crime

The Sun Fresh at 31st and Prospect closed this month, after years of safety concerns and millions of dollars in investment from Kansas City. The CEO of the nonprofit that operated the grocery says that security measures became costly — and still not enough to keep customers coming.

Chaman Silverio Balbuena, 31, is accused of helping route cash from the victims to the Dominican Republic. Prosecutors say he would pick up collect money from elderly victims, who were tricked into thinking their grandchild had been in a car accident and needed legal fees.

Tonia Haddix pleaded guilty in March to perjury and obstruction of justice. She was subsequently arrested last month after federal law enforcement found a secret chimpanzee on her property in Camden County, violating several terms of her bond.

Kansas City's homicide rate decreased in 2024, but the numbers still leave cause for concern. Local experts want residents to better understand the conditions that drive violent crime — and what will fix them.

Danielle Bertothy admitted that she poured gasoline on a bar that she had twice been asked to leave. The fire seriously damaged four businesses in a municipality in southwest Puerto Rico.

Gwen Grant spends a lot of time uplifting and advocating for Kansas City's Black community, but what does she do with her down time? She joined KCUR's Up To Date for an installment of our series "5 Questions."

Andre Harris, founder of the nonprofit Dads Against Crime, says that Kansas City's violent crime problem can't be fixed if people can't feel comfortable talking to law enforcement and discussing mental health.

Melesa Johnson is six months into her role as Jackson County Prosecutor after winning election last year. Faced with concerns about burglaries and property crimes, Johnson has drastically increased the rate at which her office has pursued charges, and points to the success of a deterrence initiative.

"Whack Job: A History of Axe Murder' by Rachel McCarthy James traces the foundational and violent role of the axe from prehistoric times to the present. And — yes — the infamous Lizzie Borden case does get a chapter, as do a pair of relatively recent Kansas City murders.

Youth violence has fallen in Wyandotte County, in part due to the ThrYve program. Barry Anderson took part when he was a student at Wyandotte High School, and credits the program with teaching him basic life skills necessary to attend the University of Kansas.

Simone held the underboss spot for 30 years, and ran the Civella crime family’s vast gambling empire in the 1970s.

As some lawmakers warm to the idea of rehabilitation, years of study by experts point to the need to change the way people convicted of crimes are sentenced.