Native freshwater mussels do important work filtering the water in Midwest rivers. These animals are in trouble, but Kansas has a plan to help them. Plus: We'll hear from farmers around the central U.S. about what made this such a tough year, and what may come in 2026.

The Kansas City Chiefs' planned move across the state line marked an unusually bipartisan success for Kansas elected leaders. In most other ways, state politics in 2025 were marked by Republican wins and Democratic frustrations.

The year 2025 marked the start of a new governor's term in Missouri, and the deepening of Republican control of the General Assembly. As the year ended, the blame and sorrow over the state losing the Kansas City Chiefs were just beginning.

As 2025 nears its end, we’re catching up on the biggest stories we reported this year. It was a hard year for federal workers in Kansas City, who weathered mass layoffs and the longest government shutdown in U.S. history. Hear how that impacted workers' jobs and mental health.

2025 brought a lot of grief for governments in Kansas City, Missouri, and Jackson County: the expensive departure of the city's highest-paid official, a property tax scandal that left the county's top lawmaker rebuked, and the Chiefs' planned move to Kansas. But there's something to look forward to, too: the 2026 FIFA World Cup.

A Kansas City cookbook author gives us a glimpse of her warm kitchen this winter season. Plus, while many people go online or to the mall to shop for presents, some rural towns go all out to try and attract holiday shoppers.

A major tax incentive package approved by Kansas lawmakers will help the Chiefs build a new $3 billion domed stadium in Wyandotte County. Plus: A Classical KC contributor shares memories from Christmases past.

Kansas will end all access to hormone treatments and other gender-affirming care for transgender minors in January. To keep getting care for their children, some families are opting to leave the state entirely.

Black student enrollment declined almost 34% at the University of Missouri between 2013-2023 — and Black students there have much to say about why.

This year saw the formation of the Kansas City area's first Women’s Pinball League. At 403 Club, in Kansas City, Kansas, beginners and pros of all ages and walks of life gather each Thursday for slap-saves, snacks and sisterhood.