Buckets of brown sink water, overflowing roach traps and photographs of clogged bathtubs lined the entrance to the leasing office at Quality Hill Towers. At their most recent rally, tenants brought their frustrations straight to management’s door. George Pacheco carried two-gallon jugs of murky water from his apartment. “I gave my daughter a glass of […]
Economics
Posted inHealth
What’s in your weed? A Missouri state lab to check industry claims
Missouri plans to spend millions from state marijuana taxes on a laboratory to help regulators keep tabs on the safety and potency of more than $1 billion of joints, edibles and other cannabis products sold annually across the state. Health experts and consumer groups applauded the added regulatory check, outlined in an Oct. 11 report […]
Posted inState Government
Evergy is hoping its regulators OK higher electric bills for its Missouri West customers
Evergy confused and angered its Missouri customers in 2023 when it rolled out time-of-use rates that meant prices would run highest when people use the most electricity. Missourians, especially those on fixed incomes, complained of high costs and having to choose between things like groceries and their medications or powering their homes during peak hours. […]
Posted inState Government
How to make your voice heard on the proposed 2025 Evergy West rate hikes
Evergy Missouri West is proposing a 13.99% increase in its rates starting in January, amounting to over $104 million for the utility provider. While the rate increase will need to be approved by the Missouri Public Service Commission, the state’s utility regulator, the public can let the commission know how it feels about the rate […]
Posted inHousing
How green technology is reshaping what buyers expect from Kansas City’s housing market
Twenty years ago, only the most environmentally minded of homebuyers worried much about solar panels, insulation ratings or the value of a heat pump. Today, all those factors matter in a market where energy bills take on growing importance in homebuyers’ calculations. Green home technologies have become more ordinary, even expected (and sometimes mandated by […]
Posted inLocal Government
A Kansas City Council donor wants tax money to build KC Current stadium parking
Even on a weeknight, KC Current fans fill nearly every parking spot at the women’s soccer stadium at the Berkley Riverfront.
Parking spaces are in short supply by design — to encourage people to stick around after games and to rely on public transit.
A proposal making its way through City Hall would do add more parking. The Parking Co. of America, or PCA, wants three kinds of public subsidies to build a 1,500-spot parking garage next to the stadium, where the temporary parking currently sits.
Posted inEconomics, Labor, Local Government, State Government
Missouri won’t let Kansas City become a sanctuary city, but the mayor wants more immigrant workers
Takeaways: Kansas City Mayor Quinton Lucas has essentially invited immigrants to come and fill the local labor pool. He’s offering officials in New York and Denver help from the crush of immigrants in those cities and welcoming foreign workers to Kansas City. That quickly sparked accusations that Lucas appeared bent on making Kansas City a […]
Posted inEconomics, Housing
New Kansas City housing subsidies set by ZIP code could avoid segregating renters
For generations, federal housing subsidies have provided a lifeline to families struggling to afford rent. But the maximum amount families got for rent stayed the same regardless of which neighborhood best suited their needs — effectively segregating them into low-income areas. Come this fall, the rent cap for a standard apartment will vary from one […]
Posted inEconomics, Education
Why the FAFSA is so hard in 2024, and where to get help in Kansas City
An updated version of the FAFSA, shorter and intended to be easier than previous editions, was released months later than usual. Then website malfunctions hindered families trying to complete the application.
Posted inEconomics, Elections, Labor
Construction unions back the Royals stadium, while low-wage workers are still demanding more
Takeaways: Kansas City construction worker unions find many things to like about extending the 3/8-cent sales tax to build a new Royals stadium and maintain Arrowhead Stadium — such as new jobs. But service workers who would fill the jobs in and around a new ballpark in the Crossroads Arts District say they’re being left […]