The holidays are a hectic and busy time, and at The Beacon, we recognize that it looks a little different for everyone. To help you unwind, relax and take a step back, we’ve put together a list of activities that you enjoy with your family, friends or even by yourself. Support local dining this holiday […]
This is how we’re celebrating the holidays – Kansas City Style
Posted inEducation
Why Park University wants 80 acres of Kansas City to transfer to Parkville
The university says the move would improve efficiency, streamline operations and allow for future development. But Kansas City’s approval is uncertain.
Posted inBehind the Beacon
The Beacon’s community engagement recap for 2024
The Beacon started a new strategy in 2024 with the Community Journalism Lab, CJL. We learned what worked, what didn’t and where we plan to go in 2025. That included the possibility of building partnerships with local journalism schools. We focused more on hearing more from organizations and community members through various forms of listening […]
Posted inBehind the Beacon
Experts, advocates, and community members unite at homeless shelter listening session
In a world where the gaps between neighbors and communities grow larger, few issues illustrate these rifts more than homelessness. That’s why Kansas City is working to open its first low-barrier shelter — one that provides immediate access with minimal or no requirements. Kansas City officials approved the conversion of Hope Faith Ministries into a […]
Posted inHousing
As homelessness rises and temperatures dip, Kansas City offers hundreds of beds for cold-weather plan
For Kansas City residents living on the street, the prospect of escaping subfreezing temperatures hinges on the availability of a shelter bed. When temperatures drop to 32 degrees, the human body is at risk of hypothermia. Frostbite can set in within 30 minutes without proper protection when air temperatures fall below 5 degrees and in […]
Posted inBehind the Beacon
The Beacon is joining AJP’s Product & AI Studio
At The Beacon, we are dedicated to combining trusted journalistic principles with cutting-edge technology. As newsrooms across the country explore AI tools to enhance their reporters’ capacity, we are excited to announce that The Beacon is entering the field with a running start by joining 27 other news organizations in receiving from AJP’s Product & […]
Posted inHealth
Prescription delivery in Missouri faces delays under USPS rural service plan
CORRECTION (Dec. 9, 2024) This story originally misidentified a source as a Beacon board member. But Heidi Lucas told a Beacon reporter only that she knows one of The Beacon’s board members. We misheard her and incorrectly identified her as a board member. We failed to check the listing of our own board. A snowstorm […]
Posted inHousing
A winter guide to Kansas City area renters’ rights
For a renter, waking up to a broken heater or burst pipes can kick off months of negotiations with a landlord. And even when it’s fixed, improper insulation or outdated windows can let the heat out and balloon energy bills.
Some cities have rules to make sure that safety issues like heat get fixed quickly. In Kansas City, Missouri, you can file a Healthy Homes complaint to get problems fixed. In Overland Park, you can submit an OPCares request to ask a city inspector to take a look.
Here’s a guide to what the law requires of your landlord, as well as some renter-friendly tips on how you can keep your apartment warm and safe during the winter months.
Posted inKansas
Is this bill the key to reducing gun suicides in Kansas and Missouri?
Donna Nathan loved two-stepping and The Beatles. The radio was always on at her house. That love of music easily translated to dancing in parades. Nathan and her daughter, Katrina Brees, even worked together at a studio making sculptures for Mardi Gras parades. “She was the type of person that would find some sick animal […]
Posted inKansas City
One tree at a time: A plan for reviving Kansas City’s urban forest
Karen Uhlenhuth always has a few gallons of water in the back of her Prius and an eye toward the side of the road. When she sees one of the 80 or so saplings she recently planted looking thirsty, she’ll pull over and give it a drink. “The real test is the first summer,” she […]