News & Issues
Stories from around the Kansas City Metro area on a variety of topics.
USDA whistleblower claims censorship of pesticide research
A senior scientist at the U.S. Department of Agriculture filed a whistleblower complaint on Wednesday accusing the federal agency of suppressing research findings that could call into question the use of a popular pesticide class that is a revenue powerhouse for the agrichemical industry. Jonathan Lundgren, a senior research entomologist with the USDA’s Agriculture Research…
Sounding Smarter
According to the state-run Xinhua news agency, China has decided to end its decades-old one-child per couple policy. The change comes to counter a shortage of young people in the Chinese workforce. Gee, who could have possibly seen that coming? The extinction of big animals including whales and elephants is creating environmental problems, new research finds. According to…
Safe Trick-or-Treating in Wyandotte County
Kids love to trick-or-treat for Halloween, but it can be scary for concerned parents. Safety concerning door-to-door trick-or-treating has increased over the years especially in inner-city locations like Wyandotte County. Parents have many concerns about what candy their child is receiving, how cold it can be outside, and how quickly it becomes dark. Wyandotte County offers several…
Wyandotte County Could Lead Region In hiking Legal Age For Cigarette Sales
Smokers in the county would have to be at least 21 to legally purchase cigarettes under a plan under consideration.
‘Talking Scripture’ explores sacred text and meaning through interfaith dialogue
Two pastors, a pair of religious scholars, a Muslim, and a Baha’i lawyer sat down on the stage of a UMKC auditorium recently to chat. And no, this is not the set-up of a joke: It is the actual panel of interfaith leaders that led a thoughtful discussion on scripture and its meanings in our…
Take 5 for your health
KU Tobacco Cessation Expert Sees ‘Big Disparity In Who’s Smoking And Who’s Dying’ Studies have shown that nearly half of the cigarettes consumed in the United States are smoked by people thought to have a mental illness. At the same time, people who have a mental illness die an average of 25 years earlier than those…
Sounding Smarter
According to the state-run Xinhua news agency, the Chinese Communist Party has banned its members from joining golf clubs. Additional rules were announced against “extravagant eating and drinking” and “improper sexual relationships,” proving there ain’t no party like a communist party. Because a communist party is lame. The golf clubs in China, however, sound like…
KC effort aims to snuff out teen smoking
Effort aimed at raising cigarette purchase age to 21
Med students mix volunteerism, fitness in KC’s Historic Northeast
Students from Kansas City University of Medicine and Biosciences are helping train elementary school students for an upcoming 5K
90 Seconds With Mighty Handle
Ed’s Note: Flatland and Startland News have partnered to highlight Kansas City’s innovators and entrepreneurs, all in 90 seconds. This is the fifth and final episode in the series. Think of Mighty Handle as your digital defender. No, Mighty Handle is not anti-virus software. Rather, the handy, Kansas City-made contraption is a device that can save your fingers from…