A bill before the Missouri legislature would update 50-year-old laws governing port authorities, but one sentence in that bill caught the attention of several KC groups. The bill will likely be changed to carve out certain exceptions for KC and St. Louis.
Josh Merchant
Josh Merchant is The Beacon's local government reporter in Kansas City. After graduating from Seattle University, Josh earned a master’s degree in investigative journalism from Columbia Journalism School with coursework in data journalism. Josh has contributed reporting to The Seattle Spectator, The South Seattle Emerald and THE CITY in New York. They're a former Beacon intern. At The Beacon, they reported on issues of traffic safety, with a focus on roadway design, as well as tax-incentivized development at a variety of Kansas City agencies. They have lived in Kansas City since 2021.
Posted inLocal Government
Gridlock in local government: Jackson County has been operating without an approved budget for months
County Executive Frank White vetoed the Jackson County budget in January, then four county legislators sued him. The county is still at odds three months later.
Posted inBehind the Beacon
Sparking change for a better Kansas City
The Beacon heard from community leaders who gathered at Union Station on April 9 to explore pressing issues facing Kansas City. The 2025 C3 Conference, hosted by the Junior League of Kansas City focused on five key themes — equity and access, community empowerment, education and workforce development, and urban development — unified by a […]
Posted inLocal Government
Jackson County may roll back property assessments — but don’t hold your breath for a refund
A judge ruled that Jackson County has to roll back its property assessment increases. But there’s still no end in sight for the county’s assessment troubles.
Posted inLocal Government
Brian Platt is out. But he’s not the first Kansas City manager to be ousted
On Thursday, Kansas City Manager Brian Platt joined six other former city managers who have been ousted by the City Council. In fact, city managers are nearly as likely to be fired — or pressured to resign — as they are to leave on their own terms.
Posted inLocal Government
KC meteorologists rely on the National Weather Service — nearly 2,500 job cuts put storm warnings at risk
Trump layoffs have hit the National Weather Service, the agency responsible for collecting weather data. That could spell danger for millions of people who rely on accurate forecasts.
Posted inLocal Government
Historic renovations, new buildings and empty lots. Twelve projects to watch along the streetcar extension
Kansas City’s new streetcar has spurred the construction of more than 1,400 new apartment units along Main Street since 2017. These are some of the highlights.
Posted inState Government
As Missouri teens get into deadly car wrecks, a lawmaker wants to require driver’s education
You’re more likely to fail your driver’s license test in Missouri than in nearly every other state in the country.
In fact, you’re more likely to fail your test than you are to pass it.
When Missourians line up to take the written test before getting their learner’s permit, only 39% will get a passing score. Compare that to Kansas, where 76% pass the test.
One reason for such poor performance? Missouri is one of just 10 states that do not require any driver to take driver’s education classes before getting behind the wheel.
Posted inLocal Government
Is Kansas City’s budget safe from the White House’s funding cuts?
At the end of January, a memo from the White House ordered a pause on trillions of dollars of federal grants and programs nationwide.
Vital federal dollars seemingly were set to disappear overnight — including millions of dollars that pay for Kansas City transportation projects, energy infrastructure and homeowner assistance.
Two weeks later, that memo has been rescinded, then blocked by a federal judge — at least temporarily averting fiscal tremors for local governments across the country.
Now, Kansas City is preparing its budget for the next fiscal year. And though the immediate threat of losing federal grants has been avoided, uncertainty about federal spending lingers.
Posted inState Government
Real estate sale prices are secret in Missouri — even to people who calculate your taxes
Every two years, county assessment departments in Missouri are tasked with calculating the values of hundreds of thousands of properties.
But unlike most states, county assessors in Missouri don’t have a number that could make the process quicker and more accurate — the price that buyers actually paid when they bought the property.