Kansas Board of Regents backs KU Cancer Center initiative

By | February 12, 2015

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

By | February 12, 2015

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.

By | February 11, 2015

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

By | February 11, 2015

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

By | February 11, 2015

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…

Who goes with you on your journey to the American Dream?

By | February 10, 2015

Three generations of the Caudillo family discuss was is truly important to them: education and service. This week’s video spends time with three generations of the Caudillo family – grandparents Velia and Mac Salazar, parents Irene and Ryan Caudillo, and grandchildren Julian, Sophia and Olivia.

Conversation: With Cindy Circo

By | February 10, 2015

Kansas City, Missouri Fifth District Councilwoman Cindy Circo interview with Mike Shanin on KCPT’s Ruckus.

An alternative plan, for Kansas Medicaid Expansion

By | February 9, 2015

An alternative plan to expand Medicaid loaded with clauses meant to woo Republicans has been introduced in Kansas. But it could face the same difficult political climate that killed similar bills in other states last week. Rep. Tom Sloan said Monday that the proposal introduced by the Vision 2020 Committee he chairs represents a Kansas solution that can appeal even to those who campaigned on unwavering opposition to the federal health care reforms spearheaded by President Obama.

A rally of support, for dismissed KC doctor

By | February 9, 2015

About two dozen women and children protested outside Research Medical Center on Monday afternoon in support of an obstetrician who was let go last month. Lisa Cohen, a midwife from Lee’s Summit, Mo., started a petition to reinstate Dr. Howard Schwartz that so far has drawn more than 1,300 signatures.

Without immigration fix, dairies struggle

By | February 9, 2015

America’s dairies rely on immigrant labor to milk cows and care for the herd. Many owners of the country’s largest dairies say that they’re unable to find employees. A comprehensive fix to the immigration system seems like a longshot in the new Congress, leaving some dairies struggling to keep up.

A Long Journey Home

By | February 9, 2015

Kristy Childs is house hunting. She’s looking for the perfect house: a good-sized, family home with a living room big enough for a Christmas gathering and yard space for a garden. The house isn’t for her, though. It’s for five women who need a place to rest, recuperate and educate themselves before entering the mainstream…

Is driving for – and riding with – Uber worth it?

By | February 6, 2015

The night before Thanksgiving last November, Ben McCarthy was out trying to make a little extra cash by driving for the app-based ride-hailing service Uber. He was stopped at a stoplight in Westport when his passengers decided to jump out of the car right there and end the ride early. McCarthy said this wasn’t unusual…

All about that broth

By | February 6, 2015

This is a story of soup interrupted. Stripped down stock that will never see a bowl. Bone broth – the liquid resulting from the long, slow boiling of animal bones usually in a combination of water, apple cider vinegar and a few vegetables (carrots, celery and onion, among them) – has gone from classic to chic.

Is the local-food movement growing up?

By | February 6, 2015

After more than a decade of explosive growth in the local food economy, the most visible portion of food sales within that sector has seen a slowdown. A new report from the U.S. Department ofAgriculture shows the growth of sales of local food at farmers markets, farm stands and through CSA models has lost momentum. Even the rate of growth in the number of farmers markets nationwide has slowed in recent years, rising just 1.5 percent from 2013 to 2014, after several years of rapid growth. But that’s not necessarily bad news for farmers. In fact, it could mean the entire local food movement is growing up.

Philomene Bennett: inspiring budding artists

By | February 5, 2015

Philomene Bennett is a painter and co-Founder of the Kansas City Artists Coalition. She has been a fixture in the Kansas City arts scene since she arrived from Nebraska in 1956. Since 1988, Bennett has run studio sessions, an opportunity for budding artists to find their voice. She’s featured on the February 5 edition of…