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Daily Update Archive

Weekend, Nov. 6 - 8

  • Votes are still being counted, but so are coronavirus cases and deaths. A new record of 121,000 new cases were recorded Thursday, and the growing stress on KC-area hospital intensive care units is “concerning.”

  • Kansas City providers of food during the pandemic got a boost as the Missouri Department of Agriculture announced up to $25,000 in funding each through the Food Insecure Urban Agriculture Matching Grant. Keep track of nutrition opportunities at kclinc.org/food-resources.

  • For sure 2020 has been a hard year. But KC Parks and Recreation is giving everyone a chance to reflect on reasons to be grateful by posting Gratitude Walls with blank canvasses to write in grateful feelings at area parks.

Wednesday, Nov. 4

  • We waken to the fresh realization of our divided nation. But the best expression of ourselves remains in how we turn to the faces in our own communities with comfort and peace. Our work, your work, carries on.

  • Oh, and the record-breaking Covid numbers surge on. KC-area schools watch anxiously as some are forced back to virtual. Here’s a look at how Germany keeps its schools open, compared to the USA.

  • Back on the election, it is notable that Americans voted with unprecedented zeal here and across the nation. We particularly enjoyed voting at Arrowhead Stadium.

Monday, Nov. 2

Weekend, Oct. 30-Nov. 1

Thursday, Oct. 29

Wednesday, Oct. 28

Tuesday, Oct. 27

Monday, Oct. 26

Weekend, Oct. 23-25

Thursday, Oct. 22

  • Today at 12:30 p.m. you can join a virtual town hall on Kansas City’s struggle with gun violence with the KC Star and Report for America in William Jewel’s American Public Square. The subject: The trust between KC communities and police.

  • The Kansas City Public Schools wants you to know that $80 million in potential tax revenue for the district and public charter schools has been abated by tax incentives the past three years. The district has dedicated a web page to keep track of efforts to reform city taxing practices.

  • The Lights On Afterschool celebration of the role of after-school programs in America is under way, nationally, and here at home as LINC, where the community gatherings have to get particularly creative in a pandemic season.

Wednesday, Oct. 21

Tuesday, Oct. 20

Monday, Oct. 19

Wednesday, Oct. 14

Tuesday, Oct. 13

Monday, Oct. 12

Weekend, Oct. 9-11

Thursday, Oct. 8

Wednesday, Oct. 7

  • Missouri has witnessed more than 130,000 newly registered voters this election cycle. You can still join the number today — the last day you can register for the Nov. 3 election. Register online at Vote411.org or in-person at your election board, public libraries and DMVs.

  • Uncertain waters continue in what lies ahead in national and local pandemic relief. The state of negotiations for a new stimulus bill between the White House and the House of Representatives was in flux. Meanwhile Missouri is ending its extension of benefits for those who have exhausted unemployment relief.

Tuesday, Oct. 6

Monday, Oct. 5

Weekend, Oct. 2-4

Thursday, Oct. 1

Wednesday, Sept. 30

Tuesday, Sept. 29

Monday, Sept. 28

Weekend, Sept. 25-27

Thursday, Sept. 24

Wednesday, Sept. 23

Tuesday, Sept. 22

Monday, Sept. 21

  • We remember the powerful life of Ruth Bader Ginsburg and her courageous wisdom that shaped a fairer and more just world. Here again is the documentary, “RBG,” — worth watching, or re-watching.

  • While there are tough standoffs between landlords and renter rights groups, both sides can agree we need more federal rental assistance — though each side might dispute each other’s motives for seeking the aid.

  • Turn the Page KC and the United Way have teamed up to help school districts and their families with a collection of videos about strengthening attendance and academic engagement during this season of virtual learning.

  • Missouri has extended two important assistance programs for families. One allows families to seek child care subsidies to help cover child care costs needed where schools are not in-person. The other extends opportunities to seek crisis relief from summer electric bills.

Weekend, Sept. 18-20

  • Let’s take a couple of moments this weekend to consider the pain and the risk. LINC’s team takes measure of it all, working often door-to-door in hurting neighborhoods . . . and furthermore . . .

  • Our school district partners and their teachers are taking risks in the name of essential education and growth of young children, this KCUR report shows, even as the CDC’s analysis of local coronavirus threats puts many of them in geographic red zones . . .

  • And this is particularly hard for many teachers — some LINC staff included — who, as this NPR feature notes, feel “torn between their students and their own kids.”

  • Get ready. Spread the word to anyone who needs help getting registered to vote. Sept. 22 is National Registration Day and all of the Kansas City Public Library branches will be open and ready to get you signed up.

Thursday, Sept. 17

  • Here come the Chiefs — No. 1 not only in the NFL but in rallying voter turnout this November, with the announcement that Arrowhead Stadium will be a voting location, and the team’s latest video.

  • More news in the mounting case against the KM-T.E.H. realty company and its array of poorly managed properties. A Jackson County judge has awarded $52 million in damages on behalf of residents of the Ruskin Place Apartments.

  • Here’s a personal look from the Beacon at some of the 87,000 people in the KC area who are out of work during the pandemic and in “survival mode.”

  • KCUR reports that early childhood years are the most critical years for brain development and the years least supported by state resources — and five ways to change that.

Wednesday, Sept. 16

  • For many school children, a fractured school year amid the stress of persisting in a pandemic weighs over mental health. Here are links to help share a teen crisis text line: just text “mosafe” to 471471. Help is also available at Show-Me Hope Missouri.

  • Sometimes a person wants in-person advice, and that may be true for many who are sorting out a difficult election process ahead of Election Day. Voters Helping Voters will be available in various KC Parks and Rec community centers every Saturday through Oct. 17.

  • The election advice includes helping those who wish to avoid the virus risk of in-person voting Nov. 3. The KC area reported 280 new cases and nine deaths Tuesday as the the statewide total passed 100,000 over the weekend.

Tuesday, Sept. 15

  • Kansas City is making a renewed attempt to name a thoroughfare in honor of Martin Luther King Jr., offering to rename the Blue Parkway, Swope Parkway, Volker Boulevard corridors. The public has two opportunities to comment this week.

  • Are you connected? Kansas City is conducting a phone text survey to help better understand how well households in its array of neighborhoods can access the internet, as the city pursues its goal of getting everyone connected.

  • The Hickman Mills School District has received a $1.7 million grant through the GreenLightFund to help strengthen mentoring programs in aid of students hurt by violence, homelessness and other traumatic experiences.

  • Saying “love wins over hate,” artists of one of the Black Lives Matter street murals that was vandalized Monday want to incorporate the tire streaks into the art as a message, and throw a street party to celebrate unity.

Monday, Sept. 14

Weekend, Sept. 11-13

Thursday, Sept. 10

  • This week the rest of the metro’s school districts joined the strange new school year, and here’s a look at how LINC has been striving with our partners to help children and families thrive.

  • The stress on schools will be heavy as they try to overcome the learning loss brought on by the pandemic — especially schools with high proportions of low-income children who are more impacted. A new OECD study warns the effects will be deep, inequitable and long-lasting.

  • Discouraging coronavirus news finds that a major pharmaceutical company’s clinical trial of a vaccine has been paused while it investigates the cause of one participant’s new illness in the UK. KU Med and Children’s Mercy were planning to participate in the trial and are now on hold.

  • Here come the Chiefs — and new expressions of our nation’s social justice uprising. The NFL is amenable now to players’ expressing their passions. QB Patrick Mahomes and teammates with both teams in tonight’s season-opener at Arrowhead aren’t saying what they have planned, but they promise they are doing something.

Wednesday, Sept. 9

  • The first day of school for many families in the KC area was a challenge, as KCPS, North KC and other districts joined the unprecedented school year. Tech glitches were notable in Johnson County, KS, and in the Lee’s Summit and Raytown districts. IT teams found workarounds.

  • With Covid cases particularly high in the large metro areas, all-online options are common approaches. But the state’s mapping of all districts shows that in-person options prevail throughout most of the state.

  • The K-12 school systems must be nervously watching the problems overwhelming many of the nation’s colleges and universities, as coronavirus outbreaks are prompting many to shutdown campuses and send students home — not without controversy.

Tuesday, Sept. 8

Labor Day Weekend, Sept. 4-7

Thursday, Sept. 3

Wednesday, Sept. 2

  • After so much localized pressure to restore moratoriums on evictions, the protection has been ordered from a surprise source: the CDC. The nationwide decree through the end of the year cites the risks of Covid infection if renters are forced into shelters. It does not lift rent obligations, however.

  • Are you worried over your local election board’s ability to manage what’s coming Nov. 3? Maybe you want to answer the call for more poll workers. Learn more here, and how to apply.

  • In more good news for renters, here’s a KCUR update on the crackdown going on against the KM-T.E.H. realty company and its string of abuses — this one in Ruskin Heights.

Tuesday, Sept. 1

Monday, Aug. 31

Weekend, Aug. 28- 30

Thursday, Aug. 27

  • Another round of extra unemployment benefits are on the way for many out-of-work Missourians. At $300 a week, it’s half of the expired extra benefits in previous stimulus payouts, and some will not be eligible. Here’s the rundown.

  • Like us, the Kansas City Public Schools has been acutely aware of the potential damage hovering in an under-count in the ongoing U.S. Census. Here’s how they’re adapting their campaign, via KCUR. Here is our Census information page.

  • All of this is overwhelmed again as the racial reckoning across the nation swells as everyone struggles to come to terms with the shooting of Jacob Blake in Kenosha, Wisconsin.

Wednesday, Aug. 26

  • Missouri’s troubling increase in child Covid cases is continuing, says an updated report by the American Academy of Pediatrics and Children’s Hospital Association. The rate of MO child cases rose by 33% since the first report to 550 per 100,000. Cumulatively MO is now 20th in the Nation, up from 22.

  • With many public school districts, under public health officials’ advice, starting the school year online, the KC Star reports many parents who can are looking for private schools that are opening in-person.

Tuesday, Aug. 25

  • We take a closer look at the compelling dilemmas facing schools, how they’re choosing to open — with the earnest wish that everyone in the end feels like they did it right, for everyone’s sake.

  • School districts that largely serve communities of color are particularly cautious about opening, as their communities are suffering disproportionately from Covid. KCUR’s history podcast shows that this has long been the experience with pandemics.

  • Be masked superheroes, says a Marvel Comics-styled poster campaign for school children. Bam! Evade! Destroy! Defend!

  • Relief may be on the way for unemployed Missourians. The state’s labor department announced Monday that weekly lost wages assistance of an additional $300 could be issued to unemployed workers retroactive to Aug. 1 as soon as by the end of the week.

Monday, Aug. 24

Weekend, Aug. 21-23

  • Independence and Lee’s Summit, from different directions, display the tensions in the KC Star felt everywhere as the school year begins. Some teachers are fearful as Indy opens in-person, where teachers who opt out won’t get paid. And parents protest in Lee’s Summit, which is opening virtually.

  • The National Association of School Nurses is also troubled, issuing a report that less than 40% of schools nationwide had a full-time nurse, and there has been no national effort to hire more.

  • Covid-19 testing is ready to resume with the KC Health Department. Call now to get appointments for next week, or take a chance with limited walk-up service. Keep up on testing locations on our coronavirus testing page.

  • We’ve been tracking the progress of the U.S. Census in KC and the struggle to prevent a damaging under-count. See the comparison maps of response rates on our Census page, and help encourage others to fill out their Census.

Thursday, Aug. 20

Wednesday, Aug. 19

  • Add Johnson County public health officials to the voices warning against in-person classrooms. The Kansas school districts will decide for themselves what to do, but Shawnee Mission and De Soto announced they are switching to an all-online opening.

  • With so much to worry about when it comes to carrying out the not-so-simple obligation of voting, the “Curbside Notary” service hopes to simplify one of the complications facing many Missourians planning to mail in their ballots — getting that ballot notarized.

  • New survey data from the U.S. Census finds that of Americans not working, women ages 25-44 are almost three times as likely as men to not be working due to childcare demands. Says the report: “Working moms are bearing the brunt” of the pandemic’s strain.

 Tuesday, Aug. 18

  • More pandemic stress: Complaints about rented housing conditions are skyrocketing in KC. An analysis of health department data by LINC and KCUR shows that calls to the Healthy Homes Rental Inspection Program have more than doubled from this time a year ago, especially in the 3rd City Council district.

  • By national coronavirus measures, Missouri sits in the red zone. A NY Times analysis paints the whole state, every county, in crimson, arguing that the number of cases and positive-tests rates are too high to start in-person school.

  • As many districts plan to start the year online, a majority of families wish to see their children in school buildings (at least when it is safe to do so), as the North Kansas City School District discovered. Some parents in Lee’s Summit protested their district’s plan to begin the year all online.

Monday, Aug. 17

  • A Kansas City woman named Karla with $2,000 in past-due utility bills is “devastated” while waiting on unemployment benefits, says a KC Star editorial that is sounding alarms over the “tens of thousands” of local residents who are no longer protected by moratoriums against utility shutoffs. Come up with a plan for relief, it says.

  • An Olathe teacher has built a Google spreadsheet keeping track of reported events around the nation of schools that opened, only to go back into quarantine because of outbreaks. Her list, the Washington Post reports, quickly went from 30 to more than 700 as of today.

  • And now we have to worry about a “Twindemic”? Public health officials are worried that the Covid-19 pandemic could mix with an influenza outbreak if people neglect flu shots this year. Pediatricians are issuing the same concern about other childhood diseases if children miss out on critical vaccinations.

Weekend, Aug. 14-16

Thursday, Aug. 13

Wednesday, Aug. 12

Tuesday Aug. 11

Monday, Aug. 10

  • A turbulent week appears in the offing as the President announces executive plans for Covid relief while Congress continues its struggle to forge a new relief plan in place of the expired CARES Act.

  • Uncertainty continues to trouble schools. Jackson County officials are now recommending schools start after Labor Day and entirely  online. Some districts, including Hickman Mills and Center, plan to open the week of Aug. 24 all online. Others that are starting Sept. 8 have been holding onto the option to have some in-person classes.

  • The evolving school plans across the area is hard on many teachers, the KC Star reports. Districts are having to identify who of their teachers and staff will be ready to go in-person, and who will be working online. Many staff fear they may be pressured into uncomfortable decisions.

  • One thing everyone agrees on: Everyone should have effective access to the Internet. Kansas City has extended a public-input opportunity to help design the plan to get that done. See how you can get involved here.

Weekend, Aug. 7-9

  • We raised alarms about the threat of evictions and utility shutoffs to school remote learning plans. Here’s a deeper, intimate look at what families are enduring by KC’s Barb Shelly in the Hechinger Report.

  • The online magazine Flatland explores the strain on renters during the pandemic and finds that the fight for tenant rights is also a fight for racial equity.

  • Virtual learning? Distance learning? They’re not the same thing, and districts are finding that families are confused. Here’s KCPS’ note to its families clarifying the options. The short version: Virtual learning is in a virtual academy, distance learning is online with your neighborhood teacher, with the option to return to school when it’s safe.

  • Pandemic scenarios raise the possibility of more than 300,000 U.S. deaths by the end of the year. That number can be lower — wear masks! — and school communities may be interested to know that Politico finds that opened schools are the exception right now around the world, not the norm.

Thursday, Aug. 6

Wednesday, Aug. 5

  • First, here’s cause for anxiety: Right now utility shutoffs and even evictions are back on the table and threatening the prospects of many households just as schools are getting ready to conduct classes online. Here’s a look at how community advocates and utilities are trying to work this out.

  • But Election Day brought the news that Medicaid expansion passed in Missouri, earning congratulations for so many who carried out the petition process and the resulting election campaign — a crafty effort that caught national attention in the NY Times.

  • The day was also good for the Hickman Mills School District, where voters put a huge stamp of approval on a $30 million no-tax-increase bond issue, with 80% of the voters in support.

Tuesday, Aug. 4

  • Have you voted? Medicaid Expansion statewide and a bond issue in Hickman Mills join the ballot in today’s primary election. Polls open until 7 p.m. Not sure where your polling place is? Check here.

  • Here’s a look in the Examiner at what the Fort Osage School District is planning as it prepares for a Sept. 8 start with a mix of in-person and distance instruction. Conditions keep changing, however, as Supt. Snodgrass says: This pandemic is unlike anything I have ever had to deal with . . .”

  • . . . and how. National reports are finding that school districts that opened early are already having to close back down. And a KC Star story reports on a southeast Kansas school district whose administrative team held a retreat in Branson to talk on how to safely open schools — and caught the coronavirus.

Monday, Aug. 3

August 2020

Weekend, July 31 - Aug. 2

  • Calling evictions “an act of violence,” KC Tenants activists shut down Kansas City’s housing court Thursday. Anxiety is heightening as moratoriums on evictions, extra unemployment benefits and other pandemic protections expire — while Congress is unable to reach agreement on a new protection/stimulus plan.

  • The Hickman Mills School District officially joined others that are starting the year with all-virtual classrooms. But unlike others, the district is sticking to its planned Aug. 24 first day of school.

  • If local districts need affirmation for starting all-virtual, a new study is finding that children might be more at risk to spread coronavirus than previously thought. More districts may be putting a hold on in-person classes by the time school starts.

  • Drive-thru events have proven a popular adaptation during Covid. So get ready for Kansas City Public Schools’ Summerfest — “Drive-Thru Edition.” The event that draws thousands of families for back-to-school celebrations, games and school supply giveaways will do it parking-lot style Aug. 22 and 29. See more here.

Thursday, July 30

Wednesday, July 29

Tuesday, July 28

Monday, July 27

Weekend, July 24-26

Thursday, July 23

  • “We’re in a messed up world right now,” KC Superintendent Mark Bedell said as he formally recommended a late — all virtual — start for KCPS’ school year. Here’s our look at how we and our schools are scrambling for new ground in this pandemic.

  • One thing everyone agrees on: Schools need help from the next stimulus package from Congress. We’ve got a lot we can learn from the first go ‘round of the CARES Act as the nation’s leadership tries to agree on the next deal.

  • We’ve got months of this to go. The vaccine race is on and here’s wishing it a swift journey to our shores.

Wednesday, July 22

  • Please wait to open in-person schools, recommend KC Mayor Quinton Lucas and city health Director Rex Archer — at least until after Labor Day, Sept. 7. The recommendation goes to all schools in KC, all 14 districts plus private and parochial schools.

  • This is because Missouri and the KC area is now averaging more than 400 new cases daily, and the number of patients in intensive care is starting to make hospitals anxious.

  • Testing services for the virus are also fearing being overwhelmed. The city’s testing operations are trying to prioritize by ZIP codes with more vulnerable populations. Get testing info on our coronavirus testing page.

Monday, July 20

  • Things continue to change. KC School District announced delays in sharing its school opening plans in response to increasing COVID19 cases and health concerns. Other districts taking flexible approach to school opening which is Aug. 24th for many districts.

  • One way families are getting help. The New York Times reports the federal food stamp program is undergoing an unprecedented expansion as a result of COVID19. Food stamp cases are up in all states, but one. Surveys show elevated rates of hunger, especially among families with children.

  • No surprise, but even still. KCUR reports on the financial impact of the four-month-old COVID19 crisis and its impact on low-wage workers. Important story.

Weekend, July 17-19

  • This is KC Schools Supt. Mark Bedell’s dilemma: The district must get its most academically vulnerable children back in school with teachers. But enough students need to opt for KCPS’s virtual option to give Covid safe-spacing a chance. Risks abound in every direction.

  • It’s here. Just what KC needs right now: The city’s Blueprint for Violence Prevention and a Safe and Healthy Community passed in the KC City Council Thursday.  Download the full document here. There are roles for everyone.

  • And be safe. Get yourself some free masks next week, from Jackson County and the sheriff’s department. Check times and locations here.

 Thursday, July 16

  • School opening issues continue to churn. Another national panel is pushing for in-person classrooms out of concerns for the growing equity gap. The Kansas state school board released its guidelines as Gov. Laura Kelly called on schools to delay opening until after Labor Day.

  • The Out of Reach 2020 report on rental housing costs is out, and the gap between the wages renters earn and what’s needed to afford modest housing continues to widen — including in Kansas City.

  • Bridging the Gap and the KC Water are offering some relief on water bills for KC residential customers through the Leak Stoppers program. Qualifying residents can get free conservation kits, potentially saving hundreds of dollars on bills. See our utility bills assistance page for other aid.

Wednesday, July 15

Tuesday, July 14

Monday, July 13

Weekend, July 10-12

  • Churches backing up schools? High school virtual tutor/buddies? Just about everyone can play a role to help schools reopen. See what we mean here. Across the state line, Kansas schools are releasing their plans — at least so far.

  • Here’s an unexpected pandemic concern: The state says enrollments in WIC nutrition benefits are down. Officials think people who need help are not getting the word. Check out WIC here.

  • Whatever you might think about masks, they will be required indoors in most cases in Kansas City this weekend and for the foreseeable future. For everyone’s protection, we recall the KC health director’s advice months ago: Act like you have the virus.

Thursday, July 9

Wednesday, July 8

  • The importance of schools to the well-being of our world is becoming evermore apparent as North Kansas City Schools step back into class this month. The urgency of careful, successful openings is a hot topic for The Atlantic, for Slate, among others — including the President.

  • The Kansas City City Manager’s Office is pressing on with the directive from the City Council to come up with a plan by the end of September on how to get all of KC digitally connected. You can participate in the drafting of the plan at the City Manager’s web page.

Tuesday, July 7

  • After widespread spikes in the number of coronavirus cases — and another holiday weekend of public gatherings — you may want to get tested for the virus. Here’s our page on where to go in KC. But the capacity nationwide to test is not keeping up with the demand.

  • New masking requirements are now in place in KC and much of the area — with some confusion. Here is a Q and A on some of the quandaries like: Am I medically exempt? How do I tell a business I can’t wear a mask?

  • Are you sure you’re registered to vote? The deadline in Missouri is Wednesday to register for the Aug. 4 election that includes the question of Medicaid expansion. Check your registration here. And you can register right now at kclinc.org/vote.

Monday, July 6

  • From the earliest days of the pandemic, evidence showed communities of color were at highest risk. Now a NY Times report affirms nationwide that Black and Latino Americans are suffering infection at three times the rate of  white Americans.

  • As schools anxiously make plans to open, they’re also more aware than ever of the digital divide in home-learning if the pandemic forces renewed closures. A report by Common Sense Media finds that 36% of Missouri children can’t learn from home because they’re not digitally connected.

  • Deadline alert No. 1: The last day to apply for Missouri’s pandemic-EBT food card for families with children that qualified for free or reduced-price meals at school is tomorrow. So make one last check that friends and family have applied. We’ve got the link and info at kclinc.org/pandemic-ebt.

  • Deadline alert No. 2: Anyone who wants to vote in the Aug. 4 election in Missouri must register by Wednesday. Medicaid expansion is on the ballot. You can register right here, right now at kclinc.org/vote.

July 4 Weekend, July 2-5

  • Pleas for safety — and masks — mark the holiday weekend amid record numbers of cases, including more than 300 in a day in the KC area, and real fear that rises in deaths may follow the surging number of confirmed infections.

  • We’ve been watching what the pandemic is dealing households with children. A new Census Bureau tool — the Household Pulse Survey — reveals they are bearing heavier burdens of late housing payments and food shortages.

  • Celebrate Independence Day and its embodiment of freedom by registering to vote or helping others register with the Kansas City Royals, Friday, July 3, from 8 a.m. to noon at the Kansas City Urban Youth Academy, 1622 E. 17th Terrace.

Wednesday, July 1

July 2020

Tuesday, June 30

Monday, June 29

  • The pandemic reprieve on tax filing is about to run out. Remember that the deadline for filing your 2019 return is July 15, and remember that most Americans can file for free. Click here to learn more.

  • Ominous records keep happening, with the highest-yet numbers of new cases boding more agony ahead as the number of deaths has passed 125,800 nationwide and 1,000 in Missouri.

  • Meanwhile, many pandemic protections are expiring. Missourians receiving unemployment benefits will have to be actively seeking work, and return to work if an employer offers what the state deems suitable conditions. And a state interview process returns as a condition to receive food stamps.

  • We’re tracking food distributions and other nutrition benefits on our food resource page. And here are the current KC area locations to get coronavirus testing.

Weekend, June 26-28

Thursday, June 25

  • Enough of these “systematically racist real estate practices,” says KCPS Supt. Mark Bedell in a letter to the City Council that is wedged in a tax incentive battle with Kansas to keep BlueScope construction in the West Bottoms.

  • The Kansas City area set a new record for the number of new coronavirus cases, and an interactive New York Times piece maps “How the Virus Won.”

  • So clearly we need to focus on keeping our indoor spaces safe. Renew Missouri is offering a free webinar, “Maximizing Your Health Indoors,” Friday at noon.

  • Child care workers are critical to a healthy economic recovery as parents are returning to work. See how LINC is helping train these professionals in the magic of relationships.

Wednesday, June 24

  • Patrick Mahomes and LeBron James have fully joined a national voter registration effort with the More Than a Vote campaign. We’ve got your voter registration needs taken care of — you can register right here, right now.

  • Time to double-down on the use of safe-distancing and masks, says Dr. Fauci. Cases are up in much of the nation and in Kansas City. Says Fauci: “Plan A: Don’t go in a crowd. Plan B: If you do, make sure you wear a mask.”

  • The USDA approved Missouri’s request to extend extra food stamp benefits through July. The state will continue to automatically issue the maximum amount of benefits based on household size. Other benefits are also available, including a purchase card for households that received free or reduced-price school meals.

  • The work against the digital divide in KC gets a boost as Connecting for Good is now part of the PCs for People network, leveraging more resources to get people digitally connected. You can help or get help. If you need digital services, click here. If you can donate digital resources, click here.

Tuesday, June 23

  • Are you worried about how well your child is reading after so much lost school? Check out this home test to measure reading level — with links to resources to help energize your reading fun.

  • Census, Census, Census. Just a reminder that much of Kansas City, particularly lower-income, high-diversity neighborhoods, are still under-counted. See our Census 2020 page to mark the progress of the self-responding phase, and see ways to help spread the word.

  • So far, evictions are way down because of the moratorium that protected tenants during the pandemic. But the national Eviction Lab is geared up to track data going forward, including Kansas City, as rents come due.

  • Missouri ranks 30th nationwide in the welfare of its children, according to the newly released 2020 KIDS COUNT Data Book. But the authors are clear: The true test will be how Missouri and other states respond to the inequities laid bare by the pandemic.

Monday, June 22

Weekend, June 19-21

Thursday, June 18

Wednesday, June 17

  • Time is running out on some of the extra aid and relaxed rules in state social services. Come July, Missourians receiving unemployment benefits will be required to actively seek work. And families on food stamps will have to re-certify they qualify for benefits.

  • But more aid is also coming — in this instance some $31 million in CARES Act funds from HUD to help with homeless services, including $5 million for the Kansas City area.

  • Nutrition programs also carry on, including a revival of the “Double Up Food Bucks” summer program for families with food stamp benefits. And if you haven’t heard, any family that receives free or reduced-price school meals can get a food stamp card. Apply now on our information page. Deadline is June 30.

Tuesday, June 16

Monday, June 15

  • Could we be in a second wave of coronavirus cases? KC health director Rex Archer thinks so. Though other health officials say we’re seeing a spike in a continuing first wave. Either way, the number of cases in the KC is rising, so . . .

  • Remember that testing for the virus is available throughout the metro this week, and you can find locations on our testing information page. Survivors of COVID-19 tell the KC Star that learning of the infection was harrowing, but it’s best to get tested and face it.

Weekend, June 12-14

Thursday, June 11

Wednesday, June 10

Tuesday, June 9

  • This remains a wary time with coronavirus. Many of us joined large protest crowds or ventured out into stores and restaurants. But at the same time the KC area recorded its 5,000 COVID-19 case and its 200th death. The NY Times offers these 5 rules to live by during a pandemic.

  • Mental health under all of this stress is a growing concern, and American Public Square at Jewell will hold a virtual town hall June 16 to bring concerns into the forefront. Register here. There is help standing by 24 hours a day through First Call, 816-361-5900, and FirstStepforHelp, 1-888-279-8188.

Monday, June 8

  • Whatever it takes.” That’s how much KC advocates for universal digital inclusion say we must do to fix the vast inequities in connectivity exposed more than ever by the pandemic. A resolution to do just that is moving through the City Council.

  • After weathering the stormy edge of protests nationwide, Kansas City and other cities are now focused on police reform. The attention to Black Lives Matter raises up a black experience that is also bearing the brunt of pandemic deaths and economic stress.

  • The KC Health Department is hosting a “Pop Up Food Pantry” tomorrow (Tuesday) at 1:30 p.m. outside its offices at 2400 Troost Ave. See these and other food distribution opportunities at our food resource page.

  • Check out this week’s coronavirus testing opportunities on our testing information page.

Weekend, June 5-7

  • We begin with a memorial to Marvin Francois, a victim of gun violence near the Plaza while picking his son up from the demonstrations late May 31. He was a friend of LINC’s, a friend to all, “the rock in so many people’s lives.”

  • Here’s where we are after a week of protests: The local prosecutor has set up a web page for police complaints. The mayor is advancing reforms. U.S. support for Black Lives Matter is nearing 50%, and nearly six out of 10 arrested during the KC demonstrations were white.

  • The pandemic still shadows everything, as the KC area’s number of new confirmed cases rose by more than 100 for the third straight day.

  • As Americans return to work during the pandemic, the dilemmas between working, finding childcare and staying safe are particularly threatening the long-term status of working mothers, says the NY Times. ICYMI, here’s a look at how KC can get more schools and childcare facilities open.

  • First Fridays are back, in a still-cautious-for-COVID19 kind of way. Here are a couple of looks at what’s opening and how to stay safe by the KC Star and KCUR.

Thursday, June 4

  • Concerns of crowd contact in a pandemic have been trumped by the uprising over the death of George Floyd. But changes have begun with funding for police body cameras in KC. The Beacon takes a long look the city’s experience, plus a recommendation for context: The Netflix documentary 13th.

  • Collaborations are helping child education and recreation programmers expand summer offerings. Check out Parks and Rec camp expansion, and Operation Breakthrough’s additional openings for kids. For more ideas, go to InPlay for Kansas City.

  • As a reminder that everyone should continue to act as if you have the virus, consider that the KC Health Department is tracking a local outbreak at the Aspen Paper Products plant that infected some 200 KC residents, most of whom were asymptomatic.

  • Desperate for a hug? Here’s a New York Times piece that gives a primer on the safe ways to grab a quick embrace.

Wednesday, June 3

  • Maybe we’re reaching what the Rev. Vernon Howard said is our tipping point toward lasting changes in criminal justice. KC reflected a similar experience seen nationwide of more peaceable demonstrations Tuesday night, yet as strong as ever in size and message.

  • The local education community feared this would happen: The economic wounds will force schools to try to rebound from lost instruction and exposed inequities with less funding. Gov. Mike Parson announced $209 million in budget cuts that will include $131 million from K-12 education.

Tuesday, June 2

  • We wake up to Election Day in a pandemic — and in a nation balanced on civil unrest. Now it’s time to vote. A lot has changed, including many polling sites. Here’s a rundown of today’s voting logistics in the KC Star.

  • Come and get it, say the volunteers gathering boxes of fresh fruits and vegetables to give away in KC. The local players in the USDA’s Farms to Families Food Box program are trying to get this healthy produce to those who need it most. Everyone is welcome to it.

  • The St. Mark Child and Family Development Center and Operation Breakthrough are leading with ideas on how to open child care and education programs, reports KCUR. As we’ve said, reopening school programs can happen but it demands a broad collaboration for more space, funds and staff.

Monday, June 1

  • June starts tensely after a weekend of galvanizing but contentious demonstrations in KC’s Country Club Plaza. The anger over the death of George Floyd while pinned down by Minneapolis police strains communities stressed by the pandemic.

  • June will also see a lot of questions answered over what to do about summer programs for children. Check out KCUR’s Facebook Live community conversation at noon today.

  • Testing opportunities for coronavirus continue this week. Check out where and when on our updated coronavirus testing page.

  • Hickman Mills picked its next superintendent, Yaw Obeng, a Vermont superintendent.

June 2020

Weekend, May 29-31

  • It rained hard on the hundreds of cars that lined up for more than a mile to get free 20-lb food boxes and rained hard on the soaked Fort Osage team in masks and slickers that hustled to hand out all 1,900 boxes. Here’s our look at the unfolding scene.

  • No one has to endure their stress alone. Mental health is a growing concern under current economic and social strain. KCUR reported that the mental health reference service FirstStepForHELP.com has seen calls more than double. Go to the website or call the hotline:1-888-279-8188.

  • We’ve been following and supporting the efforts to get households connected to the Internet.  The Beacon takes a deep dive into the challenges and the work that carries on.

Thursday, May 28

Wednesday, May 27

  • The summer education crisis looming before us requires quick and widespread collaboration. And Operation Breakthrough, Crossroads Charter School and the DeLaSalle Education Center are showing us how, opening up space for 200 more children. Yes, we can do this. Thousands of families are depending on it.

  • There is a higher smell of fear as rents come due this time around, as housing court is back in action and a moratorium on evictions in Jackson County is due to expire June 1. Here and nationally, tenant advocates want protections extended and expanded. Landlords, who have bills to pay, want help too.

  • Missouri, like many states, is playing catch-up as school districts only this week were finally cleared to begin contacting eligible families to help them receive food benefits through the P-EBT cash card for groceries. Millions of children nationwide have been left waiting since schools closed in March.

  • The Fort Osage School District and Liberty Fruit are joining to hand out 20-pound boxes of fruit and vegetables over the next six weeks, beginning tomorrow at 9 a.m. at Fort Osage Middle School. Learn more about this and other food resources on our emergency food resources page.

Tuesday, May 26

  • The holiday weekend drew many of us outdoors, but widely shared evidence particularly from the Lake of Ozarks showed a decided lack of safe-spacing. KC Health Director Rex Archer, among others, said violators should self-quarantine for 14 days.

  • Does your household qualify for free or reduced-price school meals? Did you get your letter about a new opportunity during the pandemic to get a cash card for food purchases? Have you applied? ICYMI, here are details, with links.

  • We recently shared a CDC concern that immunizations and well-child visits were down drastically during the pandemic. Now the American Academy of Pediatrics has started a social media awareness campaign: #CallYourPediatrician.

  • Opportunities to test for coronavirus resume this week, including testing at Southeast High School tomorrow beginning at 3 p.m. And at the Silverstein Eye Center Arena in Independence today through Saturday. See full testing opportunities and details on our testing information page.

Memorial Day Weekend, May 22-25

  • We are no doubt eager to get out, perhaps on a holiday road trip, in search of some virus-safe recreation.  Medical experts advise caution. The impact of renewed activities won’t be known for two weeks. The delayed precautions in early March may have cost 36,000 U.S. lives.

  • Missouri went into the weekend with a total of 11,340 confirmed coronavirus cases and 661 deaths, according to the state’s new virus dashboard. COMBAT in KC has also set up a new resource, its Geospatial Hub with a map of various resources for people in need of services.

  • Maybe you’ve helped. Kansas City Regional COVID-19 Response & Recovery Fund distributed another $2.5 million to area agencies offering relief during the pandemic. The fund has raised $18 million and so far distributed more than $8 million.

Thursday, May 21

  • The road ahead remains long and daunting in a world requiring masks and safe-spacing, but hope is glimmering in promising early returns in the race for a vaccine.

  • A proposal in Kansas City to boost city-funded legal aid for renters in housing court won’t be decided until June. Evictions have been barred during the economic shutdown, but rents are coming due and tenant advocates tell the KC Star that more legal aid is critical.

  • Transient families in housing hardship are challenging for school district social workers in ordinary times. KCUR talked with Hickman Mills and Center about how much harder this gets in a pandemic.

  • We’ve been tracking alarms over the changing landscape of providing important summer programming and childcare during COVID-19. Flatland takes a look at the problems ahead with summer that even in normal times “was always complicated for parents.” 

Wednesday, May 20

  • Coronavirus testing sites are operating in some of our communities — today from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Concord Fortress of Hope, 11050 W. Longview Parkway; and tomorrow same time at KIPP Endeavor Academy, 2700 E. 18th St. See full details on our testing information page.

  • Man, we miss baseball. But the Royals have created a coloring book and puzzles featuring Salvy and Sluggerrr! and more to provide some respite and entertainment.

Tuesday, May 19

  • At long last Missouri has joined 30 states that are approved to expand food stamp benefits to all households with children that qualify for free or reduced-price school lunches. Now the state must follow up with a plan to inform newly eligible families and provide purchase cards.

  • The CDC is sounding a new alarm among our pandemic concerns. Children still need to get their necessary immunizations. A report shows a precipitous drop in childhood vaccinations. Parents need to get back on schedule as pediatrician offices and clinics open for well-child visits.

  • The City of Kansas City wants to enlist the public in brainstorming policies for a COVID-19 recovery plan. But we can’t gather at City Hall, can we? So the city wants to try out the Lawmaker online policy making forum. Got ideas? Take them to Lawmaker.

Monday, May 18

  • As reopenings are under way, we’re all trying to balance freedom with risk reduction. But because the virus spreads days before symptoms show, any new outbreak will be on us before we know it. The best advice remains KC’s advice from weeks ago: Act like you have the virus.

  • See this week’s coronavirus testing sites provided by Truman Medical Centers here, and Swope Health here. The testing is targeted for people who are showing possible symptoms or who may have been in contact with someone with symptoms. See our testing information page here.

Weekend, May 15-17

  • Missouri families using food stamps can now take the same infection-protecting precautions as other families and shop for groceries online. The state got its online program operating with Amazon and Walmart.

  • A Federal Reserve survey is baring an alarming reality that has troubled advocates for equity throughout the pandemic: The COVID-19 shutdowns are taking a much heavier toll on people who are poor.

  • An updated report from Turn the Page KC calls for community action as workplaces begin to open, attacking the question on many parents minds: Who will watch my kids?

Thursday, May 14

  • Our LINC staff have been reaching out to our families, supporting the teachers in our partner districts as they valiantly make remote learning work. But the KC Star reports that too many kids are slipping behind, and there will be heavy catch-up work to do on the other side.

  • Another labor report shows 3 million more jobless claims in the latest week of data, bringing the total to 36 million since mid-March. Here’s tips on how to make a claim. And many people may qualify for food assistance for the first time — here’s how to find out and get help.

 Wednesday, May 13

  • Still waiting. Missouri is not one of the 25 states whose plans have been approved to provide food stamp purchase cards to all families who qualify for free school food programs. Meanwhile, Bread for the World is urging Congress to increase maximum food stamp benefits by 15%.

  • For sure, KC Health Director Rex Archer was deeply aware of recent virus outbreaks in KC-area meat plants and prisons, but KC leaders wish they had known what the feds knew, rather than hearing about their concerns about KC in a leaked television report.

  • So many questions keep mounting on what all this means for children and how we care for them. The KC Public Library is embarking on online YouTube sessions to try to answer some of them, beginning Thursday night.

Tuesday, May 12

  • The No. 1 U.S. infectious disease expert, Dr. Anthony Fauci, plans to issue a severe warning before the U.S. Senate today, telling the New York Times that pushing past checkpoints in reopening the country will spark outbreaks and “needless suffering and death.”

  • With many more workplaces expected to open in the coming days, many workers with young children are in a bind: What about childcare? Who’s open? What’s safe? What happens if you stay home with the kids? KCUR examines the dilemma.

  • So many more questions weigh over parenting. Children’s Mercy may be able to help sort a lot of this out for you. Join a virtual town hall tomorrow morning, Wednesday, at 9:30 a.m., and send your questions into the live chat room.

Monday, May 11

  • As we all anticipate with understandable anxiety the various reopenings of our communities this week, if you haven’t seen it yet, here is a widely popular explanation of how the virus spreads and important precautions by biologist Erin Bromage.

  • Truman Medical Centers offers COVID-19 testing this week, with sites in Grandview, Monday, Independence and Kansas City’s Northeast High School, Wednesday, and Blue Springs Friday. Call 816-404-2273 (CARE) to be pre-screened. See details at TMC’s testing page here. See LINC’s testing page here.

  • Before the coronavirus, KCPT was already planning an intense awareness campaign on the deadly impact of diabetes. Now, as a weakening pre-condition, diabetes is an even greater threat. KCPT has released the video of its recent show on diabetes, saying millions are living with this silent killer.

Weekend, May 8-10

  • The May 15 partial reopening of KC is still on “as of now,” Mayor Lucas said Friday morning. But read here why Lucas and Health Director Rex Archer sound like fire chiefs without a brigade watching embers in the wind.

Thursday, May 7

Wednesday, May 6

  • The soft launch of Kansas City’s reopening plan begins today. But all the safe-spacing and mask-wearing precautions remain as the rate of new coronavirus cases in KC is still growing, and the city’s chief medical officer is anticipating we may have to shut down again by the end of June.

  • The importance of being safe for ourselves and others — especially frontline workers — comes clear in this compilation of local health workers who have died, excerpted from Medscape’s updated list of now more than 700 who have died worldwide.

  • Kids on bikes is one thing that goes on in a pandemic — and so can important safety lessons. See how LINC teamed with BikeWalkKC to build a virtual classroom.

Tuesday, May 5

  • If you have not yet filed your 2019 federal income tax return — or gotten your economic stimulus check from the government, we’ve summed up what you can do. You may be able to file for free. And filing may get your stimulus check headed your way.

  • Time was when the KC metro was anticipating another year of modest job growth, but a new report is now forecasting a loss of 130,000 jobs — a serious 12.2% decline. Here’s information on what to do if you lose your job. The first step: Go to UInteract.labor.mo.gov.

Monday, May 4

  • Here we go. Most of the jurisdictions surrounding Kansas City begin reopening many sectors of society this week. KC is still looking to do so on the 15th. This anxious opening comes with warnings, and this KC Star story on lives we’ve lost amplifies the stakes if we do this wrong.

  • A successful reopening needs more capacity to test for the virus. Truman Medical Centers has more testing sites this week, including at the Sheffield Family Life Center Tuesday and Ruskin High School Friday. Call first, 816-404-CARE (2273), for info and pre-screening. See our testing information page here.

  • Plan A, Plan B . . . Plan Z? Area school districts are prepping for summer school and for the fall school year. But the unpredictability of the virus and the shifting horizon of public health recommendations make the task close to impossible.

Weekend, May 1-3

  • A new month means the rent is due again for thousands of Missouri tenants who are unable to pay. Gov. Mike Parson published anew Missouri’s protections from evictions, utility shutoffs, late fees and other measures. Locally, LISC warns of the “looming housing cliff,” and the need for more federal stimulus to ward off a future wave of foreclosures.

  • May is also the month of high school graduations, summer school planning and casting eyes to the next school year. Area school districts are making plans, contingency plans and then contingency plans for contingency plans. Even classes in the fall remain uncertain. For starters, graduations are heading outdoors in July (maybe), or even to drive-in movie theaters.

May 2020

Thursday, April 30

Wednesday, April 29

  • News on food stamps benefits keeps coming. The state announced that the waiver allowing families to receive maximum benefits for their household size has been extended through May. But still to come: Making online use of EBT cards operational, and providing P-EBT card benefits to all families that qualify for free or reduced-price lunches. Read more here.

  • Any community’s successful, equitable education crusade builds on universal reading skills. The quarantine lays bare who has books and resources at home, and who doesn’t. Folks like Turn the Page KC here at home and First Book nationwide are trying to do something about it.

Tuesday, April 28

  • Circumstances have tossed many households into fragile situations they may not have experienced before — including food insecurity. In Missouri, you can see if you qualify for food stamps by an online application here. Or see how to access the paper form and see other food resources on our special page here.

  • The eagerness and trepidation of relaxing stay-at-home orders is dividing the KC area (and the nation). Here’s Gov. Mike Parson’s order, relaxing many restrictions May 4, though with the expectation that we voluntarily continue to practice safe social spacing. The city of Kansas City and Jackson County, however, are sticking to a May 15 schedule.

  • Concerns remain strong that societal structures will continue to bring the heaviest risks and impact of the coronavirus down on the poor and people of color. Three local presidents and CEOs — Qiana Thompson, Gwendolyn Grant and Irene Caudillo — penned this letter to the governors of both Kansas and Missouri urging that COVID-19 data strictly highlight impacts by race, ethnicity and ZIP code.

Monday, April 27

  • More COVID-19 testing opportunities “popped up” this week, with the KC Health Department doing tests at various locations, especially for residents in ZIP codes 64106, 64123, 64124, 64126, 64127, beginning today. NOTE: KC announced current spots are filled. More information is available here. You must register first by filling out this online form. We are maintaining a list of testing opportunities here.

  • Low-income households, especially those hurt financially by the pandemic, may have opportunities for special financial aid, and the time to make applications is now, says the Mid America Assistance Coalition. Learn more about utility bill assistance here.

Weekend, April 24-26

Thursday, April 23

  • More opportunities are arriving for people in Kansas City to be tested for the coronavirus. At this point, testing is still usually reserved for people who are showing symptoms, and pre-screening is required. See our resource for testing sites here.

  • Kansas City is directing an additional $800,000 from the city’s health tax levy to increase coronavirus testing, provide more personal protective equipment for health department staff and boost efforts to trace exposure trends.

  • Campaigns nationwide to provide food for children and families — and increases in allowable benefits — have contributed to what is now a $2 billion monthly increase in benefits distributed by the federal Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). That’s a 40% increase in food stamps benefits.

  • Confused by the alarming disparities in COVID-19 pandemic scenarios? FiveThirtyEight explains the process in storyboard, comic book style.

Wednesday, April 22

  • The USDA approved Missouri's bid to allow food stamp households to buy groceries online. The program isn't ready yet, but soon Walmart and Amazon will take EBT cards. Says the DSS: Food stamp families deserve the same virus protection.

  • The Jackson County Health Department now has a dashboard on coronavirus to show numbers outside of KC. The data includes a breakdown by race. Black residents are suffering at a rate three times higher than white residents.

  • The way of the world: When people are scared and vulnerable, scammers prowl. Same goes with the millions who are newly unemployed. Scammers are phishing for personal information. The state issued a warning and advice.

Tuesday, April 21

  • Remember the Chiefs? Tailgating? With no live sports for weeks, Thursday’s virtual NFL Draft is the next best thing and Kansas City Mayor Quinton Lucas and KC Hearts suggests a from-your-driveway, socially safe tailgate party.

  • Anxiety is building over the nutritional health of children out of school, and one federal relief program is slow to unroll. Missouri is still on the waiting list of states hoping to get joined in the P-EBT program. That’s the pandemic electronic benefit transfer that gives families who qualify for free or reduced-price meals access to funds for food when schools are out. LINC administered a pilot summer EBT program for Missouri in 2018.

  • Kansas City Public Schools is scheduling more opportunities to distribute computers and hot spots to get more students connected for distance learning. High school students all have devices, but the district is trying to get the rest of its families set up. Fill out the district’s request form here, or call 816-418-4357.

Monday, April 20

  • Missouri is among most states in which recipients of food stamps can’t use those benefits online. State leaders are trying to change that. A waiver request is pending with the U.S. Dept. of Agriculture so food stamp recipients can also protect themselves and others from the virus.

  • Kansas Citians are making a collective effort to help those in need during the pandemic. The Kansas City Regional COVID-19 Response and Recovery fund announced that donations have passed $16 million. Go here to give.

Weekend, April 17-19

  • The newly released 2020 Missouri KIDS COUNT data book planned a cautiously positive outlook — until the coronavirus pandemic changed everything. Instead it will serve as the baseline to measure how Missouri takes care of all its children in the critical time ahead.

  • SchoolSmartKC announced its first round of awards with more than $1.5 million going out to schools and support organizations for virtual learning, online equity, early childhood care and help for vulnerable families. See the full list here.

  • Here are the seven demands that Communities Creating Opportunity (CCO) issued to Kansas City’s leadership as essential toward a ‘just, equitable and moral’ response to the pandemic and the imbalance of pain suffered east of Troost.

Thursday, April 16

  • Kansas City’s stay-at-home order has been extended to May 15, Mayor Quinton Lucas announced, feeling sure that the isolation measures have saved lives, but also sure we’ve got stay the course. Among other cities following suit: Independence.

  • The distribution of stimulus checks of up to $1,200 per person, while a relief to many, is proving problematic. Private debt collectors may have access to the deposits. If you have debtors, you may want to watch for the deposit and withdraw it. Check the status of your check here. Provide the IRS information to deliver you your check here.

  • The creators of the Kansas City Regional COVID-19 Response and Recovery Fund are having a OneKC Day of Giving, with every donated dollar up to $1 million to be matched by the Hall Family Foundation and the Sunderland Foundation. Go here to give.

  • Join a Facebook Live session tonight at 6 p.m. to talk Census with the mayor, the Guadalupe Centers and Westside Housing — and help build strategies for an all-important complete count for Kansas City.

Wednesday, April 15

  • For many people, the federal economic relief checks are now landing directly deposited into their bank accounts. But help is needed getting the word to neighbors who may not have filed income tax returns in recent years on how to get their federal check. The IRS has an online tool at https://www.irs.gov/coronavirus/non-filers-enter-payment-info-here. Share it with anyone who might need help getting their relief check. You can check your check’s status here.

  • And a reminder from MARC to keep watch on your mental health and people close to you. You may need to seek counseling and FirstCall at 816-361-5900 can link to help. And MARC offers that The Disaster Distress Hotline has counselors standing by to listen and help. Call 1-800-985-5990 or text TalkWithUs to 66746.

Tuesday, April 14

  • The Kansas City area stay-at-home order will likely be extended into May, Mayor Quinton Lucas says. With the current 30-day order, which covers Kansas City and Jackson County in Missouri and Wyandotte and Johnson counties in Kansas, set to expire April 24, area officials are likely to announce an extension later this week.

  • COVID-19 is having a disproportionate effect on Black Kansas Citians, who make up 44% of confirmed coronavirus cases even though they make up about 30% of the area population, according to data released by the Kansas City Health Department on Monday. The coronavirus is magnifying existing structural inequalities that cause black Americans to suffer higher rates of chronic disease and lower rates of health insurance.

Monday, April 13

  • The FBI warns that people are scared and vulnerable because of the pandemic, and that is dangerously fertile ground for scammers. Fake remedies, false orders of protective equipment, children online exposed to more exploitation, and more — see the FBI’s cautions here.

  • Mayor Quinton Lucas and other headliners are gathering on a Facebook Live event Thursday at 6 p.m. to draw attention to the importance of completing the Census. Find out more and tell ‘em you’re interested at the event page here.

  • And for Kansas City residents, the city this week is dropping its usual two-bag limit. You can put out up to 12 bags of trash on your regular pickup day without having to purchase any tags.

Weekend, April 10-12

  • The good news is that Kansas City Public Schools announced this morning that its food service will resume Monday. The district had suspended operations after a worker had been presumed positive with COVID-19. But the person has tested negative.

  • Gov. Mike Parson’s declaration to close schools for the rest of the school year was not unexpected. But, as Margie Vandeven, the education department’s commissioner recommended the move, she said that educators across the state are still figuring out what to do next. There are “a NUMBER of additional questions” educators are trying to answer on the fly, she said.

  • InPlay was deep into its second year in Kansas City with an interactive web site to help families sort out summertime and after-school programming. But everything’s changed, of course. And now the site is specializing in virtual program options that are out there for safe social-distancing learning. The KC STEM Alliance now offers a STEM at Home resource page to help families do creative learning. And KCPT public television is now dedicating daytime programs to help with home learning.

  • With so many jobless and so many fearing to join already swollen ranks of homeless — and both renters and landlords fearing mounting debt — KC Tenants and other groups of renters and advocates rallied by Zoom for a statewide moratorium on rent and mortgage during the pandemic.

Thursday, April 9

  • Gov. Mike Parson this afternoon announced that schools in Missouri will remain closed for the rest of the year, in accordance with the recommendation of many school superintendents around the state and of the state’s commissioner of elementary and secondary education.

  • The outlook on our nation’s collective struggle is beginning to show “glimmers of hope” according to Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases. But the measures that got us to this better outlook — dedicated social distancing — remain the key going forward. The battle is still much ahead, as Missouri’s peak of coronavirus cases is estimated to be still two weeks away.

  • Many resources are stepping up to offer free meals to families with children while schools are closed — though there is concern that services aren’t being used enough and children are going hungry. Kansas City Public Schools suspended their service after a worker was presumed positive with the virus. Here’s a look at who is trying to fill the gap.

Wednesday, April 8

  • A report by The Kansas City Star finds that the city’s Third Council District on the East Side, with 55 coronavirus-related cases, has 57% more cases than any other district. The district’s population is primarily black, and it is following trends reported nationally that black communities are suffering more than others.

  • The renters’ advocate organization KC Tenants is continuing to increase its support and resources, creating a resource page and hotline for renters who need help. The hotline number is 816-533-5435.

  • Missouri has set up a Services Navigator web page to help people find the right state resource during the pandemic. The page has a search engine that can be specified by county and services sought. This adds to the state’s COVID-19 information hub and this list of state agencies’ coronavirus pages.

Tuesday, April 7

  • Kansas City Public Schools suspended its food service that had distributed more than 65,000 meals to families after a worker was presumed positive with COVID-19. A hard decision, the district said.  Families with children can get meals at Harvester’s and Children’s Mercy’s free food services.

  • The #Essential4Kids campaign by Missouri Kids First is putting all adults on watch for signs of child abuse. Even though economic and societal stress are high, reports to the state’s child abuse hotline are down more than 50 percent. With schools out, some of children’s most vigilant protectors — teachers and counselors — aren’t able to keep their usual watch.

  • Missouri’s labor department has received the anticipated guidance on the extra unemployment benefits coming from the federal CARES Act. That means an additional $600 in benefits will soon be going out to laid-off and furloughed workers, retroactive to March 29. A reminder: Go to UInteract.labor.mo.gov to file for unemployment benefits.

Monday, April 6

  • This week Missouri and the nation are bracing for what the U.S. surgeon general said will be our “Pearl Harbor” moment, “the hardest and saddest” week for most Americans’ lives.

  • The pandemic’s social isolation lights new fire to a long-running struggle to get everyone in Kansas City connected to the Internet. Here’s a look at who’s doing what, and how you can get help, or give help.

  • LINC’s spring chess tournaments had to shut down, but the games are back on virtually with chances to learn, practice and play chess online with LINC's instructors. The signup is at kclinc.org/chess.

Weekend, April 3-5

 Thursday, April 2

  • The Missouri Department of Social Services is reminding everyone that if you have lost income or health insurance due to COVID-19, you may qualify for benefits to help get through this time. Check out an information chart here.

  • Keep in mind that this time of self-isolation and economic stress strains the mental health of you and those people you know. If you are concerned for yourself or someone else, First Call can help make connections to mental health and substance abuse services. The Kansas City area hotline is 816-361-5900.

  • The IRS and the Treasury Department have released more details on stimulus checks that will be distributed during the next three weeks. For most people, if you have filed tax returns or receive Social Security benefits, the checks will simply show up directly deposited in your bank accounts. But the IRS will also be setting up an online portal to collect information from people who haven’t had to file returns.

Wednesday, April 1

April 2020

Tuesday, March 31

  • Truth is, many people infected with COVID-19 in the Kansas City area right now don’t know it yet. The numbers are exploding and Kansas City health director Rex Archer offered this advise to everyone: Act like you have the virus.

  • Archer made his comments alongside Kansas City Mayor Quinton Lucas who assessed that Kansas Citians have scored perhaps a “B” for their stay-at-home efforts, but the city is stepping up enforcement against groups of more than 10, and unessential businesses that remained open.

Monday, March 30

  • LINC’s partner school districts begin their second week of remote learning. Schools have sent home packets of work and have active web pages (see their pages here) to try to help parents and guardians be partners as homeschoolers. Districts know they are asking a lot of their families.

  • The need for social isolating is raising fear that adults and children who are vulnerable to domestic abuse and neglect will be at greater risk during the stressful weeks ahead. If there is a concern, you can call the Rose Brooks Center Hotline (816-861-6100) and the National Domestic Violence Hotline (1-800-799-SAFE or 1-800-799-7233). The child abuse and neglect hotline is 1-800-392-3738.

  • The Heartland Center for Jobs and Freedom is holding recurring virtual chats on Facebook to help empower vulnerable Kansas Citians. Today at noon there is a session on workers’ rights that you can view here. A recording of last week’s session on tenants’ rights is available here.

Weekend, March 27-29

  • “What will you say you did?” Words to ponder for the weekend and going forward. The pandemic of 2020 has peeled back the scars encrusted by generations of inequity. A virtual national seminar looked at what this means to our school communities.

  • With the $2 trillion federal aid plan expected to pass through The House, relief will likely be coming to millions of Americans and businesses. Here is a Q-and-A on what it may mean for you.

  • While many people and organizations are sewing homemade masks, health professionals are issuing warnings. They may be helpful, but are far from foolproof and may bring a false sense of security. KU Med says “Thanks, but, sorry, no thanks.”

  • One thing everyone can do during self-isolation is go outside and walk, or run. But remember social distancing. Experts say stay off of park play sets and maintain that 6-foot social distancing range.

  • And for the weekend, a reminder. Complete your U.S. Census. You can do it online. If you already have, call on anyone you think might need help or a reminder. Share a reminder on social media.

 Thursday, March 26

  • The $2 trillion plan for federal aid was approved by lawmakers. The measure would send direct payments of $1,200 to Americans earning up to $75,000, substantially expand help for the jobless, and provide hundreds of billions of dollars in business loans for pandemic relief.

  • The fates of struggling renters and struggling landlords post-pandemic made for a compelling debate on KCUR. Here’s our take.

  • Calls to Missouri’s child abuse and neglect hotline dropped more than half since March 11. Teachers’ role as sentinels of children in danger is lost during school shutdowns, and the state is calling for increased vigilance in the community. The toll-free hotline is 1-800-392-3738.

  • Thousands of Missourians newly out of work are filing unemployment claims, increasing by more than 900% the week ending March 21 over the week before. Nearly 65,000 people in Missouri and Kansas filed unemployment claims last week.

Wednesday, March 25

  • Early this morning, the Senate and the Trump Administration agreed on a roughly $2 trillion stimulus measure to send direct payments and jobless benefits to individuals as well as money to states and businesses devastated by the coronavirus pandemic.

  • Several of Kansas City’s major foundations and social service agencies have created the Kansas City Regional COVID-19 Response and Recovery Fund to mobilize a massive giving opportunity to help all those who will suffer physically, emotionally and economically in the days ahead.

  • We visited Ervin Elementary School in Hickman Mills to watch the meal delivery systems that area school districts are engaging to prevent hunger during the pandemic.

  • There is good news and a warning for families receiving Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits. The good news is Missouri has received a federal waiver allowing the state to extend benefits for six months during the pandemic. But the state also warns that there are reports of scammers calling SNAP recipients to try and get personal information.

Tuesday, March 24

  • The rush to inject some $2 trillion in federal relief to aid Americans in the struggles ahead continued to embroil Congress and President Trump as urgent negotiations on the emergency economic aid package continued this morning.

  • The numbers of newly jobless Kansas Citians are exploding as businesses and services close, adding pressure for relief, including among school bus drivers.

  • The National Community Reinvestment Coalition (NCRC) is providing resources to help guide renters and landlords as jurisdictions nationwide are wrestling with banning or limiting evictions during the pandemic, including in Kansas City.

  • Child Care Aware of Missouri sent out a call offering to help frontline first-responders find child care services.

Monday, March 23

  • The #StayHomeKC self-sequestration becomes a city order in KC and many other jurisdictions as Mayor Quinton Lucas took to Facebook to try to answer many questions.

  • The order comes as the rest of LINC’s partnering school districts launched their food distribution programs, joining the few that weren’t on Spring Break last week and had already begun.

  • As coronavirus cases continue to escalate in the Kansas City area, the Kansas City Public Schools announced that one of their staff members has tested positive. A former superintendent in Lenexa has died from COVID-19 and this account in The KC Star tells of the families’ pain and agony.

  • A fast-developing crisis in Kansas City’s aid to a growing homeless population threatens the entire community as residents at shelters and the staff are terrified that stay-at-home protections will fail without drastic action now. These accounts in The Star and KCUR talk about the scramble for help.