News & Issues

Stories from around the Kansas City Metro area on a variety of topics.

Interim Jackson County Executive Phil LeVota is reconsidering his initial pledge not to seek a full term in the position. The filing deadline is Tuesday at 5 p.m. (Josh Merchant | The Beacon)

Nick’s Picks | Filings, Openings, Holidays and More …

Political Filing Frenzy Get ready for a major reshuffling of Kansas City’s political decks this week. Tuesday at 5 p.m. is the deadline for Missouri candidates to file for office in this year’s midterm elections. And with a new congressional map now in play, it’s triggering a frantic last-minute political scramble. Here’s the breakdown of…

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KC Reparations Leaders Uncertain Work Will Lead to Action

Do you know the details of how Kansas City’s past public policies and actions created a community with a long history of segregation that led to the racial disparities of today? Mayor Quinton Lucas says a primary purpose of his Mayor’s Commission on Reparations will be to teach you that history and to help you…

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The Blue River in South Kansas City, Missouri, rejuvenates Evelyn Vogel-Leutung, a retiree from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. She discovered a kindred spirit in Henry David Thoreau while in college. (Todd Feeback | Flatland)

From Concord to Kansas City: Henry David Thoreau’s Influence Ripples Throughout the Region

As a teenager, she sometimes would just walk. Often, it was to escape the chaos and loneliness of being one of 11 children in her family. “We had moved to the suburbs of Chicago, and we didn’t fit in,” Evelyn Vogel-Leutung said on a recent morning, standing on a perch overlooking the Blue River in…

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Opponents of a proposed new data center in Independence, Missouri, were unable to derail City Council approval. They are hoping a judge will OK their legal fight. (Savannah Hawley-Bates | KCUR 89.3)

Nick’s Picks | Taxes, Elections, AI and More …

Royals Return Baseball is back…and earlier than ever. Opening Day lands Wednesday, the earliest start in MLB history. The Kansas City Royals will begin the season on the road, with a Friday opener in Atlanta. And what about that much-hyped Royals new stadium reveal in time for “Opening Day?” Yeah, right. Consider it stuck in…

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Leaders in Leavenworth, Kansas, are scheduled to vote Tuesday on whether to reopen a former CoreCivic facility as a federal immigration detention center. (Morgan Chilson | Kansas Reflector)

Nick’s Picks | Sports, Immigration, Booze and More …

Big 12 Takes Over Downtown It’s that time of year when workplaces start clearing out early to chase a bouncing orange ball. The Big 12 Men’s Basketball Championship rolls into town this week… the first sign that March Madness is on the way. K-State takes the court at T-Mobile Center on Tuesday. KU plays Thursday….

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