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The Trump administration says it has started the process of issuing reduction-in-force notices to federal employees. It's not clear how many agencies are affected or how many people.
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The Jackson County Legislature will appoint an interim county executive to serve until November 2026. Former County Executive Frank White Jr. was recalled by voters on Sept. 30, and former Kansas City Mayor Kay Barnes is serving for up to 30 days as temporary county executive.
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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.
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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.
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Primary election day is Tuesday, Aug. 5. Learn more about candidates for a number of Wyandotte County positions, including mayor of the Unified Government.
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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.
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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.
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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."
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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.
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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.
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Two Democratic candidates recently launched their campaigns against Cleaver for his seat in Missouri’s 5th Congressional District. That race will only get more challenging as a battle looms for possible redistricting that would make the seat more conservative.
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The governor said Missouri is "always trying to make sure that we have as much Republican representation" as possible in Congress. President Trump is pressuring the state to redraw district lines around Kansas City and force out Rep. Emanuel Cleaver.
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After Republican lawmakers rolled back sick leave benefits and targeted abortion rights, a bipartisan coalition called Respect Missouri Voters started pushing an initiative petition seeking to undermine the legislature’s ability to overturn voter-approved measures.
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The Republican senator from Missouri is teaming up with Democratic Sen. Richard Blumenthal on legislation aimed at deterring tech companies from training artificial intelligence models on content they didn't receive permission to use.
Government
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Gov. Mike Parson and four statewide officials took their oaths of offices on Monday — ushering in four more years of near total Republican rule over Missouri.
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An ordinance introduced by Mayor Quinton Lucas would force some taxpayer-funded organizations to pay employees at least $15 an hour by 2022.
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The officer is charged with using excessive force against the teenager, who pleaded ‘I can’t breathe.’
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Kansas City officials are deliberating who will become the next city manager, overseeing everything from snow removal to the annual budget.
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Federal authorities say the effort led to over 500 arrests in Kansas City, but that included arrests under other operations. Civil rights leaders were highly critical of it, calling it "undue civilian terror."
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Currently, only the governor and state auditor are restricted to two consecutive terms in Missouri. Opponents of the Amendment 1 ballot measure say it's a solution in need of a problem.
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Members of the city’s Transportation, Infrastructure and Operations Committee refused to attend Wednesday’s meeting, stalling city business. They’re calling on Teresa Loar to be removed as committee chair.
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Most of the money will go towards supporting small businesses in Clay County, in the form of grants of up to $50,000 each.
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Changing who is ultimately responsible for the department’s actions requires support from the Missouri General Assembly or a statewide vote.
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Most of the cuts will effect higher and K-12 education. The Office of Administration, the Department of Corrections, the Department of Health and Senior Services, and the Department of Social Services will also see cuts in funding.
Elections
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The Kansas legislature has taken up several bills this session that the ACLU says would make casting ballots harder. The House Committee on Elections' chair says the goal is to improve Kansans' confidence in elections, and that many of the measures won't make it to a vote on the floor.
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Jackson County voters will see a question in the April 2 election asking to repeal and replace a sales tax, which would help pay for a new Royals ballpark. Here is a guide to the stadium ballot measure, including whether the Royals needs taxpayer dollars and who would own it.
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Big wins in statewide offices and the legislature have helped create bitter factionalism within the Missouri GOP. But since former President Trump is likely to take the state easily in November, many GOP officials aren’t worried about what’s to come.
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Jackson County voters will decide in April whether to fund the Chiefs' and Royals' stadiums through a 3/8th-cent sales tax for the next 40 years. However, two legislators worry their constituents won’t have enough information to cast their ballots.
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Jackson County voters will decide in April whether to fund the Chiefs' and Royals' stadiums through a 3/8th-cent sales tax for the next 40 years. However, two legislators worry their constituents won’t have enough information to cast their ballots.
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State Auditor Scott Fitzpatrick, a Republican, issued an audit of Secretary of State Jay Ashcroft's office and downgraded his administration to the second-lowest rating because it illegally withheld documentation about election cybersecurity. Ashcroft, who is also a Republican, criticized the report as a political attack.
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In the few days since the 2024 Kansas legislative session started, bills governing mail-in ballots and advance voting applications have already been filed. There is still zero evidence that widespread election fraud happens at the state or national levels.
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Secretary of State Jay Ashcroft threatened to unilaterally kick President Joe Biden off of the Missouri ballot if Donald Trump is disqualified in other states for violating the U.S. Constitution's insurrection clause. But an appeals court ruling found Missouri law did not give the secretary of state that power.
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A local baseball fan created a Facebook group to "save Kauffman Stadium" over two years ago. Now, their movement claims over 7,500 members, even as the campaign to build a new downtown Royals ballpark gains momentum and legislative support.
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Across the U.S., thousands of children and young adults serve as informal interpreters for family members that don’t speak English. For kids of Latino immigrants in Kansas City, being the family interpreter is an honor and burden. Plus: Gov. Laura Kelly is again calling for lawmakers to expand Medicaid to provide health care to about 150,000 low-income Kansans.