Voters from across Missouri and Kansas went to the polls today for the 2026 midterm elections. Statewide, Missourians voted on five ballot questions, U.S. House representatives and state auditor. Big items on the Kansas side of the state line were governor, U.S Senate, U.S House representatives and State Board of Education members. Below you’ll find […]
Hilary Becker
Hilary Becker is The Beacon’s COO. She graduated from the University of Missouri – Kansas City with a bachelor’s degree in business with an emphasis in marketing. She began her career growing engaged audiences as a social media specialist in media organizations like Kansas City PBS and 90.9 The Bridge. Since joining The Beacon in 2020, she has been at the forefront of driving growth and executing strategy across the organization. She has a passion for local journalism and Kansas City, a place she has called home her whole life.
Posted inBehind the Beacon
Why we’re trying something new
One of the things I love most about The Beacon is that we’re always trying to get better. We look at what other nonprofit news organizations are doing, we talk with colleagues across the country and we borrow good ideas when we think they’ll make The Beacon stronger for our readers. Over the next few […]
Posted inElections
Follow live Missouri and Kansas election results for the Aug. 4 midterm primary
Find live results for Missouri Amendments 1, 2, 4 and 5 and Kansas results on making Supreme Court justices electable.
Posted inBehind the Beacon
Kansas City, what World Cup stories should we cover?
We’re ramping up our reporting around the World Cup in Kansas City
Posted inBehind the Beacon
The Beacon’s illuminating experience in AJP’s Product and AI Studio
A year of testing large language models with American Journalism Project’s Product and AI Studio has come to a close. Here’s what we learned.
Posted inBehind the Beacon
The Beacon brings on two new contract workers to support product and audience innovation
The Beacon has been working hard to grow a newsroom full of passionate reporters covering the Kansas City metro, Missouri and Kansas. The newsroom is currently staffed with seven reporters and our interim editor-in-chief. After focusing on building a strong editorial team, we’re excited to share that Naomi O’Donnell and Willa Odefey have accepted contract […]
Posted inBehind the Beacon
The Beacon reporting cited in class action lawsuit against the Missouri Department of Corrections
Meg Cunningham’s reporting on extreme heat in prisons was cited in a lawsuit centered around conditions at Algoa Correctional Center.
Posted inBehind the Beacon
Suzanne King awarded a top prize by Kansas Press Association
The Beacon’s Kansas City health care reporter, Suzanne King, received first place in the Kansas Press Association News Story category for her coverage of sports betting in Kansas.
Posted inBehind the Beacon
A critical moment for election coverage at The Beacon
As we head into a pivotal election, The Beacon is filling a crucial gap in local journalism. We’ve assembled a pop-up election bureau with some of the city’s most respected journalists to ensure our community has access to the comprehensive, reliable election coverage it needs. Chris Lester and Mary Sanchez are joining us for this […]
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.