News & Issues
Stories from around the Kansas City Metro area on a variety of topics.
It Doesn’t Pay To Be An Early-Childhood Teacher
On average, preschool teachers are paid less than mail-order clerks, tree trimmers and pest control workers. And if they switched to teach kindergarten — in many states, their salaries would double.
Dangerous Jobs, Cheap Meat | While New Safety Efforts are Underway, Injuries are Still Part of the Job
The meatpacking plants that enable American consumers to find cheap hamburger and chicken wings in the grocery store are among the most dangerous places to work in the country. Federal regulators and meat companies agree more must be done to make slaughterhouses safer, and while there are signs the industry is stepping up its efforts,…
The Hero’s Journey
For this beautiful black-and-white look at the Warrior’s Ascent academy, photographer Chase Castor followed veterans and first responders through the course. It’s part of our ongoing Veterans Coming Home project.
Dangerous Jobs, Cheap Meat | Working ‘The Chain,’ Slaughterhouse Workers Face Life-Long Injuries
“Dangerous Jobs, Cheap Meat” is a three-part series from Harvest Public Media that focuses on the risks faced every day by the half-million people working in meatpacking factories to feed America’s desire for cheap meat. Today’s is the second installment; Look for the final installment tomorrow on Flatland. The nights were often worse for Gabriel, even after long…
Dangerous Jobs, Cheap Meat | Fines For Meatpackers’ Safety Problems Are ‘Embarrassingly Low’
“Dangerous Jobs, Cheap Meat” is a three-part series from Harvest Public Media that focuses on the risks faced every day by the half-million people working in meatpacking factories to feed America’s desire for cheap meat. Look for Part II tomorrow on Flatland. On the worst day of Greta Horner’s life, she was dressed in a burlap robe,…
Take 5 For Your Health
Levee Trail In Kansas City, Kansas, Begins To Take Shape Standing at the meeting point of the Kansas and Missouri rivers, you can still get a glimpse of what Lewis and Clark might have seen when they camped here 212 years ago: vast skies, tall trees, wide, shimmering rivers, even the occasional eagle. Rick Behrens,…
Faith In The Wake Of Tragedy
The devastating news from Orlando, Florida, was felt here at home. Flatland was downtown for the vigil, getting reaction from local faith leaders.
How The Futures Market Helps Keep Your Grocery Bill Down
At the grocery store, processed foods like cereal, crackers and candy usually maintain the same price for a long time, and inch up gradually. Economists call these prices “sticky” because they don’t move much even as some of the commodities that go into them do. Take corn, for example, which can be a major food…
National Cathedral Will Remove Confederate Flags From Stained Glass
The Washington National Cathedral says it will remove two images of the Confederate battle flag from the building’s stained glass windows. Then the church will hold a period of public discussion on issues of race, slavery and justice, and revisit the question of how to treat other depictions of the Civil War on the windows….
Take 5 For Your Health
Kansas Children’s Cabinet Grant Programs Face Imminent Cuts Children’s programs across the state are scrambling to deal with grant cuts that take effect at the start of July. The cuts come from a $3.3 million reduction in funding for the Kansas Children’s Cabinet, which uses the state’s share of the 1998 master settlement agreement with…