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Jackson County sent the Royals stadium tax to the ballot. Labor gears up for tough talks
The Kansas City Royals want voters to promise four more decades of tax money to underwrite a new stadium. Parking attendants, beer vendors and the other people who tend to fans want more leverage on their wages. And the Royals say the team stands willing to bargain, offering to enter into a community benefits agreement […]
Afghan refugees still adjusting to life in Kansas City — and wondering if they can stay
When the Taliban overtook Kabul in 2021, Qasim Rahimi went into hiding at a neighbor’s house. Meanwhile, U.S. troops withdrew and took nearly 90,000 Afghan evacuees who were in danger of persecution. Rahimi knew he had to leave, too. “I was a journalist and a director in (the) Afghanistan government when the government fell, so […]
Rising rents leave more Kansas City tenants facing eviction
Jared Johnson hasn’t paid rent in four months. The trouble started when his car got towed. That cost him his job delivering groceries for Instacart. He’s been able to hold off an eviction — for now. At his eviction trial, his landlord agreed to give him until the end of September to pay his back […]
Kansas City’s homeless residents want low-barrier shelter
Three years ago, Brian Haimowitz slept behind buildings and under bridges because he couldn’t afford a place to stay with the money from his job as a cashier at a local Wendy’s. He said he tried to get help through Kansas City’s shelter system, but he was quickly turned off by roadblocks he encountered. One […]
‘We can’t keep putting our lives on the line’: KC bus drivers detail safety risks they face
Sherrita Jackson was a bus driver for 21 years before she got fed up with abuse from passengers and switched careers in 2021. At the time, a year into the COVID-19 pandemic, passengers were required to wear masks. A passenger not wearing a mask boarded Jackson’s bus and refused to comply with the mandate. “He […]
A new solution will address Kansas City’s lack of disability-accessible housing
The Center for Developmentally Disabled is building four-bedroom family houses across Kansas City that are designed to help people with disabilities live with greater independence. The new homes will include automatic doors. The ceilings will be outfitted with lift and track systems to make it easier for a caretaker to get someone with limited mobility […]
Trans women of color and the Kansas City Police Department’s rocky, violent history
Four years ago, a viral video showed two Kansas City police officers slamming a Black transgender woman, Brianna BB Hill, onto the sidewalk, kneeling on her in the face, torso and ribs and forcing her cuffed hands above her head. In the time since, the officers pleaded guilty to third-degree assault. And Hill was shot […]
What you need to know about the 2023 NFL Draft in Kansas City
Kansas City is down to the final details of its ambitious effort to host this year’s NFL Draft, an event that is expected to draw hundreds of thousands of visitors to its main downtown site and other events around the area for three days beginning April 27. A giant stage is under construction in front […]
Kansas City service workers push for protections as Royals look to build downtown stadium
This story was originally published by the Kansas City Beacon. Bill Thompson cooks at a fast-food restaurant, shares a car with his wife and helps care for an older family member. He’s got a lot to manage, but Thompson has found time to attend “listening sessions” that the Kansas City Royals have organized to discuss […]
The NFL Draft is coming to Kansas City in April, along with thousands of visitors
This story was originally published by the Kansas City Beacon. Football excitement in Kansas City won’t be over once the confetti gets vacuumed up after the Chiefs victory parade on Wednesday. In a little more than two months, Kansas City will host the 2023 National Football League Draft, an extravaganza that organizers predict will draw more visitors […]
As new KCI terminal nears completion, concessions and airport employers seek more workers
This story was originally published by the Kansas City Beacon. Sandy Cisneros has a retail job in Liberty where she makes $15 an hour. But the mother of two children was looking for something that would offer more hours, better pay and a more flexible schedule. After showing up at a Jan. 23 hiring fair […]
How investments in Black businesses can help close KC’s racial wealth gap
This story was originally published by the Kansas City Beacon. When Denisha Jones launched her business, Sweet Peaches Cobblers, in August 2020, it was just her, her husband and her mom in a community kitchen — taking orders, making the cobblers and doing deliveries. Now she has a team of individuals helping her sell cobblers in […]