The sprawling Meta data center campus was hailed as a project that would bring jobs and investment to Kansas City's Northland. But a new report alleges Turner Construction, the general contractor behind the campus, skirted city rules on hiring minority businesses — and that city officials tried to silence the Civil Rights office director when she sounded the alarm.
KCUR also learned that Kansas City was billed nearly $11,000 by private investigators to follow and surveil the official, who was one of the highest-ranking Black women at City Hall, in order to prove that she was violating the city's residency requirements.
Host Nomin Ujiyediin sat down with KCUR reporter Celisa Calacal to learn more about what exactly happened and how the city has responded.
Contact the show at news@kcur.org. Follow KCUR on Twitter and Facebook for the latest news.
Kansas City Today is hosted by Nomin Ujiyediin. It is produced by Byron Love and KCUR Studios and edited by Gabe Rosenberg and Lisa Rodriguez.
You can support Kansas City Today by becoming a KCUR member: kcur.org/donate