Inflation

Kansas City community kitchens are seeing higher demand as food prices remain high and COVID-19 assistance disappears. The food bank Harvesters is focusing on rescuing food waste as one way to shore up its supplies as demand rises, and donations are down.

Recent data shows food inflation is slowing down. But with prices still much higher than they were a few years ago, grocery bills are getting a spotlight on the campaign trail.

Many educators say their districts aren’t supplying everything their students need. Non-profit groups, community organizations and even the courts are stepping in to help meet needs across the Midwest, but education advocates say it’s not a long-term solution.

Missouri's minimum wage will increase in the new year to $12.30 an hour, a $0.30 increase. Meanwhile, Kansas and 19 other states still pay minimum-wage workers the federal rate of $7.25 an hour.

The agriculture department’s annual projections show a slowing economy and lower crop prices for the upcoming year. The USDA also looks ahead to the next decade, showing rising crop yields but a competitive job market.

From cutting taxes on groceries to legalizing sports betting and easing abortion restrictions, a look at hundreds of pre-filed bills in Missouri offers a glimpse into what Kansas City-area lawmakers hope to accomplish.

Many pension-holding public employees in Kansas haven't seen cost-of-living adjustments in decades. Without lawmakers' support, years of higher inflation mean many retirees are seeing the value of their payments vanish. Plus: Climate change is making farming riskier and crop insurance more expensive.

Thousands of retired public employees in Kansas have never seen an increase to their pension pay, and inflation is eating away the value of those payments. Advocates argue the Legislature owes them a boost.

At least 35 school boards have passed resolutions asking the Missouri Board of Education to convene a blue ribbon commission to study the formula for funding public schools, which each year adds up to less and less of their overall budget.

A lot of people don't think twice about buying milk, says Teresa Calderez. "But there are lots of us out here who can't buy a gallon of milk when we need it."

Citing the hefty burden on low-income shoppers and rising cost of food, states like Kansas and Illinois have begun reducing or phasing out grocery sales taxes. But in Missouri, a bipartisan effort to eliminate the state tax has hit a roadblock.

While food prices won’t rise as sharply in 2023, they could still increase about 8% over last year’s rates, according to forecasts from the U.S. Department of Agriculture.