
Savannah Hawley-Bates
Missouri Government and Politics ReporterAs KCUR's local government reporter, I’ll hold our leaders accountable and show how their decisions about development, transit and the economy shape your life. I meet with people at city council meetings, on the picket lines and in their community to break down how power and inequities change our community. Email me at savannahhawley@kcur.org.
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Kansas City officials unveiled a $2.5 billion budget for the 2025-2026 fiscal year that reveals its spending priorities. Under the new system, the city will evaluate each program based on its importance to the community, not just carry it over from the previous budget.
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Several city projects that received federal funding are in limbo after a slew of executive orders targeting clean energy and diversity efforts.
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Monday marked the third protest in just one week from Kansas City-area climate activists, who demand that Jackson County step up to fund the KCATA. One protester was detained and more than 50 activists were removed from the legislature's chambers.
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Kansas City prohibió a los propietarios de vivienda rechazar inquilinos basándose únicamente en la forma en que pagan el alquiler, su puntuación crediticia o desalojos anteriores. Un representante republicano de Missouri, que también es propietario de una vivienda, quiere anular la prohibición.
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Kansas City banned landlords from rejecting tenants based solely on how they pay their rent, their credit score or previous evictions. A Missouri Republican representative, who's a landlord himself, wants to override the ban.
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The city will hire a consultant to decide how to best improve its deadliest streets. It will also apply for a federal grant to redo the majority of Troost Avenue.
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Kansas City trash and recycling pickup was canceled for days because of last weekend’s snow and ice. While crews focus on treating roads, here’s the latest on trash pickup.
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Kansas City set a goal to end all traffic fatalities by 2030. The Vision Zero program has worked block by block to make roads throughout the city safer, but officials say it needs more money to reach its goals.
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After a months-long standoff, two factions in the legislature finally agreed on how to spend federal COVID relief money — just days before it would have been sent back to the federal government.
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Hundreds of families come to Christmas Ranch Tree Farm in Excelsior Springs every year to decorate their homes for Christmas. Owners Carol and Roy Freeman make sure visitors have everything they need, including tree trimming and homemade hot chocolate for the journey.