News & Issues
Stories from around the Kansas City Metro area on a variety of topics.
Bob Dylan, Titan Of American Music, Wins 2016 Nobel Prize In Literature
The prolific musician is the first American to win the prize for lifetime literary achievement in 23 years. While Dylan long enjoyed favor as an outside shot for the award, few expected him to win.
Take 5 For Your Health
For Some Ironman Triathletes, Kansas City Is Like Training In Hawaii For a handful of triathletes training in a pool at the Jewish Community Center in Overland Park, Kansas, simply swimming laps is too easy. Instead, they’ve got their legs constricted so their arms do the work of dragging their bodies through the water. Kansas…
Low Wheat Prices Could Hit Kansas Rural Economy Hard
This year was a very good year for growing wheat, but that means it could be a very bad year for wheat farmers. There’s a glut on the global wheat market and prices for winter wheat – which is grown all up and down the Great Plains, from Texas to North Dakota– wheat prices this…
Do You Need Extra Screening For Breast Cancer? The Picture Is Blurry
Many women have dense breasts, and they may benefit from other forms of cancer screening beyond mammograms. But none of the options is ideal, and the available data don’t make the decision easier.
Has The Human Life Span Hit The Ceiling?
An analysis of global demographics indicates the maximum human life span may have peaked at around 115 years. That’s despite medical advances and the occasional person who lives a few years longer.
Take 5 For Your Health
Kansas Infant Mortality Rate Drops Kansas recorded its lowest-ever infant mortality rate in 2015, when 230 infants died before their first birthday, according to the Kansas Department of Health and Environment. That put the state’s infant mortality rate at 5.9 for every 1,000 live births — a 28 percent improvement since 1996. Nationwide, the infant…
My, How the Garden Grows
Located among strip malls, office buildings and rows of uniform houses, The Temple, Congregation B’nai Jehudah in Overland Park is in the heart of suburbia. But park your car behind the temple, which sits on Nall Avenue a little south of 119th Street, wander up a winding dirt path, and you will find that you’ve…
Beekeepers Benefit From The Hive Mind In Community Apiaries
Even though Marca Engman read countless books, watched YouTube videos and took a beekeeping class before installing her first hive in 2012, she knew she’d need help in the field. “The whole idea of beekeeping was overwhelming,” she recalls. “Every year is different and every hive is different.” Rather than working a backyard beehive solo,…
It May Not Cost You More To Drive Home In A Climate-Friendly Car
It has been a common belief that low-emissions vehicles, like hybrids and electric cars, are more expensive than other choices. But a new study finds that when operating and maintenance costs are included in a vehicle’s price, cleaner cars may actually be a better bet. The cars and trucks we drive are responsible for about…
Commentary | Why are We Surprised? The State of Our Media is What We Made It
I watched the debate Monday night along with more than 80 million of my fellow Americans, according to Nielsen. We all knew what we would get from the candidates. Few were disappointed. As also expected, moderator Lester Holt received his share of criticism over how he performed his duties. However, Holt gave us exactly what…