Wyandotte County

Streetcar 802 sits idle on Main Street near Country Club Plaza where it was undergoing testing on the Main Street extension on Thursday, July 24, 2025. (Carlos Moreno | KCUR 89.3)

Nick’s Picks | Streetcar, Shutdown, Voting and More …

Big Streetcar Opening Ceremony After more than three years of pain and disruption, Kansas City’s new streetcar extension line finally opens this week, allowing passengers to ride all the way down to the Country Club Plaza and on to UMKC. A grand opening ceremony is planned for 10 a.m. on Friday at the new Plaza…

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A view of work on a streetcar extension looking south from about 43rd and Main streets.

Nick’s Picks | USDA, LBJ, Streetcar and More …

Trump Set to Move Thousands of USDA Jobs to KC We are waiting to hear more details this week about a new plan by President Donald Trump to move thousands of federal agriculture department jobs to Kansas City. It is part of a new push by the White House to shift government offices closer to…

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Jackson County Executive Frank White Jr. when he was named to the Kansas City Royals Hall of Fame.

Nick’s Picks | White, Garner, Lucas and More …

Frank Decision Jackson County Executive Frank White has done something no one else has been able to accomplish over the past year. He’s managed to knock the stadium story off the front page. White’s fate has become Kansas City’s newest and biggest political drama. This week, we are waiting for a judge to rule on…

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After the deaths of Junius Groves in 1925 and his wife Matilda in 1930, the Groves family struggled financially, leading to receiving an eviction notice in 1933. (newspapers.com)

Cultivating History Pt. 3: Business Success Breeds Resentment

Junius Groves had built a potato empire by 1907, when educator Booker T. Washington showcased his success in his book, “The Negro in Business.” Groves then was shipping potatoes across North America while also importing what Washington called “fancy seed potatoes” from distant states. “He would get seed potatoes from Idaho and other places, and…

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Junius Groves (center) grew more than just potatoes; he and his wife Matilda raised other vegetables and also tended orchards that produced apples, peaches and pears. (Photo courtesy, the Wyandotte County Historical Museum.)

Cultivating History Pt. 2: ‘Potato King’ Thrives Amid Racism

While Kansas would prove friendly to potato growers like Junius Groves, it would not be quite the “free state” envisioned by Exodusters, the African Americans who, following the end of Reconstruction, considered their prospects more promising in the North. “It was about the same time when the Exodusters arrived in Kansas that the state Legislature…

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People walk outside the Wyandotte County Public Health Department in Kansas City, Kansas. (Zane Irwin | Kansas News Service

After Tuberculosis Outbreak, Wyandotte County Parts Ways with Health Director

The director of the Wyandotte County Public Health Department is no longer with the agency, a spokesperson confirmed Tuesday. It comes after turmoil during the handling of the major tuberculosis outbreak, shown by emails obtained by the Kansas News Service. Elisha Caldwell had been head of the local health department while an outbreak of TB grew…

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Nick’s Picks: Veterans Day, Missouri Politicians, Billie Eilish and More …

Don’t Forget It Is Veterans Day If you thought this would be a good day to head to the DMV or the post office, you’re in for some serious disappointment…everything’s closed. America marks Veterans Day today. Government buildings and banks are closed. And there’s no mail delivery. The National WWI Museum is hosting special commemorative…

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John Garland Park in Kansas City, Kansas, overlooks an industrial park.

Environmental Justice: Wyandotte County Seeks Solutions 

Advocates in Wyandotte County are seeking environmental justice for communities paying the health care price for decades of industrial pollution.

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A line of red-brick buildings down 7th Street from the Unified Government City Hall and Wyandotte County Courthouse.

No, Wyandotte County is Not Going Bankrupt

United Government Mayor Tyrone Garner has warned the government of Wyandotte County and Kansas City, Kansas, faces “financial ruin.” Bond markets disagree.

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Protesters gathered outside of the offices of the United Government of Wyandotte County.

Activists Challenge Unified Government/BPU Policies, Fearing Utility Cutoffs 

Activists in Wyandotte County are protesting utility bills packed with extra taxes and fees.

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