Kansas City rushed to build a temporary jail for the World Cup. There have been 2 arrests so far ^13%

KCUR - Kansas City news and NPR - By Sam Zeff - 6/24/2026, 10:44 AM

Biased Writer Voice 22% - Hasty Generalization 13.7% - Appeal to Authority 9.1%

Remember all the worry about Kansas City not having enough jail space during the World Cup? Turns out, so far, it hasn’t been needed. Kansas City is halfway through World Cup festivities with two games at Arrowhead Stadium under its belt, and only a couple of people have ended up in handcuffs. more

The FBI is seizing drones illegally flying over Kansas City’s World Cup sites ^5.2%

KCUR - Kansas City news and NPR - By Sam Zeff - 6/16/2026, 6:50 PM

Ambiguity (Equivocation) 14% - Appeal to Authority 12.9% - Negativity Bias 9.5%

The FBI warned drone owners not to fly near Kansas City's Arrowhead Stadium or the Fan Festival on the National WWI Museum and Memorial grounds during the World Cup. Some just didn’t listen. Nine drones have been seized since the festivities started last week, according to Kansas City FBI spokesman Dixon Land. In all, 14 illegal drone... more

12 dead in Sunday morning plane crash in Butler, Missouri ^2.4%

KCUR - Kansas City news and NPR - By Madeline Fox, Sam Zeff - 6/14/2026, 6:08 PM

Appeal to Emotion 16.6% - Ambiguity (Equivocation) 10.5% - Negativity Bias 7.8%

Twelve people are dead after a plane crashed in Butler, Missouri; about an hour south of the Kansas City metro. A plane carrying 11 skydivers and one pilot left the Butler Memorial Airport at around 11:30 a.m., according to Missouri State Highway Patrol Troop A spokesman Sgt. Justin Ewing. The plane turned back for an unknown reason, and... more

Independence paid a record $6 million to families of mother and baby killed by police ^22.8%

KCUR - Kansas City news and NPR - By Sam Zeff - 6/1/2026, 8:01 PM

Appeal to Emotion 25.7% - Negativity Bias 25.3% - Availability Heuristic 16.1%

The City of Independence settled the lawsuit filed by the family of a young mother and her baby killed in 2024 by Independence police for $5.89 million. That is the biggest police brutality settlement in Missouri history, according to the family’s attorney Tom Porto. KCUR obtained the settlement documents with a public records request... more

Why Jackson County legislative chair Manny Abarca was banned from a Kansas City school ^6.2%

KCUR - Kansas City news and NPR - By Sam Zeff - 5/26/2026, 9:00 AM

Unattributed Quote 13.4% - Negativity Bias 9.8% - Quote-first Misdirection 8.2%

For the entire 2024-25 academic year, Jackson County legislative Chairman Manny Abarca, now a candidate for county executive, was banned from Paseo Academy for what school officials deemed “unsafe” behavior in the building. “Your ban from Paseo Academy is a drastic remedy that has been effectuated due to your recent behavior at the... more

Independence settles lawsuit over police shooting that killed an 11-week-old baby and her mother ^4.5%

KCUR - Kansas City news and NPR - By Sam Zeff - 5/17/2026, 3:42 PM

Framing Effect 45.3% - Negativity Bias 35.2% - Confirmation Bias 21.6%

The family of an 11-week-old girl and her mother, who were shot to death by police in November 2024, has agreed to settle a wrongful death lawsuit with the Independence Police Department for an undisclosed amount. Maria Pike, 34, and her daughter, Destinii Hope, were shot multiple times by an officer responding to a domestic disturbance... more

UMKC cuts deal with Kansas City to play basketball at Municipal Auditorium downtown ^30.8%

KCUR - Kansas City news and NPR - By Sam Zeff - 5/14/2026, 4:21 PM

Halo Effect 23.9% - Optimism Bias 10.1% - Anchoring Bias 6.7%

The University of Missouri-Kansas City basketball teams will play most of their home games next year at Municipal Auditorium downtown. The men’s team, under new head coach Mark Turgeon, will play 15 dates in one of the more historical basketball venues in America. The cost to the university: zero. “Rental is complimentary…for the UMKC... more

Small-town Kansas and Missouri court World Cup tourists offering 'all things Americana' ^68.3%

KCUR - Kansas City news and NPR - By Sam Zeff - 4/28/2026, 9:00 AM

Optimism Bias 14% - Anchoring Bias 9.8% - Framing Effect 8.1%

With hundreds of thousands of people expected to be in the area for the biggest sporting event in the world, how do you lure some of those folks to tiny Cameron, Missouri, 45 minutes north of Kansas City on I-35? "You can get away from the craziness of downtown Kansas City," suggests Staci Earley president of the Cameron Chamber of... more

Joplin police sniper who killed a 2-year-old girl just became a Missouri state trooper ^0%

KCUR - Kansas City news and NPR - By Sam Zeff - 4/13/2026, 8:09 PM

Appeal to Emotion 16.5% - Negativity Bias 14.7% - Appeal to Authority 12.7%

The Missouri police sniper who mistakenly shot and killed a 2-year-old girl — and whose name has been masked by a lawsuit — is now a Missouri State Highway Patrol trooper. For almost four years, the city of Joplin fiercely guarded the identity of a SWAT sniper who shot Clesslynn Crawford in the head during a hostage standoff. For two of... more

KU faculty and staff overwhelmingly vote 'no confidence' in chancellor ^74.2%

KCUR - Kansas City news and NPR - By Sam Zeff - 3/19/2026, 8:00 AM

The unscientific straw poll found almost 80% of 2,000 respondents have no confidence in Chancellor Doug Girod and CFO Jeff DeWitt. University of Kansas professors have little confidence in the school’s chancellor and chief financial officer, a straw poll conducted by the KU Faculty Senate and University Senate found. The results,... more