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The Kansas primary election races that could shift political balance in the Statehouse
Battles over school funding and bans on gender-affirming care could change in the upcoming Kansas Legislature session based on what happens in a handful of primary election races. The Kansas Statehouse remains firmly in Republican control. The party holds a veto-proof majority and will almost certainly retain a comfortable margin in both the House and […] The post The Kansas primary election races that could shift political balance in the Statehouse appeared first on The Beacon.
Chuck Schmidt and Veronica Gillette run in Wichita Democratic primary for Kansas House
Chuck Schmidt and Veronica Gillette both want to flip a Republican seat for Democrats in the Kansas House. The two face off in the Aug. 6 Democratic primary in hopes of challenging Republican Rep. Sandy Pickert in the general election for the seat from the 88th District in southeast Wichita. You can find your polling […] The post Chuck Schmidt and Veronica Gillette run in Wichita Democratic primary for Kansas House appeared first on The Beacon.
Partnership with Kansas City Media Collective and The Kansas City Star results in groundbreaking voter guide
The Beacon’s small staff puts a particular effort in providing coverage — valuable to voters, if not always splashy — in helping you figure out how to vote and how to enter that polling place with a clear understanding of the choices. This election season — both Kansas and Missouri have primaries on Aug. 6 […] The post Partnership with Kansas City Media Collective and The Kansas City Star results in groundbreaking voter guide appeared first on The Beacon.
Where Missouri Republican candidates for governor stand on personal property taxes
Missouri Republicans running to win the governor’s race are trying to harness frustration over 2023’s property tax assessment fiasco with varying promises of cuts. State Sen. Bill Eigel, a member of the far-right Freedom Caucus, has made eliminating personal property taxes on things like cars, farm and business equipment a top priority as a lawmaker […] The post Where Missouri Republican candidates for governor stand on personal property taxes appeared first on The Beacon.
Kansas City home builders push back on energy efficiency rules, blame them for housing crunch
Correction: This story originally misstated which emissions reduction target is related to the city’s energy efficiency goals. The Kansas City Council gave homebuilders new rules last year designed to make housing easier on the environment. Those rules told them what kind of windows to install, how well the walls should be insulated and how efficient […] The post Kansas City home builders push back on energy efficiency rules, blame them for housing crunch appeared first on The Beacon.
Jill Ward and David Hickman: Get to know the Wichita-area primary candidates
Two conservative candidates — Jill Ward and David Hickman — are running for a Kansas House seat after the retirement of longtime state Rep. Brenda Landwehr. Landwehr was first elected in 1997 and stayed in office until 2012. She then returned to office in 2017. But her possible replacements in the Republican primary have little to no political experience. The winner of the primary takes on John Burke in the general election this November.
Chase Blasi takes on J.C. Moore in Kansas Senate Republican primary for District 26
Incumbent Sen. Chase Blasi, a Wichita Republican, is trying to defend his Statehouse seat from J.C. Moore, who has served in the Legislature before. Moore sells himself as more of a moderate Republican while Blasi leans more conservative in a key Republican primary race. The winner of the primary takes on Raymond Shore Jr. in the general election this November.
Why finding enough substitute teachers is a daily challenge for Wichita schools
In the gig worker era of Uber and DoorDash, Wichita Public Schools seeks its own on-demand employees — substitute teachers. COVID-19 pandemic troubles, low wages and licensing hurdles have over the last five years tamped down the number of people signing up to substitute teach. “There’s assignments that don’t get filled almost every day,” recruiter […] The post Why finding enough substitute teachers is a daily challenge for Wichita schools appeared first on The Beacon.
Missouri uses money, laws to push evidence-based reading instruction
If you drop into an elementary reading lesson, you might see kids learning about the long U sound, building their vocabulary or practicing how to read aloud without sounding like robots. And if you visit Kansas City Public Schools this fall, you should see all students in the same grade...
Missouri wants pharmacists to stay quiet about ivermectin, but a judge gets to say if that’s constitutional
A politically charged Missouri law that would prevent pharmacists from counseling patients or doctors about ivermectin and hydroxychloroquine, two treatments that have been debunked for COVID-19, has been on hold for two years in federal court. Yet the Missouri Board of Pharmacy posted a guidance statement at the end of...
Kansas nursing home owners say they can’t afford to hire more staff. Advocates say it’s essential
The call came late on a cold night in February, from the Overland Park, Kansas, nursing home where Georann Whitman’s mom was living. “They said that they found her on the floor,” Whitman said. “She had gotten up in the middle of the night and had fallen.” Whitman’s 86-year-old mom, Ann Collins, had dementia. She […] The post Kansas nursing home owners say they can’t afford to hire more staff. Advocates say it’s essential appeared first on The Beacon.
Only 12% of eligible Kansas families signed up for programs to make child care cheaper
The families of nearly 100,000 children in Kansas were potentially eligible for child care subsidies in 2020. Yet barely more than one in eight got the federal benefit designed to make child care more affordable. That happened even as Kansas has been expanding its child care subsidy and has more room for families to apply. […] The post Only 12% of eligible Kansas families signed up for programs to make child care cheaper appeared first on The Beacon.
How the Kansas City heat this week, this summer and beyond threatens your health
The sort of heat wave baking Kansas City looks to be increasingly common, and increasingly dangerous. “The climate crisis isn’t one single moment of disaster,” said Laela Zaidi, an organizer with Sunrise Movement KC, a group fighting climate change. “It’s also days and weeks of extreme heat, of drought, of failing infrastructure.” Here’s why severe heat is so dangerous and what you can do to keep yourself, your neighbors and your loved ones safe. The post How the Kansas City heat this week, this summer and beyond threatens your health appeared first on The Beacon.
What’s on your Kansas primary ballot this August
Kansas primary voters will decide Aug. 6 who will survive for the general election in races for the U.S. House of Representatives and seats in the state Legislature. The deadline to register to vote in the primary is Tuesday, July 16. Think of a primary election as a semifinal round,...
How roundabouts are slowly making Kansas City streets more confusing — and less deadly
Imagine cruising down the street at 45 mph with a line of green lights ahead. Your mind wanders. You don’t notice that one of the lights has changed to a yellow, then to red. Before you know it, you’ve crashed into another car at a right angle — and maybe even killed the driver. Instead, picture seeing a flurry of yield signs ahead and a roundabout with a steady stream of cars. Now, you’re paying attention. The post How roundabouts are slowly making Kansas City streets more confusing — and less deadly appeared first on The Beacon.
How Missouri is getting more people to the dentist — for more than a pretty smile
Missouri Medicaid began covering teeth cleanings, and almost no other routine dental work, for adults a few years ago. But the bill for the dentist actually peering in your mouth to check teeth and gums went to the patient. While some dentists wrote off the cost of the dental exam, many patients just stayed away […] The post How Missouri is getting more people to the dentist — for more than a pretty smile appeared first on The Beacon.
Beacon reporting cited in lawsuit challenging KCPD constitutionality
Beacon reporter Josh Merchant published an in-depth story in December 2022 explaining why Kansas City is the only major city in the United States without control over its own police department — and the role pro-slavery forces played in its oversight. The reporting showed how state control of policing...
Half of KC’s traffic deaths in the last two years happened on these 10 streets
An 18-year-old died when he was thrown from a car days after his high school graduation. A grandmother was killed when she was struck by a car while walking to buy groceries at Aldi. Three teenage girls died when their car hit a tree. The crashes were almost as predictable as they were tragic. The post Half of KC’s traffic deaths in the last two years happened on these 10 streets appeared first on The Beacon.
What to know about Amendment 1 on Missouri’s Aug. 6 primary ballot
Missouri voters will weigh in on Aug. 6 on whether to give property tax exemptions to child care centers when they cast ballots on Amendment 1. As the state looks to address its chronic child care provider shortage, lawmakers have looked to tax exemptions as incentives for opening child care centers — even if that cuts into the tax base local governments rely on.
What’s on your Missouri primary ballot this August
In cases where one party is heavily favored to win, or is even running unopposed, the primary election could be your best chance to influence who ends up in office. The post What’s on your Missouri primary ballot this August appeared first on The Beacon.
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