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Al Drago/Getty Images North AmericaMissouri Gov. Mike Kehoe mobilized Guard members to assist ICE with "data entry, case management, and logistical support." Military experts say they also worry how these new deployments will affect recruitment and public trust. -
Celia Llopis-Jepsen/Kansas News ServiceThe Kansas Supreme Court’s decision to reject an appeal from Attorney General Kris Kobach allows the state to resume a process that had been in place for more than 20 years.
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A new draft White House memo suggests a 2019 law signed by President Trump that guarantees federal employees get paid after a shutdown ends would not apply to furloughed workers. The Kansas City region has tens of thousands of federal workers who could be affected. -
The federal government is currently shut down. NPR's network is following the ways the government shutdown is affecting services across the country, including in Missouri and Kansas. -
The office of Missouri Attorney General Catherine Hanaway is subpoenaing patient medical records, incident reports, “adverse event documentation” and more from Planned Parenthood. The organization called the request "nothing more than an attempt to harass" them and is fighting back in court. -
The St. Louis Democrat's decision sets up a nationally watched rematch against Congressman Wesley Bell, who defeated Bush in one of the most expensive primaries in American history. Pro-Israel groups had spent millions of dollars against her 2024 campaign. -
Shawn Koch saved hundreds of threatening emails from her ex, Christopher Koch. He threatened to kill her, get her fired, keep their children from her and ruin her life. -
Kansas has been trying to sway the region’s NFL and MLB teams to cross the border. Lawmakers in both Kansas and Missouri have lobbed tax incentives and construction fund packages at the teams. -
The 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. -
State Senate Democratic Leader Doug Beck said Gov. Mike Kehoe should not have authorized a deployment just hours before the federal shutdown. -
The director of the presidential library and museum in Abilene, Kansas, said he was suddenly told to resign or be fired. He refused to give the Trump administration a historic sword from the museum’s collection. -
A group called "Stop The Ban" is already receiving six-figure donations for its effort to defeat a proposed constitutional amendment that would repeal abortion rights in Missouri. The amendment was written by Republican lawmakers and is set to appear on the 2026 ballot. -
Fred Wellman is the host of the On Democracy podcast, which has been critical of the Republican Party gravitation to Donald Trump. He's the second candidate to join the Democratic primary for the 2nd District, which has become more competitive in recent years. -
Kansas City is a regional hub for federal offices and the almost 30,000 federal workers who make up the largest workforce in the area. Many of those workers are furloughed without pay, their agencies closed until the government reopens.
Government
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Fighting fires has evolved, but federal safety regulations haven’t changed for nearly half a century. Now the Occupational Safety and Health Administration has proposed new safety standards. It's great news for career and paid firefighters, but volunteer departments say the new rules could bog them down with expensive and irrelevant regulations. -
The police raid on the Marion County Record potentially violated federal law and constitutional rights. It could leave taxpayers covering a big legal settlement. -
Mirroring federal legislation passed on Dec. 8, Missouri Rep. Chris Sander, a Republican from Lone Jack, has pre-filed a bill to recognize marriage between two individuals. -
The proposal by Missouri Secretary of State Jay Ashcroft would threaten the funding of libraries over "non-age-appropriate materials" for minors. But former library administrators say the rules are "redundant and unnecessary." -
The Pulitzer Prize-winning biographer's latest book examines the moral evolution of the 16th president from childhood through his time in office. -
The comprehensive collaborative plan would work on reducing homelessness not only in Kansas City but in the region. -
Kansas City attorney Stacy Lake has a plan to do better than the incumbent. That plan focuses on putting county residents first. -
David A. Paterson says he was ready to be governor, but the media's focus on his blindness obscured what he was trying to accomplish. -
Mass shootings in Buffalo and Uvalde have reinvigorated gun control advocates across the country. March For Our Lives rallies in hundreds of U.S. cities will take place Saturday to 'demand a nation free of gun violence.' -
A deep dive from the 2020 election through Joe Biden's first year as president reveals the struggle to hold the country together.
Elections
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A final tally of votes in the Feb. 25 special election shows opponents edging bond supporters by only 319 votes. Wichita school district leaders say they plan to regroup and consider next steps. -
Kansas currently has a merit-based system that doesn’t let voters have more say in the process. -
Platte County residents are suing the three-member commission for failing to implement a quarter-cent sales tax that voters passed in November. The tax would fund youth mental health services, which are severely lacking in the county. -
Una investigación de tres años sobre fraude electoral realizada por el ex alguacil del condado de Johnson, Calvin Hayden, sólo produjo un caso: contra el comisionado electoral Fred Sherman. El fiscal del condado retiró los cargos. -
A three-year election fraud investigation by former Johnson County Sheriff Calvin Hayden produced only one case for charging: against election commissioner Fred Sherman. The county prosecutor refused to charge.
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Newly-elected Sheriff Byron Roberson said just three people were responsible for more than 100 election fraud complaints that prompted the previous sheriff's investigation. No criminal charges were ever filed as a result, but Hayden repeatedly cast suspicions about election procedures. -
The Great Bend, Kansas, native is currently serving his second term as the state's top election official. If elected in 2026, Schwab said he would work to lower property taxes and help rural communities that are falling behind. -
Wyandotte County this year saw the death of ex-KCKPD officer Roger Golubski, budget cuts in the city government and concerns over high utility fees. Meanwhile, housing issues and homeless shelters, a case of food contamination, and high-stakes elections defined 2024 for Johnson County. -
In November's election, a majority of Platte County voters approved a quarter-cent sales tax that would fund youth mental health services. But Platte County Commissioners refused to enact the tax, drawing criticism from residents and mental health providers. -
Missouri lawmakers passed legislation in 2022 that established a photo ID requirement at the polls. The NAACP and voting rights group had sued, arguing that its intention was to disenfranchise large groups of people.
