News & Issues
Stories from around the Kansas City Metro area on a variety of topics.
Candidates battling for insurance post differ on big issues
The top-of-the-ticket races may be commanding the most attention in this year’s Kansas election, but significant issues also are in play in some of the down-ballot contests. The insurance commissioner’s race is one example. Like the higher-profile races, it features candidates with very different perspectives on key issues. But unlike those races, the contestants remain…
Solving the puzzling mental illness of Bhutanese refugees
Making the rounds at a public housing complex in Kansas City, Kan., community health worker Rinzin Wangmo is greeted by cheery voices and faces. As she enters a home, the heavy aroma of chopped onions stings her nose, and she hurries up a short flight of stairs to escape the burn. After gently knocking on…
Kansas City conferees tackle language of health care
As reformers work on making the U.S. health care system more efficient, they’re also looking to improve communication with consumers – whether it’s ensuring they understand the nuances of insurance or grasping instructions from a doctor. The concept is known as “health literacy,” and the notion extends beyond the written or spoken word, Dan Reus,…
Kansas City Week in Review: Eilert, Lightner, Kobach & Chastain
Who Should lead Johnson County? We debate the issues in Johnson County with Ed Eilert, Johnson County Chair and his opponent, former state lawmaker Patricia Lightner. Also on this edition: Light rail on the ballot and a debate that took place earlier this week between the incumbent Secretary of State for Kansas, Kris Kobach, and his challenger, Jean Kurtis Schodorf.
100 years of history at Union Station
“All of my life I had lived in very small farming communities. Coming into Union Station was entering a shocking, different world. I still remember the great, big doors, the very tall, tall ceilings, and lots of people. I had never seen so many people, enormous numbers of people. And all that huge, large hall…