For 14 years, on 9 acres of land sandwiched by abandoned public housing apartments in Kansas City, Kansas, resettled refugees have been learning how to farm at Juniper Gardens. They grow vegetables and crops that remind them of home. They dig bricks,…

Marcus Locke, executive chef at American Dining Creations at the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art, was one of the earliest adopters of KC Can Compost about 2 1/2 years ago. “It felt right in line with what we do here at the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art, as…

Each weekday at 8 a.m., the process for tracking COVID-19 variants in Missouri begins with vials of sewage samples. The boxes from across the state are unpacked at the Sewershed Surveillance Project lab at the University of Missouri. The vials get…

Now that children 12 and older are eligible for the COVID-19 vaccine, what does it mean for parents who disagree on whether their child should get it? Can schools require students to get the vaccine? The Beacon reached out to legal experts to get…

Lamon Lewis, 40, of Kansas City, Kansas, wasn’t sure at first that he wanted to get vaccinated because he was afraid of potential side effects. But when Lewis, who identifies as African American, saw the percentage of Americans with at least one dose…

David Hayden, communications manager for Up-Down in Kansas City, was in the waiting room after getting his COVID-19 vaccination when the idea hit him: Offer vaccinated customers something for free. “We’ve all been in this kind of collective…

Bridget Hughes can’t afford to treat her cervical cancer and diabetes. Richard Eiker cuts his prescription pills in half. Kenya Banks can’t afford an operation for her fibroid tumors. Bill Thompson can’t afford to go to a doctor following a heart…

The black bear population is bouncing back in Missouri. And with its return comes the state’s first-ever black bear hunting season. The limited hunting season is the result of years of research and development of regulatory framework by the Missouri…

Fights, meltdowns, breakups, arrests and people puking across the bar. In his seven years of bartending in Kansas City at Union Station, the Power & Light District, Westport and Ameristar Casino, bartender Eli Zajac has seen it all. For some people,…

Get out your smartphone, you have a chance to help scientists discover a rare or new species in Kansas City. Starting Friday, April 30, the Kansas City metro area is challenging residents to get out and discover the nature surrounding them in their…

Although Mischelle Kemp, 46, caught COVID-19 in March 2020, she still has cycles of symptoms: Fever, cough, joint pain, diarrhea, fatigue, loss of taste and smell and brain fog. “I’m more depressed because I get tired of it,” Kemp said. She’s not…

Scientists are asking Missouri residents to send them live ticks in the mail in an effort to better understand the diseases spread by the tiny arachnid. Missouri has the highest prevalence in the U.S. of a tick-borne bacterial disease called…

A new program dedicated to helping older adults who cannot leave their homes get access to the COVID-19 vaccine was halted this week after the sudden pause of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine. A week ago, a new partnership between KC Shepherd’s Center,…

On April 13, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Food and Drug Administration requested a pause of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine out of “an abundance of caution.” There were cases of a rare type of blood clot found in six people…

Here are just some ways Kansas City-area residents have found COVID-19 vaccine appointments: calling their local health department, filling out an online form, following a Twitter account, getting an email from friends and going to a local…

Chaplains support people in their toughest times. They have been pillars of spiritual care for patients and families separated during the pandemic, as well as for hospital staff. In Kansas, more than 4,900 people have died from COVID-19; in Missouri,…

Hosting COVID-19 vaccine events in Black churches. Playing video interviews with physicians at barber shops. Canvassing neighborhoods to fill vaccination appointments. These are just some of the ideas that Kansas City organizations are asking for or…

Kansas City’s immigrant and refugee population face challenges with getting information about the COVID-19 vaccine in their languages and signing up to get the vaccine. But Kansas City organizations are starting initiatives to help, like creating…

I’m here to discuss everyone’s least favorite character in The Wheel of Time—Gawyn Trakand. While Gawyn is almost universally hated by fans, in many ways he is one of the most interesting, flawed characters that Robert Jordan brought to life in the…

Answering Your Questions About Reactor: Right here. Sign up for our weekly newsletter. Everything in one handy email. Science fiction. Fantasy. The universe. And related subjects. Latest Columns Books Movies & TV TPG Catalog Gawyn and Éowyn:…