Kansas veterans praise passage of mental health bill
Two Kansas soldiers treated for post-traumatic stress disorder after serving in the recent wars in Iraq and Afghanistan say a bill signed this week by President Barack Obama is a good start in preventing veterans’ suicides.
Kansans react to Brownback’s LGBT decision
In the several days since Gov. Sam Brownback rescinded protected-class status for Kansas state workers who identify as LGBT, the mostly negative reactions of other politicians, journalists and Kansas citizens have crowded news sites and social media. On Tuesday, Brownback rescinded an executive order — issued by former governor Kathleen Sebelius in 2007 — that…
Shimmy and shake
Kansas City is no stranger to the art of the tease. Beginning in the ’40s, KC had a vibrant burlesque scene, and some of that legacy lives on with a number of local artists. Sophie Sassafras teaches the craft to a new crop of aspiring performers at studios around the metro. She calls it Burlesque…
King cake and ‘bayou bites’ – bringing New Orleans tastes to KC
It’s the Wednesday before Fat Tuesday and the prep area for Lanmou Chocolates is rapidly filling with sweets. The new company, co-owned by Goellner (who also owns Natasha’s Mulberry & Mott) and Megan Piel, is getting ready to celebrate its first Mardi Gras in KC.
Conversation: HHS Secretary Burwell
Sylvia Matthews Burwell succeeded former Kansas Gov. Kathleen Sebelius as Secretary of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services in June 2014. Before that she was Director of the Office of Management and Budget. She has also served as president of the Walmart Foundation and of the Global Development Program of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.
Kansas Board of Regents backs KU Cancer Center initiative
The state board that oversees Kansas’ public colleges and universities on Wednesday endorsed an effort by the University of Kansas Cancer Center to earn the highest level of recognition from the National Cancer Institute (NCI).
Igniting a conversation, on domestic violence
Last year, more than 25,000 women and children spent time in one of the 29 domestic violence shelters in Kansas. A few men did as well. Between 2009 and 2013, law enforcement officials in Kansas investigated nearly 96,000 reports of domestic violence, resulting in 68,000 arrests. “These are just the ones we know about,” said Joyce Grover, executive director of the Kansas Coalition Against Sexual and Domestic Violence. The best way to bring these numbers down, Grover said, is to “stop it before it starts.”
What’s the state of entrepreneurship in the U.S.? It’s complicated.
On one hand, it’s a good time to be an entrepreneur. Venture capital and angel investment levels are back up to where they were in the late 1990s and early 2000s. Startup valuations are high. City and state governments are building more economic development strategies for entrepreneurs. On the other hand, new business creation in…
To limit sales, states propose legalizing raw milk
The federal government banned raw milk sales across state lines nearly three decades ago because it poses a threat to public health. The Centers for Disease Control, the American Academy of Pediatrics, and the American Medical Association all strongly advise people not to drink it. Individual states still control raw milk sales within their borders. And…
Facing layoffs and closures, rural hospitals push for medicaid expansion
If you’re in the market for fluorescent light bulbs, you might talk to Chris Smiley. In the past few weeks, she’s been trying to sell off what’s left of Sac-Osage Hospital. “Casework, lighting, plumping, sinks, toilets. Anything you want,” Smiley says. That’s not in her job description. She’s actually the CEO of Sac-Osage, a hospital…