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Public Safety Debate Shapes Jackson County Prosecutor Race
One candidate left the military for a career in criminal justice after a beloved family member was murdered – a victim of a random drive-by shooting. Another grew up in neighborhoods vexed by Kansas...
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Beating the Heat: Help for Households Without Air Conditioning
At 5:30 a.m. on Tuesday, cars began to file into the parking lot of Westlake ACE Hardware in Independence for a chance to get a free box fan from the Salvation Army. The event was set to begin at 8...
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‘False Certitude’ Defines Our Religion, and Our Politics
As the commentariat has relentlessly noted, political divisions in the United States have become deeper and more threatening to the stability of our representative democracy. We’ve seen it in the...
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Nick’s Picks | Biden Fallout, Summer Olympics and Olivia Rodrigo
I stumbled on a social media post over the weekend that claimed, “Aliens could land in America right now, and it would not be a big enough story to make the front page.” Given the seismic news...
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Farm to Trouble: Could the Mississippi River Benefit from This Strategy to...
HAVRE DE GRACE, Md. — As environmental groups and policy analysts in the Mississippi River basin seek solutions to shrink a massive “dead zone” that forms off the coast of Louisiana each year, they...
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Kansas City Home Builders Push Back on Energy Efficiency Rules, Blame Them...
The Kansas City Council gave homebuilders new rules last year designed to make housing easier on the environment. Those rules told them what kind of windows to install, how well the walls should be...
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Kansas City Strikes Out on Big Bid for Sustainability Funds
After months of crafting the Kansas City region’s best ideas to improve sustainability and combat climate change, local officials have just learned that they struck out on a vast pool of potential...
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Community Colleges Confront Slumping Enrollment. Can it be Fixed?
Blake Flanders knows that enrollment at community colleges has dropped precipitously. He’s worried about what that means for the future. Flanders, president and CEO of the Kansas Board of Regents,...
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Jackson County Prosecutor Candidates Make Their Cases
Not surprisingly, the candidates for Jackson County prosecutor promise what many voters want to hear. They vow to prosecute more crimes than the current prosecutor, Jean Peters Baker, especially...
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Amelia Earhart Event Sparks Hope for Finding Lost Plane
ATCHISON — A grainy sonar image shows what some hope is Amelia Earhart’s lost plane. But it doesn’t show the decades of research, scientific debate and collaboration that has been dedicated to this...
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Nick’s Picks | Robert Courtney, Primary Elections and Heat
Notorious Kansas City pharmacy killer Robert Courtney is set to be released from prison this week. The former Northland pharmacist will be moved to home confinement on Wednesday, more than two...
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Farm to Trouble: Drainage Tile Drives Nutrient Pollution
LIVINGSTON COUNTY, Mo. — An increased use of agricultural drainage tile is one reason a 2025 deadline to reduce nitrate and phosphorus entering the Gulf of Mexico by 20% is unlikely. Drainage tile, a...
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‘Love, Kansas’ Campaign Entices Would-be Workforce
As Bridgette Jobe describes it, “Love, Kansas” is not just a talent recruitment campaign – it’s a full-on love letter. “‘Love, Kansas’ is a love letter from the state to people who have moved away...
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Wanted: Poll Workers. Must Love Democracy.
This week, a coalition of election officials, businesses, and civic engagement, religious and veterans groups will make a national push to encourage hundreds of thousands of Americans to serve as poll...
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Johnson County Becomes Crucial Battleground in Election 2024
The Republican Party has historically dominated Kansas politics, currently controlling 72.5% and 68% supermajorities in the state Senate and House, respectively. The party continues to have a lock on...
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Tax Holiday, Supply Drives Help Families Burdened by Back-to-School Costs
As families stare down daunting back-to-school bills, governments, school foundations and community groups are offering help for folks looking to get students ready for school without breaking the...
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Kansas v. Missouri Stadium Battle Shows How States are Reigniting Border Wars
For decades, academic research has been clear: Taxpayers almost never get their money back on subsidized sports stadiums. And yet, over and over again, U.S. cities and states find themselves locked in...
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Nick’s Picks | Primary Elections, Kamala’s Pick and Chiefs
While much of America is fixated on the race for the White House, there are some pretty important elections going on where we live this week. Tuesday is Primary Election Day in Kansas and Missouri....
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Trash to Treasure: Blue River Facility Will Turn Solid Waste into Natural Gas...
When you flush water and waste down the drain, where does it go? It makes its way into the sewer system, which carries it to a wastewater treatment plant. In Kansas City, chances are it will end up...
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New Report Estimates AI Could Displace 110,000 Kansas City Jobs
In 2020, when Terrence Wise learned the McDonald’s where he worked would be testing a new artificial intelligence program that would help take customers’ drive-thru orders, he was excited to have a...
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