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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Around 80% of bus stops across the metro do not have somewhere for riders to sit. Even fewer have a shelter. An interactive map from KCUR shows where to find amenities at each bus stop in the metro, and what the area transit agencies are doing to add more. -
Gail McCann Beatty was removed from office in November after a county-wide vote to make her position elected, rather than appointed. In a lawsuit, she claims her firing was retaliatory. -
The city is giving the Kansas City Area Transportation Authority an additional $13 million as part of a contract agreed on in August. But the KCATA still plans to cut two bus lines and limit hours on more than a dozen others. -
Kansas City’s transit agency is getting rid of its CEO after years of budget problems and route cutsFrank White III has led the Kansas City Area Transportation Authority since 2022. The KCATA board decided to not renew his contract amid high tensions between the agency and Kansas City, and a looming fiscal cliff that has threatened service cuts multiple times this year. -
The Panasonic plant in De Soto, Kansas, shut down after officers shot a person suspected of stabbing another. The suspect is dead, and the stabbing victim was transported to the hospital in critical condition. -
The tax credits are meant to provide relief for the contested 2023 assessments, which led to skyrocketing property taxes. They previously did not apply to homeowners who had agreed to a new rate after an appeal. -
The new routes will run for 32 days during the 2026 World Cup. For a fee, the buses will take fans and ticket holders between the Kansas City airport, Arrowhead Stadium, the FIFA Fan Festival and "regional hubs." -
Every year just before the holidays, Scouting America troops across the country collect food items for local pantries, right off our front porches. It’s an effort started 40 years ago from here in Missouri. -
Kansas City brought multiple departments together for a one-day event to help entrepreneurs get ready for the 2026 FIFA World Cup games next summer. The training could become an annual tradition as city officials strive to make it less complicated to own a business. -
The Kansas City Police Department got money from the city and the police foundation to grow its fleet of drones and expand its use of an AI information-sharing software. This and similar technology is used in departments across the country as part of a “drones as first responders” program.
