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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President Trump has been pressuring Gov. Mike Kehoe to call a special session for mid-decade redistricting. Republican lawmakers hope to gerrymander congressional lines around Kansas City, diluting Democratic voting power and making it harder for Rep. Emanuel Cleaver to win in the 2026 midterms. -
Missouri lawmakers overturned the mandated sick leave law that voters approved by a wide margin. Two Kansas City workers are part of the effort to put sick days back on the ballot, this time as a constitutional amendment lawmakers can’t repeal. -
The audit into the city’s communications department investigated issues with transparency. The department was consolidated and controlled by former City Manager Brian Platt, who was fired in March. -
Kansas City and the Kansas City Area Transportation Authority finalized a contract today, after months of fraught negotiations. The city’s bus service will continue without any cuts, but fares will be reinstated. -
Much of south Kansas City, Missouri, and its neighborhoods north of the Missouri River are transit deserts. City council members who represent those areas are focused on improving transit. But without more regional funding, it’ll be a struggle just to keep the few bus lines that already exist. -
The city won’t work with CJR Construction Group for two years, after the company repeatedly violated its prevailing wage rules. This is the first time Kansas City has debarred a contractor in years. -
Kansas City and the Kansas City Area Transportation Authority haven’t been able to agree on a contract since May. Unless they agree on one soon, the city’s bus service could be at risk. -
The Kansas City transit agency has installed narrow "leaning benches" at busy bus stops downtown and touted them as an accessible amenity. But riders and experts disagree and say they’re made to make people uncomfortable. -
Two Democratic candidates recently launched their campaigns against Cleaver for his seat in Missouri’s 5th Congressional District. That race will only get more challenging as a battle looms for possible redistricting that would make the seat more conservative. -
Most Kansas City suburbs have stopped their transit funding in recent years, ending many of the Kansas City Area Transportation Authority’s suburban bus routes. Experts say that’s put the area into a transit death spiral.
