Lee's Summit

Residents along the south edge of Kansas City have organized in opposition to a proposed 430-acre landfill that they say could erode their property values and threaten their health. A newly created political action committee is now raising money to lobby Missouri legislators.

After decades as music educator in the Lee's Summit School District, Russ Berlin co-founded the Lee's Summit Symphony as an outlet for his former students and other community members to continue musical pursuits. Now the Symphony celebrates 20 years of music making and age-less inspiration.

Wienermobile driver Mary Clare "Chili Cheese MC" Kammer, just like the Oscar Mayer hot dogs themselves, hails from Missouri. She and her fellow driver Sam "Hammy Sammy" Dlott rolled through the Kansas City metro this week handing out whistles, stickers and postcards to frankfurter fans.

When silent films ruled the silver screen, pipe organs were used to enhance the drama of an otherwise quite medium. Now a Lee's Summit musician is bringing back that tradition. Plus: There's more federal dollars behind the push to get locally grown food into school cafeterias.

There are more than 10,000 cases of alleged child abuse and neglect in Missouri that remain open, including over 3,600 in the Kansas City region. The NPR Midwest Newsroom found that investigators in the state's Children’s Division are overloaded and dealing with a shortage of case workers.

The mayor of Lee's Summit says the county has "offered one excuse after another" for it's failure to properly reassess home values and claims the city is missing out on needed tax revenue as a result.

Before sound came to the movies, silent films ruled the silver screen and music from a theater pipe organ enhanced the drama. A Lee's Summit musician is reviving that tradition at the Kansas City Music Hall.

Officials agree that clearing the backlog at Missouri’s Children’s Division won’t be easy or quick. “I think this is a business decision when it comes down to it," says one Lee's Summit lawmaker. “If we value the children of Missouri, we have to do more.”

River Hawk Boat Shop in Lee's Summit crafts sleek, state-of-the-art racing boats that are in demand for the MR340, a 340-mile river race that kicks off this week from Kansas City. Their boats have won every race for the past eight years, and the new owners are hoping to do it again.

About one-third of Overland Park's street trees are maples. Experts say cities must diversify their canopies, or pests will keep devastating them.

Spring has brought warmer weather, a chance to spend time outdoors, and a pileup of litter and trash on highways and waterways. Ahead of Earth Day, residents in the Kansas City metro can join these community cleanups to tackle the problem.

This guide to some of the many nonprofessional sports leagues in Kansas City has something for anyone looking to get outdoors and socialize this spring. Teamwork makes the dream work with these adult sports leagues.