News & Issues

a portion of a heavily redacted report

Bryan Sheppard and the Heavily Redacted Elephant in the Courtroom

In 1997 Bryan Sheppard was sentenced to life without parole for the deaths of six Kansas City firefighters. Although he and the other four defendants have always maintained their innocence, they have lost all of their appeals and are considered guilty of the crime in the eyes of the U.S. judicial system. All five were…

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Non-dairy milk

The Meaning Of Milk: A War Over Words Erupts In The Dairy Aisle

A war is brewing over what you pour on your breakfast cereal. Dairy farmers say the makers of plant-based milks – like almond milk, soy milk and a long list of other varieties – are stealing away their customers and deceiving consumers. And they’d like the federal government to back them up. At its heart,…

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1,000 Years Ago, Corn Made This Society Big. Then, A Changing Climate Destroyed Them

The Mississippian American Indian culture rose to power after 900 A.D. by farming corn. Now, new evidence suggests a dramatic change in climate might have led to the culture’s collapse in the 1300s.

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Pastor Roberson with child

Anyone Can Lead, Anytime, Anywhere

Pastor Adrion Roberson likes to say that youth sports founded his church in Kansas City, Kansas. He has spent 25 years coaching youth football in Wyandotte County and founded the KC United! Youth Sports Initiative – a league that has grown to 65 teams in several Kansas City-area communities. He launched it so working parents…

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kansas reps listening to testimony about medicaid

Medicine By Monthly Fee Expanding In Kansas: Is KanCare Next?

Dr. Damon Heybrock’s office doesn’t look like a traditional medical clinic. Heybrock finished converting a two-story row house into a medical practice in September, putting exam tables in the bedrooms and a centrifuge for lab tests next to the kitchen sink. Original pieces by Kansas City artists cover the walls of the clinic in Westwood,…

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