News & Issues
Stories from around the Kansas City Metro area on a variety of topics.
Local Politicians, Health Care Officials React To Obamacare Ruling
Reactions to today’s U.S. Supreme Court ruling upholding a key pillar of the Affordable Care Act – the subsidies made available through the federal insurance marketplace:
Nominate an outstanding educator as a ‘Champion’
Do you know someone extraordinary who is helping local students? KCPT is looking for pre-K to 12th grade educators and leaders around the metro that are making an impact. As part of the national American Graduate “Stories of Champions” initiative, KCPT is asking community members to nominate local Champions of education. From community nominations, one will be selected, and profiled…
Missouri Cigarette Tax Hike Advocates Split On Strategy
Special interests have long eyed Missouri’s lowest-in-the-nation cigarette tax as a potential pot of gold, if only voters would agree to hike the 17-cent-per-pack levy and direct the windfall to health and education programs.
Healthcare subsidies at risk
Early on a Monday morning, percussionist and music teacher Amy Hearting of Kansas City reads a newspaper outside a coffee shop before going off to teach an elementary school workshop. She loves her work but says she’s not in it for the benefits and certainly not for the big salary. “I feel like I’m doing…
Stroke Prevention Device Shows Promise And Perplexity Of Health Breakthroughs
Charles Welty began seriously worrying about his heart health at the gym. The 78-year-old retired civil engineer said that while running on a treadmill, he saw something startling on the machine’s heart monitor.
KC groups call on city hall to take action on minimum wage
At a rally on the steps of KCMO’s City Hall Monday, several advocates called on Kansas City’s city council to pass a minimum wage increase to $15 an hour. The rally was hosted by two local organizations, Stand UP KC and Missouri Jobs With Justice, in anticipation of an upcoming vote on the issue by Kansas City councilmembers.
12 QUESTIONS – and answers – about a minimum wage increase in KC
In the past few months, protests, rallies and labor strikes in favor of raising the minimum wage to $15 in Kansas CIty have gained local and national attention. Here are 12 questions we answer regarding the minimum wage increase.
The $50 Million Budget Cuts in Kansas
Gov. Sam Brownback’s office will work to identify $50 million in budget cuts mandated by the Legislature for the upcoming fiscal year, although future restoration of those reductions could be constrained by automatic income tax cuts. Brownback addressed reporters Tuesday in a news conference recapping the historically long session that ended Friday. The governor acknowledged…
Voters may be able to weigh in on the convention center hotel
During the Wednesday morning taping of KCPT’s Ruckus, Dan Coffey, founder of Citizens for Responsible Government, announced plans to begin a petition initiative to allow voters to weigh in on the proposed plan for a new 800-room downtown convention hotel. The Kansas City charter grants the right to file an initiative petition provided it is…
Affordable Care Act may become unaffordable
It’s shaping up as a make-or-break moment for the Affordable Care Act. The U.S. Supreme Court will rule in a week or two on a challenge to Obamacare subsidies that could affect 6.4 million Americans. That’s roughly how many people obtained tax credits through health insurance exchanges operated by the federal government. Thirty-four states chose…