Tony Evans stands at the entrance to his Wichita Heights High School classroom each morning and greets each of the nearly 40 students in his Jobs for America’s Graduates – Kansas classes. He makes small talk with some or jokes to get the attention of others – especially when the students might not be fully […]
This program is helping more Kansas students graduate, and it’s expanding
Posted inHealth
COVID Help Desk: Everything you need to know about testing in Kansas City
Audio-Reader · TheBeacon 1-27-22: COVID Help Desk While the omicron-fueled surge of the COVID pandemic is showing early signs of slowing down on the East Coast, new cases and the demand for COVID tests continue to reach record levels in the Kansas City area. During the first three weeks of this year in the metropolitan […]
Posted inHealth
Missouri sheltered workshops a ‘godsend’ for some, exploitation to others
Missouri has the second highest number of sheltered workshops in the country. While other states phase them out, Missouri’s industry is strong with backing from the state legislature.
Posted inHealth
Kansas City COVID data dashboard FAQ
The Kansas City Beacon analyzed national datasets of COVID-19 metrics to create our COVID data dashboard for the Kansas City area.
Posted inEducation, Housing
Flood over winter break drives about 150 UMKC students into new housing
Weeks after a flood in Oak Street Hall, UMKC is still waiting to learn the full extent of the damages, how much renovations will cost, what insurance will cover and how long repairs will take.
Posted inLocal Government
A swing and a miss: After resident backlash, Parkville pauses plan to build multipurpose fields in Platte Landing Park
The athletic fields in Parkville’s Platte Landing Park have seen better days. Faded lines and dry grass mark the spaces meant to be used as venues for baseball, soccer and other sports for youths and their families. A lack of upkeep and their small size has resulted in the fields attracting few visitors. Instead of […]
Posted inLocal Government
Chief Ramsay is out. How Wichita will hire its next police chief.
Update: On March 8, the Wichita City Council approved a contract with Public Sector Search & Consulting, a California-based search firm that focuses on police executives, to lead the city’s effort to find a new police chief. The company said its search process will include community engagement, public forums, focus groups and online surveys. The contract is […]
Posted inCivic Engagement, Watchdog
‘Stay safe and alive’: How Wichitans are helping their unhoused neighbors this winter
Last February, a historic cold snap shocked Wichita, plunging temperatures below zero and forcing people inside — including those without homes. As winter again tugs temperatures down and whips wind gusts up, advocates and nonprofits serving the unsheltered are working to protect them. In the shadow of St. John’s Episcopal Church on Topeka Street in […]
Posted inLocal Government
Does a past criminal conviction bar you from serving on a board or commission? Not in KCMO.
Every year, the mayor of Kansas City, Missouri, appoints hundreds of people to the city’s dozens of boards and commissions, which give ordinary citizens a voice in everything from city planning to liquor control. Those appointments keep Alphia Curry constantly busy. As the city’s boards and commissions manager, she’s responsible for compiling information on dozens […]
Posted inLocal Government
Why dozens of Wichita public housing units are sitting vacant
Aujanae Bennett wants to see her Northeast Millair neighborhood flourish — children playing in the streets, clean lawns and driveways, pride in the community. But the 41 city-owned homes dominating the northwest corner of her neighborhood are an obstacle to that, Bennett said. Over the past four years, she’s noticed the homes have been vacated […]