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 […]
Civic Engagement
Posted inState Government
When social issues stall Missouri lawmakers, statewide officials make their own rules
Who needs legislators? Especially when they can’t even pass laws on the hottest of hot-button issues? Instead, conservative Republicans who hold every statewide office in Missouri increasingly show they can limit what materials libraries can stock, toss aside rules on socially responsible investments and shut off access to gender-affirming care. When lawmakers in the Missouri […]
Posted inCivic Engagement
Meet the latest cohort of The Kansas City Beacon’s Community Engagement Bureau
The Kansas City Beacon is excited to announce the latest cohort of our Community Engagement Bureau Representatives. These eight representatives, who come from a variety of backgrounds and neighborhoods across Kansas City, have deep local expertise, community connections and love for the place we all call home. Launched in 2022, The Kansas City Beacon’s Community […]
Posted inCivic Engagement, DIY Democracy, How To, Local Government, Watchdog
Know your rights: How to protest in Wichita
Want to protest to make your voice heard? Before you organize a protest, it is important to know what rights you have and how to use them. It’s also helpful to know what can and won’t get you in trouble with the law. Here is a quick guide on how to protest in Wichita.
Posted inEconomics, Labor
At the first Kansas Starbucks to unionize, workers still fighting for ‘bare minimum’
On Aug. 1, wage increases and an improved benefits package went into effect for Starbucks stores across the nation — but not for any of the stores that have unionized. The next day, workers at the 75th Street and Interstate 35 location in Overland Park went on strike, protesting this exclusion and unfair labor practices. […]
Posted inLocal Government
Wichita rolls out a new ‘Forum’ for feedback to more easily engage with residents
Many Wichita golfers are not pleased with the city of Wichita’s proposal to hire a private management firm to oversee city golf courses. As happened in the debate over privatizing management for Century II, a multitude of citizens spoke out in protest. But this time, Wichitans had a new tool to express their concerns. Starting […]
Posted inCivic Engagement
The Beacon is hiring: Paid positions involve working with community
How well does local news serve you and your community? What information sources do you trust, and why? What do you wish people understood about your life and your community? We want to know. The Wichita Beacon wants to learn how people in Wichita get the news and information they need. We’re hiring Community Representatives […]
Posted inCivic Engagement
‘No replacement for live performing arts’: Kansas City arts nonprofits look ahead despite pandemic challenges
The pandemic was especially hard on Kansas City’s creative community, which operates on lean resources even in the best of times. When performances were canceled and exhibits shut down, many artists turned to arts nonprofits for guidance and even survival. Meanwhile, those nonprofits worried about their own sustainability. One such nonprofit is the Charlotte Street […]
Posted inCivic Engagement
The art of adaptation: How COVID-19 impacted Kansas City nonprofits
Editor’s note: The Beacon is a member of Nonprofit Connect, one organization mentioned in this story. Literacy KC has always relied on a personalized approach — adult students and tutors working face-to-face to build skills in reading, math and writing. The pandemic, with its shutdown orders and stay-at-home advice, altered that model. It also lent […]
Posted inLocal Government
Wichita has 23 vacant or expired board and commission appointments. That means one board can’t operate.
Nearly six months after the City Council passed its ethics policy, the Ethics Advisory Board meant to enforce it has yet to do any investigating. That’s not because there hasn’t been anything to consider. It’s because City Council members have yet to appoint a full board. In Wichita, there is no legal requirement to fill […]