Mike Sherry
Contributor and Former Senior Reporter
Stories by Mike Sherry
Take 5 For Your Health
Marketplace Enrollment Climbs In Kansas, Missouri The enrollment period for the federal health insurance marketplace closed last week, with higher enrollment than last year in Kansas and Missouri. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services said 101,555 Kansans enrolled before the deadline. That’s about 5,000 more than the 96,197 Kansans who enrolled before last…
The end of a drought for KCMO ‘food desert’?
Residents living just south of downtown Kansas City, Missouri, might get a grocery store after all. Truman Medical Centers disappointed people in and around the Beacon Hill and Longfellow neighborhoods when, in mid-2015, it nixed plans to build a supermarket on the northeast corner of 27th Street and Troost Avenue. The project had been in the…
KCK Mental Health Facility Recognized For ‘Excellence In Collaboration’
A Kansas City organization that serves area nonprofits has conferred its “excellence in collaboration” award on the Rainbow Mental Health Facility in Kansas City, Kansas, for its work with the KCK police department. Nonprofit Connect said Thursday that the Rainbow facility will be one of nine honorees at its 32nd annual Philanthropy Awards Luncheon, scheduled for…
Take 5 For Your Health
Nonprofit Groups Launch Open Kansas Government Initiative Several nonprofit organizations that advocate for children, minorities and low-income Kansans are concerned about what they see as a trend toward less open government in Kansas. So, they’ve joined forces to launch what they’re calling the Open Kansas initiative and to ask legislators to sign a “transparency pledge”…
Take 5 For Your Health
Kansas Appeals Court Rules That State Constitution Provides Right To Abortion In a sweeping decision, the Kansas Court of Appeals ruled Friday that the Kansas Constitution’s Bill of Rights provides a right to abortion and blocked a Kansas law banning the second-trimester abortion method known as “dilation and evacuation.” The ruling represents a major victory…
KCPT Crime Discussion Yields Many Proposed Solutions
If there was one main takeaway from a Tuesday evening crime caucus in Kansas City, Missouri, it’s that there is no consensus on the best way to stem the tide of violence plaguing the urban core. Along with audience members, a nine-member panel that included representatives from law enforcement, academia, community organizations, and politics discussed…
KCPS Chooses Bedell for Superintendent Post
Kansas City Public Schools announced Wednesday that it has selected Mark T. Bedell to be its next superintendent, pending contract negotiations. “The KCPS school board appreciates the thoughtful input we received throughout this process,” Board Chair Jon Hile said in a news release. “The board, like our community, has set high expectations for quality leadership in…
Take 5 For Your Health
Kansas Citians Demand Urgency From Citizens Task Force Against Violence None of the houses Kansas City Councilwoman Alissia Canady lived in growing up east of Troost Avenue in Kansas City, Missouri, are occupied. Most of the schools she attended have closed. “When you look at the areas where violent crime is occurring, you see vacant…
Public Quizzes KCPS Superintendent Candidates
Both men vying to be the next superintendent of Kansas City Public Schools (KCPS) stressed Thursday evening how their humble beginnings could help them connect with students in an urban school district. Ronald Gerald Taylor, superintendent of Willingboro (New Jersey) Township Public Schools, noted that his modest upbringing in Detroit and his life experiences make…
KCPS Names Superintendent Finalists
Kansas City Public Schools (KCPS) on Tuesday announced the two men in the running to replace former superintendent Stephen Green, who left last year to lead the DeKalb County School District in Georgia. The two finalists are Ronald Gerald Taylor, superintendent of Willingboro Township Public Schools in Willingboro, New Jersey, and Mark T. Bedell, assistant superintendent for…