- Liberty Memorial Gets Facelift
- Kansas City Looks At How To Use Closed Schools
- Missouri Lawmakers To Look At Eliminating Income Tax
Missouri's Health Exchange Tangled In Political Debate
Liberty Memorial Gets Facelift
Liberty Memorial in Kansas City will undergo a $5 million renovation during the next several months. Memorial officials say the monument and the National World War I Museumwill remain open during the work, although visitors might encounter some fencing in certain areas. Improvements from the project will include repairing stonework, refurbishing the Dedication Wall, upgrading lighting, energy efficiency and security, and improving irrigation. The goal is to have the memorial prepared for the centennial of World War I, which begins in 2014. Find out more here.
Kansas City Looks At How To Use Closed Schools
The Kansas City School District is looking for uses for eight more closed schools. The district's list of unused schools grew to 38 about a year and a half ago after a massive consolidation effort. There's some urgency to the effort; a recent state audit found that the district spent about $2.2 million in one year on utilities and insurance for shuttered schools. As part of the repurposing, the district has been inviting the public on tours of shuttered schools and asking for ideas to transform the buildings.
Missouri Lawmakers To Look At Eliminating Income Tax
Among the proposals thatMissouri’s legislature will consider next year is one that would eliminate the state’s income tax. State Senator Chuck Purgason says doing away with the income tax and relying more on use and sales taxes would improve the business climate in the state. But officials with the Missouri Budget Project say relying more on sales taxes would hurt middle and low income families. Read more here.
Missouri's Health Exchange Tangled In Political Debate
As of last spring, Missouri was considered on track – ahead, even - in developing a state health insurance exchange. It’s basically a centralized online marketplace where individuals and small businesses can compare and purchase health plans. Under the federal health law, exchanges are supposed to be up and running in each state by 2014. Find out more from KCUR's Elana Gordon here.