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 & […]
The Beacon is joining AJP’s Product & AI Studio
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 And even when it’s fixed, improper insulation or outdated windows can let the heat out and balloon energy bills.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 […]
Posted inEnvironment
When it’s time to decide what tree to plant in Kansas City, consider these factors
Before you decide what tree to plant, go outside and look around. You need to know your space, said Taylor Neff, a community forester with the Missouri Department of Conservation. Look at the size of the plot of land you’re working with, and think about the size and habitat of the tree you are considering. […]
Posted inHousing
Whom do I call when a homeless person is in crisis?
In Kansas City, 96% of the people who are chronically homeless live outdoors — the highest rate in the country. That means that nearly all people who have experienced homelessness for at least a year — or repeatedly over three years — are out on the streets. This population is considered chronically homeless due to […]
Posted inEducation
Hickman Mills schools meet its performance goal, but Missouri moved the goalposts
The district scored higher than 70% on its state performance report, but Missouri wants more data before it changes accreditation.
Posted inState Government
Child hunger rose 6%, and it isn’t clear what Kansas lawmakers will do
From 2021 to 2022, the number of Kansas children who didn’t know where their next meal would come from grew by 37,000. The rise in food insecurity shows up at food banks across the state. Aundrea Walker, the executive director of Just Food, said 30% of the people it serves are under 18 years old. […]
Posted inLocal Government
Kansas City looking to resolve disputes over Urbavore and urban farming
Kansas City’s effort to nurture urban farming and make fresh produce and compost available to residents has run into neighborhood complaints and zoning citations.
The City Council’s agenda for today includes action to put an end to a zoning dispute at the heart of tensions between an urban farm, its neighbors and city officials in charge of regulations that can make urban farming difficult.