February is Black History Month in the United States – it is a time to recognize, celebrate and honor the contributions, culture and struggles of black people in our country. Kansas City, like so many places in the country, was deeply and profoundly shaped by its own black history. The…
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Kansas City workers impacted by government shutdown
The U.S. Federal Government just reopened after the longest shutdown in its history. For 35 days government employees across the country were told not to come to work, while others who were deemed essential were forced to work without pay. The shutdown started Dec. 21 when Congress refused to approve…
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Bipartisanship in the U.S. instills confidence but is unpopular
Our nation’s legislative home, is the necessary fixture for discourse concerning the most pressing issues that citizens face. To do this, Democrats, Republicans and Independents must all sit side-by-side and draft legislation. In other words, heart and soul of Congress is imbued with the capacity for bipartisanship and expected to…
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Curiosity gives way to InSight as new NASA lander survives impact on Mars
Applause and shouts of joy exploded from mission control members Nov. 26 at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California. They were celebrating the payoff from years of work – the touchdown of InSight (Interior Exploration using Seismic Investigations, Geodesy and Heat Transport mission) on Martian soil after a seven-month…
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Standardized testing sparks debate over best educational approaches
If you attended school in the United States public education system, chances are you had to labor through a standardized test or two during your time in primary and secondary education. As students, you are told that these tests are meant to measure the extent to which you have absorbed…
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Harvard accused of possible discrimination over desire for diversity
The lights are dimmed and the stage is set for a showdown between Harvard University and an anti-affirmative action group, Students for Fair Admissions (SFFA). One of America’s premier universities stands accused by the nonprofit for discriminating in its admissions practices by implementing a quota system that limits the number…
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Maine’s first state-wide use of the rank-choice voting system leads to controversy, lawsuit
Maine recently enacted a new voting system – moving from the traditional plurality, where the candidate with the most votes wins, to a rank-choice process, under which a candidate must win a majority before they can win the election. Under the use of the new system, a House seat in…
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Tight races in Florida elections lead to recounts, accusations of voter fraud
The competitive election races in Florida have finally been called. Republican Ron DeSantis will be the next governor of Florida, and outgoing Republican Governor Rick Scott will replace incumbent Democratic Senator Bill Nelson in the U.S. Senate. These results follow a tumultuous series of events beginning election day Nov. 6.…
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Midterm Election Review: Results in Missouri and Kansas
The 2018 midterms were atypical for several reasons – not only were they the most expensive midterm elections in United States history but voter numbers were record-high as the Democrats took the House and the Republicans retained control of the Senate. Locally several ballot initiatives were passed, records were broken…
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