News & Issues
Stories from around the Kansas City Metro area on a variety of topics.
Kansas City Week in Review: Turmoil in Kansas U.S. Senate Race
News reviewers Steve Kraske of KCUR, Lynn Horsley and Dave Helling, both of the Kansas City Star and Scott Parks of KMBZ discuss the week’s top stories, including the latest election developments on both sides of the state line plus plans to put the “I” in KCI, who pays for the Missouri National Guard’s presence in Ferguson, tax breaks and streetcars.
Ottawa shooting renews focus on crisis intervention training
Out of the 8,000 full- and part-time law enforcement officers in Kansas, only 1 in 4 have been trained to handle crisis calls involving the mentally ill. Records show that 80 percent of the nearly 1,800 trained officers work in four high-population counties: Johnson, Sedgwick, Shawnee and Wyandotte. The other 20 percent – about 360…
Reclaiming Cliff Drive
Cliff Drive, a state scenic byway, winds through Kessler Park in the northeast part of Kansas City, Missouri. Hidden in an under-visited area north of downtown, Kessler Park is the namesake park of George Kessler, considered to be the father of Kansas City’s parks and boulevards system. Cliff Drive runs the length of the park,…
Kansas City Public Schools revamps approach to early childhood education
The Kansas City Public Schools Head Start classes for three and four year olds begin next week, and while the first day of pre-K is a momental occasion for students and families, it’s also an important day for the district. Just two years ago, the district was on the verge of losing its federal Head…
Physician payment data puts costly eye treatments under the microscope
Correction appended Spritzing perfume is how Judy Johnson realized her eyesight had gone bad. At one point, diabetes had worsened her vision so much that the 69-year-old Lansing, Kan., resident had to squirt out a puff of her favorite scent just to find the opening in the mister. “I looked at it this morning,” Johnson…
Overuse of antipsychotic drugs in some Kansas nursing homes endangering patients
TOPEKA — Experts say powerful antipsychotic drugs — sometimes given in combination — are used too much and often inappropriately as “chemical restraints” or sedatives to control the behavior of Kansas nursing home residents suffering from Alzheimer’s or other dementias, and that efforts to curb the practice so far are showing weak results compared with other…
Migrant education program reaches families on the move
Video by Lindsey Foat, story by Caitlin Cress The national high school dropout rate is around 6 percent, according to the National Center for Education Statistics. When it comes to the children of migrant agricultural workers, that number is closer to 43 percent, according to a study published on the Education Resources Information Center website….
KC Week in Review: Local lessons of Ferguson
This week’s panel discusses some of the local and wider political implications of the unrest in Ferguson as well as tracks current election topics including the race for Kansas governor, Pat Robertson, and streetcars. Also this week, a refreshing string of positive news stories coming out of the Kansas City, Missouri school district. News reviewers: Steve Kraske, KCUR; Eric Wesson, The…
Early learning leader for US Department of Education to speak in KC
Dr. Libby Doggett’s understanding of the importance of early childhood education began while volunteering in a Head Start classroom as an undergraduate at the University of Texas. As the U.S. Department of Education’s lead person on early learning, Doggett spends a lot of her time working to help business and policy leaders at every level…
How can gigabit internet be used in healthcare?
When Bob Summers found himself in a new city, without his regular trainer or workout buddies, he wondered how technology could help him stick to his exercise and health routine. That’s why he developed Fitnet, an interactive app that connects people with fitness trainers through on-demand video. He demonstrated how the user can follow along…