With vaccine skepticism on the rise, immunization rates in decline and public funds disappearing, the country faces its largest measles outbreak since 2019.
‘Just a car ride away.’ As a measles outbreak creeps toward Kansas City, public health leaders urge people to get vaccinated
Posted inState Government
Dysfunction makes path to keeping Chiefs and Royals in Jackson County ‘rough’
With the Jackson County option sidelined by “dysfunction,” the only stadium-related bill to progress through the Missouri legislature would open a path for a Royals stadium in Clay County.
Posted inCivic Engagement
FAQ: What you need to know about the new Real ID
Starting May 7, the Real ID Act will begin to take effect to fly and enter federal buildings.
Posted inBehind the Beacon
The Beacon joins The Trust Project, implements the 8 Trust Indicators
The Beacon has always worked to earn your trust. Now we’ve taken it a step further by implementing the 8 Trust Indicators.
Posted inState Government
Kansas wants to use AI to spot guns in schools. One major company won’t say how often the system fails
Kansas schools now have state funding to use AI to spot guns in schools. But ZeroEyes, one of the few companies offering this service, has sent police false alerts before.
Posted inBehind the Beacon
The Beacon hears from UMKC graduate students about education, health and local government
The University of Missouri-Kansas City’s Graduate Student Council hosted the 2025 Community of Scholars Research Conference. The event on April 17 brought together 60 graduate students, faculty and community members to showcase the essence of interdisciplinary research, community and collaboration. The conference chairs were Dr. Mohan Kumar Gajendran and Kiel Corkran, president of the Graduate […]
Posted inHealth
Long waiting lists and kidneys wasted: The state of organ transplants and how it affects Missouri and Kansas
When Carthesa Hutson’s son, Chris, finally got around to getting his driver’s license he was almost 19. She remembers being at the DMV with him when he paused on the application question about becoming an organ donor and looked to her. She told him to follow his heart. “He said, ‘Well, if I’m not here, […]
Posted inBehind the Beacon
A seat at the table: How primary care shortages are affecting Missouri’s communities
Physician supply lags behind patient demand nationally and across Missouri. On April 17, The Beacon spoke virtually with McKenzie Richards, a health care policy fellow from Cicero Institute and Michael Wacker, Senior Associate Dean and Director of the UMKC School of Medicine Regional Medical Campus in St. Joseph, Missouri, about the data, challenges and possible […]
Posted inEducation
An email warned Missouri Western recruiters away from 23 schools in KC and St. Louis. Why?
Missouri Western said the directive was reversed in 2023, but questions remain about who ordered the email, what inspired it and what it means for students.
Posted inRural
Air quality worsened in Missouri from 2021 to 2023
An annual report from the American Lung Association found that from 2021 to 2023, ozone levels worsened in the 19 counties where they are measured.