Peggy Lowe
Public Safety, Justice and Investigative ReporterAs KCUR’s public safety and justice reporter, I put the people affected by the criminal justice system front and center, so you can learn about different perspectives through empathetic, contextual and informative reporting. My investigative work shines a light on often secretive processes, countering official narratives and exposing injustices.
Email me at lowep@kcur.org.
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Kansas City recently passed a $2.6 billion spending plan that keeps expenses relatively flat. But, some departments like police are still seeing growth, despite some opposition. We'll break down the city's spending and why you should care about it. -
The World Cup comes to Kansas City this summer, and many fans will want to stay up late watching and partying. Kansas is close to approving longer hours for serving alcohol during the event, after Missouri passed its own law, so bars and restaurants don't lose business across the state line.
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The Hickman Mills School District is trying to help fill its budget shortfall by asking voters to approve a $20 million bond and free up more money for operating expenses like teacher pay, staff benefits and more.
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City leaders said the model has been effective in reducing repeated partner violence in other cities. Last year, 1 in 3 homicides in Kansas City were related to domestic violence compared to 1 in 12 in 2024, according to Jackson County Prosecutor Melesa Johnson. -
The new 1,000-bed facility has bright spaces, outside courtyards, open-air gyms and two courtrooms. This will replace the current downtown county jail, which is vastly overcrowded and in disrepair. -
Melissa Robinson, a Kansas City Council member, will join the Urban League of Greater Kansas City as president and chief operating officer while the organization seeks Grant’s replacement. Grant will officially step down in one year. -
Jackson County Prosecutor Melesa Johnson said she got accountability in the case against the 20-year-old involved in the fatal mass shooting. But Johnson vowed to change the law, saying the victim’s family deserved “way more than the law currently allows us to give them.” -
Kansas City federal judge says he’s been target of threats after ruling against Trump administrationU.S. District Judge Stephen Bough says his family was targeted after he ruled against the Trump administration in its attempt to deport five Missouri college students. Threats against federal judges have spiked since President Donald Trump took office. -
The family of Lisa Lopez-Galvan, the 43-year-old mother who was killed during the February 2024 mass shooting, said accountability matters, but it won’t bring their loved one back. The Jackson County prosecutor said she could not prove beyond a reasonable doubt that Dominic Miller, 20, was the initial aggressor. -
The Kansas City Council is considering an ordinance that calls for barring the sale of single-serving bottles of alcohol in five parts of town. The city believes the plan could curb public safety problems like violence, loitering and other crime near liquor stores.
