Jackson County

Despite cries that it was “performative politics,” Chair Manny Abarca said the plan puts the county on record as opposing “the caging of people.” A second measure that would have barred federal immigration agents from wearing masks was held for legal concerns.

Diana Knapp, the county’s director of corrections for eight years, is leaving just as the new $317 million county detention center is set to open this spring. Sheriff Darryl Forte said the resignation "may create some uncertainty" and ultimately, a new chief will be hired.

After being charged in Hutchinson, Kansas with harassment, the Johnson County district attorney asked a judge to revoke his bond. “A defendant on bond who reoffends against the same victim threatens public safety,” the motion said.

Missouri state Sen. Joe Nicola, a Republican from Grain Valley, says he's seen a decrease of teen employment in his district. He wants to create a separate minimum wage of $12.30 for people under 18.

Last month, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention revised and reduced the childhood immunization schedule, paring down the recommended vaccines. That change won’t impact access to vaccinations, but Kansas City health officials believe it will heighten the burden on parents and providers.

Missouri Mental Health Director Valerie Huhn told state lawmakers that the department and courts need options to get defendants treatment in their communities.

The Jackson County Legislature is considering requiring federal officers to keep their faces and badges visible while conducting immigration enforcement actions. The Department of Homeland Security insists masking protects federal law enforcement from doxing and physical attacks.

Sheriff Darryl Forte said lawmakers have a duty to prioritize community concerns over politics. Jackson County Legislative Chair Manny Abarca, who introduced the measure to ban masks, countered that accountability “shouldn’t be a problem for good cops.”

Missouri Planned Parenthood clinics can currently perform procedural abortions but state laws limit the scope of care, and medication abortion is blocked. A trial in Jackson County could clarify which state-imposed standards abortion providers must meet.

Abarca has been charged in Hutchinson, Kansas in addition to charges in Kansas City and Johnson County.

Interim Jackson County Executive Phil LeVota told KCUR's Up To Date that his top priorities have been property taxes and the battle to keep the Kansas City Chiefs and Royals. While the Chiefs announced that they're building a new stadium and headquarters in Kansas, LeVota isn’t convinced it’s a done deal.

For the tens of thousands of Missouri women seeking abortions and the clinic staff charged with offering this health care, the past decade has presented harrowing challenges. That’s what attorneys on behalf of Planned Parenthood argued in the first week of a trial in Kansas City that could reshape Missouri abortion regulations.