Pawpaws get their moment in the sun as festivals promote America’s native fruit
Even as the tropical-tasting fruit gains popularity through farmer's markets and festivals, the pawpaw faces big hurdles to reaching a mass market.
View ArticleAs Kansas farms grow bigger, more people leave and rural life gets lonelier
Kansas farms have expanded their operations and are now bigger than ever, which has led to an economic boom. But that also means fewer farmers, and that has contributed to depopulation in rural parts...
View ArticleA rare 2-headed snake is Kansas City’s most charming new visitor
Tiger-Lily, a nearly three-foot-long western rat snake found in 2017 in southwest Missouri, will be at the Anita B. Gorman Conservation Discovery Center until Sept. 28.
View ArticleChicken farmers sue Tyson after the company closed a Missouri plant and ended...
Commercial chicken farmers literally bet the farm, spending millions of dollars on land and enormous chicken houses to raise birds they never own — putting their livelihoods in the hands of a single...
View ArticleKansas Citians are desperate for an end to thefts and break-ins
With over 5,000 reported car thefts in Kansas City this year, frustrated residents are demanding elected officials and law enforcement find solutions. Plus: A $10 million federal grant will be used to...
View ArticleKansas City created a fund to help small businesses hit by crime. Here's what...
As restaurants and stores around Kansas City recover from a wave of property crimes, the city's new Back to Business Fund will hand out more than 100 grants for damage repairs and security upgrades....
View ArticleKansas City man asks court to overturn conviction connected to disgraced...
Brian Betts spent 25 years in prison for a crime he says he didn't commit. Lawyers allege Betts' uncle was coerced into testifying against him by former Kansas City, Kansas Police detective Roger...
View ArticleMissouri chicken farmers are suing Tyson
When Tyson closed a chicken processing facility in southeast Missouri, it also ended contracts with nearby chicken farmers. Now, some of those farmers are suing. Plus: Kansas farms are consolidating,...
View ArticleFBI investigating packages sent to election officials in Missouri, Kansas and...
The FBI and the U.S. Postal Service were investigating the origin of suspicious packages that have been sent to elections officials in more than 15 states, including in Missouri and Kansas. There were...
View ArticleKansas City, Kansas, 'cult’ leaders convicted in scheme that forced kids to...
Federal prosecutors say the United Nation of Islam, a quasi-religious group deemed to be a "cult," used fear to coerce children into working up to 16-hour days in its storefronts, which were donated by...
View ArticleFormer KCPD detective violated Cameron Lamb's rights, federal court rules in...
Erik DeValkenaere violated the constitutional rights of 26-year-old Cameron Lamb when he entered his backyard without any legal reason, a U.S. District judge ruled, opening the door to financial...
View ArticleMidwest states far from U.S.-Mexico border have spent millions to send troops...
After Texas Gov. Greg Abbott launched Operation Lone Star in 2021, the governors of Iowa, Missouri and Nebraska answered his call to tackle crime and illegal immigration along the state’s border with...
View ArticleMissouri doesn't border Mexico, so why did it send troops there?
Over a dozen states that do not share a border with Mexico, including Missouri, have joined a Texas operation to crack down on illegal immigration at the U.S.-Mexico border. Plus: Two years after he...
View ArticleNAACP president urges Missouri governor to halt Marcellus Williams execution...
"Taking the life of Marcellus Williams would be an unequivocal statement that when a white woman is killed, a Black man must die. And any Black man will do," wrote NAACP president Derrick Johnson.
View ArticleBird flu outbreaks made egg prices more expensive. Here's what to know
The U.S. Department of Agriculture is projecting that egg prices will decrease in the coming months. But experts said that all depends on whether there are any further bird flu outbreaks.
View ArticleA librarian's history of the Westside
In the mid-1990s, the Kansas City Public Library was threatening to close its branch on the Westside. Librarian Irene Ruiz went door to door campaigning for the building to stay. Today, that branch of...
View ArticleLow Mississippi River levels are again making it more expensive to transport...
River barges are an efficient way to move crops — 15 barges can hold about as much grain as 1,000 semi-trucks. But low river levels are driving up transportation costs for Midwest farmers.
View ArticleWhy this Italian bootmaker came to small-town Kansas to continue his craft
In a small workshop behind his Eureka, Kansas, home, a master shoemaker from Italy is quietly pursuing his craft. "I think you really have to like the culture to really understand how to make a proper...
View ArticleMore people are visiting Kansas City than ever. City leaders hope they can...
Major events and superstar visitors made Kansas City a more popular travel destination in 2023. The city is hoping to harness that excitement and bring more tourists and residents to the area.
View ArticleFeds indict Lux Living owners on charges of defrauding St. Louis minority...
The owners of one of Kansas City's and St. Louis’ highest-profile development firms face federal fraud charges in an alleged scheme that officials say defrauded a St. Louis city minority and women’s...
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