News & Issues
Stories from around the Kansas City Metro area on a variety of topics.
La Raza Panel: Zip Codes Key To Understanding Community Health
Something as simple as schoolyard gates can play a role in improving the health of low-income communities.
US Treasurer Rios calls for greater economic equality and opportunity
The poverty rate for Latinos is decreasing, but the continuing growth of income inequality is making economic advancement for Latinos difficult. That’s according to panelists speaking Sunday at the National Conference of La Raza (NCLR) in Kansas City. In a panel discussion titled “The Great Economic Divide, Why Inequality Matters,” the town hall meeting featured U.S. Treasurer Rosie Rios as keynote speaker.
Young audience hears college advice at La Raza conference
Fernando Rojas and Emily Gonzalez are two young adults who know all about the trials and tribulations that Latinos face once they have overcome the first hurdle of getting into college, including navigating the financial aid system and overcoming parental anxieties.
La Raza outlines strategies to expand Medicaid
Advocates for expanding Medicaid coverage to more low-income Americans must refine their strategies to win over lawmakers in states such as Missouri and Kansas, which have resisted efforts to loosen eligibility requirements.
Me, getting by
LaJua Manning is a single mom who is involved with Stand Up KC, a group that protests for higher pay for low wage workers. As a certified nursing assistant, LaJua works overnight to take care of bedridden patients. Yet, she still struggles to get by. Her $12 an hour salary keeps her constantly juggling expenses…
Low-wage workers and the child-care conundrum
On July 16, KCMO City Council members are expected to vote on the issue of whether or not to raise the city’s minimum wage, potentially up to $15 per hour by 2020. It’s a highly contentious issue with the business community threatening it would trigger layoffs, and fast-food workers and others rallying and fasting in support. One key issue that supporters say a raise in the minimum wage would would address is the high cost of child care for struggling families.
How your zip code affects your wellbeing
Place matters. Be it a street that divides the city or two neighboring counties, the place where one lives often strongly predicts income, educational opportunities and health outcomes. Income disparity is a geographic marker seen in this city and those across the nation. Mapping it out Click on the zip codes in this map, which…
Conflicting police pursuit policies in the KC metro area
Police pursuits, more commonly known as car chases, can be very dangerous. Often they end in crashes or, in the worst cases, death. In the last decade in Kansas City, there have been at least 706 pursuit crashes that have killed at least 23 people – many of them innocent bystanders. Hundreds more were injured,…
The Birth of a ‘Smart’ Kansas City
From its offices in the Crossroads, Think Big Partners is working to help entrepreneurs turn their dreams into reality. But the business accelerator, which provides advice on everything from raising capital to building a network of contacts, is now looking to boost Kansas City’s status as one of the most technologically advanced municipalities in the world…
Regional group to look into the issue of police pursuits
A regional planning group says it will wade into the issue of conflicting police pursuit policies in the Kansas City area.