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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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The lawsuit marks the first legal challenge against the special session convened by Gov. Mike Kehoe to redraw the state's congressional map and splinter Kansas City to create a 7-1 Republican-dominated map.
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The departing GOP official made a major splash in his short time as Missouri attorney general.
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The proposed map would split Kansas City, diluting votes from the 5th Congressional District and spreading them around the 4th and 6th districts. During the special session, legislators also will consider changes to Missouri's initiative petition process.
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Two county clerks report being contacted by the DOJ seeking access to election machines made by Dominion Voting Systems, the company at the center of false allegations of vote rigging during the 2020 presidential election.
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The working group established by Gov. Mike Kehoe to look at the regulations governing parole has met twice since a public hearing in June. Neither the public nor the media was notified of either meeting.
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Republican lawmakers say a 7-1 congressional map reflects Missouri's politics, but advocacy groups and state leaders believe efforts to redraw district lines are an affront to voters.
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Cleaver, an 11-term Democratic congressman, said he would not talk about running for a 12th term before "going to federal court," in response to Republican efforts to redraw the lines of the 5th District in favor Republicans.
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Lucas Cierpiot, a disability-rights activist, said he felt intimidated by the governor’s actions and too unsafe to attend any “No Kings” protests on June 14.
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Joining anti-Trump rallies across the country on Labor Day, workers, civil rights advocates and ordinary citizens gathered at Mill Creek Park Fountain on the Plaza. The Kansas City protests took aim at the president’s effort to maintain Republican control of Congress by altering blue districts to favor his party.
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A protest, led by organized labor in Missouri, is set for Monday at noon on the Plaza. They say the redistricting effort — which would carve up Rep. Emanuel Cleaver's Kansas City district — violates the Missouri Constitution.
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President Trump has been pressuring Gov. Mike Kehoe to call a special session for mid-decade redistricting. Republican lawmakers hope to gerrymander congressional lines around Kansas City, diluting Democratic voting power and making it harder for Rep. Emanuel Cleaver to win in the 2026 midterms.
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One ballot campaign hopes to amend the Missouri constitution to declare education a “fundamental right.” The other would prohibit most public funding of nonpublic schools, including charters. Both accuse the state's top election official, Denny Hoskins, of trying to mislead voters.
Government
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Kansas Gov. Laura Kelly says she will decide whether to extend the statewide stay-at-home order “later next week.” Missouri Gov. Mike Parson says most businesses should be able to open May 4.
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The lawsuit accuses Smithfield of refusing to change its practices at its plant in Milan, Missouri, in the face of the coronavirus pandemic.
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Protesters ringed the state Capitol in Topeka to press Gov. Laura Kelly for an end to her stay-at-home order.
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Kansas will have to plug a $1.3 billion budget shortfall between now and June 2021, but the state will have to be careful about where it makes cuts.
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Judge ruled state health department 'purposely' violated Sunshine Law in a case brought by a genealogical research service.
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Amid Economic Uncertainty, Kansas City, Missouri, Approves $72 Million To Replace Buck O'Neil BridgeThe Kansas City Council approved millions of dollars in expenditures, despite uncertainty over how the COVID-19 pandemic will affect tax revenues.
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Missouri's governor said he will look at metrics like testing availability and hospital capacity to decide how to ease restrictions.
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The state audit calls into question the sale of a county building for $10 after spending more than $1 million on renovations.
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The coronavirus put tens of thousands of Kansans out of work, and left them frustrated when they try filing for unemployment benefits.
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Kansas' stay-at-home order was supposed to expire Sunday, but Gov. Laura Kelly extended it until at least May 1.
Elections
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As KCUR covers the 2024 elections in Missouri and Kansas, we want residents and voters to help shape our coverage. What do you need to know about the voting process, your local races, or what you're seeing in the news?
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If Missouri voters approve the proposed amendment, it would bar local governments from adopting ranked-choice voting models. But it has has a carve out for St. Louis, which implemented ranked-choice in 2020 for its municipal elections.
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Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey and former federal prosecutor Will Scharf both repeated lies that the 2020 presidential election was illegitimate. That's despite numerous independent studies and government reviews proving there was "absolutely no evidence" of fraud.
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New Republican-backed laws in several states — including Missouri and Kansas — threaten large fines or criminal penalties for minor mistakes in voter registration work. As groups pull back, they're reaching fewer voters.
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The sheriff's admission that no judge signed his search warrant for old election ballots came in the middle of a Republican candidate forum. For years, Hayden has claimed he is investigating voter fraud, but his probe has not yielded any charges or evidence.
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On May 7, voters in Kansas City, Kansas, will decide whether to approve a ballot measure that would raise property taxes for the next 30 years. The bond would pay to consolidate elementary schools, build new buildings, increase early childhood education, and fund additional renovations.
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In 2022, KCUR brought together a politically diverse group of people to share their views on election issues and politics. It's 2024. Where are they now?
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As November 2024 nears, Kansas and Missouri pollsters say that transparency is one key factor for determining a poll's quality.
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Voters soundly rejected the question that would have extended a 3/8th-cent stadium sales tax for 40 years, allowing the Royals to fund their proposed downtown ballpark and the Chiefs to renovate Arrowhead Stadium. Plus: Families of the people incarcerated at Leavenworth are worried as visits and phone calls have been cut off.
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Incumbents prevailed in some Missouri school board elections, while other Kansas City-area boards saw shakeups that could shift how they handle book challenges, diversity initiatives, class instruction time and how to best support students.