News & Issues

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

Missouri State Capitol in Jefferson City.

The Missouri Legislature is Cutting Local Governments’ Power to Pass Their Own Laws

Republican statehouses like Missouri’s increasingly limit what rules places like Kansas City can adopt — typically shutting down more progressive policies.

A sign across from the proposed landfill in south Kansas City implores drivers to help stop the project from moving forward.

Missouri Gov. Mike Parson Signs Bill to Kill South Kansas City Landfill

By Allison Kite | May 7, 2024

Gov. Mike Parson has signed legislation designed to keep a landfill from moving into south Kansas City, ending a more than year-long effort to stop the project.

Kansas City Faces Fight as Feds Ponder Sustainability Grants

By Martin Rosenberg | May 7, 2024

The Kansas City area faces stiff competition as it seeks nearly $200 million in federal sustainability grants to fund projects to address climate change.

Eastern red cedars are taking over grasslands in the Dakotas, Nebraska, Kansas and Oklahoma. In most temperate grasslands around the world, gaining a tree canopy won't help cool the planet.

Trees are Spreading Across the Great Plains, Making Climate Change Worse

By Celia Llopis-Jepsen, Kansas News Service | May 6, 2024

We often think trees are good for the environment. But in the Midwest and Great Plains, they’re worsening climate change as woodlands take over grasslands.