'Beep kickball' in Kansas City
A special Kansas City kickball tournament offers a chance for blind and visually impaired students to play — using beeping balls and bases. Plus: A former Hallmark artist has a new graphic novel that...
View ArticleA KitchenAid repair shop in Kansas found a global following by ‘fighting that...
Zach Dinicola's approach to repairing, not replacing, KitchenAid mixers has earned him more than 600,000 followers on TikTok. He operated a five-person repair business out of Augusta, Kansas, since 2020.
View ArticleKCAI students transform Historic Northeast with visions of ballerinas and...
Illustration students from the Kansas City Art Institute are inviting artists of all ages to help them complete colorful murals that are turning a neglected alleyway into a communal space for neighbors...
View Article'That’s a bloodbath': How a federal program kills wildlife for private interests
A federal program kills hundreds of thousands of wild animals a year — like cowbirds in Missouri and prairie dogs in Kansas. Documents obtained by NPR show that many of those animals were killed in...
View ArticleNew study sheds light on Missouri's most common venomous snakes
Scientists have uncovered surprisingly little about copperhead snakes, until now. A six-year study on copperheads at Powder Valley has gained new insight on their population size, how they move through...
View ArticleKansas voters show support of abortion rights ahead of fall election
A plurality of Kansas voters say it’s a good thing that the state is a regional abortion access point, according to a survey by the Midwest Newsroom and Emerson College Polling Center.
View ArticleShawnee Mission football player died of heat stroke — third Kansas athlete...
15-year-old Ovet Gomez Regalado was a sophomore at Shawnee Mission Northwest High School. His death is similar to two other football deaths in Kansas — both also involving teenage linemen.
View ArticleFederal drought relief policies leave some farmers out to dry
Programs that provide drought relief to farmers use the U.S. Drought Monitor to determine eligibility, but some experts say it doesn’t always capture local conditions.
View ArticleVolunteer firefighters worry new OSHA safety standards could shut down some...
Fighting fires has evolved, but federal safety regulations haven’t changed for nearly half a century. Now the Occupational Safety and Health Administration has proposed new safety standards. It's great...
View ArticleIt’s hard to find a market for this climate-friendly grain. Craft beer may be...
Kernza is a perennial grain that can produce an annual crop, even as it stays in the ground for up to four years. Its deep root system make it a sustainable crop, but the grain doesn't have many markets.
View ArticleDemocrat Crystal Quade wants to be Missouri's governor
In the race to be Missouri's next governor, Democrat Crystal Quade says she'll work across political differences to make Missourians' lives better. She shares her thoughts on issues Missouri voters are...
View ArticleAmeren Missouri closing Rush Island coal plant after years-long litigation...
The Environmental Protection Agency estimates Rush Island released 275,000 tons of sulfur dioxide after it was updated without required pollution controls in 2007 and 2010.
View ArticleFailing the Midwest's homeless students
Many unhoused students in Missouri and Kansas aren't getting the school support they need — in large part because the districts aren't counting them. Plus: Farmers expect less income this year, which...
View ArticleDonald J. Hall, 'a giant' in Kansas City's corporate, civic and philanthropic...
The son of Hallmark founder J.C. Hall and his wife Elizabeth, Donald J. Hall went on to serve as president and CEO of the company. He and his late wife Adele Hall donated their time and financial...
View ArticleKansas scientists say they’ve found a cheap fix for a source of potent...
New research suggests silage has been overlooked as a substantial producer of nitrous oxide. A team at K-State figured out why – and a potential way to tackle the problem.
View ArticleUnion voting power in the Northland
Democrats have long enjoyed support from organized labor, but many union members don’t feel a party allegiance any more. In Kansas City's Northland, both Republican Rep. Bill Allen and his opponent,...
View ArticleGun violence haunts the lives of Kansas City's Super Bowl rally shooting victims
Eight months after the Feb. 14 shooting, people wounded at the Kansas City Chiefs' victory parade are wary of more gun violence. In this installment of “The Injured,” survivors of the shooting say they...
View ArticleNew KU research center will focus on health equity and access
The research center is part of the University of Kansas’ School of Social Welfare, where scholars will study health equity and access issues from a social worker's perspective.
View ArticleLosing an Overland Park natural birth center
Natural birth centers that aren’t affiliated with hospitals are becoming more popular, but patients across the Kansas City area are left with few options after a local center closed. Plus: Kernza is a...
View ArticleJohnson County Sheriff's race is hotly contested
It's been 96 years since a Democrat has won the sheriff's office in Johnson County. But this year's contest is unusually competitive after controversial incumbent Calvin Hayden lost the GOP primary....
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