Destination unknown: Schools go boldly (with mixed plans) into new year with Covid

Here’s hoping that every school district will be able to say in the end that they planned right for Covid. Because, with no clear path through the pandemic, schools open the year vulnerable to second-guessing, whether all online or inside buildings with their teachers.

Watch: Hickman Mills, LINC, distribute laptops, tablets, backpacks, supplies

LINC's Caring Communities team helped Hickman Mills families get ready for the new school year, with drive-thru distributions of computers and supplies Aug. 21 and 24.

BAM! Student superheroes can clobber Covid-19 in the classroom

COVID-19 may be invincible, but it’s no match for Missouri’s Student Superheroes. A poster campaign reminds students they can use their own powers to defend against the virus in school and the community.

New parents: You may qualify for nutritional, health care aid from WIC

With financial stress falling more heavily on Missouri households, many new parents and young children may qualify for assistance from WIC.

'Curbside Notary' service to help KC-area voters complete mail-in ballots

The Curbside Notary service is a small balm for a conflicted election season, with politicized national battles over the U.S. Mail service, trouble with funding, and warnings that mail can be delayed.

Rental housing complaints skyrocket during pandemic, hitting KC's 3rd District hardest

A dramatic rise in rental property complaints shows that many Kansas City families believe the pandemic is confining them in dangerous living conditions. Calls have more than doubled with most problems arising in the 3rd City Council District.

With utility shutoffs looming, many Missourians are in danger of being left in the dark

In Missouri, a crisis is coming. Moratoriums on disconnecting utility services have expired. Evictions are looming. Missourians are in danger of having their utilities cut off unless the Public Service Commission acts on their behalf.

Register now for KCPS' Summerfest; stay tuned for KCPS Homeroom show

KCPS families need to pre-register for the “Drive Thru Edition” of the annual Summerfest. But everyone can look forward to watching education shows on KCPS Homeroom.

Electric bills past due? Utility assistance available for many families

LIHEAP — the Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program — can help many families that have watched past-due utility bills mount over the past several months.

Give now, apply now: Digital equity fund wants equal opportunity for all KC students

“It is our belief that every student in Kansas City deserves equal opportunity to learn and for this reason, SchoolSmartKC and partners have created the KC Schools Technology and Connectivity Access Fund.”

'See something, say something': Child abuse concerns high during pandemic

School staff have long been critical sentinels in protecting children from child abuse. A new video highlights that role and alerts anyone who suspects child abuse to call the state hotline.

Watch: Five things you can do to protect your rights as a tenant

Tip No. 4: Don’t ignore eviction lawsuits. Important advice from the Heartland Center for Jobs and Freedom as renter protections lapse and landlords and renters are stressed in a pandemic-scarred economy.

Report: Missouri among states leading spike in child Covid-19 cases

Missouri was one of three states that saw its number of confirmed cases of children with Covid-19 jump by more than 80% in late July, according to a national study, as the nation reported nearly 100,000 new cases among children over that span.

Silent auction to aid families that rely on child support during pandemic.

The proceeds of the auction will go to the Missouri Family and Community Trust (FACT) which is supporting families that have been hurt by the Covid-19 pandemic as part of Child Support Awareness Month.

KC's 'golden moment' for digital equity: You can help 'get it done.'

Kansas City has extended a public opportunity to help build a city plan to get all Kansas Citians effectively online. They want to herd a widespread stampede to fund and support digital connectivity and give it a strategy for resources, purpose and goals.

KC's Census count campaign now in race against time

So many problems had been biting at the heels of the Kansas City campaigners racing after a complete count in the 2020 Census. Now they’ve been set afire. The deadline for completing the count has been slashed by a month.

Tax-free weekend for school supplies is back; starting Aug. 7

Kansas City-area shoppers who have been frustrated by this pandemic will get some welcome relief in stores and online during Missouri’s tax-free weekend, beginning Aug. 7

Hickman Mills overwhelmingly passes $30 million bond issue; now the work begins

Hickman Mills voters stamped their approval on a $30 million bond issue in a big way Tuesday. More than 80% voted yes, easily exceeding the 57% super majority that was needed to pass the no-tax-increase measure.

Utility shutoffs loom over schools' plans to teach children online at home

As pandemic-cautious schools begin fall classes online, vulnerable families are grasping at the schools’ technology-dependent programming without safety nets that had barred utility shutoffs and landlord evictions.

American Public Square to grapple with schools, mental health during pandemic

American Public Square will seek answers to questions surrounding both the physical and mental health risks and rewards of a return to the classroom in the time of COVID.

Virtual chess tournament serves up perfect pandemic balm

Witness Day Two of LINC’s five-day summer virtual tournament as two dozen games play out across four age divisions — with a phantom joy of some 50 unseen players, safely tucked away in scattered homes with their laptops and desktop computers.

Health officials plead: Make mask-wearing the 'new normal.' Lives at stake.

“We are extremely concerned,” warn KC-area health directors, “that hospitalizations will continue to escalate in the coming weeks and months, and that the uncontrolled spread of COVID-19 will lead to increasing ventilator use and deaths.”

Watch: Volunteers deliver 22,000 lbs. of food, voter info in Hickman Mills

LINC staff join school staff and others in aiding Harvesters' food drive at Ruskin High School. Some 22,000 pounds of food — meat, fruit and vegetables — were distributed, and voting information.

Covid overwhelming schools' plans for indoor fall openings

Our reckless summer with Covid-19 is proving all the warnings true. And now schools and their essential social infrastructure are toppling again under the weight of hundreds of new coronavirus cases every day just as districts were daring to launch meticulous, precarious reopening plans.

Medicaid expansion campaign in stretch run to Aug. 4 election

Less than two weeks remain to the Aug. 4 Election Day when Missouri voters will be asked if they want to expand Medicaid to provide more health coverage for hundreds of thousands of low-income residents. Here is what is on the ballot.

Hickman Mills seeks $30 million in no-tax-increase bond issue election Aug. 4

While voters statewide will decide the future of Medicaid expansion in Missouri Aug. 4, Hickman Mills voters will be making a $30 million decision on the future of their public schools.

More housing stress: Hourly wage needed to afford 2 BR apartment in KC rises to $18.81

In the first six months of 2020, the economic situation for low-wage workers has precipitously worsened: in June the Department of Labor reported that over 34 million people were receiving or had applied for unemployment insurance.

Educare initiative to offer mini grants in support for early education providers

This is a good time for early education providers in homes and child centers to apply for support from Educare and its training and mentoring services. Providers who apply now and are enrolled in Educare by Sept. 30 can earn mini-grants valued at $500 to $1,000.

What's on your ballot? Are you registered? Where do you vote? Vote411 answers all

Vote411, an online voter guide by the League of Women Voters, wants you informed and ready to vote. The guide provides personalized ballot information on all races, plus balanced arguments on the referendum on Medicaid expansion.

'Return Strong' virtual job fairs aim to open doors to employment, training opportunities

Missouri wants to help workers “Return Strong” from the setbacks of the Covid-19 pandemic. The state is hosting a pair of virtual job fairs to give workers a chance to meet employers, seek jobs and training opportunities.

Covid countermove: LINC Chess announces online tournament

Your move, pandemic. LINC’s chess instructors have made their play, responding to the devious opening move by their unexpected opponent — Covid-19 — by announcing LINC’s first summer virtual chess tournament.

Creativity rises against the COVID storm as schools scramble to re-open

Ideas on reopening schools during COVID are churning at warp speed. Here’s one example, in the name of safe-spacing: How about overflow class space and after-school programs in church basements?

Pandemic concern: Enrollments in WIC supplemental nutrition program decline

Does your family qualify for nutritional help through WIC. Enrollments for the program for women, infants and children are down in Missouri during the pandemic and that has state officials concerned.

All eyes on North Kansas City Schools; early openings put COVID-19 to the test

So far, so good. The North Kansas City School District is stepping out as an early tester of the pandemic-precautions that other schools across the area hope to engage in getting back into classrooms for 2020-2021.

Got ideas for KC's universal digital inclusion plan? Here's how to share.

The next step in Kansas City’s “audacious” mission to get every household digitally connected involves you. That is, if you have thoughts and ideas on how the city can pull off the big plan.

Households with children suffer higher rates of late housing payments, food shortages during pandemic

Households with children continue to be hit harder by the financial pressures caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, according to the latest results of the U.S. Census Bureau’s experimental Household Pulse Survey released last week.

LINC takes voter registration to the streets

“Every time they tell you, ‘I don’t have anyone to vote for’ — that’s an excuse,. Every time they tell you, ‘I don’t believe in voting’ — that’s an excuse. We are no longer accepting excuses.”

Ending racial food injustice: Six action items from KC Healthy Kids

Food security — where all families enjoy safe, culturally acceptable, nutritional meals in their communities — cannot be realized, says the non-profit organization KC Healthy Kids, “without addressing racial injustice.”

No progress: Critical Census count in KC needs a boost

If this is the classic game of spotting the differences between two pictures, Kansas City needs to make it much easier in the days ahead to see real progress in the response rate to the 2020 Census.

Remember the new tax deadline? Here's how to file for free by July 15

A lot of obligations took a break when the coronavirus hit — including filing your 2019 income tax return. But the new July 15 filing deadline is fast-approaching. Here’s how to file online for free.

Feeding the thousands: Kansas City's pandemic generosity expressed

Perhaps the most prolific — and necessary — expression of generosity across Kansas City has been the large scale distribution of food, scattered into thousands of homes as everyone leans on each other through COVID-19’s pandemic.

'You are professionals'; LINC trains child care specialists in power of relationships

LINC and the Infant and Toddler Specialist Network, despite the pandemic, is training child care workers to be stronger allies in helping families raise healthy, imaginative children who are ready for school and childhood.

Know your child's reading level? Quiz helps parents, children beat pandemic learning slide

It’s time for a reading check-up. It hasn’t been easy taking school work home and figuring out how to keep the learning going digitally. The danger of summer learning loss is greater than ever. Now there is an easy quiz, and ideas on how to catch up.

Missouri ranks 30th in KIDS COUNT 2020 Data Book; pandemic recovery will be key

The 2020 edition of the KIDS COUNT Data Book is here — an annually published resource from the Annie E. Casey Foundation that tracks child well-being nationally and state by state. In this year’s report, Missouri ranks 30th among U.S. states.

Census 2020: KC's vulnerable communities in the eye of an under-count storm

“We’re in a desert.” Sand-colored shades in the middle of the latest map of Kansas City participation in the Census show tracts that remain below 50% — and even less than 30% in some — in the number of households that have filled out the 2020 count — putting millions of federal dollars at risk.

The audacious goal: Get all of KC digitally connected, 'whatever it takes'

Remember the heady days of Google Fiber’s big Kansas City launch some eight years ago? A resolution now before the City Council wants Kansas City to dream big again. The pandemic has exposed the city’s digital gaps and the need to get everyone connected.

Marvin Francois leaves behind a recipe for healing

Whether in the role of husband, father, mentor, volunteer, or photographer, Marvin Francois was always there. The one face you knew you’d see. The rock in so many people’s lives. Lost to senseless violence. But a messenger of peace.

Come and get it; Fresh produce free and plentiful for pandemic aid in KC

The word’s got to get out. The USDA’s Farmers to Families Food Box program supplies KC non-profits the chance to give away free 25-pound boxes of produce — and The Prospect, Kanbe’s Market and the Urban League want to deliver more into KC’s food deserts.

'How long?' Kansas City protesters join nationwide anger, despair over black deaths

An uprising of new anger on old embers swept over Kansas City over a hot weekend, both unnerving and steeling a community already shouldering the pandemic’s strain.

'Blown away': Crowds and rain both heavy for food giveaway in Fort Osage

The rain gathered force Thursday morning just as the line of cars began lining up early, filled with families eager to pick up free boxes of food and milk. Neither the rain nor the line of cars outside Fort Osage Middle School in Independence would stop before all 1,900 boxes of food and milk were given away.

Protections for renters, landlords rising to a head as eviction bans due to expire

The protections for renters against evictions in Jackson County are scheduled to expire June 1 — stirring anxiety among renters and landlords as another round of rent payments come due.

Digital creativity fosters child dreams of musical food parties, chess tourneys in PJs

It came to this. The teachers’ live-streamed faces flickered in the grid of a virtual conference call but none of the students who’d been invited to join them were there. Not a one. This was not a problem of lack of interest, but the difficulties of digital technology. The teachers did not give up.

'We can do this': Schools can open. Here's how.

School administrators and childhood programmers across Kansas City are steering into a perfect storm as a broken summer for education raises the stakes now and for the critical fall semester ahead. The challenge is urgent, and one they are facing with creativity, collaboration, and determination.

Remembering Tearo 'Missie' Condit: Her Hero Project gave children everlasting voice

Tearo “Missie” Condit’s Hero Project with Bob Walkenhorst was extraordinary in education. “It lifted kids up. Their chests pump up like they met a superhero. It makes them feel like . . . ‘I have a voice. I can do something!’”

Emergency purchase card plan approved to help feed thousands of Missouri families

Missouri joined 30 other states whose plans have been approved to distribute food purchase cards to all families that qualified for free or reduced-price meals during the school year to help strengthen home nutrition while schools are out.. Now the onus is on the state and school communities to inform newly eligible families and provide them EBT cards.

Another pandemic alarm: Children still need to get necessary immunizations

A new report from the Centers for Disease Control is raising alarms over another potential hazard in America’s response to COVID-19: Many children aren’t getting their necessary immunizations. These critical vaccinations need to happen as pediatrician offices and clinics open for well-child visits.

Online grocery shopping with food stamps now available for Missourians

Missouri households receiving food stamps can now enjoy the same safety against the coronavirus by making purchases online. Amazon and Walmart websites are now prepared to accept Electronic Benefit Transfer (EBT) cards.

Increasing power of food stamps could ease hunger among nation's children

How can America feed more children in need of better nutrition? A global non-profit says increasing food stamp benefits to families is essential. Bread for the World is urging the U.S. to increase the maximum food stamp benefits.

Are we doing right by Missouri children? Mapping tool charts pandemic equity

Even as Missouri KIDS COUNT was preparing to release its 2020 data book, its writers knew everything was changing and that the stakes with the pandemic are rising for our most vulnerable children. So now comes the “Story Map of Vulnerability.”

Diabetes and COVID-19 make deadly mix; KCPT forum rallies resources

Before the coronavirus “poured gasoline on an already existing fire,” KCPT and PBS had already planned an intense public awareness campaign baring diabetes as “a silent killer” threatening millions of Americans. Now a recorded virtual town hall in KC is rallying help.

Reopening KC in pandemic like lighting campfires in field of dry grass

Mayor Quinton Lucas and KC Health Director Rex Archer feel like fire chiefs without a brigade, watching embers in the wind. Even yet, KC is still moving ahead — “as of now,” Lucas said — with a phased reopening May 15.

KC's looming summer childcare crisis demands action

Beginning May 15, thousands of parents are going to be expected to return to work without an answer to the question: who will watch my kids? Turn the Page KC has issued a call to action.

'Black people should be very cautious'; the plea of a public health crusader

“African-Americans are no longer willing to sit in the back of the healthcare bus,” says Jim Nunnelly as he crusades for public health justice and awareness during the coronavirus pandemic.

Pandemic doesn't stop bike riding, nor safety lessons; BikeWalkKC, LINC find a way

The pandemic and its quarantine isn’t stopping kids from riding bikes this spring. Nor, it turns out, does it have to stop important safety lessons. Instead of burrowing into our coronavirus cocoons, BikeWalkKC and LINC built a virtual classroom.

Look here: Free tax filing, get your refund, get your stimulus check

If you have not yet filed your 2019 federal income tax return — or gotten your economic stimulus check from the government, here are some important facts. You’ve got time. You may be able to file for free. And you may need to file to get your government stimulus check.

Plan A, Plan B, Plan . . . Z? Schools trying to predict future that's impossible to know

It almost goes without saying, but Recommendation No. 1 in the state’s recent advice to school districts on how to run summer school is: “Maximum flexibility.” And with the uncertain horizon before them, expect the same come the start of the next school year in August.

Re-opening Kansas City Phase One (and this is hard): Take it slow

The eagerness to reopen Kansas City passes the point of pain for so many. The competing official declarations and the public health warnings have created a hall of mirrors as we try to find the right way out to recover lives that will never be the same again.

Making books happen: How critical reading goes on in quarantine

Throughout the city, reading advocates like LINC partners Turn the Page KC and First Book are inventing ways to get essential books into the hands of children and support to their parents and guardians.

Utility bills assistance available for many low-income households during pandemic

Many low-income families can get help with their utility bills from support agencies and through the utility companies themselves. And families that are concerned should be making applications sooner than later.

Scared of what's coming: Domestic violence may be hiding in pandemic's shadows

The disconnect that is threatening communities with the closing of schools, churches and other public encounter spaces may be not only concealing violence, but putting more vulnerable residents in danger as households struggle with economic and social stress.

No panic; Star School rises up to keep education going for court-involved teens

The pandemic was shutting down Missouri’s state-run schools for troubled youth. Teachers worried for their students whose tenuous grasp on education means so much to their chances to rise. Then, assuredly, an answer came to them: “Oh, right. Star School.”

Coronavirus testing opportunities grow, with focus east of Troost

Kansas City health providers are working with city and county officials to bring more coronavirus testing and screening to the community. Virtual screening tools and more testing operations are setting up in church parking lots and other neighborhood sites.

Scammers targeting new filers for unemployment

The state warns that scammers are targeting new applicants for unemployment with phishing attempts to steal personal information. Here’s what to watch for.

More families getting connected online; local and statewide resources grow

While Connecting for Good was distributing computers and hot spots to Kansas City families Friday, Missouri Gov. Mike Parson announced $3.05 million in awards to support projects throughout the state to provide broadband during the pandemic.

Witnesses to 'unrelenting pain'; CCO issues 7 demands in KC's COVID-19 response

There cannot be a “colorblind” response to how Kansas CIty delivers aid during the COVID-19 pandemic, said speakers in a Facebook Live rally by Communities Creating Opportunity Thursday. The city must “bear witness to the deep unrelenting pain . . . (of) a racialized system.

Pandemic response will be true measure of Missouri KIDS COUNT report

All the inequities in the opportunities that Missouri children have for healthy lives — charted by the Missouri KIDS COUNT report since 1993 — will come under unprecedented strain during and after the pandemic..

Alert: Many people need help getting, protecting their IRS stimulus check

Alarms are sounding for the welfare of many people whose government check is proving problematic. Concerns with debt collectors, wrong bank account information, or no bank information or no mail delivery information are threatening to deny economic aid to many people who need help most.

Your at-home kids' activities guide: From virtual sky tours to scouting and more

We here at LINC and many of our partners are getting creative in offering educational and recreational activities for our families and their children as the pandemic requires us to stay at home. Keep up to date on our LINC online activities page.

Feared Census undercount threatens Kansas City amid pandemic strain

The U.S. Census’ interactive Response Rates map shows that the feared undercount among Kansas City’s lower-income neighborhoods is already being established. And efforts to combat it are caught in the COVID-19 pandemic.

Now what? Missouri schools closed for rest of year, but next steps remain in flux

Even though few were taken by surprise by Missouri’s decision to close schools for the rest of the school year, the questions over what happens next aren’t any clearer on the day after.

InPlay's education program guide now rounding up 'in-home' options

InPlay’s interactive web site that gather’s and sorts options for out-of-school time programming for families was deep into its second year of serving Kansas City when, like everyone else, the pandemic changed everything.

'That ain't right!' say tenants in KC virtual rally as concern over rents, mortgages grows

With so many jobless, so many fearing to join already swollen ranks of homeless, and both renters and landlords fearing mounting debt, the rally called for a statewide moratorium on rent and mortgage during the pandemic.

Spreading the word: Free meals available for families with children

The first week without Kansas City Public Schools meal service has some providers worried that parents and guardians are not getting the message of where they can go.

Campaign puts all adults on watch for child abuse during pandemic as #Essential4Kids

A disturbing drop in the number calls to the Missouri child abuse hotline is sparking an urgent call for everyone to help keep watch on the state’s children in the awareness campaign, #Essential4Kids.

Missouri's Child Advocacy Day 2020 is on! (virtually, that is)

This week, the 2020 version of this the statewide gathering will meet online, promising “to show Missourians that even though times are uncertain now, we can still come #Together4MOKids.”

Disconnected at home: KC’s pandemic-fueled race to get Internet access for all

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

What to do if you're newly unemployed in Missouri

Here’s how to file a claim if you’re one of more than 100,000 Missourians among 6.6 million Americans filing unemployment claims last week.

Lost income? Lost health insurance? You may qualify for state COVID-19 relief

If you lost income or health insurance due to COVID-19, you may now qualify for help from the Missouri Department of Social Services.

SchoolSmartKC announces $2 million relief fund to support schools in KCPS boundary

In recognition of the unprecedented impact that the COVID-19 virus has had on area schools, communities, and other affiliated organizations, SchoolSmartKC has created a $2 million relief fund.

'Act like you have the virus': KC's key to virus protection for all

As Kansas City enforces its stay home orders, KC health director Rex Archer says it plain: There are “absolutely” undetected COVID-19 cases throughout the city and everyone should act as if they are carrying the virus.

'What will you say you did?'

If we didn’t realize the stakes before, surely we do now. The pandemic of 2020 has peeled back the scars encrusted by generations of inequity. Lessons from a virtual educators’ seminar. “What will you say you did . . .?”

State agencies' COVID-19 pages offer guidance, assistance

Here is a list of Missouri state agencies that offer web pages with help for specific needs during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Debate is on: How do we protect tenants, landlords from post-pandemic evictions, debt

Evictions may be banned for now, but fear is building over what peril awaits both tenants and landlords on the other side of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Foundations launch Kansas City Regional COVID-19 Response and Recovery Fund

A coalition of charitable, business and government partners has joined together to create the Kansas City Regional COVID-19 Response and Recovery Fund to address the needs of the Kansas City region's most vulnerable communities affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.

'No hunger,' say school teams as volunteers help deliver lunches to families

Fleets of school buses in Kansas City began retracing neighborhood routes this week, not to pick children up for classes, but to deliver them meals.

Child care resources offered for COVID-19 frontline responders

Child Care Aware has opened a childcare referral service especially for first responders, health care workers, and essential personnel.

More school meal programs launched; buildings closed at least until April 24

As Kansas City and other jurisdictions invoked shelter-in-place orders for at least a month, plans by most districts to begin food distribution today, March 23, focused on the longer-horizon they had been anticipating.

Should KC open hotels to sequester homeless? COVID-19 crisis looms

As Kansas City prepares for a shelter-at-home order to take effect Tuesday morning, a community crisis is developing in the area’s growing homeless population. Shelter residents are terrified, knowing many are already weak in health and shelters are overwhelmed and unable to provide the space for safe social distancing to protect them.