Stories from surrounding communities, closest first.

Pine and Lakes Echo Journal · Leavenworth, KS
Nearby: Leavenworth, KSAPPLETON, Minn. — The Prairie Alliance for Human Dignity will host a vigil, rally and news conference Saturday in Appleton in response to the arrival of the first ICE detainees at the Appleton Detention Facility. CoreCivic, the longtime owner of the shuttered private prison, announced a contract to reopen the 1,600-bed facility for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement detention. A day later, the company announced it had sold the property to the federal government but would still operate it. According to information from CoreCivic that was shared in August during a roundtable in Appleton, detainees will come largely from Minnesota and neighboring areas that are the responsibility of the Minneapolis office of ICE. The facility will hold only adult men and women, the company said at the time, and detainees are expected to be held an average of 35 to 65 days.

The Beacon · Kansas City, KS
Nearby: Kansas City, KSBoard of Public Utilities: Board Meeting (Oct. 7, 2026) By Daniel Allen, Kansas City Documenter See more about this meeting at Documenters.org These notes were produced through Kansas City Documenters, which trains and pays community members to take fact-checked notes at public meetings, strengthening transparency and accountability in local government. Summary The BPU’s new Interactive Voice Response system, which had handled approximately 130,000 calls so far this year, is allowing staff to monitor where calls are routed. A new “guest pay” option allows family, friends, caregivers or others to help a customer make a payment without needing to log in to the customer’s account. Staff is working on a “transformative” change that will make initiating service much easier. Notes General Manager / Team Reports Gabriela Freeman, director of customer care, provided an update as part of Customer Service Week.

The Beacon · Kansas City, KS
Nearby: Kansas City, KSIn October, a reader shared with us that they stopped physical and occupational therapy while trying to straighten out their bills after reading a story about how one unpaid medical bill landed a KC-area patient in court. “My health has deteriorated since I quit the needed treatment,” they wrote. That response resonated with me and made me think of experiences that many also share. In October, The Beacon received: 38 story tips. 186 responses to our feedback form. In those tips and feedback, readers told us that an explanation helped make sense of certain issues, while others pointed out missing information, shared an experience or asked us to keep digging. I read those responses as part of my work leading civic engagement at The Beacon. Reader tips and follow-up questions also go to our reporters. Here’s some of what you put on our radar this month.

Startland News · Kansas City, KS
Nearby: Kansas City, KS"We're not just a national law firm that happens to have an office in Kansas City," said Greg Kratofil. "We've been helping build this city's technology ecosystem for decades while also building a national practice capable of representing some of the most innovative companies in the world." Source

The Pitch · Kansas City, KS
Nearby: Kansas City, KSThem Dirty Roses. // photo b y Mike Dotson Them Dirty Roses Knuckleheads Thursday, November 5 Southern rockers Them Dirty Roses returned to Kansas City to blaze through a set of tunes at Knuckleheads and our photographer Mike Dotson was there to capture it all. Categories: Music Tags: knuckleheads, photo gallery, them dirty roses

The Beacon · Kansas City, KS
Nearby: Kansas City, KSDeborah Phillips walked up to the automatic sliding glass doors of the Sun Fresh in the Blue Parkway Shops on Oct. 26, only to be disappointed. The grocery store had closed for good the night before, citing “declining sales and rising operating costs.” Phillips works down the street and would often come by the store on her lunch break. She said the store shelves were sparsely stocked for months leading up to the sudden closure. “It’s a hard blow to the neighborhood,” said Phillips. “People don’t have anyplace else to go.” She said she’ll likely lean on the area’s fast-food options for her lunches now but was saddened to see the closure, particularly for those who live nearby or don’t have a car. “It’s a hard thing for a lot of people, particularly with Thanksgiving coming up,” Phillips said.

The Beacon · Kansas City, KS
Nearby: Kansas City, KSKansas City, Kansas Public Schools: Board Listening & Learning Session (Oct. 19, 2026) By Kenneth Heermann, Kansas City Documenter See more about this meeting at Documenters.org Summary The Kansas City Kansas Public Schools Board of Education held a 90-minute listening and learning session where district leaders walked attendees through the 2026-2031 strategic plan. The Beacon Documenter was part of one of the groups that rotated to five tables where district administrators briefed attendees on the five focus areas of the strategic plan. Topics brought up by attendees included special education, district communication with parents, graduation credits and student electronic devices. District staff said it is a struggle to find special education teachers and paraprofessionals. Parents voiced some frustration with the district’s ParentSquare communication system.

Tri-County Tribune · Kansas City, MO
Nearby: Kansas City, MOBy Jennifer StultzTri-County Tribune EditorOn November 9, 2026, the National Beef Packing Company, LLC (National Beef) corporate office in Kansas City, Missouri, announced that the… Login to continue reading Login Sign up for complimentary access Sign Up Now Close

The Carroll News · Kansas City, MO
Nearby: Kansas City, MOBlue Streak Media brought home 26 awards from the College Media Association (CMA) Conference, held Nov. 4-7 in Kansas City, Missouri, recognizing the work of John Carroll University student journalists, broadcasters and content creators across multiple media platforms. The Carroll News earned significant recognition across its print and digital journalism categories, bringing home eight, including three first-place awards.
Missouri Business Alert · Kansas City, MO
Nearby: Kansas City, MO+2 Kansas City Council passes Country Club Plaza deal worth $210 million. Here’s the latest By Savannah Hawley-Bates - KCUR 23 hrs ago The Kansas City Council approved a $210 million financing package to redevelop the downtown Country Club Plaza on Thursday. Read moreKansas City Council passes Country Club Plaza deal worth $210 million. Here’s the latest

The Beacon · Kansas, MO
Nearby: Kansas, MOWhen Vanessa Matt visits with Wyandotte County residents experiencing homelessness or on the brink of falling into it, she doesn’t make sweeping generalizations about what landed them there. Instead, Matt understands that each person, and their suite of needs, is entirely different. And she recognizes that many of the resources someone may need to get back on their feet don’t exist in their community. Matt, the senior manager of housing stabilization at Cross-Lines Community Outreach Inc., is one part of a larger system of area nonprofits and organizations trying to eliminate chronic homelessness in one of the Kansas City area’s poorest counties. Their efforts come as homelessness and the cost of living climb in Wyandotte County, where nearly half of households can’t afford essential expenses, according to a recent analysis from United Way.

Garden City Telegram · Kansas, MO
Nearby: Kansas, MOUS ATTORNEY OFFICE RELEASEWICHITA – A Missouri woman was sentenced to 41 months in prison for cyberstalking a victim in Kansas with threats of rape… Login to continue reading Login Sign up for complimentary access Sign Up Now Close
West Plains Daily Quill · Kansas, MO
Nearby: Kansas, MOYears ago, a business could begin with a pencil and a quiet conversation after supper. At the kitchen table, someone would start adding up the cost of tools, jotting down ideas and thinking about that first customer. Nothing fancy. Just a plan, a little hope and the willingness to try. Someone says, “I think we could make this work.” That is a hopeful moment. But it is also a moment when a little encouragement — and some practical help — can make a difference. The SBA Office of Advocacy’s 2025 state profiles, using 2022 Census business data, report 15,387 veteran-majority-owned businesses in Iowa, 14,412 in Kansas, 33,730 in Missouri and 11,224 in Nebraska. Together, that is nearly 75,000 businesses across the Great Plains. With National Veterans Small Business Week underway, I think about the veterans and military spouses who may be sitting at that table right now. They have an idea. They are willing to work.

Kansas City Northeast News · Kansas, MO
Nearby: Kansas, MOBryan Stalder Contributor Long before Kansas City’s iconic avenues, rail lines, and brick architecture took shape, the ground beneath the Show-Me State was home to sprawling, highly sophisticated civilizations. But these ancient cultures didn’t just leave their history buried—their legacy remains written on the landscape today, preserved in visible earthworks standing tall right above our feet. In his newly released book, Native American Monuments of Missouri: A History & Guide, author and researcher Neal Fandek explores 10,000 years of Native presence, offering readers a tangible roadmap to the ancient wonders hidden right in their local neighborhoods. For residents of Northeast, this history isn’t just a distant story—it’s built directly into the local geography.

The Beacon · Kansas, MO
Nearby: Kansas, MOEnding a tense few weeks for Kansas City-area families who buy health insurance through the Affordable Care Act marketplace, Children’s Mercy Hospital announced Tuesday it had made a deal to be in-network with UnitedHealthcare next year. “We are pleased to work with UnitedHealthcare and provide an in-network option for families who rely on ACA Marketplace coverage,” the hospital’s statement said. “This announcement reflects a shared commitment to helping children access the specialized care they need, while providing greater choice for families selecting coverage for 2027.” The news was welcome to Emmalyn Case, a Kansas City mom whose three children were among the 400 who had been set to lose access to the area’s only pediatric hospital. “I’m really glad that the insurance companies and Children’s Mercy have come together to find an option that will work for Kansas Citians,” Case said in a text message sent after the hospital’s announcement.

The Beacon · Kansas, MO
Nearby: Kansas, MOEditor’s note: This story was updated on Nov. 11 to reflect news that Children’s Mercy will be in network next year for UnitedHealthcare Affordable Care Act plans. Questions remain about the priorities and financial picture of Kansas City’s pediatric hospital after Children’s Mercy announced last week it would eliminate 115 jobs and shuffle 473 others to an outside contractor. In a statement, hospital leaders blamed rising costs and insufficient insurance reimbursement rates and said it needs to adapt to survive. “We continue to evolve our organizational structure to ensure we can remain one of only 28 independent, freestanding children’s hospitals in the country focused on kids,” the statement said. The layoffs come on the heels of a change to insurance options at Children’s Mercy that made national headlines, sparking viral conversations around Kansas City and causing panic among patients’ families who could lose access to care.

The Beacon · Kansas, MO
Nearby: Kansas, MOFollowing the dismissal of its lawsuit against the state of Kansas, Wyandotte County’s local government may soon repeal protections it had passed to have a stronger voice in negotiations surrounding the Kansas City Chiefs’ move across the state line. During a 5:30 p.m. meeting on Thursday, the Unified Government Board of Commissioners is scheduled to consider two separate ordinances that, if approved, would mean the county would have to follow Kansas’ lead in how it wants to finance and manage the project. It would also mean that Wyandotte County would give up several conditions that it set when it initially agreed to dedicate a portion of its future local sales tax dollars toward helping to build the projected $3 billion, domed stadium in western Kansas City, Kansas. Their pending vote comes more than a week after Gov.