Urban Trees are Dying: Is Climate Change the Culprit?

A mound of mulch surrounds a tree planted in a road partision. Parking blocks and a parked car as well as traffic can be seen in the background. There is a sign with the text, "This tree was planted throuh The Crossroads Street Tree initiative" and includes a QR code to learn more.

The approach of fall in our region should mean a picturesque foliage display is also on the way, but more and more Kansas City trees are dying. While it’s uncertain what that could mean for urban foliage photo shoots, fewer urban trees will mean a hotter city if the issue isn’t addressed.  “We are anecdotally…

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Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks Reintroduces 40 Alligator Snapping Turtles to Sunflower State

A photo of an alligator snapping turtle. The turtle is at the center of the photograph, looking straight ahead. It has dark gray coloring with pink splotches. It is being held by someone wearing tan clothing.

An aura of excitement filled the air near the Neosho River in Kansas on a hot September morning. State wildlife officials gathered around several large, gray bins, snapping photos and eagerly chatting. Why the excitement? Forty, dinner-plate-sized alligator snapping turtles, about to be released into the wild. The last known living alligator snapping turtle collected…

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Panasonic Plant Could ‘Revolutionize Region’s Economy’

Panasonic Energy's electric vehicle battery plant is under construction in De Soto, Kansas.

Gov. Laura Kelly of Kansas believes the opening of the $4 billion electric car battery manufacturing plant in DeSoto early next year will revolutionize the region’s economy, lifestyle and self-image. Kansas and the Kansas City region will find themselves among elite, fast-charging locales around the globe whose fortunes are aligned with the push to create…

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Historic Earthquakes Accounts Guide Modern First Responders

A colorful mural on the side of a brick building with the words "Welcome to Historic New Madrid" and "The Great Quakes" at dusk

On December 16, 1811, a U.S. Army officer stationed in the soon-to-be-established Missouri Territory woke just after 2 a.m. reacting to what he described as a “great agitation”, an earthquake. Several of the officer’s guards, he soon wrote to a friend, “could scarcely keep their feet” during the shaking, which he said lasted about eight…

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Kansas City Exceeds Need for Electricians as Green Energy Grows

A woman wearing a dark red shirt stands in front of gray metal bars. The woman is wearing glasses, a bright yellow utility vest and a white hard hat.

Naomi Alexander spent two years studying accounting at Missouri Southern State University before deciding it was not the right path for her. When her father, a lifelong sprinkler fitter, suggested she consider a trade career, he “lit a fire” in her, she said.  After doing some research, Alexander enrolled in the Missouri Apprentice Ready Program,…

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