Sam Zeff
Metro ReporterAs KCUR’s metro reporter, I hold public officials accountable. Are cities spending your tax money wisely? Are police officers and other officials acting properly? I will track down malfeasance by seeking open records and court documents, and by building relationships across the city. But I also need you — email me with any tips at sam@kcur.org, find me on Twitter @samzeff or call me at 816-235-5004.
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Verifiable numbers are hard to come by in the bidding war for the Royals and Chiefs. Last year, the two teams generated nearly $70 million in city, county and state taxes, but it would take decades to generate enough revenue to make up the price tag of new stadiums. -
A lawsuit filed Thursday in Jackson County Circuit Court says two Independence police officers acted with malice and were reckless when they killed Maria Pike, 34 and her two-month-old baby Destinii Hope. -
The Board of Commissioners of the Unified Government of Wyandotte County and Kansas City, Kansas voted to allow property taxes to increase next year. But the county's financial issues remain and commissioners agreed there is waste to cut from the budget. -
The election board says it is in limbo waiting for County Executive Frank White to sign or veto an ordinance unanimously approved Monday. There is not enough time to “build the election.” -
County Legislator Sean Smith helped lead the recall effort of Jackson County Executive Frank White, which local election officials confirmed had enough signatures Monday to go to a vote. White has accused Smith of illegally using taxpayer-funded staff to promote the petition campaign. -
The department in Clay County is short 14 officers. The city council just raised pay for officers and added incentives to recruit from other departments, as other law enforcement agencies grapple with similar staffing concerns. -
A 10-month KCUR investigation revealed that the Kansas City Police Department accepts liability for approximately two wrecks per month. Over three years, the department paid out more than $1 million in legal settlements. -
The deadly Westport crash in 2021 made the most headlines, but a KCUR investigation found more than a dozen crashes involving KCFD vehicles from 2019 to 2023. -
Simone held the underboss spot for 30 years, and ran the Civella crime family’s vast gambling empire in the 1970s. -
The Jackson County legislator was charged in Kansas City, Missouri, with violating a protection order and in Johnson County, Kansas, with domestic battery. The mother of Abarca's son wrote in a social media post that she had not seen her son since May 28.
