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Law students at UMKC's Expungement Clinic helped nearly 60 people clear their criminal records, giving them better opportunities for jobs and housing. But the clinic's funding has run out. Plus: Foster group homes are meant for youth with significant behavioral and mental health issues, but Missouri doesn't have enough beds for girls.
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Three years after federal aid was earmarked to ensure homeless students get an education, millions of dollars remain unspent in the Midwest and around the country. In September, what’s left of the one-time funding will be returned to the U.S. Treasury.
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With geography already posing challenges for Midwestern forecasters, meteorologist Chris Gloninger says climate change has made traditional models obsolete and has voided historical precedents.
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A bill in the Kansas Legislature would have provided millions of dollars to build homeless shelters across the state — except lawmakers let it die in committee. Plus: Could manufactured housing like mobile homes help solve the affordability crisis?
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Abortion bans in some Midwestern states are forcing families to seek abortions outside of their home states. In Nebraska, one family's pregnancy was diagnosed with a complication late in the first trimester, right when the state's ban kicks in.
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Partners and collaborators will provide mentorship and technical assistance to local food producers and farmers in six states with an eye to tackling food scarcity.
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The CDC says about 1,220 people in the United States are killed by extreme heat every year. Thousands more suffer from heat-related illnesses that cause muscle cramps, dizziness, headache, nausea and vomiting.
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Kansas will be the first state to let foster teens pick a family without losing foster care benefits. Plus: A number of Midwestern states, including Kansas and Missouri, introduced legislation this year that would give rights to embryos and fetuses.
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Thirteen states across the U.S., including much of the Midwest, introduced bills this year that could give some rights to embryos and fetuses usually associated with people. None passed but people in the fertility world are concerned that lawmakers will try again and what that means for reproductive rights.
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The rules will affect new residential construction projects funded by the federal Housing and Rural Development agency. Now, lawmakers are pushing the agency that oversees the nation’s two largest mortgage backers to adopt similar measures.
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The trend was already underway when the COVID-19 pandemic pushed rural and small-town nursing homes to close permanently. Yet, some communities are finding ways today to re-envision nursing homes while keeping staff at the forefront.
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Two years after Clesslyn Crawford was shot by a sniper, her case has gained attention from true-crime podcasts and prompted outcry in Joplin, where residents want the shooter's name released to the public.