12 QUESTIONS – and answers – about a minimum wage increase in KC
In the past few months, protests, rallies and labor strikes in favor of raising the minimum wage to $15 in Kansas CIty have gained local and national attention. Here are 12 questions we answer regarding the minimum wage increase.
The Field of Dreams and Wine
The Berggren family just wanted a new home for their pumpkin patch. Logistics Park Kansas City and the BSNF intermodal were set to come online in Edgerton, Kansas, two years ago and the KC Pumpkin Patch was going to lose its lease in neighboring Gardner. “My folks have always wanted to run the pumpkin patch,”…
The $50 Million Budget Cuts in Kansas
Gov. Sam Brownback’s office will work to identify $50 million in budget cuts mandated by the Legislature for the upcoming fiscal year, although future restoration of those reductions could be constrained by automatic income tax cuts. Brownback addressed reporters Tuesday in a news conference recapping the historically long session that ended Friday. The governor acknowledged…
Voters may be able to weigh in on the convention center hotel
During the Wednesday morning taping of KCPT’s Ruckus, Dan Coffey, founder of Citizens for Responsible Government, announced plans to begin a petition initiative to allow voters to weigh in on the proposed plan for a new 800-room downtown convention hotel. The Kansas City charter grants the right to file an initiative petition provided it is…
Affordable Care Act may become unaffordable
It’s shaping up as a make-or-break moment for the Affordable Care Act. The U.S. Supreme Court will rule in a week or two on a challenge to Obamacare subsidies that could affect 6.4 million Americans. That’s roughly how many people obtained tax credits through health insurance exchanges operated by the federal government. Thirty-four states chose…
“Telling Project” enlists local veterans to bring their experiences center stage
Jonathan Wei can pinpoint the exact moment when he realized that everything he thought he knew about those who served in the military was wrong. In 2006, Wei was teaching at the University of Oregon and was an advisor to a student veterans group there. One morning while talking with one of his students, who…
Raucous Caucus attempts to engage absent millennial voters
Candidates in the upcoming election converged on Barney Allis Plaza for the Raucous Caucus, an event aimed at getting young people to vote. The event was hosted by a collection of local organizations that work to engage young people in Kansas City, including KCPT. In May of 2015 the Kansas City Star reported that three times more people over…
A KC incubator for food and flavor
After two decades in the tile and flooring business, Shannon Kimball made the decision to pursue his barbecue business, Firebug, full-time. But when he headquartered at a 6,000 square foot building on Troost, he knew that it was likely too large for just one business. That’s how Flavor Trade, an incubator for KC food entrepreneurs, was born.
Local KC group kickstarts payday-loan reform campaign
The Kansas City nonprofit Communities Creating Opportunity (CCO) has launched a new payday-loan reform campaign to educate the public about the dangers of payday loans and rally support for legislative reform.
BetaBlox Demo Day pitch: Tracy Ford & Virtutecture
Tracy Ford pitched Kansas City his startup Virtutecture, which creates virtual reality simulations for architecture, real estate and engineering firms, at this year’s BetaBlox Demo Day event.
Action urged to reduce poverty in Johnson County
Johnson County social service providers should target more services to residents who don’t have children, including low-income couples and at-risk young adults, according to a nonprofit that supports social service agencies in the county.
Kansas (Smart) City
Kansas City should soon learn the specifics of what it means to be a “smart city,” as designated by Cisco Systems Inc., the San Jose, California, computer networking giant. On Monday, Cisco officials are scheduled to announce the details around a letter of intent it signed with the city a year ago. This will make…
KC Collaboration, caffeinated
Bo Nelson always envisioned Thou Mayest as a place where entrepreneurs could get together to hash out the details of their next project. But what Nelson didn’t anticipate when the coffee shop opened 11 months ago in the Crossroads was just how often those meetings would be about his own projects.
BetaBlox Demo Day pitch: Justin Prestidge & Trailer Bid
Justin Prestidge pitched his startup Trailer Bid, a virtual dealership for enclosed trailers, at this year’s BetaBlox Demo Day event. Watch the BetaBlox Demo Day videos each Wednesday online at FlatlandKC.org and on KCPT Thursdays at 7:25 p.m., following Ruckus.
Health Advocates See Tobacco Tax Benefits Slipping
While health advocates cling to the possibility of Kansas lawmakers using a large tobacco tax increase to help solve the state budget crisis, Statehouse momentum is heading toward a much smaller increase — or none at all. Groups like the American Cancer Society, American Heart Association and the University of Kansas Cancer Center praised Gov….