Jackson County

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.

State attorneys will take center stage this week in a trial that could reshape Missouri's abortion regulations. Witnesses are expected to include doctors who view the state's TRAP laws as protective, rather than restrictive. This follows a week where Planned Parenthood leaders testified that the state is imposing standards that are impossible to meet.

Some eastern Jackson County residents, frustrated that Kansas City has dominated politics in the county, have been pushing for a "Jackxit." It would be the first time in 150 years that Missouri created a new county, although many elected leaders are skeptical it will gain traction.

Missouri voters enshrined the right to an abortion in 2024, but several abortion restrictions remain state law. A Jackson County judge temporarily blocked those laws, and Planned Parenthood is now seeking to permanently strike those laws to ease abortion access.

Jackson County Prosecutor Melesa Johnson joined KCUR’s Up To Date for our series “5 Questions.” She discusses what she’s watching, listening to and reading outside of work — and how she feels about Kansas City right now.

2025 brought a lot of grief for governments in Kansas City, Missouri, and Jackson County: the expensive departure of the city's highest-paid official, a property tax scandal that left the county's top lawmaker rebuked, and the Chiefs' planned move to Kansas. But there's something to look forward to, too: the 2026 FIFA World Cup.

Jackson County Executive Phil LeVota introduced a new sales tax proposal on Friday deemed "Operation Save Arrowhead." It comes as Kansas lawmakers prepare to meet Monday to finalize plans to lure the Chiefs across state lines.

Legislators will consider a billion-dollar public funding package in hopes of luring the NFL team to Kansas. The Royals will not be discussed Monday, leaving the MLB team’s future uncertain.

The tax credits are meant to provide relief for the contested 2023 assessments, which led to skyrocketing property taxes. They previously did not apply to homeowners who had agreed to a new rate after an appeal.

Kansas City’s mayor and chief of police are calling for a review of the juvenile justice system. But court officials in Jackson County say youth referrals are down so far this year, proving that the diversion programs are working.