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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The star wide receiver served his sentence at the Dallas County Jail after violating his probation. Rice pleaded guilty last July to two felonies connected to a high-speed crash in a Dallas that injured four people, and then later violated his probation. -
The city settled with the parents of Maria Pike, who was the mother of 12-week-old Destinii Hope, and with Destinii's father. Their attorney says it's the largest settlement in a police brutality case ever in Missouri. -
The Kansas City Police Department says there was a 200% jump in cocaine seizures in 2025. KCPD says it was warned to anticipate a spike as the World Cup approaches. -
Manny Abarca, now running for Jackson County executive, was banned from Paseo Academy for one academic year for violating a Kansas City Public Schools policy that requires “appropriate behavior” by guests. -
The size of the settlement has not been made public. -
The University of Missouri-Kansas City Roos will play 15 men’s basketball games at the venerable downtown arena. The city will charge UMKC nothing. -
The University of Kansas Health System says the pediatric intensive care unit, or PICU, only serves about 150 patients a year. KU faculty say closing the PICU creates a cascading series of problems. -
From Cameron, Missouri to Lawrence, Kansas, small town officials say they offer a slice of the real America, cheaper accommodations and traditional 4th of July festivities. -
Los Angeles-based Metrobloks says it will build a $1.4 billion AI data center in Liberty, Missouri, after the city approved a bond and 25-year tax incentive package. The news comes as Independence residents organize against a data project there. -
After being charged in Hutchinson, Kansas with harassment, the Johnson County district attorney asked a judge to revoke his bond. “A defendant on bond who reoffends against the same victim threatens public safety,” the motion said.
