This article was produced with ProPublica as part of its Local Reporting Network initiative. Sign up for Dispatches to get stories like this one as soon as they are published. This story is available in plain language. One weekday morning in July, Kerstie Bramlet was at her workstation inside the Warren County Sheltered Workshop near […]
Posted inEducation
Why Kansas City students are joining nationwide protests supporting Palestine
Protests, kindled by livestreamed images from Palestine and set ablaze by university crackdowns on demonstrators, rage at colleges and universities across the country. Students have pitched encampments and occupied campus buildings while calling for an end to violence in Gaza — and demanding their institutions divest of companies they believe support the war there. “We […]
Posted inEducation
‘We cannot continue down this path’: KCKPS special education can’t shake issues with staffing, trust
A team of researchers found heavy staff turnover and poor retention. That leaves more work for those who stay and makes it harder for them to give students the services they’re legally entitled to.
Posted inLocal Government
Missouri won’t let Kansas City become a sanctuary city, but the mayor wants more immigrant workers
Takeaways: Kansas City Mayor Quinton Lucas has essentially invited immigrants to come and fill the local labor pool. He’s offering officials in New York and Denver help from the crush of immigrants in those cities and welcoming foreign workers to Kansas City. That quickly sparked accusations that Lucas appeared bent on making Kansas City a […]
Posted inLocal Government
KC residents will soon be able to throw away twice as much garbage. Will that help or hinder efforts to recycle?
Kansas City is about to bottle up its trash better. Bins will replace bags, keeping animals out of the garbage. But the convenience of a lidded trash bin may come at a cost for the environment.
Kansas City set a goal in 2009 to divert 80% of its waste from landfills. Now 15 years later, the city is halfway there. The bins, with their bigger capacity, threaten to reverse that progress. And it might still take more effort to keep trash safe from raccoons.
Posted inHousing
New Kansas City housing subsidies set by ZIP code could avoid segregating renters
For generations, federal housing subsidies have provided a lifeline to families struggling to afford rent. But the maximum amount families got for rent stayed the same regardless of which neighborhood best suited their needs — effectively segregating them into low-income areas. Come this fall, the rent cap for a standard apartment will vary from one […]
Posted inEducation
Kansas City, Kansas, school bond would mean higher taxes, new schools, but only if voters approve
The bond would pay to consolidate six elementary schools into three schools and replace Argentine and Central middle schools.
Posted inState Government
Missouri’s senior property tax freeze still dogged by unanswered questions
Takeaways Last year, the Missouri General Assembly scrambled to act on an issue popular with voters who turn out in large numbers: property tax cuts for seniors in the form of a tax freeze. Lawmakers passed a vague directive letting counties freeze property tax bills for seniors, without defining what “senior” meant, who was going […]
Posted inEducation
Why the FAFSA is so hard in 2024, and where to get help in Kansas City
An updated version of the FAFSA, shorter and intended to be easier than previous editions, was released months later than usual. Then website malfunctions hindered families trying to complete the application.
Posted inState Government
A Kansas ban on gender-affirming care couldn’t overcome a veto last year. Things are different now
Takeaways: Conservative Kansas lawmakers couldn’t ban gender-affirming care for transgender children last year after Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly vetoed the bill and Republicans fell short on an override vote. This year, they’ve passed a more restrictive ban and run into another veto from Kelly. Yet a veto override that would outlaw puberty blockers, hormone treatments […]
Posted inLocal Government
KC roads could just get bumpier. Eco-friendly cars are chipping away at street repair funds
The signs of springtime are among us: The smell of new flowers, the sight of children playing at the park and the sound of metal scraping against asphalt as cars kerplunk into potholes.
But for all of the racket these potholes cause every spring — and all the money that City Hall dumps into street resurfacing every year — Kansas City’s streets may only become more of a problem in the future.