-
Missouri Attorney General Catherine Hanaway is arguing that the referendum is usurping the legislature's power to redraw congressional districts. But lawyers with the anti-redistricting group say Hanaway is "absolutely wrong" about the constitution.
-
Jackson County's new executive outlines his plan for property taxes and stadiums: 'Relief is coming'Phil LeVota was sworn in this week as Jackson County executive after a nomination process that was criticized by some as “smoke and mirrors.” Taking over the rest of Frank White Jr.'s term, he will face the daunting task of fixing the property tax assessment process.
-
Missouri Republican Secretary of State Denny Hoskins said any signatures gathered before Wednesday to place a new congressional map up for a vote won't count. Proponents of the redistricting referendum say that's an unlawful attempt to shorten the signature gathering window.
-
Politico exposed racist and homophobic messages sent by leaders of the Kansas Young Republicans. Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly said the state GOP modeled similar behavior in its own social media posts.
-
As 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.
-
A Supreme Court case over Louisiana's congressional map could determine the future of Voting Rights Act protections against racial discrimination and allow Republicans to draw 19 more House seats — including in Missouri.
-
A jury found Lance Shockley guilty of a 2005 murder but deadlocked on the punishment. A judge in Carter County issued the death sentence.
-
Kansas GOP leaders have condemned offensive messages sent in a national Young Republicans group chat. They said the group is now inactive.
-
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.
-
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.
-
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 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.
Government
-
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
-
Voters in Independence, Missouri, will consider whether to approve a $197 million general obligation bond on April's ballot. The majority of the money would fund building a new police campus, but money for infrastructure and the city's youth sports complex are also under consideration.
-
Kansas City is asking voters to buy into its public school system for the first time in nearly 60 years. Even after Kansas City Public Schools regained accreditation and turned the tide of student performance, crumbling buildings offer a persistent reminder of the city's disinvestment. It's a relationship strained by decades of racism, a history-making desegregation case and plenty of internal turmoil.
-
Voters in the Park Hill School District will see two tax measures on their April 8 ballot. Proposition G would raise the operating tax rate to support teacher salary increases. Proposition O would allow the district to borrow money for building renovations and replacements.
-
The bond question in North Kansas City's April 8 election would help build new performing arts centers and two high schools and fund renovations at middle schools. The district says the tax rate would stay the same whether or not voters approve the bond.
-
The bond plan calls for building new elementary schools, major renovations and reopening Southwest High School as a middle school. Kansas City voters have not passed a bond for KCPS since the 1960s, and the district has been left with more than $600 million worth of repair needs.
-
A proposed state constitutional amendment would require Kansas Supreme Court justices to be elected rather than appointed by the governor.
-
El impuesto a las ventas de seguridad pública de Kansas City se ha utilizado para apoyar al departamento de policía y los servicios médicos y de emergencia. El alcalde Quinton Lucas y otros funcionarios quieren que los votantes lo renueven para que la ciudad pueda usar el dinero para construir una nueva cárcel y un centro de rehabilitación.
-
After years of legal fights, Westwood residents are voting in a special election to decide the fate of Joe D. Dennis Park. The small patch of land has come to encompass tensions over city power, green space, development, and First Amendment rights.
-
Kansas City’s public safety sales tax has been used to support the police department and emergency and medical services. Mayor Quinton Lucas and other officials want voters to renew it so the city can use the money to build a new jail and rehabilitation center.
-
Missouri voters approved Proposition A by a martin of 15% and more than 445,000 votes. But business groups argue that the ballot measure violates state law.