Johnson County

Emails show health department officials argued over basic things like office space during a major tuberculosis outbreak in the Kansas City area. Some staff think the tension set back the tuberculosis response — or at least made it more difficult.

Una investigación de tres años sobre fraude electoral realizada por el ex alguacil del condado de Johnson, Calvin Hayden, sólo produjo un caso: contra el comisionado electoral Fred Sherman. El fiscal del condado retiró los cargos.

A three-year election fraud investigation by former Johnson County Sheriff Calvin Hayden produced only one case for charging: against election commissioner Fred Sherman. The county prosecutor refused to charge.

Emails show behind-the-scenes conflict as the Kansas City-area tuberculosis outbreak grew to one of the largest in U.S. history. The county's health director is no longer with the agency as of Tuesday.

Newly-elected Sheriff Byron Roberson said just three people were responsible for more than 100 election fraud complaints that prompted the previous sheriff's investigation. No criminal charges were ever filed as a result, but Hayden repeatedly cast suspicions about election procedures.

El brote de tuberculosis comenzó en enero del año pasado. Los funcionarios de salud de Kansas dicen que los números están tendiendo a la baja, pero aún esperan encontrar más casos.

Kansas has reported one of its largest tuberculosis outbreaks since the 1950s, beginning in Wyandotte County. But infectious disease expert Dr. Dana Hawkinson says the risk to most residents is "extremely low."

Spinning Tree Theatre's annual festival stages three short plays, written by local teenagers, with professional-level resources. This year's performances will take place Friday through Sunday at Johnson County Arts and Heritage Center.

Johnson County recorded 93 suicide deaths in 2023, down from 122 the previous year. Mental health experts say it’s hard to know if the encouraging numbers are a sign of things to come, but it could indicate that mental health services are working in the short term.

The outbreak started last January. Kansas health officials say numbers are trending downward, but they still expect to find more cases.

Persistent cold this month has meant more unhoused people in the Kansas City area have needed warm, safe places to spend the night. But neither Johnson or Wyandotte counties have enough beds, and consistently have to turn people away.

A patchwork of counties and cities huddled around the confluence of the Kansas and Missouri rivers makes it harder to develop affordable, efficient public transit in the Kansas City region. Transit funding decisions get handled within each jurisdiction, with little or no coordination between them, and the KCATA has no power to levy taxes.