poverty

The bill had only one person speak in support with over 50 people testifying in opposition.

The short-term loans are available immediately and are simple to get. But interest rates are typically very high — with an APR of up to 391% in Kansas and 371% in Missouri. Critics say payday lenders are profiting from people in need, and trap them in debt.

After a months-long search, the local nonprofit announced this week that it had found a commercial space to hold this year’s holiday shop for low-income Johnson Countians.

A new report found many families earn too little to qualify for the $2,000 federal benefit, which is tied to a family’s earnings and income taxes. Nearly a quarter of the Missouri children who fall into the gap are Black — higher than the state's overall population of Black kids.

The attorney’s argument, if successful, could have a far-reaching effect on a two-tiered system of justice in Kansas, in which those who can afford to pay court fines are held to a different standard than those who can’t.

Since opening its doors on Troost in 2016, The Grooming Project has served over 600 people stuck in cycles of poverty.

Period products costs are on the rise due to a nationwide tampon shortage. For low-income persons, inaccessibility to menstrual supplies existed well before the shortage.

The disparities between Wyandotte and its neighbor to the south — Johnson County — remain the most dramatic contrast in the state.

Officials at Gordon Parks Elementary say the calendar change may put "a crimp" summer plans, but it will allow them to support students throughout the year.

A Dillons grocery store closed. Three central Topeka census tracts became federally designated food deserts. Now a local movement aims to fill the gap.

Library users tend to return books in a timely way even when they don't face fines. And libraries might save money by putting less effort into collecting small fees.

The Jackson County Health Department found that most local schools adequately supply period products, but 67% of surveyed staff said they were aware of students missing school because of their period.