Missouri Medicaid began covering teeth cleanings, and almost no other routine dental work, for adults a few years ago. But the bill for the dentist actually peering in your mouth to check teeth and gums went to the patient. While some dentists wrote off the cost of the dental exam, many patients just stayed away […]
How Missouri is getting more people to the dentist — for more than a pretty smile
Posted inBehind the Beacon
Beacon reporting cited in lawsuit challenging KCPD constitutionality
Beacon reporter Josh Merchant published an in-depth story in December 2022 explaining why Kansas City is the only major city in the United States without control over its own police department — and the role pro-slavery forces played in its oversight. The reporting showed how state control of policing in major Missouri cities was established […]
Posted inState Government
The newest abortion law in Kansas requires putting questions to patients. Here’s what that means
What’s the harm in asking? Abortion rights supporters say quite a bit. Republicans in the state Legislature are trying to gather more data about the practice. Starting July 1, any medical professional performing an abortion is required by Kansas statute to ask patients their reasons for getting it. The law passed the Kansas Legislature this […]
Posted inLocal Government
Kansas City’s red-light camera revival and the car crash trade-off that comes with it
Eight people have died in traffic crashes along Ward Parkway since 2022, and four of those crashes happened when cars cruised past a red light or stop sign.
People make mistakes. Even the most experienced drivers misjudge the timing on a yellow light or roll through a stop sign.
But on roads like Ward Parkway — where traffic regularly tops the 35 mph speed limit — such mistakes prove deadly.
Posted inElections
What to know about Amendment 1 on Missouri’s Aug. 6 primary ballot
Missouri voters will weigh in on Aug. 6 on whether to give property tax exemptions to child care centers when they cast ballots on Amendment 1. As the state looks to address its chronic child care provider shortage, lawmakers have looked to tax exemptions as incentives for opening child care centers — even if that […]
Posted inLocal Government
Half of KC’s traffic deaths in the last two years happened on these 10 streets
An 18-year-old died when he was thrown from a car days after his high school graduation. A grandmother was killed when she was struck by a car while walking to buy groceries at Aldi. Three teenage girls died when their car hit a tree.
The crashes were almost as predictable as they were tragic.
Posted inElections
What’s on your Missouri primary ballot this August
In cases where one party is heavily favored to win, or is even running unopposed, the primary election could be your best chance to influence who ends up in office.
Posted inLabor
Troubled Boeing is absorbing Spirit with the Wichita economy in the balance
For Ed Ball, everything old is new again in the aviation industry. He began working at Metal Finishing Co. 25 years ago and watched Boeing spin off Spirit AeroSystems in 2005. Now Ball is a vice president at the aviation supplier, and he’s watching history reverse itself as Boeing buys back Spirit. “We have long-term […]
Posted inEducation
A high school in midtown Kansas City says it found more time for learning when it locked up cellphones
The difference one teacher saw in her English classroom was “night and day” after a crackdown on cellphones midway through the 2022-23 school year.
Posted inEducation
Some Park Elementary neighbors oppose Wichita homeless shelter plan
Bobby Harlan gazed over the shuttered grounds of Park Elementary School, which he attended 32 years ago, and shared his disappointment about its future. “How can it be a homeless shelter?” he said. “This neighborhood needs a school.” First came the news in March that Wichita schools would be closing the school to save on […]