The Beacon

‘Last to know’: After being kept in the dark, Unified Government looks for leverage in KCK Chiefs stadium deal The Unified Government’s STAR bond deal came with a Kansas promise to rebuild and repair three major bridges in Wyandotte County. But some officials say they want more commitments from the team.

Olathe acknowledged that they had been negotiating with the Kansas City Chiefs for two years under a nondisclosure agreement.But somewhere along the way someone forgot to let Wyandotte County officials in on the plan.

Nearly $103M raised through taxes on online sales bypass voter-approved funds in Kansas City budget Voters have approved seven special revenue sales taxes for things like transit, public safety and infrastructure. But taxes collected on online purchases from out-of-state retailers bypass those uses…

Kansas City collects more than $100 million a year in taxes on online purchases. But unlike in-store sales taxes, none of that money goes to the special voter-approved funds for transit, parks, fire, public safety or infrastructure.

Cryptocurrency might make its way into local election campaigns as lawmakers consider new bill Republican Sen. Craig Bowser is pushing the bill. A 2022 report by the state’s Governmental Ethics Commission said lawmakers should regulate the practice.

Kansans could soon donate to candidates in state or local races using cryptocurrency.

Unified Government OKs hundreds of millions for Chiefs stadium Commissioners approved a deal to allocate some sales tax money to pay off a 30 year bond. It could come out to $450 million in incentives.

The Chiefs are building a 65,000-seat, $3 billion domed stadium that is expected to be ready for the 2031 season. The stadium and an adjacent $325 million entertainment district are expected to take up about 235 acres near the Kansas Speedway.

Platform Ventures got Port KC tax incentives to build a warehouse. Now they’re selling it to ICE Platform Ventures pitched a warehouse development as a job creator for south Kansas City. Port KC is concerned that a sale to ICE would undermine job growth in the area.

A warehouse in south Kansas City could be sold to the federal government to become an ICE detention center. That warehouse, owned by Platform Ventures, had received a $21 million tax incentive from the Port Authority of Kansas City.

According to the MIT living wage calculator, a single adult with no children needs to make $22.75 an hour working f/t to pay for typical expenses. A single parent with two children needs to earn $49.92 an hour. While the minimum wage rose this year in #Missouri to $15/hr, it’s only $7.25 in #Kansas.

Working homelessness: When 'getting a job' isn't enough in KC Increasing numbers of sheltered families have jobs while a growing population is caught in the gap between the wages they earn and the cost of housing. It’s a formula for rising homelessness.

“Your job isn’t keeping up with your housing, which is the biggest issue,” said Kansas City Houseless Prevention Coordinator Josh Henges. “We’ve seen over the last five years that wages are not even coming close to matching the cost of housing.”

In Kansas City, that math is stark. buff.ly/KlsZlRX

With no-masks proposal, Jackson County joins push to restrain ICE The Department of Homeland Security insists masking protects federal law enforcement from doxing and physical attacks.

Jackson County Legislature Chair Manny Abarca IV introduced a proposal requiring law enforcement to keep their faces and badges visible and is backing an amendment narrowing the focus to federal agents conducting immigration enforcement within the county.

Affordable Care Act enrollment drops in Missouri and Kansas without enhanced subsidies to help offset the cost of health insurance The latest data for Affordable Care Act enrollment in 2026 shows a significant drop in Missouri, and a smaller drop off in Kansas.

“But as a business owner, the risk is just too high that one big medical event would bankrupt everything we’ve worked for the last 20 years. Honestly, sometimes it feels like we’re being held hostage by the health care industry as a whole, and there doesn’t seem to be a way out”

‘Everyone is worried’: Battle brews over how Kansas City spends health levy dollars The property tax that generates about $70 million annually, including $34 million for safety-net providers, is meant to benefit the city’s poorest patients.

The property tax that generates about $70 million annually is meant to benefit Kansas City’s poorest patients. It’s about to come under closer scrutiny.

Kansas Republicans want citizenship status listed on your driver’s license Republicans say the proposal would reduce noncitizen voting, even though that is very rare. One study says it happens 0.0001% of the time.

Kansas Republicans want citizenship status listed on each driver’s license. Republicans argue it’ll make elections more secure, but Democrats worry it will expose immigrants to discrimination.

Some Missouri lawmakers want to expand eligibility for the MOScholars program, while others want to regulate it more.

Lawmakers are also divided on whether to expand charter schools to more areas of the state or make it harder for new ones to open.

Missouri ‘school choice’ bills to watch in 2026 Some Missouri lawmakers want to expand charter schools to more areas of the state, make it easier to switch public schools and help families afford private schools. Others want to roll back or…

Elementary and secondary education is among the most popular subjects of legislation filed in the Missouri legislature this year. The Missouri House lists more than 150 bills in that category in 2026, while the smaller Missouri Senate lists nearly 75. buff.ly/iGljM0Z

Proposed Wyandotte data centers require a lot of power: Will that increase your bill? As BPU negotiates with backers of three data center proposals, officials insist the projects won’t raise utility bills for other ratepayers. But similar pledges elsewhere preceded higher bills.

Three large data center projects — buildings packed with power-hungry technology used to facilitate cloud computing and AI — are being considered in Wyandotte County. Combined, they would burn through roughly 1,000 megawatts of electricity.

Peeling back layers of the Country Club Plaza redevelopment deal A bargain-basement price. A property tax break. An infrastructure incentive. And a property assessment appeal. The Plaza’s new owners have pushed several financial levers to craft a potentially…

Since Gillon Property Group purchased the KC Plaza for $175.6 million, the owners now argue that the market value has dropped another 37% — to just $111 million.

That’s an 87% decrease since 2016, accounting for inflation.

Peeling back layers of the Country Club Plaza redevelopment deal A bargain-basement price. A property tax break. An infrastructure incentive. And a property assessment appeal. The Plaza’s new owners have pushed several financial levers to craft a potentially…

Since purchasing the Country Club Plaza in 2024, the new owners have been assembling a redevelopment plan with several layers of financial benefit, including a property tax incentive, a sales tax incentive and a property assessment appeal. buff.ly/rOrdPVQ

“There’s no such thing as a free stadium,” J.C. Bradbury, a professor of economics at Kennesaw State University, said. “You can’t just spend $1.8 billion of taxpayer money for free. You can’t pull that money out of thin air. It’s going to have to come from somewhere.”

‘The numbers are just not credible’: Kansas used flawed math to estimate economic impact of Chiefs relocation, experts say The Beacon spoke with four economists who say the state relied on inflated numbers to make the stadium deal look better. State officials say football teams bring in real value as millions flock to…

Kansas offered more than $2 billion to move the Chiefs across the state line. One economist says this is the largest public subsidy of a professional sports stadium in American history. buff.ly/C9HU0c6

This Kansas City charter school lost nearly 20% of its students in one year amid high staff turnover KIPP Kansas City employees say staff turnover and leadership changes have contributed to issues such as incorrect pay, shrinking enrollment and disrupted education.

State data shows KIPP Kansas City enrollment declined nearly 20% in one year. Current and former employees report problems such as not being paid correctly, issues with buildings and technology, and supplies not being delivered when needed.

Lawmakers focus on making Kansas more affordable. Here’s what they are proposing Kansas Democrats propose increasing the minimum wage to $15 an hour. That is one of a handful of affordability proposals by both parties.

Kansas Democrats want a $15 minimum wage, free school lunch for all kids, 12 weeks of maternal, parental and pregnancy leave, and 40 hours of annual sick leave for all employees in Kansas. They also want the state and businesses to help pay for child care.

A ‘revolving door’: Kansas City charter school sees extreme staff turnover Only about 40% of the employees KIPP Kansas City reported to the state last school year show up on its employee list this year. Leaders say not everyone is on board with necessary change.

High school counselor Jonna Skinner worked late, watched colleagues leave and saw her own mental health and family life suffer. Her breaking point was a series of delays and mistakes related to her contract, and she said KIPP still owes her for unpaid work.

'It's constant whiplash': Kansas City organizations see mental health grants canceled one day and restored the next Behavioral health organizations that stood to lose critical funding still worry about future cuts they say could devastate patients and wipeout programs.

“Programs like ours are always at risk,” said Erin Fraser, executive director of Benilde Hall. a Kansas City nonprofit that helps men who are transitioning out of prison.

Lawmakers want Kansas property tax relief, renter rebates in 2026 Both Republicans and Democrats have proposed plans to make housing more affordable, including Kansas property tax relief.

“This is probably one of the biggest things that we hear as we go across the state,” said Speaker of the House Dan Hawkins, a Wichita Republican. “People really hate property tax.”

Under new proposal, Jackson County could be the first Missouri county to be split in 150 years A proposal to remove Kansas City from Jackson County is expected to get a committee hearing. But elected leaders are skeptical that it will gain traction.

A Missouri bill proposes to remove Kansas City from Jackson County following a statewide vote on a constitutional amendment. Will “Jackxit” triumph?

Despite higher state scores, Hickman Mills schools fall short of full accreditation this year The state board also voted to receive more reporting on lower-performing districts such as Center and Grandview in the Kansas City area.

Hickman Mills was optimistic that it would regain full accreditation. The Missouri State Board of Education shot its hopes down.

Missouri higher education bills to watch in 2026 Other proposals include adding support for homeless and foster youth, giving student journalists freedom of the press and addressing how immigration status and higher education intersect.

At least four Republican lawmakers are attempting to remove an expiration date on a law that says students may only participate on sports teams designated for their sex as assigned at birth. The law would otherwise expire Aug. 28, 2027.

‘This place is killing me’: Prison medical care in Kansas still struggles to help inmates A 2022 investigation found serious flaws in the prison medical system. Those same problems persist years later, and the prison medical contractor is making more mistakes.

Powell, a type 2 diabetic at the Norton prison, went to refill his medication but it wasn’t ready. Medical staff first told him it was because he didn’t request new medication. Then his wife was told a shipment was delayed. Finally, medical staff said he requested it too early.

Why 30 hospitals in Kansas and 12 in Missouri are at risk of closure A new study of rural hospitals finds that Kansas has more on the brink of shutting down than every other state. Revenue isn’t keeping up with cost.

A new analysis estimates that 30 rural hospitals in #Kansas are at immediate risk of closing, while #12 in Missouri could close.

KC's Olive Park Village residents displaced after HUD crackdown KC's Olive Park Village residents confront displacement amid deteriorating conditions at property controlled by Millennia Housing Management.

Olive Park Village residents describe fires and floods while living in apartments controlled by a Cleveland-based housing management company. With the city ordering the complex vacated, remaining families now have days to scramble for new homes.

Kansas Republicans don’t have the votes for congressional redistricting, House speaker says Speaker of the House Dan Hawkins, a Wichita Republican, said he is about 20 votes short of overriding a veto.

Kansas Republicans don’t have the votes to gerrymander the state’s congressional maps in 2026, GOP leadership said. Republicans say they aren’t even close.