Belkis Cabrera has worked as a custodian at the University of Missouri-Kansas City for 16 years. Each time she and her co-workers earn a merit raise, she said, increasing healthcare costs and inflation swallow it. “We are not asking for much, just respect and enough pay to get by,” Cabrera said through an interpreter at […]
featuredmo
Posted inRural
Rural Missouri families face longer drives, riskier births as maternity wards vanish
Melanie Pierce works with many pregnant women who know they’ll have a long drive ahead of them when labor starts. One of her jobs as a doula living in Mansfield, Missouri, is helping families answer a question that may not be as fraught for women who live closer to a delivery hospital: When is it […]
Posted inEducation
Q&A: Meet the first active teacher appointed to Missouri’s State Board of Education
Mike McDonald is the first person appointed to a non-voting role on the board set aside for an active classroom teacher.
Posted inElections
Missouri counties suffered ballot shortages amid high primary turnout
More than half of Jackson County’s polling places experienced shortages of preprinted ballots, leading to long wait times and frustration.
Posted inLocal Government
The good, the bad, the missing: How community benefits for new Royals stadium stack up
The 11-page ‘community impact partnership agreement’ commits at least $55 million back to Kansas City over 30 years. Here’s what the public gets and how it compares to other deals.
Posted inLocal Government
Kansas City conjured a Royals deal without voter approval. That comes at a price
The Kansas City Council voted 11-2 to commit $600 million to the Royals for a new ballpark. Here’s a look at the political and financial math behind the deal.
Posted inEducation
Simple or oversimplified? Missouri prepares to grade schools on an A-to-F scale
Supporters say the plan gives parents more information, but opponents say it could be a source of confusion and stigma.
Posted inHealth
Childhood vaccine rates could get worse as demand for shots dips in Kansas City
Despite a new presidential order, health officials urge parents to stick with longstanding guidance about routine shots.
Posted inHealth
Trump wants to loosen Head Start rules, but Missouri providers say enrolling more kids isn’t so simple
The administration says eliminating more than 1,400 federal requirements could save billions of dollars and make Head Start available to more children from low-income homes. Missouri providers say some rules are burdensome, but question if deregulation can solve the state’s problems.
Posted inState Government
Does Missouri vote blue for ballot issues? It’s complicated
After the defeat of Amendments 4 and 5, some are wondering if Missouri is a stealth blue state when it comes to ballot issues.