News & Issues
Stories from around the Kansas City Metro area on a variety of topics.
Down Economy Has Many Midwest Farmers Looking For Agronomists’ Advice
As another harvest season wraps up, Midwest farmers are once again facing low commodity prices amid enormous supplies. And when they recover from the long days bringing in the grain, they will eventually sit down with their books and try to figure out how best to farm again next year. Many will turn to an…
Scientists Say Dinosaur-Killing Asteroid Made Earth’s Surface Act Like Liquid
The asteroid smashed into Earth. And from miles under the Earth’s surface, rock hurtled upward to a height twice that of Mount Everest and then collapsed outward to form a ring of mountains.
When The Kids Go Vegan, It Can Be A Recipe For A Stressful Holiday Meal
For parents with kids on special diets, be it vegan, paleo or gluten-free, holidays can mean more anxiety than fun. The solution lies in working together with their children to plan the perfect meal.
Take 5 For Your Health
Kansas Issues Request For Proposals To Privatize Osawatomie State Hospital Kansas is seeking a private partner to operate Osawatomie State Hospital under a proposal that would allow the contractor to shift more than half the hospital’s beds to other parts of eastern Kansas. A request for proposals to operate Osawatomie State Hospital was posted Nov….
Carving A Niche
Pulling off a turkey dinner that serves approximately 1,500 people, about two-thirds of whom are homebound and have their meal delivered, does not happen without a lot of manpower. So The Salvation Army of Kansas and Western Missouri, which puts on such a meal each Thanksgiving in Kansas City, relies on an army of helpers…
Why Scientists Disagree On RoundUp’s Cancer Risk
After dueling reviews of research studies, scientific panels from the U.S. government and the World Health Organization are having a hard time agreeing whether glyphosate, the most common weed killer in the United States, can cause cancer. Known by the brand name RoundUp, glyphosate is sprayed on farm fields and lawns all across the country….
How You Can Stop Antibiotic Resistance (And Still Eat Bacon)
“This is an avoidable disaster,” says one expert. And there are at least three things you can do to help.
Take 5 For Your Health
Water Task Force Leaning Toward Sales Tax Proposal A group appointed to study funding sources for Gov. Sam Brownback’s 50-year water plan is leaning toward proposing a dedicated sales tax. Earl Lewis, assistant director of the Kansas Water Office, presented the preliminary results of the Blue Ribbon Task Force on Monday at the annual Kansas…
An Election Outcome You Might’ve Missed
It might be easy for social services supporters in Jackson County to be asking “What if?” in the wake of Tuesday’s election, when residents resoundingly approved creation of a Children’s Services Fund through a new eighth-cent sales tax. After all, the projected proceeds could have been nearly three times larger, if not for bureaucratic snafus…
Commentary |Walls That Unite
One morning in June 2007, I stopped by the construction site of a Habitat for Humanity house in the 3700 block of Flora Avenue and noticed that work had come to a temporary halt. As I explained soon after that in a Kansas City Star column, someone at the site had noticed that something didn’t…