Kansas Republicans have finally passed a bill to ban gender-affirming care for transgender minors. Only a lawsuit can stop the ban from becoming law. That means no puberty blockers, no hormone treatments and no gender-affirming surgeries for people until they are 18 years old. The bill also prohibits state funds from being used for the […]
Kansas has banned gender-affirming care for transgender minors
Posted inState Government
‘State-sponsored child endangerment’: Advocates blast bill that they say hurts LGBTQ foster children
Kansas lawmakers are trying to strengthen religious protections for foster families looking to adopt kids. But the proposal could create what critics call “state-sponsored child endangerment” of LGBTQ youth. A bill would prevent the secretary at the Kansas Department for Children and Families from creating or enforcing policies that conflict with a foster family’s religious […]
Posted inLocal Government
Is Kansas City’s budget safe from the White House’s funding cuts?
At the end of January, a memo from the White House ordered a pause on trillions of dollars of federal grants and programs nationwide.
Vital federal dollars seemingly were set to disappear overnight — including millions of dollars that pay for Kansas City transportation projects, energy infrastructure and homeowner assistance.
Two weeks later, that memo has been rescinded, then blocked by a federal judge — at least temporarily averting fiscal tremors for local governments across the country.
Now, Kansas City is preparing its budget for the next fiscal year. And though the immediate threat of losing federal grants has been avoided, uncertainty about federal spending lingers.
Posted inState Government
Kansas wrestles with ways to shorten waitlist for disability care
Holly Oleson helps people who are intellectually disabled live as independently as possible. She’s a lead direct support professional at Honey Bee Community Services in the Kansas City area, acting as the “brakes and gas” for the people she serves. “The person served remains at the wheel with full control of their lives,” she said, […]
Posted inHealth
Hospital mergers come with one inevitable: Bigger executive paychecks
Bigger bonuses, higher executive salaries and a few eye-popping retirement payouts. That’s how St. Luke’s Health System closed the books on its final year as a nonprofit independent hospital chain, according to recent tax filings. The $2.5 billion hospital system, which merged with St. Louis-based nonprofit BJC Healthcare at the start of 2024, paid one-third […]
Posted inHealth
Missouri’s grocery shelves feel impact of bird flu
For some people in rural Missouri, soaring egg prices have little impact on their shopping habits. They have backyard chickens that save them the trouble of dealing with a nationwide shortage. But for those who don’t have access to a homegrown grocery store in their backyard, rising prices mean changes to their weekly shopping list. […]
Posted inBehind the Beacon
A community conversation on ending the school-to-prison pipeline
On Feb. 8, Community Journalism Lab representative Eden Barnes, in partnership with Fringe Benefits of Education, held a community listening session at Kansas City Kansas Community College. Our lab invited college students to discuss their experiences with youth risk factors – and how those factors could lead to future criminality or incarceration if left unaddressed. […]
Posted inState Government
Kansas Gov. Laura Kelly vetoes ban on gender-affirming care for minors. Is the bill legal?
Kansas Gov. Laura Kelly has vetoed a bill banning gender-affirming care for transgender minors. That could include puberty blockers, hormone treatment or gender-affirming surgeries for transgender youth. Under the bill, doing so could get a doctor sued and cost them their license. This is just the latest veto fight over gender-affirming care for minors. Kansas […]
Posted inState Government
Real estate sale prices are secret in Missouri — even to people who calculate your taxes
Every two years, county assessment departments in Missouri are tasked with calculating the values of hundreds of thousands of properties.
But unlike most states, county assessors in Missouri don’t have a number that could make the process quicker and more accurate — the price that buyers actually paid when they bought the property.
Posted inState Government
Sports betting in Missouri won’t be ready for the Super Bowl, and probably not MLB opening day
This is the last Super Bowl that Missouri will miss out on money from sports betting. Sports betting was approved by voters in November, but the rulemaking process to bring sports betting to Missouri still isn’t finished. It won’t be ready before the Chiefs play Sunday in the Super Bowl. And it likely won’t be […]