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Hapabapa/Getty ImagesMore than two dozen Democratic-led states, including Kansas, are suing the Agriculture Department after the Trump administration said it would not use emergency funds to pay SNAP benefits during the shutdown. -
Juliana Garcia/Johnson County PostA yearslong conflict roiling Prairie Village comes to a head as voters cast ballots on whether to abandon the city’s form of government. But the question isn’t necessarily what it seems.
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This year’s candidates for mayor include a 30-year attorney and a nonprofit executive. They told The Beacon about the biggest issues facing Wyandotte County, including property taxes, public safety, staff culture and affordability. -
The executive director of the Kansas Bureau of Investigation recently told state lawmakers that they should outlaw drinks infused with tetrahydrocannabinol, or THC. -
Republican Scott Schwab, who is also running for governor in 2026, is using a federal database to confirm U.S. citizenship of people registered to vote. -
Roughly 1.4 million federal workers are going without pay due to the government shutdown — including 30,000 in the Kansas City area. About half of them are furloughed, while the other half has been deemed essential and is working without pay. -
Employees at Missouri's food banks said the government shutdown's halt of food benefits could put a strain on their organizations, which have already seen an increase in demand this year. -
A new lawsuit accuses Missouri GOP lawmakers of trying to trick voters by writing an intentionally deceptive summary for a ballot measure that would make it much harder for voters to pass a constitutional amendment. -
The federal government remains shut down. Soon, that could affect Head Start educational programming and SNAP benefits in the Kansas City region. -
Because the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program is funded by the federal government, the ongoing shutdown means states aren't getting that money. House Minority Leader Ashley Aune said it will be devastating for Missouri families. -
The Department of the Interior is currently blocked from carrying out its plan to terminate more than 2,000 positions. That includes nearly everyone at the Columbia Environmental Research Center, which has studied ecosystems, animals and toxic chemicals for more than 60 years. -
A Missouri group is working to overturn the map that gives the state one more Republican seat in Congress. If they get enough signatures, the map cannot take effect unless Missourians approve them. -
Rep. Sam Graves of Tarkio is trying to pass a major overhaul of the Federal Emergency Management Agency, including taking it out of the purview of the Department of Homeland Security. -
Volunteers at protests across the state focused on collecting signatures for a 2026 ballot measure that would overturn Missouri's recent redistricting plan. The new map was drawn by Republican lawmakers to weaken Democratic voting power around Kansas City.
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. -
The lawsuit accuses Smithfield of refusing to change its practices at its plant in Milan, Missouri, in the face of the coronavirus pandemic. -
Protesters ringed the state Capitol in Topeka to press Gov. Laura Kelly for an end to her stay-at-home order. -
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. -
Judge ruled state health department 'purposely' violated Sunshine Law in a case brought by a genealogical research service. -
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. -
Missouri's governor said he will look at metrics like testing availability and hospital capacity to decide how to ease restrictions. -
The state audit calls into question the sale of a county building for $10 after spending more than $1 million on renovations. -
The coronavirus put tens of thousands of Kansans out of work, and left them frustrated when they try filing for unemployment benefits. -
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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Missouri voters: Oct. 9 is your deadline to register to vote for the November election. The deadline for Kansas is Oct. 15. -
The United Methodist Church of the Resurrection in Leawood, Kansas, is tackling political issues even as polarization burdens congregations across the country. -
Derron Black is running as a Republican for the first time for a Missouri Senate district in Kansas City's urban core. He says local Democratic leadership has failed to get his community what it needs, and that voters are ready to look elsewhere for help. Plus: What Missouri voters should know about the 2024 races for secretary of state and treasurer. -
A new survey from The Midwest Newsroom and Emerson College Polling Center asked registered voters in Iowa, Kansas, Missouri and Nebraska about measures on Nov. 5 ballots as well as a variety of political, social and economic subjects. -
New legislatures could overhaul school vouchers in Arizona, give the Democratic governor more clout in Kansas, and counter a progressive trend in Minnesota. -
In addition to federal, state and local races, judges will be on the ballot in every Missouri county this November. While some judges are elected in partisan elections, Missouri also has a non-partisan merit selection system. -
According to a recent poll, Republicans have a lead in every statewide race in Missouri. The largest gap between candidates is in the race for secretary of state, the top election official. -
With the election for Johnson County Sheriff now between Democrat Byron Roberson and Republican Doug Bedford, polarizing issues that Calvin Hayden had campaigned on — election skepticism and immigration for example — have dropped in prominence. -
Nearly a third of Missouri’s workforce could get a raise and paid sick time if voters pass Proposition A in November. But some economists and small-business owners say companies may struggle to keep their workforce. -
Voters in a record number of states — including the battlegrounds of Arizona and Nevada — are set to decide this fall whether to enact far-reaching changes to how their elections are run. In Missouri, a constitutional amendment could ban ranked-choice voting if it passes in November.
