In the first installment of a new series exploring how CARES Act funds flowed through the Kansas City area, The Beacon takes a look at relief money in Kansas City, Missouri.
COVID-19
Posted inEducation
Students are back at Wichita colleges, but the COVID-19 picture remains murky
It’s Olivia Compton’s sixth spring semester in college, her third in the COVID-19 era and her first at Friends University. At this point, she has an air of having seen it all, even as the omicron variant shatters what looked like the light at the end of the tunnel for the pandemic during the fall […]
Posted inHealth
COVID Help Desk: Your questions answered
Do you have a question about how the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic is affecting the Kansas City area? The Beacon is here to help. We use our reporting resources to cut through the confusion and find clear, verifiable answers for our community. We’ll publish some responses and respond directly to others. To share a COVID question […]
Posted inHealth
COVID in 2021: A look back at data visualizations showing Kansas City trends in year two of the pandemic
As 2021 comes to a close, we’re taking a look back on local COVID data and trends, which offer an interesting glimpse into the questions and topics that shaped our view of the second full year of the pandemic. We updated some of our most telling graphics of the year to see what’s changed, what hasn’t and what data we’ll be watching in the future.
Posted inHealth
KCMO COVID-19 metrics are trending up. These indicators might signal future Kansas City mask mandates.
In general, many of the local COVID-19 metrics are as bad today as they were when the last mask mandate was enacted and are significantly worse off than when it expired last month.
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 inLocal Government
An affordable housing fund is on the horizon in Wichita. Here’s what that means.
December Markham’s kids grew up in the house she rents from the city of Wichita. Over the years, though, she’s seen it deteriorate. An unreliable heater. Flooring that is starting to peel, revealing nails that threaten her feet. She’s concerned that mold is growing on her bedroom wall. “I like my house,” Markham said. “There’s […]
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 inWatchdog
Hurdles too high for some Kansans seeking emergency rental assistance
Sheila Sager doesn’t know if she should pack her bags. Her twins caught COVID. The electric company was threatening to shut off the lights. Her landlord was preparing to sell the house she rented, irritated with her pleas to get his cooperation on rental assistance paperwork. Sager was unemployed and behind on her bills — […]
Posted inHealth
In Missouri, Covid variants are being tracked through sewage
Each weekday at 8 a.m., the process for tracking COVID-19 variants in Missouri begins with vials of sewage samples. The boxes from across the state are unpacked at the Sewershed Surveillance Project lab at the University of Missouri. The vials get spun around in a centrifuge, separating the solids to the bottom. Next, anything bigger […]