News & Issues
Stories from around the Kansas City Metro area on a variety of topics.
Documentary examines link between race and education
Lindsey Foat – The Hale Center for Journalism Editor’s note: Reporter Lindsey Foat received a grant from PBS’s program “POV” to create community engagement around the “American Promise” documentary and to produce a short video localizing the issue. Most people would agree that education and economic opportunity are essential components of the American Dream. A new documentary,…
A Community Choice
Part 3: Undocumented and Uninsured – A Health Care Challenge [Editor’s Note: Click this link for an overview of the series and an interview with the author.] Tammy Worth — Special correspondent to The Hale Center for Journalism Kansas City may have the largest number of Hispanics in the metropolitan area, but Olathe has the largest percent…
Rainbow Mental Health Facility to hold town hall meeting
The organizations involved with the revamped Rainbow Mental Health Facility in Kansas City, Kan., are holding a town hall meeting Friday to explain the changes. Officials have scheduled the meeting for 10 a.m. at the Johnson County Mental Center, 6000 Lamar Ave. in Mission, Kan. Last week, Kansas Gov. Sam Brownback announced that Rainbow will…
State of the States Focus on Education
Education was a major focus of both Kansas Gov. Sam Brownback and Missouri Gov. Jay Nixon’s respective State of the State addresses. Here are highlights from both speeches. Full transcriptions of Brownback and Nixon’s speeches can be found at respective links. Brownback delivered his speech Jan. 15, 2014. He championed a state plan to fund…
Program curtails visits to emergency rooms
After navigating the brightly lit aisles of the Raytown Wal-Mart, Lance Sharples wheeled a grocery cart to the check-out line one night last week. The clerk made quick work of the items – staples like bananas, hotdogs, frozen pizza, and white bread. “You push, man,” Sharples told his companion as they headed for the door….
The new Rainbow plan
By Dave Ranney—KHI News Service KANSAS CITY, Kan. – Gov. Sam Brownback today unveiled his administration’s plan for reopening the Rainbow Mental Health Facility. “I think this is a winner,” Brownback said, referring to a Kansas Department for Aging and Disability Services plan for privatizing the state hospital’s operations. The plan calls…
Supporting the System — Immigrant Contributions
Part 2, continued: Undocumented and Uninsured – A Health Care Challenge [Editor’s Note: Click this link for an overview of the series and an interview with the author.] Tammy Worth — Special correspondent to The Hale Center for Journalism Immigration policy has become the third rail of politics. During a Congressional address prior to the implementation of…
A Healthy Expense – Who Pays for Care
Part 2: Undocumented and Uninsured — A Health Care Challenge [Editor’s Note: Click this link for an overview of the series and an interview with the author.] Tammy Worth — Special correspondent to The Hale Center for Journalism Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine Dale Essmyer has a family practice in downtown Milan, Mo. He says he and other residents…
A Working Class
Part 1, continued: Undocumented and Uninsured – A Health Care Challenge [Editor’s Note: Click this link for an overview of the series and an interview with the author.] Tammy Worth — Special correspondent to The Hale Center for Journalism Anna is a 17-year-old living in Mission, Kan. She is a well-spoken, pretty young woman who seems…
A Portrait of Immigration
Part 1: Undocumented and Uninsured – A Health Care Challenge [Editor’s Note: Click this link for an overview of the series and an interview with the author.] Tammy Worth — Special correspondent to The Hale Center for Journalism In 1990, there were only five Hispanic people living in Milan, Mo. – one family living on a farm on the…