Government

Thousands of students in third-grade classrooms across the county participated in this year’s Constitution Day mock trial to learn about civics, but the event got its start in Olathe.

Nearly 8 million borrowers on the SAVE plan face dramatic monthly payment increases as sweeping federal changes eliminate most income-driven repayment options. Kansas City-area borrowers could see bills jump by hundreds per month.

Few election cycles in living memory have been quite as chaotic as the 2024 presidential election. A new book from journalists Amie Parnes and Jonathan Allen looks at what happened behind the scenes in Washington as the campaign unfolded. The authors are in Kansas City for an American Public Square event on Wednesday.

Residents who enroll in North Kansas City's Citizen Academy get a 10-week course on local government systems, and how the various departments function and affect their lives. The mayor said the program has increased participation in local boards and commissions.

Hundreds of workers and civil rights leaders in Kansas City expressed anger over efforts to redraw congressional maps to favor Republicans. Advocates say they're working to keep the same from happening to Missouri, even as President Trump declares that the state "is now IN."

More than 3,000 refugees in Kansas City have gotten help acclimating to their new homes since 2014 thanks to Della Lamb Community Services. Many of these new arrivals face unique health challenges, so a local crew of medical students from Kansas City University is volunteering their help.

Dr. Sarah Boyd, an infectious disease specialist with Saint Luke's Health System, told KCUR that federal cuts to mRNA research and development could cause a setback in pandemic preparedness.

The primary election for the Unified Government of Wyandotte County and Kansas City, Kansas mayoral race is August 5. Up To Date spoke with three of the candidates.

The Trump administration proposed slashing billions of dollars from federal health agencies, but a high school student from Overland Park has been pushing lawmakers to preserve cancer research funding. Plus, we remember a beloved Kansas City singer who died after a long battle with cancer.

Although the Supreme Court didn't weigh in on the legality of the Trump administration's plans to shrink the federal workforce, it allowed the firings to go forward while lawsuits play out. That will likely play out in Kansas City, which is home to nearly 30,000 federal employees at multiple government agencies.

Scientists in the Columbia, Missouri, lab have studied the relationship between animals, toxic chemicals and ecosystems since the 1960s. Today, research of PFAS, invasive and endangered species and other environmental risks could end if this part of the U.S. Department of Interior is defunded.

As Republicans in the U.S. Senate work to pass President Donald Trump's budget bill, Democratic U.S. Rep. Emanuel Cleaver, from Missouri's 5th District, views its contents as dangerous for the health of Americans.