News & Issues
Stories from around the Kansas City Metro area on a variety of topics.
Love Itself: Leonard Cohen’s Holy Touch
The revered songwriter, who died Thursday at the age of 82, compelled us to dwell on the relationship between the profane and the profound.
Crossroads Academy Plans Downtown Kansas City High School, Will Be Housed Temporarily in Commerce Tower
By Kevin Collison (Update: Park University announced May 25 it will temporarily house students for the planned Crossroads Academy high school at its downtown campus in the former Commerce Tower building) Four years after opening a school for 190 elementary students in a former office building on Central Street, Crossroads Academy is planning to open…
Victims’ Families Disappointed No Criminal Charges in Blast That Killed Six
TOPEKA, Kan. – Officials of Kansas City-based Bartlett Grain will not face criminal charges in the aftermath of a 2011 explosion at the company’s Atchison elevator that killed six workers, the U.S. Attorney for Kansas said Thursday. The announcement came just as family members of the workers who were killed emerged from a nearly 2-hour…
The Day That Was
No matter how you feel about Tuesday’s outcome, Election Day is over. Unrelenting attack ads and mailers marked brutal campaigns from president on down. In the end, Kansas City-area voters voiced their opinions on everything from tobacco taxes to judicial retention. Here’s our social media rundown of how a long, divisive campaign season ended with Tuesday’s…
Trump Wins. Now What?
After a presidential election that defied expectations, here’s what to expect from the president-elect.
5 Exit Poll Numbers To Watch On Election Night
Women, Hispanics, and (surprise!) white evangelicals could all be some of the most interesting stories of the night.
Take 5 For Your Health
Guess Who Supports And Who Opposes Tax Increases On Cigarettes In Missouri For many Missouri health advocates, an increase in the state’s tobacco tax is long overdue. At 17 cents per cigarette pack, it’s the lowest in the country by far – a fraction of the tax in many states. And it hasn’t changed since…
Healing the Invisible Wounds of Combat
It’s the serviceman who beats himself up about being unable to save a dying buddy. Or the truck driver who follows orders to run over children in the road, because they might be placed there to facilitate an ambush of a convoy. While it has been more than half a century since the United States…
Why You Should Care About ‘Big Ag’ Companies Getting Bigger
Five of the six biggest companies that produce and sell seeds and chemicals to the world’s farmers are pursuing deals that could leave a market dominated by just three giant, global companies. They say getting bigger means bringing more sophisticated and innovative solutions to farmers faster, but opponents say consolidation has irreversible downsides. Dow and…
Ride-Sharing Apps: New Economy, Same Invisible Discrimination
A few years ago, the Urban Institute undertook a massive experiment to measure discrimination in home rentals and sales. The researchers sent hundreds of people in dozens of cities across the country to act as applicants trying to rent or buy apartments and houses. The “testers” were given similar credit histories and financial qualifications. What…