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Annelise Hanshaw/Missouri IndependentThe proposed amendment drafted by Republican lawmakers will appear before voters in November 2026, two years after Missourians codified the right to reproductive health care in the state constitution. -
Annelise Hanshaw/Missouri IndependentState Senate Democratic Leader Doug Beck said Gov. Mike Kehoe should not have authorized a deployment just hours before the federal shutdown.
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Lenexa City Council member Melanie Arroyo, who was born in Mexico and became a naturalized U.S. citizen in 2018, wrote about her experience as an immigrant in an opinion piece for the Star. Then an anonymous caller asked the Kansas Bureau of Investigation to look into her ability to hold public office. -
With the Missouri governor's appointment of Heather Hall, a former Kansas City councilwoman from the Northland, the state-run Board of Police Commissioners lacks any appointees from east of Troost Avenue. Residents and activists worry about accountability. -
The Clinton administration once used Matthew Morrison’s U.S. immigration case to help solidify peace in Northern Ireland. Decades after moving to St. Louis to find safety and build a family, Morrison is now fleeing this country out of fear. -
The federal lawsuit targets decisions from President Trump and the Department of Government Efficiency to eliminate billions in funding for law enforcement, medical and scientific research, food benefits, education and more. -
Legislators originally approved the recall vote for August 26, but the Jackson County and Kansas City election boards said they could not possibly meet legal balloting requirements in that short timeframe. -
In a little more than a week, the idea of redrawing Missouri’s congressional district lines has gained momentum among Republicans — with the explicitly partisan purpose of watering down Democratic voting power in the Kansas City-area 5th District, and forcing U.S. Rep. Emanuel Cleaver out of his seat. -
Primary election day is Tuesday, Aug. 5. Learn more about candidates for a number of Wyandotte County positions, including mayor of the Unified Government. -
The proposal from Secretary Brooke Rollins calls for cutting 2,600 of the department's 4,600 jobs in the D.C. area and expanding the department’s footprint in five regional hubs, including Kansas City. -
The Corporation for Public Broadcasting, which funnels federal money to public media stations such as KCUR and Classical KC, says it's winding down operations after President Trump signed a law rescinding all funding. -
The lawsuit charges that Missouri's hastily passed Show-Me Sports Investment Act is unconstitutional and "a direct gift or bribe to the owners of the Chiefs and Royals to stay in Missouri." -
Local leaders are addressing AI’s impact on water, surveillance, transparency and more. A mostly hands-off approach at the federal level means regulating complex AI issues is–so far–evolving in a patchwork of laws. -
The bill from Missouri Republican Rep. Bob Onder is called the "Make Entertainment Great Again Act," but it focuses on one particular venue: the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. Significant obstacles stand in the way.
Government
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Known as SB8, the highly restrictive law has spawned a copycat bill for consideration in Missouri. -
Attorney General Eric Schmitt is using a judge's ruling against state and local public health officials to go after school districts requiring masks. -
Platt is happy with the progress Kansas City has made, but knows there's more to be done. -
The new legislation will bring $3.8 billion to Kansas for infrastructure projects and create two million jobs per year for the next decade. -
On Sunday, December 5th, former U.S. Senator from Kansas Bob Dole passed away at the age of 98. -
As the Strickland evidentiary hearing continues at the Jackson County Courthouse, Mayor Lucas remains critical of Strickland's continued imprisonment. -
The former Republican U.S. senator from Missouri talks about President Biden, the Jan. 6 insurrection, Donald Trump and Josh Hawley. -
The Gilded Age saw an America much like today. Robert Putnam and Shaylyn Romney Garrett examine how the country recovered then and how it can do so again. -
Republicans are pushing Gov. Kelly to eliminate the $300 additional weekly unemployment payments because they say the money makes it harder to fill open jobs. -
Heating bills for school districts spiked during the cold snap earlier this year, leaving some districts unable to pay.
Elections
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In 2022, residents of this district told reporters they felt forgotten by elected officials. On a return visit, we heard from voters that long-serving U.S. Rep. Sam Graves doesn’t spend much time connecting with constituents here. Still, with wide support, he’s destined for a 12th term. -
Will Scharf, an attorney for former President Donald Trump is challenging Andrew Bailey, the current attorney general, as he seeks his first full term in the office. So far, Trump has yet to endorse either candidate. -
World-renowned crop artist Stan Herd is almost finished with the portrait of the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee outside Lawrence, Kansas, near the Kansas River. -
The former Missouri Secretary of State and co-host of the podcast Majority 54 says Harris' presumptive nomination for the presidential race is energizing Democrats to "do the work." -
Democratic delegates who had pledged themselves to Biden following Kansas and Missouri’s presidential primary votes were largely united around Harris before they met Monday night to endorse her. The votes helped give Harris enough support to secure the party's presumptive nomination. -
News of President Joe Biden ending his presidential re-election run leaves many Democrats rallying around Vice President Kamala Harris. U.S. Rep. Emanuel Cleaver, D-Kansas City, and the Kansas Democratic Party chair both say they will both back her campaign. -
Fundraising in the Republican and Democratic primaries for Missouri governor has exceeded $21 million, with the majority going to Lt. Gov. Mike Kehoe. But the race for attorney general is also proving pricey. -
Three Democrats are facing off in the 2024 Democratic primary for Jackson County Prosecutor, after Jean Peters Baker announced she would not run for re-election. John Gromowsky and Melesa Johnson joined KCUR's Up To Date to discuss issues facing the office. -
This is a big election year for Missouri and Kansas, and the 2024 KC Voter Guide can help you make sense of it all. KCUR, the KC Media Collective and The Kansas City Star put together all of the information you need to make informed decisions as a voter in Jackson, Johnson, Clay, Platte and Wyandotte counties. -
Hundreds of candidates will appear on dozens of different ballots across the Kansas City metro during the August primary. They are precinct or county committee members, and they make up the backbone of their chosen party’s ability to build grassroots support and to set policy priorities.
