Pornhub blocks access to Kansas over new law requiring users to verify their age
Under a new Kansas law that took effect Monday, adult websites must verify that visitors are over the age of 18. Critics are concerned about internet users' data privacy, and one of the world's most...
View ArticleTaking aim at opioid overdoses in Kansas
The Kansas Department of Corrections is using opioid settlement funds to pay for a program to reduce opioid overdose deaths. Opioids like fentanyl are a major driver of rapidly rising overdose deaths...
View ArticleA ‘silver tsunami’ is hitting rural America as small business owners retire...
Many small businesses owners are planning on retiring soon, but finding buyers to keep the businesses going can be a challenge, especially in rural areas.
View ArticleFarm fertilizer runoff is impacting drinking water in the Midwest, not just...
Worsening local effects on health and recreation in states like Minnesota and Wisconsin are spurring action on problems that also cause the Gulf of Mexico’s chronic “dead zone.”
View ArticleTwo perspectives on voting from Kansas Citians
In one corner of Wyandotte County, only about 3% of voters participated in the last election — and it's not because they don't care. Plus: We'll hear from a newly naturalized American citizen in Kansas...
View ArticleAfter becoming an American citizen, this Kansas Citian is eager to vote in...
One naturalized Kearney resident, originally from Mexico, is ready to make her voice heard in 2024 election. Nearly 900,000 immigrants and refugees became U.S. citizens in 2023, and the rapidly growing...
View ArticleBoeing buys struggling Kansas supplier Spirit AeroSystems to shore up 737...
Boeing agreed to buy Spirit AeroSystems, the Wichita, Kansas-based supplier that makes fuselages for the 737 Max jet, in a deal intended to improve quality after a midair door plug blowout.
View ArticleDOJ report: Wichita public schools disproportionally discipline Black and...
In a settlement agreement with the U.S. Justice Department, the Wichita district plans to create new policies and eliminate others, including its use of seclusion.
View ArticleKansas isn't doing much to help unhoused residents
A bill in the Kansas Legislature would have provided millions of dollars to build homeless shelters across the state — except lawmakers let it die in committee. Plus: Could manufactured housing like...
View ArticleExtreme heat and floods are back in the Midwest. How does climate change play...
Warmer temperatures are leading to more extreme precipitation, dry periods and dangerously humid heat waves all at once. But in a complicated system, some things aren’t changing as expected.
View ArticlePoll workers face threats ahead of the 2024 election. This Kansas City woman...
Attacks on poll workers have been on the rise since 2020. One local election worker is afraid that four years of conspiracy theories and harmful rhetoric are putting her in danger — and she’s not alone.
View ArticleGoing for gold at the Paris Olympics and Paralympics
Half of Team USA’s shotgun trap shooters are from the Kansas City area. So what is it about Missouri and Kansas that makes for such good Olympic shooters? Plus: A Missouri professor is the first woman...
View ArticleMissouri counties say they lose money housing people headed to state prison
Missouri prisons can house offenders in county jails after they’re convicted for a cost. But counties say they’re spending more than what the state pays.
View ArticlePayment backlog leaves Missouri child care providers desperate and about to...
Some Missouri day care centers have been forced to shutter as state subsidy payments remain backlogged due to glitches in a new system.
View ArticleTo save the bees, a Kansas scientist is building an app to identify thousands...
Scientists want to know how well bees are coping with habitat loss. But first, they need to be able to tell nearly identical species apart.
View ArticleTheir son escaped Kabul without them. Now an Afghan family is safe in Kansas...
Facing genocide in Afghanistan, a family of Hazara refugees settled in Kansas City. But they remain separated from their son, who helped bring them here under the U.S. Committee for Refugees and...
View ArticleA monumental Kansas ruling on abortion rights
The Kansas Supreme Court on Friday reaffirmed that abortion rights are protected by the state constitution, and that lawmakers seeking to restrict abortion must meet a high “strict scrutiny” test. It...
View ArticleA summer food assistance program for kids started this year, but 13 states...
The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s SUN Bucks doles out $40 per month over the summer for each eligible child. This is the first year for the program, and it's expected to reach about 21 million kids....
View ArticleHow quickly should communities replace lead service lines? Olathe, Kansas,...
The EPA is trying to crack down on lead pipes that bring water into homes. But a looming deadline — and the election — will determine if it follows a Biden plan to replace pipes or a Trump plan. In...
View ArticleWhy Kansas City Public Schools stopped giving out zeros
A new policy at Kansas City Public Schools has changed the minimum grade from zero to 40%. Hear how it’s intended to help struggling students catch up.
View Article