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Zane Irwin/Kansas News ServiceDetainees in a Cottonwood Falls jail describe sleeping on the floor in overcapacity cells. Amid a national deportation surge, this jail is one of the region’s primary immigration detention centers. -
Carlos Moreno/KCUR 89.3The Kansas City Council ended its years-long agreement to stop the economic tug of war between the Kansas and Missouri sides of the metro. Both states offered big incentives to the Chiefs and Royals, but neither team have said yet where they'll go.
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Missouri Gov. Mike Kehoe hasn’t called a special session yet to discuss redistricting, but he indicated he's moving closer towards convening lawmakers. "We’re going to win the Midterms in Missouri again, bigger and better than ever before!” Trump declared Thursday. -
White sent a letter to all Jackson County employees Wednesday announcing his decision — and then, the next day, announced he had been battling kidney cancer. -
U.S. Rep. Wesley Bell, a Democrat representing St. Louis County, was repeatedly challenged about the war in Gaza at a town hall that drew about 300 people. The event ended with security officers and police getting into a physical altercation with protesters, but no arrests were made. -
Less than 24 hours after Attorney General Andrew Bailey announced he was resigning to join the Trump administration. Gov. Mike Kehoe selected Hanaway, who was also the first woman to serve as Missouri House Speaker, to fill out more than three years of the GOP statewide official’s term. -
After the resignation of Andrew Bailey to serve in the Trump administration, Catherine Hanaway will be Missouri's fourth attorney general since 2018. She was the first and only woman to serve as speaker of Missouri House of Representatives, and unsuccessfully ran twice for statewide office. -
Legal experts say President Trump lacks the constitutional authority to stop states from offering mail ballots. Both Missouri and Kansas currently allow absentee voting by mail, but Kansas Republican lawmakers recently made it harder by eliminating a three-day grace period. -
The USDA has requested Social Security numbers, birthdates, addresses and more personal information of Kansans who have received food assistance. Kansas Gov. Laura Kelly has joined a lawsuit with other states challenging the Trump administration's demands. -
Bailey’s short tenure as attorney general was defined by confrontation with the federal government and local officials, as well as accusations of corruption, incompetence and grandstanding. -
In a battle started by President Trump, Texas, California and even Missouri could redraw lines that change whose votes really matter in the 2026 congressional elections. -
Gov. Mike Kehoe wouldn't say whether he would call a special session to gerrymander the congressional map around Kansas City, and make it difficult for a Democrat to win in the 5th District. But he did say he shares Trump's vision for Republicans keeping control of the U.S. House. -
State leaders in both parties say they're ready to redraw political lines ahead of 2026, but state laws and constitutions make mid-decade redistricting virtually impossible in many places. In Missouri, Republicans are taking aim at Kansas City's U.S. House seat. -
Shawnee Mission, Olathe, Topeka and Kansas City, Kansas, public school districts allegedly allowed students to participate in sports and use restrooms that align with their gender identity. The districts also permitted teachers to maintain confidentiality with transgender students.
Government
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TOPEKA, Kansas — Gov. Laura Kelly appointed lawyer Keynen “KJ” Wall to the Kansas Supreme Court on Wednesday.Wall will fill the seat of former Justice… -
TOPEKA, Kansas — The state lost 13% of its public defenders over the past year.That’s actually an improvement. Nearly a fourth of the state’s public… -
A federal judge in Washington state issued a temporary injunction on Friday blocking Trump administration rule changes that could allow people to share… -
Kansas health officials say the state is ready to deal with the new coronavirus now that Kansans are starting to get sick.Lawmakers still aren’t ready to… -
TOPEKA, Kansas — A pressure campaign led by Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly aims to force Republican Kansas Senate President Susan Wagle to drop her blockade… -
TOPEKA, Kansas — Kansas has one of the highest rates of suspended drivers in the country, and the majority of those more than 215,000 licenses are… -
Kansas City Mayor Quinton Lucas is rethinking some of his proposed budget cuts.The budget Lucas announced earlier this month included major cuts to arts,… -
Kansas lawmakers sped through dozens of bills this past week to keep them alive past a “turn around” deadline marking the midpoint of the session.Measures… -
TOPEKA, Kansas — From 2000 to 2019, the women’s prison population in Kansas rose by 60%. Over the same time period, the men’s population rose by only… -
Conservative Republicans at the Kansas Statehouse are attempting to block passage of Medicaid expansion until lawmakers send a constitutional amendment on…
Elections
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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.” -
Republicans still support changing the process even after watching the most recent Supreme Court nominating process. Democrats say the process is working. -
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. -
Kansas City Public Schools and three other districts saw bond issues passed by voters Tuesday, allowing them to fund construction projects and pay for maintenance. Five districts in the Kansas City area also held school board elections. -
The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee has put Missouri's 2nd Congressional District on its target list for the first time since 2020. The seat is currently held by Republican Rep. Ann Wagner. -
Kansas City officials have said the bulk of the money generated by the quarter-cent public safety sales tax will go toward a new municipal detention center. -
Voters overwhelmingly approved the measure that will provide nine charter schools and traditional Kansas City Public Schools campuses with nearly $500 million to address longstanding maintenance needs and improve learning environments. -
The SAVE Act could force eligible voters to provide proof of U.S. citizenship in order to register and vote. But the lack of resources, potential to disenfranchise applicants and criminal penalties worry some county clerks in Missouri. -
Kansas City Public Schools will ask voters on April 8 to approve $474 million in higher property taxes to help the district update classrooms, build new schools and address long-standing maintenance needs. In order to pass the bond measure, the district will have to convince 57% of voters to sign off. -
Missouri will hold municipal elections on April 8. Voters across the Kansas City area will weigh in on issues like investing in public safety, improving infrastructure and electing their school board members. Here's a guide to what's on your ballot, plus what you need to vote.
