
Peggy Lowe
Public Safety, Justice and Investigative ReporterAs KCUR’s public safety and justice reporter, I put the people affected by the criminal justice system front and center, so you can learn about different perspectives through empathetic, contextual and informative reporting. My investigative work shines a light on often secretive processes, countering official narratives and exposing injustices.
Email me at lowep@kcur.org.
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Five years after the COVID-19 pandemic began, students around Kansas City still struggle with their mental health. A group of students at Guadalupe Centers High School share what they learned when they interviewed each other.
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A private prison in Leavenworth, Kansas, could reopen to hold detainees for federal immigration authorities. Plus: Farmers fear the trade war could cause another farm crisis.
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A Kansas City resident, Zeskind began studying the white nationalist movement more than 40 years ago and published his findings in his 2009 book, “Blood and Politics.” His work showed uncanny foresight into the rise in anti-immigrant groups in the U.S., well before the election of President Donald Trump.
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Prosecutor Melesa Johnson’s office is supporting a state bill that would add animal control officers to the list of those who must report any suspected child or elder abuse. Animal abuse is seen as a “predictor crime” for potential violence toward people.
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A surveillance video of Brady being shot point-blank in the parking lot of his Brookside restaurant last year was shown at a juvenile court hearing Tuesday. Brady’s family was watching via webcam from Ireland, and his wife sat in the last row of the courtroom.
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So far this year, Kansas City has recorded 12 homicides related to domestic violence – which was the total attributed to the problem last year. There wasn’t a single contributing factor, but Mayor Quinton Lucas cited the large number of guns in the city.
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Danette Colbert, 48, was already charged with theft and using the credit card of Adan Manzano, 27, an anchor and reporter for Telemundo in Kansas City. He was in New Orleans to cover the Super Bowl. The manner of Manzano’s death is still undetermined, but he had a high level of alcohol and Xanax in his system, the Jefferson Parish coroner said.
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James Lemons, 40, filed a lawsuit this week saying the Kansas City Sports Commission was negligent for failing to provide proper security for the Super Bowl rally on February 14, 2024. A commission spokesman said it disagrees with Lemons' “assertions.”
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In an extraordinary hearing, a federal judge testified Wednesday about a years-long case of two attorneys accused of ethical violations for watching and listening in on visits between inmates and their attorneys at Leavenworth. The first day of the hearing saw the U.S. attorney’s office in Kansas City, Kansas, described as aggressive, unprofessional and doing “virtually everything they could to thwart this investigation.”
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Lester pleaded guilty to second-degree assault in the shooting of Ralph Yarl last Friday. The teen mistakenly rang Lester's doorbell in April 2023 when he was picking up his brothers.