State releases records in death of 4-year-old boy in Holt, Mo.
Lucas Barnes Webb died of blunt force trauma on Oct. 15. The Department of Social Services released the documents nearly three months after The Star initially requested them.
Road rage incident ends with exchange of gunfire
The 46-year-old victim suffered a wound to his left thigh in the shooting about 9 a.m. Sunday on Missouri 40 near South Hocker Road.
Tomas Young, wounded Iraq war vet, says he will live on for now
Tomas Young, the paralyzed Iraq war vet who announced earlier this spring that he was ready to die, said Monday that he has decided to live for now.
Trees and power lines fall as storm blows into Kansas City
The feared tornadoes didn’t come Sunday evening. But the heavy winds, which split trees and downed power lines on both sides of the state line, sure did. West of Kansas City, a tornado touched down in rural Lyon County, Kan., causing structural damage to homes (pictured).
U.S. suburbs have more poor than the cities do, study finds.
The number of impoverished people in America’s suburbs surged 64 percent in the past decade, creating for the first time a landscape in which the suburban poor outnumber the urban poor, a new report shows. Around Kansas City, patterns of poverty have been quietly shifting for some time.
In Kansas, it’s lawmakers versus the courts
The 2013 session of the Kansas Legislature nears an end with the chief justice of the state Supreme Court accusing a leading senator with political coercion. Meantime, efforts are picking up steam to force appellate judges into retirement and to build separate civil and criminal appeals courts.
First Kauffman Scholars prepare to graduate
Now in their senior years of college, more than half of the 125 in the first class have fallen out of college or are not on pace to graduate within five years. From the moment the foundation launched its first class as seventh-graders in 2003, it knew the critical measure of its investment would come now, 10 years later.
Art show at Power & Light District goes on amid storm warnings
Dark clouds brewed Sunday over the Power & Light District, but that didn’t stop the Downtown Art Annual. More than a dozen presenters at the Downtown Art Annual folded their tents even before Sunday’s showcase began.
Two shot after dispute at Lawrence nightclub
Two men suffered critical injuries in two early Sunday morning shootings in Lawrence that police believe are related.
Two $1 million Powerball tickets sold in Missouri
The Powerball ticket now worth an estimated $590.5 million wasn’t sold in Missouri. But two Missouri Powerball players were so close to picking all the winning numbers that that their tickets are worth $1 million each.
One winning ticket sold in Florida for $590 million Powerball jackpot
The possibility of winning a record Powerball jackpot was a big draw Saturday for area stores selling lottery tickets. Early Sunday, officials with the multistate lottery said that one winning ticket for the $590 million jackpot had been sold in Florida.
Shadows of dishonor cast on the U.S. military
The military, ranked as America's most trusted institution by its citizens but strained by 11 years of war, faces a troubling confluence: acts of mayhem, a growing sexual abuse scandal, a flurry of other misconduct cases. “We’re seeing a strain on an institution,” one expert says.
Party bus was operating illegally at time of fatal fall
The owners of the party bus didn't get the required U.S. Department of Transportation number. That registration would have required inspection and repairs on the bus on which the “door ajar” warning system wasn't working. When the bus hit a bump, the doors popped open and a woman tumbled to her death on Interstate 35.
Long lost art is found wearing a price tag
A 1918 work by Edwin Blashfield, “The Call of Missouri,” was displayed for years at the Kansas City Public Library. It disappeared in 1983. A six-year search found it online — on sale for $650,000.
Kansas City is set to launch a new tax system
The $13.4 million system for revenue collection goes live June 10. It will replace a system that was close to collapse. The new system should be better for taxpayers and tax enforcement.
Slain UMKC vocalist is honored at commencement
Aaron Markarian was killed this spring before he got a chance to walk with his graduating class at the UMKC Conservatory of Music and Dance. On Saturday, the school named a scholarship in his honor.
Kansas Citians walk to raise money, increase awareness about heart disease
Saturday’s event, which drew an estimated 10,000 people, was a major fundraiser for the local chapter of the American Heart Association.
Common Core provision muddies Kansas budget talks
The provision says no money could be spent to implement the new standards for math and reading, which have been adopted by more than 40 states.
Winners and losers from the 2013 session of the Missouri General Assembly
Jefferson City nightlife, Kansas envy and organized labor found success, but things were tough for Gov. Jay Nixon and House Speaker Tim Jones.
State of Missouri forces Gordon Parks Elementary School to close
The news, shared with staff and volunteers Thursday, stunned the charter school’s community, which has spent 13 years trying to serve children from the highest levels of poverty.
