The Kansas City Beacon

Under open records laws in Missouri and Kansas, school districts must open their meetings to the public unless they’re discussing specific protected topics. But policies for accessing meeting recordings and signing up to make a public comment can vary from district to district or even year to year. The post How to get involved with your local school board in 2022 appeared first on The Beacon.

Shawn Derritt, Kansas City Kansas Community College’s dean of student services, said that research has found that safe housing on or close to campus improves academic outcomes for community college students. The post How a Kansas City area community college is helping students handle the housing crisis appeared first on The Beacon.

In 2020, Kansas City became the first major U.S. city to offer free bus fare through a three-year program called ZeroFare KC. The post Despite free bus fare, many workers using RideKC confront obstacles along their commutes appeared first on The Beacon.

After a dramatic Missouri primary season, the state’s most hotly contested races have their nominees decided after a smooth election night on Tuesday.  Voters in Missouri weighed in on primaries for the U.S. Senate and House, state legislative districts and county legislative districts across the state.  In Jackson County outside of Kansas City, turnout was […] The post Missouri primary elections: Here are the results appeared first on The Beacon.

On Aug. 2, the Kansas constitutional amendment was at the front of voters’ minds as they turned out in droves to the polls. Early reporting on voter turnout shows that turnout could possibly exceed 50%. The amendment failed with 59% voting no. But as voters decided the fate of abortion in Kansas, primary elections for […] The post Kansas City area primary elections: Find your county’s results appeared first on The Beacon.

The vote is the first in the country since the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, the landmark case that established federal constitutional protections for abortion.  The post Kansans reject ‘Value Them Both’ amendment that would have stripped state constitution of abortion rights appeared first on The Beacon.

With 100% of precincts reporting, Candice Alcaraz is the unofficial winner of the Wyandotte County District Judge election for Division 12. She beat incumbent Judge Wes Griffin, receiving 68.8% of the countywide vote. This makes her the first Black female district judge in Wyandotte County. Election results will be unofficial until Wyandotte County certifies the […] The post Candice Alcaraz will become Wyandotte County’s first Black female district judge appeared first on The Beacon.

On Tuesday, Aug. 2, Missouri and Kansas voters will vote in the 2022 primary election. The post Live coverage: 2022 primary elections in Kansas City appeared first on The Beacon.

For Mary Nemecek, investing in renewable energy is the right step toward reducing the effects of climate change.  As the head of conservation for the Burroughs Audubon Society of Kansas City, Nemecek wants to save birds from the effects of climate change, which is affecting their migratory patterns, and in some cases, threatening extinction.  But […] The post Wind turbines and solar panels can hurt birds and bats. A Missouri group hopes to help appeared first on The Beacon.

After campaigns that caused Missourians to revisit a dark chapter in their governor’s office and saw political newcomers take center stage, voters in the U.S. Senate primary for Missouri on Tuesday will finally decide on which Republican and Democratic candidates will run for U.S. Senate.  After GOP Sen. Roy Blunt announced he would not seek […] The post Tuesday’s election to put an end to bitter Missouri primaries for U.S. Senate appeared first on The Beacon.

Voters in Wyandotte County will select two district judges in the Aug. 2 primary election. In a stark break with precedent, two incumbent judges are facing challengers on the Democratic ballot. An unspoken rule in the county courthouse has, before now, allowed sitting judges to run unopposed in the Wyandotte County judge elections. The incumbents […] The post Wyandotte County judges usually run unopposed. Not this time. appeared first on The Beacon.

It’s been hard to avoid: yard signs, robocalls, postcards in the mail, Facebook ads and commercials on TV and YouTube. All urging Kansans to vote Aug. 2 on the Kansas abortion amendment that would add language to state’s constitution to take away a state constitutional right to an abortion. The amendment was placed on the […] The post Follow the money: Who is funding Kansas abortion amendment ads? appeared first on The Beacon.

Voters in Kansas go to the polls Aug. 2 to determine whether the Kansas Constitution should preserve a right to abortion upheld by a 2019 Kansas Supreme Court ruling.   The post Kansas will be the first state to vote on abortion after Roe. Here’s how we got here appeared first on The Beacon.

Missouri’s back-to-school sales tax holiday begins the first Friday in August and stretches through midnight on the following Sunday. This year, that’s Aug. 5-7.  The post Don’t miss Missouri’s back-to-school tax holiday appeared first on The Beacon.

The primary election on Aug. 2 will see Jackson County voters choose party candidates for nine legislator races, as well as the county executive. Winners will advance to the general Jackson County ballot in November. In the 2nd District, however, the winner of the Democratic primary will face no opposition in November and will become […] The post Your 2022 primary election guide to Jackson County Legislature’s 2nd District appeared first on The Beacon.

When Kansas City voters arrive at their polling place on Aug. 2, their ballots will show five Jackson County primary races for their county government. These include the county executive, their district’s legislator and three at-large legislators. After Crystal Williams, who represents the 2nd At-Large District, decided not to run for reelection this year, a […] The post Five candidates compete to represent the 2nd At-Large District in Jackson County Legislature appeared first on The Beacon.

While competitive races for the U.S. Senate and House are underway at the top of Missourians’ ballots this year, a number of state legislative races in Missouri could set the tone for the upcoming session of the General Assembly.  Missouri House Democrats say they are hoping to pick up several seats around the Kansas City […] The post Missouri legislative races to watch this election season appeared first on The Beacon.

Primary races for the nine seats in the Jackson County Legislature have drawn 29 candidates. While most of them will be elected in district races, three at-large legislators are elected by the entire county in the Jackson County election. One of those races, for the 3rd At-Large District, features a...

William Davies thinks action on climate change is urgent, and adopting new building codes in Kansas City would be a step in the right direction. “Folks are looking to Kansas City for leadership and we shouldn’t shy away from that,” said Davies, an organizer with the Sierra Club. “We’re not saying that this is the magic bullet, but this is a critical piece.”

The Beacon is here to answer your questions about voting in Tuesday’s election. We will respond directly to readers’ questions as they come in, and we will also publish the answers here and in our newsletter. Submit your questions about voting in Kansas using this form, by email...