jewish.”

“We all have many strands to our identity: I’m a father, a grandfather, a husband, a law professor, I’m a Harvard graduate, and I’m from Kansas City. And, I’m Jewish,” Mnookin told Central Standard host Gina Kaufmann.