Podcast

Independence's superintendent said the district still needs to hire two elementary teachers, while Kansas City Public Schools has around 13 vacancies in "core content areas." Improving literacy and math comprehension remain top priorities.

Some immigrants in Kansas City are changing their work hours and shifting other parts of their daily routine to avoid encounters with Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents. A new study found last year’s surge of immigration enforcement resulted in nearly 8,000 jobs lost in Kansas City.

Jackson County government has developed a reputation for pervasive corruption. The most recent blow was the federal indictment of Interim Jackson County Executive Phil LeVota, who is accused of trying to bribe a rival candidate.

The episode was filmed in Kansas City last summer, and the production team worked directly with the city’s film office to select locations and recruit a primarily local crew.

The ninth studio album of the Lawrence, Kansas, band The Roseline, was a piecemeal project a year in the making. The band’s founder, Colin Haliburton, hopes people will relate to the lyrics that touch on personal experiences.

Some patients will soon have to meet new criteria to be eligible for Medicaid under the president’s One Big Beautiful Bill Act. Some experts fear the new requirements could result in millions of people losing coverage and higher costs for healthcare providers.

A group of parents in the Shawnee Mission School District are happy about a new Kansas law banning cellphone use during the school day, but they want even more done about access to digital media. Now the district is restricting the use of school-issued iPads during recess and at home.

Multidisciplinary artist Kasim Hardaway reflects on the first year of “Take What You Need,” an interactive public art installation that pops up around Kansas City and invites people to pause and reflect on their lives.

Missouri Secretary of State Denny Hoskins refused to certify a ballot initiative aimed at undoing the new congressional maps drawn by Republican legislators. Those maps carved up Kansas City in an effort to oust Democratic Rep. Emanuel Cleaver II, and this rejection sets up another legal battle ahead of November’s high-stakes midterms.

While voters in Missouri and Kansas overwhelmingly shot down ballot measures championed by Republicans, they also largely chose conservative, Trump-backed candidates to run against Democrats in November’s general election.

Capitalizing on the World Cup, the Kansas City Indian Center put out even more billboards this year calling on the Kansas City Chiefs to change their name and stop stereotypical practices like the “tomahawk chop.” Activists argue that the move to a new stadium is the perfect opportunity to address the longstanding complaints.

Chris Harris is building houses for rent near Harris Park, where he owns a nonprofit that teaches kids how to play golf and other outdoor sports. The developments will target families making between $34,000 to $70,000 a year.