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Eviction hearings in Kansas City are taking place over video. Not everyone has internet.
What would normally be an in-person appearance at the 16th Circuit Courthouse downtown has transitioned onto virtual platforms.
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Coronavirus in Kansas and Missouri
Older adults in Kansas City are facing increased anxiety, depression during the pandemic
Local organizations that serve seniors are trying to adapt.
Environment
Local scientists seek solutions for Kansas lakes battling harmful blue-green algae
Blue-green algae blooms have always been a natural, and safe, part of Kansas lakes. But within the past decade, algal amounts have increased, causing health and economic woes.
Like COVID-19, the burden of air pollution is not evenly shared in Kansas and Missouri
Early research suggests a correlation between positive cases of COVID-19 and deaths in areas with higher levels of air pollution.
How invasive plants could overrun America’s largest remaining tallgrass prairie
America’s last stand of tallgrass prairie — primarily located in the Flint Hills of eastern Kansas and extending to the north and south — is being overgrown by non-native plants.
Economics
Months into the pandemic, workers in Kansas City are struggling to stay afloat
The most recent data available shows that about 87,000 people across Kansas City, Missouri, and Kansas City, Kansas, have found themselves out of work and out of money in the middle of a worsening global health crisis.
As pandemic presses on, small businesses in Kansas City get creative to survive
As COVID-19 continues to spread in Kansas and Missouri, many small businesses have had to swiftly pivot their business plans to avoid shutting down. And some now see their prepandemic operations as a thing of the past.
In the midst of a pandemic, tenants face the looming threat of eviction
The end of the Jackson County, Missouri, eviction moratorium in response to COVID-19 has highlighted issues around access to low-income housing in Kansas City, Missouri. Meanwhile, Kansans on the other side of the state line have more protections.
Education
‘Community members are concerned’: COVID-19 cases return to college towns along with students
With the fall semester in full swing, colleges in Kansas and Missouri are scrambling to handle case spikes on their campuses.
With school taking place online, Kansas City families are still struggling to get connected
As students begin the new school year with varying degrees of remote or online learning, the digital divide has become a bigger issue for Kansas City families during the pandemic.
Between free state Kansas and slave state Missouri, learning about the Civil War can be a night and day difference
As recent protests against police violence bring racism to the forefront, educators say that understanding the workings of racism in present-day America means learning about the sins of its past.
More Stories
Complete census counts in Kansas, Missouri marred by COVID-19 and changing deadlines
For six days a week throughout August and September, Cindy Hoedel went door-to-door across mostly rural Kansas counties — sometimes covering over 200 miles in a day — to find out how many people lived in a given address on April 1. But as a Census worker, Hoedel’s biggest challenge wasn’t in the rural areas […]
After days of waiting, Kansas City residents react to Joe Biden’s projected win over Donald Trump
After a grueling campaign season, marred by a pandemic and made even more stressful by days spent waiting for votes to be counted in several battleground states, Kansas City voters who spoke with The Beacon said they felt a variety of emotions.
In their words: Kansas City voters on the unprecedented 2020 Election
On Nov. 3, thousands of registered voters in Kansas and Missouri turned out to polling places to cast their ballot for crucial races, from the presidency to local races and statewide ballot initiatives. Even COVID-19 could not deter many voters from making sure their voice was heard — in Kansas City, Missouri, COVID-positive voters experienced […]
COVID-positive voters in Kansas City face hours-long wait times on Election Day
Despite relatively short waits at most polling locations across the Kansas City metro, COVID-positive voters in Kansas City, Missouri — who were encouraged to use curbside voting at Union Station — are waiting hours to cast their ballots. Cedric Schofield and his wife originally planned to wake up at 6:30 a.m. this morning to vote […]
Live Coverage: Election Day 2020
After a long and tumultuous election season, shaped by an unprecedented pandemic and mass protests against racism and police violence, Election Day is finally here. Millions have already cast their vote for president and other statewide and local races, and more are expected to turn up at the polls today to vote in person. Today, […]
Election Day: Everything you need to know
With Election Day just one day away, we know voters still have qusetions about the voting process and how they can make sure their vote will count. On Friday, Oct. 30, The Beacon’s Celisa Calacal was joined by four local voting experts to answer common questions about voting in Missouri and Kansas.
Disenchanted by the major parties, young Kansas voters are more likely to register as independents
Through an analysis of Kansas voter registration data, The Beacon found that unaffiliated voters in Kansas, also known as independents, make up 38% of voters under the age of 40 — the largest portion of any party within that age range.
Transportation can be a barrier for some Kansas City voters. Here’s how to get to the polls.
Before the June election this year, the Kansas City Board of Election Commissioners decided to change the locations and reduce the number of in-person polling places. The goal? To have enough election judges available and include larger polling sites for more social distancing.
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