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Carlos Moreno/KCUR 89.3As the shutdown of the federal government stretches into its third week, employees are starting to feel the financial strain of being furloughed or working without pay. Many federal workers live paycheck to paycheck, and food assistance programs in the region are starting to prepare for an influx of need. -
Brendan Smialowski/AFP via Getty ImagesIn a hearing on Wednesday, U.S. District Judge Susan Illston said the layoffs have brought a human cost that cannot be tolerated.
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Missouri Gov. Mike Kehoe's office is requesting to change the state's SNAP program and restrict certain food and beverages. The governor's office says the changes would promote healthier food, but it may add headaches for customers and grocers. -
LeVota succeeds Frank White Jr., who was recalled by voters on Sept. 30. LeVota will serve until January 2027, which is the remainder of White's term. He used to work in the county prosecutor's office. -
The state's new congressional map uses Troost Avenue as a dividing line, and groups majority Black neighborhoods in east Kansas City with rural communities in the middle of the state. Community leaders worry the new divide will mean the needs of underserved urban neighborhoods go ignored. -
Missouri 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. -
The 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. -
The Trump administration says it has started the process of issuing "substantial" reduction-in-force notices to federal employees. Court filings suggest around 4,200 affected so far. -
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. -
Cole County Circuit Judge Daniel Green ruled that Secretary of State Denny Hoskins' proposed ballot language was "fair and sufficient," even though it does not explicitly state that the constitutional amendment would again ban most abortions in Missouri. -
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.
Government
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Updated Nov. 15 with statement from the governor: Attorneys for Kansas Gov. Laura Kelly have asked a federal court to remove her from a class-action… -
Raytown’s city clerk “purposefully” violated the law when she spurned a request for public records related to a fatal traffic accident, the Missouri Court… -
Kansans reported more sexual assaults, domestic violence and stalking to the police in 2018, according to a report from the Kansas Bureau of… -
Kansas City could once again house inmates and detainees in the downtown Jackson County jail after Mayor Quinton Lucas and Sheriff Darryl Forté reached a… -
TOPEKA, Kansas — When it comes to medical marijuana, Kansas may end up looking more like Ohio than Missouri — with edibles and topicals only, no… -
TOPEKA, Kansas — A top Republican in the Kansas Senate said he’s designed a Medicaid expansion plan that aims to walk a fine line — one that can win over… -
Citizens Storm Mayor's Office After Kansas City Council Moves Ahead With Marijuana DecriminalizationA Kansas City, Missouri, city council committee on Wednesday unanimously passed a measure that would wipe out a municipal violation for anyone caught with… -
Maria Galvan used to make about $25,000 a year. She didn’t qualify for welfare, but she still had trouble meeting her basic needs.“I would just be working… -
The Unified Government of Wyandotte County and Kansas City, Kansas has approved a proposal to renew contracts with jails in other counties to house some… -
In the annals of Wild West lawmen, you may not know Thomas Speers, the first police chief in Kansas City, but he was a legend in the late 19th century.“He…
Elections
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Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump have used vastly divergent communication strategies this election cycle. A rhetoric professor explains to KCUR's Up To Date what he is seeing from both campaigns. -
Do you have a valid voter ID for Missouri or Kansas? Or know what you cannot wear inside a polling location? Anne Calvert, president of the local League of Women Voters, shares what you need to know as we near the last days to vote. -
Racist and nativist rhetoric has made headlines in the 2024 election, and immigrants and refugees around Kansas City have taken notice. Plus: One of Missouri's few openly gay Republican lawmakers says his vote on transgender rights cost him his party's support — and reelection. -
The strip of about seven blocks in Overland Park is represented by a Republican, in a district where almost half the registered voters are Republican. But more than half the yard signs on that strip favor the Democratic challenger. -
Ahead of the 2024 election, learn how Missouri and Kansas keep voter registration lists up to date, count and protect ballots, and certify election results. -
Americans are more stressed than normal about this year's presidential election. If you're feeling anxious waiting for results to come in, here are a few tips. -
Democrat Andrew Mall and Republican Sen. Mike Thompson squared off on issues important to Johnson County in a debate on KCUR's Up To Date. The tight race could help determine the fate of the Kansas Legislature's GOP supermajority. -
A 2020 Census survey found that 2.4% of potential voters didn’t cast a ballot because they couldn’t get to the polls. To address this problem, a number of local organizations are offering free or discounted rides for this Tuesday’s election. -
As nativist rhetoric hits a fever pitch ahead of the 2024 election, immigrants and refugees in Kansas City question their safety, and their future, in the U.S. -
Missouri voters will soon decide whether GOP lawmakers went too far by banning most abortion in the state. We'll go inside the high-stakes battle over Amendment 3. Plus: That and other ballot issues have been drawing millions of dollars in campaign funds from outside the state.
