News & Issues
Stories from around the Kansas City Metro area on a variety of topics.
Missouri veto lays bare growing debate over electronic cigarettes
Carlo Cavallaro pours a brown liquid into a device that looks a little like a Star Trek phaser. When it hits battery-heated coils, the liquid sizzles and turns into vapor. He takes a big draw and exhales a sugary-smelling cloud. Cavallaro makes his own custom nicotine-infused e-cigarette juice. “This one that I have here is…
Kansas mental health system under increasing stress
OSAWATOMIE — One day last month, Osawatomie State Hospital had 254 patients in its care — almost 50 more than its optimal capacity. The overcrowded conditions forced a few dozen patients, all of them coping with a serious mental illness and likely a danger to themselves or others, to be triple-bunked in rooms meant for two….
Green Works KC fuels graduation rates with environmental education
As part of the national American Graduate initiative, KCPT is highlighting several community leaders and educators who are making significant, scalable changes to prepare students for success in K–12 and beyond.These stories of local education champions will air on KCPT in the weeks leading up to American Graduate Day on Sept. 27, a live, multi-platform…
New bus route addresses health needs of KCK residents
It was nearly a decade ago that the Rosedale Development Association, a nonprofit community improvement corporation, identified lack of transportation as a significant barrier for neighborhood residents who wanted better access to medical care, grocery stores and other basic services. The feedback came via a community-needs survey conducted by a volunteer working with the organization,…
Survey Showing Spike In Kansas’ Uninsured Rate Questioned
Remember that headline-grabbing report last week that said Kansas was the only state in the nation to see a significant increase in its uninsured rate? Well, it’s looking more and more suspect. Some officials were immediately skeptical when the Gallup-Healthways Well-Being Index survey results were released, showing that the adult uninsured rate in Kansas had increased by…
Meet a mayor that makes time to read with kids every week
Video by Lindsey Foat and John McGrath, story by Caitlin Cress | The Hale Center for Journalism As part of the national American Graduate initiative, KCPT is highlighting several community leaders and educators who are making significant, scalable changes to prepare students for success in K-12 and beyond.These stories of local education champions will air…
New figures reveal racial divide in swimming pool deaths
LaShana McGee marvels at the exploits of her 4-year-old daughter around their neighborhood pool in Piper, Kan. “She goes straight to the deep end. It’s crazy,” McGee said. “I don’t know why she does that, but she does. She just jumps right in, and she will swim her way back to the stairs where you…
Poll: Kansas uninsured rate goes up by 40 percent
Kansas was one of just three states that saw their rates of people without health insurance go up since last year, according to a new survey. And, if the poll results are accurate, Kansas was the one whose rates went up the most. The data, collected as part of the Gallup-Healthways Well-Being Index, show that…
Gun violence changes polling places
Like millions of other Americans, I exercised my right to vote today, but it took three tries – thanks partly to my own ignorance and partly to the fact that our pervasive fear of gun violence in this country has finally invaded the voting booth. My early morning trek began at a small elementary school…
Missouri ballot issue aims to help veterans
Among the issues Missouri voters will face at the polls Tuesday is a proposed amendment to the Missouri Constitution that has pitted veterans advocates against education supporters. The proposed amendment, Constitutional Amendment 8, would create a veterans lottery ticket by July of next year, the proceeds of which would be deposited in the Veterans Commission…