Bigs, Littles bridge time between visits with tech
Big Brother Tom Cowherd and his Little Brother Aaron, now 18, have been matched for 10 years — paired in the youth mentorship program at Big Brothers Big Sisters of Greater Kansas City. They have spent the past decade playing football, fishing and going to movies. Aaron’s mother, Kathy Wilmes, enrolled Aaron in the BBBS-KC…
Entrepreneurship, education meet in the form of a hot dog cart
E.B. Wiltz is passionate about three things: good sausage, quality construction and creating better opportunities for young people in the urban core of Kansas City, Mo., through his organization Brother for Another. A construction worker by trade and Cajun by birth, Wiltz got the idea to work with a group of five young men to…
KC Week in Review: After a year of talk, the KCI Task Force finally makes a terminal decision. Plus, Overriding Nixon: What Missouri’s big tax cuts mean to you…
After a year of study, there’s finally a decision. A task force appointed by Kansas City Mayor Sly James says they’ve wrestled with all the information and decided that the metro needs a new single terminal at KCI. Also on this edition of KANSAS CITY WEEK IN REVIEW, Friday May 9th, 2014 at 7:30…
1 Million Cups with LigoSphere and Royal Loyal
Entrepreneurs filled their cups to the brim at 1 Million Cups early Wednesday morning at the Kauffman Foundation. Two Kansas City–based startups, LigoSphere and Royal Loyal, shared their early stage startups with the audience and each participated in a brief question and answer session after their presentations.
Missouri Likely To Remain The Only State Without Prescription Drug Database
Missouri has a distinction that troubles many involved in public health: It’s the only state in the country that does not monitor prescription drugs. Some say that heightens the problem of prescription drug abuse. Missouri legislators are trying to create a drug monitoring system, but concerns over privacy have stirred opposition. Rising abuse Since the…
Record number of student writers illustrate their talents, KCPT Kids Writers Contest winners announced
A whopping 202 young authors submitted their stories to the 2014 KCPT Kids Writers Contest for K–3 students. From a saga about a lost Jayhawk to the tale of an African dwarf frog that aspires to be a popstar, the stories reflected the unique interests of each author. A team of educators and librarians poured…
KC Week in Review: FBI investigates influence peddling by Brownback advisers. Plus, the politics of tax breaks…
An FBI probe into the activities of top advisers to Kansas Governor Sam Brownback tops our look at the week’s news. According to a breaking story in the Topeka Capital Journal, federal agents have spent months investigating influence peddling including behind the scenes financial arrangements related to Brownback’s privatization of the state’s $3 billion Medicaid program. We examine what’s at…
Students at Kansas school for the blind get in tune with harmonica pro
Gabriel Lewis carefully ran his fingers over the edges of the small box before he took out the shiny, chrome harmonica inside and took a big breath to make the first notes. Lewis is one of 40 students at the Kansas State School for the Blind that received a new harmonica courtesy of the instrument’s…
Instructors, digital professionals debate value of social media certification
Liesl Christman is the digital content specialist for the Kansas City Public Library system. She is in charge of managing, among other things, website content and all social media accounts, like Twitter, Facebook and Instagram. She has no formal social media training. “To be fair,” she said, “when I started college, it was 1998. Social…
KCK summit tackles food issues among the needy
John Hornbeck came to a Thursday forum in Kansas City, Kan., with two cans of green beans. His point was to illustrate that solving hunger isn’t as simple as merely providing someone something to eat — especially when health is thrown into the mix. The CEO of Episcopal Community Services in Kansas City, Mo., a…
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1 Million Cups with yurJURY and My Strategic Shopping
Kyle Geary — The Hale Center for Journalism Entrepreneurs packed into the auditorium at the Kauffman Foundation on an unseasonably chilly Wednesday morning to listen to presentations from two local startups: yurJURY and My Strategic Shopping. First up to the plate was yurJURY. Chris Lucas is the CEO and founder of the online startup which, according…
Truman Medical Centers Names New CEO
By Dan Margolies – KCUR An executive with TMC Lakewood has been chosen to succeed John W. Bluford III as president and CEO of Truman Medical Centers. Charles W. “Charlie” Shields, currently the chief operating officer of TMC Lakewood, part of the TMC Health System, will replace Bluford, who is retiring in July. Shields, a former Missouri state…
MO governor proposes health assistance for working poor
Missouri Gov. Jay Nixon is proposing that the state use federal health dollars to subsidize health insurance for low-wage workers. Under a program he is calling Missouri Health Works, Nixon is proposing that the state pay a portion of employers’ health insurance costs for their employees that make below 138 percent of the poverty level,…
Brownback proposes HCBS waiting list reduction
Mike Shields — KHI News Service LENEXA — Gov. Sam Brownback today said he will ask the Kansas Legislature to approve spending an additional $2.6 million in state funds to help reduce the waiting lists for in-home, Medicaid services for the disabled. If approved, an estimated 209 additional people would receive the services. There are…