If there is ever an opportunity to be pulled in two different directions, the Aug. 4 election in Missouri is one of them. With a ballot that includes four statewide initiatives, along with individual races and local questions, it’s easy to feel both excited and confused. That’s why The Beacon, along with our Missouri Statehouse […]
Missouri
Posted inEconomics
Barfly on the wall: An inside look at a World Cup match night in a 5 a.m. bar in Kansas City
Argentina vs. Algeria filled the screens, but here’s what we saw from the table of a downtown bar on a match night and what extended alcohol service hours actually looked like.
Posted inEconomics
Against headwinds, minority-owned businesses open at higher rate in KC
A new Kauffman Foundation report shows business creation rebounding to pre-pandemic levels, led by Black, Latino and immigrant founders. But increasing numbers are often driven by necessity, and Kansas City is falling behind the national pace.
Posted inMissouri
‘I’m looking at possibly losing our house.’ Some low-income workers fear Missouri income tax elimination’s impacts
With many low-income workers already living on razor-thin margins, increases to the sales tax could mean deciding whether to eat or pay rent.
Posted inLabor
Missing the first rung: Entry-level job seekers in Kansas and Missouri feel hiring slowdown
Hiring is at a historically slow pace and young Missouri and Kansas workers are feeling it. Here’s what’s reshaping the entry-level job market.
Posted inState Government
As Missouri weighs eliminating income tax, higher sales tax could leave seniors with less wiggle room
An income tax elimination proposal would allow the General Assembly to raise or expand sales taxes, which seniors say would increase their tax burden.
Posted inMeeting Notes
Homelessness, utility rate hikes drive discussion at Kansas City committee
City leaders directed staff to identify ways to expand shelter capacity, strengthen outreach and connect unhoused residents to hospitality jobs ahead of the World Cup. The committee also approved a 6% increase to water and sewer rates.
Posted inMeeting Notes
City workers and residents speak out at Kansas City’s final community budget hearing
Public comments in the Northland focused on transit funding, arts support, violence prevention programs and wages for city employees.
Posted inMeeting Notes
Residents weigh in on transit and World Cup spending at Kansas City’s second budget hearing
Comments focused on public transportation, violence prevention and proposed cuts to nonprofit programs in the city’s proposed $2.5 billion budget, with some also questioning World Cup-related transit and infrastructure priorities.
Posted inMeeting Notes
Hickman Mills renames schools amid district consolidation
Three schools will take on new names under the district’s consolidation plan aimed at addressing a projected $14 million deficit.