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Protesters who want the Kansas City, Missouri Council to allow voters to decide on a reportedly $600 million new Royals stadium deal in the Crown Center area of downtown, are not going away.
Thursday, August 20, 2026
Lewis Diuguid (center) being inducted into the National Association of Black Journalists Hall of Fame. (Texas Metro News)
NABJ Hall of Fame Inductees Reflect on the Power of Recognition
Sylvia Powers
For veteran journalists Jayne Kennedy and Lewis W. Diuguid, being inducted into the National Association of Black Journalists Hall of Fame at the 2026 NABJ Convention represents more than a career achievement.
Thursday, August 20, 2026
Prosecutor Johnson Announces Charges Against Man in Connection to Deadly Fire
News Staff
Jackson County Prosecutor Melesa Johnson on Wednesday announced charges against a Kansas City man in connection to a deadly house fire that occurred yesterday.Ryan I. Willis faces 2nd Degree Felony Murder and 1st Degree Arson.
Thursday, August 20, 2026
NABJ Called Out Stephen A. Smith. He Went to Fox News.
Stacy M. Brown
Stephen A. Smith has spent decades building his career on the art of debate. When given a microphone, an opponent, and a reason to argue, few on American television seem more at ease than he is.
Thursday, August 20, 2026
Man pleads guilty after leaving bag of fentanyl in daycare center
News Staff
TOPEKA, KAN. – A Kansas man pleaded guilty to drug trafficking charges after leaving behind a bag of fentanyl at a daycare center. According to court documents, Courtney McGee Cannon, 43, of Topeka pleaded guilty to three counts of possession with intent to distribute fentanyl.
Friday, August 14, 2026
Tasia Fortune’s Death in Jackson Remains Unexplained as Police Withhold Records
News Staff
JACKSON, Miss. — The Hinds County Coroner’s Office on Thursday identified the woman found hanging from a tree behind a vacant home in west Jackson as Tasia Fortune, 29.
Friday, August 14, 2026
Terrence Wise stands in front of a wall of campaign posters at Missouri Workers Power’s Kansas City headquarters. (Thomas White/The Beacon)
Worker Groups Seek Common Ground on Proposed New Royals Ballpark
Thomas White
Ralph Oropeza was telling a crowd at Union Station how he made it out of poverty.Thirty-five years ago, as the son of an immigrant single mother, he got an opportunity for an apprenticeship with the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers.
Friday, August 14, 2026
Herbie Hancock (left) celebrated pianist and composer, along with trumpeter and composer Terence Blanchard, guitarist Lionel Loueke, bassist James Genus and drummer Jaylen Petinaud perform Aug. 6 at the Kauffman Performing Arts Center downtown. (Photo by Jen Isemann)
Maiden Voyage, Masterful Return: Herbie Hancock Commands Kauffman At 86
Houston Smith
An all-star band turned six decades of celebrated music into a living, twohour conversation before a sold-out Kauffman Center audienceAt 86, Herbie Hancock is not simply revisiting his past. He is still voyaging.Before a sold-out audience Thursday, Aug.
Friday, August 14, 2026
First Black Woman to Lead CDC Takes Helm as Agency Faces Public Health Challenges
Stacy M. Brown
The U. S. Senate has confirmed Dr. Erica Schwartz as director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), making the physician, attorney and retired military health leader the first Black woman to head the nation’s premier public health agency.
Friday, August 14, 2026
Hundreds of Respect Missouri Voters Volunteers Rally in Jefferson City
News Staff
Just over 24 hours after the Respect MO Voters lawsuit against the Secretary of State was filed, hundreds of Respect MO Voters volunteers from across the state rallied in Jefferson City, where the Secretary of State’s office is located.
Friday, August 14, 2026