News & Issues
Stories from around the Kansas City Metro area on a variety of topics.
Agriculture Secretary Lone Trump Cabinet Post Without A Nominee
And then there was Agriculture. Agriculture Secretary is the only post in President-elect Donald Trump’s Cabinet without a nominee, mystifying many in rural America and spurring worries that agriculture and rural issues will land near the end of the line among the new president’s priorities. USDA Secretary Tom Vilsack, who served for all 8 years…
‘Homefront’ Increases Mental Health Resources for Area Veterans, Families
Valetta Tsangaris met her husband, a helicopter pilot for the U.S. Marines, when she worked as an aviation machinist during Operation Desert Storm. His tour continued after she returned home, but when he finally joined her, he was frequently angry, verbally abusive and struggling with post-traumatic stress disorder. They eventually divorced. Tsangaris now works with…
Multi-Billion-Dollar Cabela’s Merger Puts A Rural Nebraska City At An Economic Crossroads
Cabela’s is known for big stores filled with museum-grade taxidermy and shelves piled with hunting and fishing gear. The Cabela’s store in Sidney, Nebraska, sits along Interstate 80 with a giant bull-elk sculpture facing the freeway. Next door is the sprawling company headquarters, complete with a forest-green Cabela’s water tower. The “World’s Foremost Outfitter,” as…
New Guidelines Tell Parents When To Introduce Babies To Peanut Products
The recommendations by a panel sponsored by the National Institutes of Health suggest introducing foods containing peanuts into the diets of children as young as 4 to 6 months.
Defendant in Firefighters’ Tragedy Gets a Re-Sentencing Hearing
For the first time in nearly 20 years, details of one of the city’s most enduring tragedies are about to play out once again in a Kansas City courtroom. Bryan Sheppard, one of five defendants convicted in the 1988 arson deaths of six Kansas City firefighters, will be asking a federal judge next month for…