It’s been a year since Kansas lawmakers banned transgender women from women’s sports in schools or colleges. But the hotly debated issue — banning trans female athletes from girls’ and women’s sports has been a pet issue of Republican-controlled legislatures across the country — appears to have had little practical effect so far in Kansas. […]
A year later, the Kansas trans athlete ban appears to matter more as a symbol than in practice
Posted inState Government
Insurance covers mammograms, but Kansas patients are often on the hook for costly follow-up screenings
Delaying a diagnostic mammogram carries potentially deadly risks. Diagnostic mammograms, MRIs, sonograms and other types of specialized breast imaging can help detect breast cancer when it’s most treatable. Stage 1 breast cancer has an almost 100% survival rate. That’s why yearly mammogram testing is free for women over 40. But when doctors find something that […]
Posted inElections
Here’s how to register and vote in Missouri
To vote, you now need a photo ID such as a current Missouri driver’s license or nondriver license, a current U.S. passport, a current military ID or another U.S. or state-issued photo ID.
Posted inElections
Here’s how to register and vote in Kansas
Polling places are open from at least 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Election Day. Counties are allowed to open polls as early as 6 a.m. and close them as late as 8 p.m.
Posted inBehind the Beacon
Mili Mansaray announced as Chips Quinn Program for Diversity in Journalism reporter
The Beacon’s Kansas City housing and labor reporter Mili Mansaray was just announced as a part of the 2024-2025 reporting class for the Chips Quinn Program for Diversity in Journalism. Mansaray is one of 11 early-career reporters who will be paired with a Chips Quinn alum or veteran journalist to complete a yearlong mentorship and […]
Posted inHealth
Missouri and Kansas families will be getting money for kids’ summer meals — eventually
Summer may be half over by the time Kansas families get extra food aid meant to see them through long hot days when school breakfasts and lunches disappear. For Missouri families, the aid may not arrive until a new school year is well underway. But that still beats the 13 states where families won’t be […]
Posted inState Government
Lawmakers clarify some confusion to let more counties freeze property taxes for seniors
Missouri lawmakers gave counties a dose of much-needed clarity in May when they passed a bill aimed at clarifying a 2023 law that lets counties pass a senior property tax freeze, aimed at those 62 and older. The law passed last year gave counties the power to freeze property tax rates for Missourians who were […]
Posted inLocal Government
Why 35,000 Sedgwick County residents will be paying more for internet next month
Jamie Nix regularly sees people turning to the internet to help them answer the most critical questions in their lives. “I’ve had people come to the library with a brand new medical diagnosis,” said Nix, Wichita’s director of libraries. “They are just wanting to use the computer to learn more about what it is.” A […]
Posted inBehind the Beacon
The Beacon launches new, mobile-first website
Readers can now explore all four newsrooms – Kansas, Missouri, Kansas City and Wichita – under a single domain. Here’s a breakdown of what changes were made, and why.
Posted inKansas State Government
Kansas lawmakers are temporarily limiting a program that increases mental health services
Targeted federal tax dollars turbocharged Sedgwick County’s COMCARE mental health clinic by helping it give patients more behavioral health treatment and add sorely needed staff. COMCARE cut its staff vacancy rate from around 50% years ago down to 13%, thanks in part to a federal program. Other community mental health centers have expanded their services […]