environment

The 250-year-old "Liberty Tree" in Kansas City’s historic Northeast is dying of fungal root disease. Entrepreneur Alex Villalobos-McAnderson has been saying goodbye with a ceremony thanking the tree for its contributions.

A volunteer-led Stream Team is using kits to test their local waterways quarterly for phosphorus, ammonia and nitrogen, and survey for small aquatic species, such as clams, snails and insect larvae. Otherwise, funding cuts means that nobody is looking out for Missouri's water health.

Who was held accountable for the hazardous powder left near the town of Berger, Missouri? Cleaning up the Superfund site cost more than $4.2 million.

Children, homeless people and even city officials entered the building in Berger, Missouri, unaware they were inhaling toxic dust.

Sandblasting material used to strip paint was trucked 500 miles or more to a remote warehouse near the Missouri River.

Last week, Deep Fission broke ground on a pilot program to bury small modular reactors underground in Parsons, Kansas. This project is the first of its kind in the United States, and comes as part of the Trump Administration’s effort to advance the nation’s nuclear power.

Next year, Kansas City’s only drinking water treatment plant will celebrate its 100th birthday. It’s a milestone worth applauding, for sure, but it’s also a reminder that the city has only one place where it makes clean water.

Reworld, which manages industrial waste and converts it into energy, honed in on the city’s Armourdale neighborhood for its new processing facility. But the company quietly withdrew its plans after residents demanded answers about potential health and environmental risks.

For nearly a century, the city’s drinking water purification process has taken place with few major hiccups at a lone Briarcliff facility. But KC Water leaders say maintenance costs are climbing and aging concrete is a concern. They’re urging support for a new treatment plant in Kansas City.

Sports betting became legal in Missouri this week. It marks the end of a years-long effort that came down to a statewide vote, and will likely transform the sports industry throughout the state. Plus: Lesser prairie chickens used to roam across Kansas and the Great Plains by the millions, but now there’s only a few thousand.

A new law capping the amount of THC included in hemp products could be “a death blow” to businesses like Plift and Emerald Med CBD that use them to create alternatives to alcohol and health supplements for doctor’s offices

An ARPA grant from the Missouri Department of Natural Resources allowed the city to invest $5 million to restore the Blue River. Once a favorite for outdoor recreation in Kansas City, the river has become polluted as a result of urbanization.