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Historic Brookside school's demolition plan halted

Redevelopment plans are in limbo due to a new city preservation commissioner.

News

A Brookside school building more than a century old could be saved from the wrecking ball after an under-the-radar filing by a new city preservation commissioner. Why it matters: The move seeks to block efforts by Kansas City Public Schools, which wants to sell the shuttered <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="Bryant Elementary School" data-vars-click-url="https://www.kcpublicschools.org/page/bryant-site-page/" data-vars-content-id="d6eb5be8-fac9-4d85-8396-4c331772949d" data-vars-headline="Historic Brookside school&#x27;s demolition plan halted" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.kcpublicschools.org/page/bryant-site-page/" target="_blank">Bryant Elementary School</a> building so it can be torn down and turned into big houses.

"Ted Lasso" is sending fans to the Negro Leagues museum

Searches for the Kansas City museum jumped more than 5,000% after the season four premiere.

The Negro Leagues Baseball Museum is riding a &quot;Ted Lasso&quot; wave, with fans pouring in since the show <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="came home" data-vars-click-url="https://www.kmbc.com/article/ted-lasso-negro-leagues-baseball-museum-satchel-paige-kansas-city/73502562" data-vars-content-id="fec1ad99-76b9-4923-99be-59237d6cb381" data-vars-headline="&quot;Ted Lasso&quot; is sending fans to the Negro Leagues museum" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.kmbc.com/article/ted-lasso-negro-leagues-baseball-museum-satchel-paige-kansas-city/73502562" target="_blank">came home</a> to Kansas City.Why it matters: The series showed the museum to the <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="biggest audience in Apple TV history" data-vars-click-url="https://variety.com/2026/tv/news/ted-lasso-season-4-ratings-apple-tv-1236834053/" data-vars-content-id="fec1ad99-76b9-4923-99be-59237d6cb381" data-vars-headline="&quot;Ted Lasso&quot; is sending fans to the Negro Leagues museum" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://variety.com/2026/tv/news/ted-lasso-season-4-ratings-apple-tv-1236834053/" target="_blank">biggest audience in Apple TV history</a> right as it raises <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="$35 million" data-vars-click-url="https://www.kctv5.com/2026/02/13/negro-leagues-baseball-museum-announces-35-million-expansion-historic-kansas-city-site/" data-vars-content-id="fec1ad99-76b9-4923-99be-59237d6cb381" data-vars-headline="&quot;Ted Lasso&quot; is sending fans to the Negro Leagues museum" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.kctv5.com/2026/02/13/negro-leagues-baseball-museum-announces-35-million-expansion-historic-kansas-city-site/" target="_blank">$35 million</a> to build itself a new home.

KC's tech gender gap could grow with AI

AI is creating the economy's best-paying jobs. Women hold just 26% of KC tech jobs, and the gap could grow.

Women are landing just a quarter of the country&#x27;s booming AI jobs, the same share they hold of KC&#x27;s entire tech workforce.Why it matters: AI jobs are some of the fastest-growing and highest-paying in the country, and when they arrive in KC, they&#x27;ll be filled from a local tech workforce where the gender gap is baked in.

How long ER visits take in Kansas and Missouri

A typical ER visit runs about two hours in Kansas and 2.5 in Missouri, both quicker than the national median.

A typical emergency room visit runs about two hours in Kansas and 2.5 in Missouri, per new federal data.Why it matters: These times are your baseline for the worst-day math — how long a trip to the ER actually takes here — and it&#x27;s less time than most of the country spends.

Ticks are having a banner year

The lone star tick, not the Lyme one, drives most cases here. A new CDC report ranks Missouri second in the country for alpha-gal antibodies.

This year&#x27;s tick season has <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="been a doozy" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/2026/08/28/tick-season-record-summer-fall" data-vars-content-id="9e7bc04b-b713-4909-a556-9ab3435c3962" data-vars-headline="Ticks are having a banner year" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/2026/08/28/tick-season-record-summer-fall" target="_self">been a doozy</a>, and another peak is coming in the fall.Why it matters: Tick bites can transmit diseases, like Lyme disease, but in Kansas City the bigger threat is the Lone Star tick, which spreads ehrlichiosis and can trigger <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="alpha-gal syndrome" data-vars-click-url="https://health.mo.gov/conditions-diseases/communicable-diseases/tickborne-disease/alpha-gal-syndrome" data-vars-content-id="9e7bc04b-b713-4909-a556-9ab3435c3962" data-vars-headline="Ticks are having a banner year" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://health.mo.gov/conditions-diseases/communicable-diseases/tickborne-disease/alpha-gal-syndrome" target="_blank">alpha-gal syndrome</a>, an allergy to red meat.

"Nothing has changed" for KC parents after Trump's vaccine order

Kansas City students still need the same vaccines to start school this fall.

The White House wants to <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="shrink the childhood vaccine schedule" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/2026/08/11/trump-vaccines-midterms-measles-order" data-vars-content-id="791c3aca-cdf2-4c29-bc02-a4b2bb81f190" data-vars-headline="&quot;Nothing has changed&quot; for KC parents after Trump&#x27;s vaccine order" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/2026/08/11/trump-vaccines-midterms-measles-order" target="_self">shrink the childhood vaccine schedule</a>, but the shots your kid needs to start school in Kansas City this month haven&#x27;t changed.Why it matters: KC&#x27;s health director says families are confused about what the new order means, clinic traffic is down, and kids still need their required shots to start school in the next two weeks.

KC's pregnancy hypertension rates keep climbing

Rates of gestational hypertension jumped in every state from 2016 to 2024. Missouri hit 12% and Kansas 11.1%, both above the national rate.

Rates of <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="high blood pressure" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/2022/12/14/hypertension-stress-high-blood-pressure-mind-body-wellness-pandemic" data-vars-content-id="10badfb3-a6e2-490c-8b4d-23bb4705a42c" data-vars-headline="KC&#x27;s pregnancy hypertension rates keep climbing" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/2022/12/14/hypertension-stress-high-blood-pressure-mind-body-wellness-pandemic" target="_self">high blood pressure</a> during pregnancy have soared nationwide, and both Kansas and Missouri are above the U.S. average, according to <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="new CDC data" data-vars-click-url="https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/nvsr/nvsr75/nvsr75-04.pdf" data-vars-content-id="10badfb3-a6e2-490c-8b4d-23bb4705a42c" data-vars-headline="KC&#x27;s pregnancy hypertension rates keep climbing" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/nvsr/nvsr75/nvsr75-04.pdf" target="_blank">new CDC data</a>.Why it matters: High blood pressure is associated with <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="serious complications" data-vars-click-url="https://www.cdc.gov/high-blood-pressure/about/high-blood-pressure-during-pregnancy.html" data-vars-content-id="10badfb3-a6e2-490c-8b4d-23bb4705a42c" data-vars-headline="KC&#x27;s pregnancy hypertension rates keep climbing" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.cdc.gov/high-blood-pressure/about/high-blood-pressure-during-pregnancy.html" target="_blank">serious complications</a> for mom and baby.

KC's blood supply is the lowest since COVID

The region's main supplier declared a blood emergency shortly before the Red Cross's crisis announcement.

Health

The blood supply serving Kansas City hospitals has fallen to its lowest level since the pandemic, part of a <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="national shortage" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/2026/07/28/us-blood-supply-health-red-cross-donate" data-vars-content-id="047c4c8a-e08f-4b6c-af30-97155af4735d" data-vars-headline="KC&#x27;s blood supply is the lowest since COVID" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/2026/07/28/us-blood-supply-health-red-cross-donate" target="_self">national shortage</a> the Red Cross now calls a crisis.Why it matters: A prolonged blood shortage could delay surgeries, trauma care and other treatments at the more than 70 hospitals that rely on the region&#x27;s main supplier.

CDC declares gut bug outbreak in Kansas

The number of states with a cyclosporiasis outbreaks rose to nine on Friday.

The CDC on Friday added Kansas to a list of states with <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="cyclosporiasis" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/2026/07/07/cyclosporiasis-stomach-bug-cases-symptoms-outbreak" data-vars-content-id="d1b5dcdb-25e5-41bc-8ed7-0dbc8f598e40" data-vars-headline="CDC declares gut bug outbreak in Kansas" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/2026/07/07/cyclosporiasis-stomach-bug-cases-symptoms-outbreak" target="_self">cyclosporiasis</a> outbreaks, a <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="diarrhea-inducing illness" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/2026/07/20/cyclospora-outbreak-diarrhea-infection-wash-food" data-vars-content-id="d1b5dcdb-25e5-41bc-8ed7-0dbc8f598e40" data-vars-headline="CDC declares gut bug outbreak in Kansas" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/2026/07/20/cyclospora-outbreak-diarrhea-infection-wash-food" target="_self">diarrhea-inducing illness</a> that officials say is linked to infected lettuce.The latest: The <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="CDC" data-vars-click-url="https://www.cdc.gov/cyclosporiasis/php/surveillance/index.html" data-vars-content-id="d1b5dcdb-25e5-41bc-8ed7-0dbc8f598e40" data-vars-headline="CDC declares gut bug outbreak in Kansas" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.cdc.gov/cyclosporiasis/php/surveillance/index.html" target="_blank">CDC</a> this week reported 4,173 confirmed cases in the U.S. between May 1 and July 20. That&#x27;s already more than the total number of U.S. cases reported for all of 2025.

Kansas City has a World Cup hangover

Hosting the World Cup was "like doing ecstasy."

KC is coming off the high of hosting the World Cup, and now that the tournament is officially over, the <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="World Cup blues" data-vars-click-url="https://www.facebook.com/reel/1350456786466450" data-vars-content-id="b6a7899f-704c-4c3b-833d-8fd6da8c59e8" data-vars-headline="Kansas City has a World Cup hangover" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.facebook.com/reel/1350456786466450" target="_blank">World Cup blues</a> are <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="here" data-vars-click-url="https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=28740180575571745" data-vars-content-id="b6a7899f-704c-4c3b-833d-8fd6da8c59e8" data-vars-headline="Kansas City has a World Cup hangover" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=28740180575571745" target="_blank">here</a>.Why it matters: Emotional letdowns after major life events are common — and the World Cup was exactly the kind of once-in-a-lifetime experience that can trigger one.

Kansas City is struggling to get a chin-up on fitness

A 2026 report factors in basic exercise, nutrition, health outcomes and more.

Kansas City ranks No. 82 out of the nation&#x27;s 100 largest cities in the latest American College of Sports Medicine <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="Fitness Index" data-vars-click-url="https://acsm.org/about/community-impact-programs/american-fitness-index/" data-vars-content-id="a05c6be6-83d2-4e8a-a7d1-c8bbaea9a20d" data-vars-headline="Kansas City is struggling to get a chin-up on fitness" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://acsm.org/about/community-impact-programs/american-fitness-index/" target="_blank">Fitness Index</a>.Why it matters: The index measures more than who&#x27;s hitting the gym. It factors in basic exercise, nutrition, health outcomes and the environments that make healthy living easier — or harder.

Kansas fertility rates outpace the nation

Kansas sits inside a Plains corridor with the nation's highest fertility rates. Missouri tells a different story.

A corridor of Central Plains states that includes Kansas keeps posting higher fertility rates than the U.S. average, despite a decades-long national decline.Why it matters: Birth rates shape everything downstream, from school enrollment to workforce pipelines and political clout, and the metro&#x27;s two states are on different trajectories.<ul><li>Kansas sits inside the high-fertility corridor alongside the Dakotas, Nebraska, Oklahoma and Texas, while Missouri runs closer to the national average.</li></ul>Zoom in: Kansas&#x27; 2024 fertility rate of 58.3 births per 1,000 women ages 15-44 ranked 13th highest among states, per CDC data.<ul><li>Missouri&#x27;s was 55.9, still above the U.S. rate of 53.8.</li><li>Both are sliding. Kansas&#x27; rate was 71.3 in 2005 and Missouri&#x27;s was 65.9.</li></ul>Zoom out: South Dakota led the nation at 66.7 last year, followed by Nebraska at 62.9. The six-state corridor averaged 59.3, well above the U.S. rate.<ul><li>At the other end, D.C. was lowest overall at 39.8, with Vermont, New Hampshire, Rhode Island and Oregon close behind.</li></ul>What they&#x27;re saying: &quot;Generally in demography we find more births where moms can (more) easily find higher-waged jobs,&quot; family demographer <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="Jennifer Glass" data-vars-click-url="https://liberalarts.utexas.edu/prc/faculty/jg47972" data-vars-content-id="7aa52d6e-150e-42da-9470-103860367d67" data-vars-headline="Kansas fertility rates outpace the nation" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://liberalarts.utexas.edu/prc/faculty/jg47972" target="_blank">Jennifer Glass</a> tells Axios. &quot;The gender wage gap is lower in Dallas than in Detroit or Pittsburgh, for example.&quot;Researchers point to several other factors:Demographics: U.S. Census data show Texas and North Dakota rank behind only Utah among the nation&#x27;s youngest states, meaning more women are in their 20s and early 30s, when birth rates are highest.Child care: Glass notes these costs are comparably lower here, while they have soared in coastal states.Housing: <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="Family-size homes" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/2026/05/17/boomers-millennials-kids-homes" data-vars-content-id="7aa52d6e-150e-42da-9470-103860367d67" data-vars-headline="Kansas fertility rates outpace the nation" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/2026/05/17/boomers-millennials-kids-homes" target="_self">Family-size homes</a> remain far more affordable across much of the Plains than on the coasts. <ul><li>Kansas City&#x27;s median sale price was $305,000 over the three months ending in May, per Redfin.</li></ul>Culture: Americans are partnering, marrying and <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="starting families later" data-vars-click-url="http://prb.org/news/are-americans-underbabied/" data-vars-content-id="7aa52d6e-150e-42da-9470-103860367d67" data-vars-headline="Kansas fertility rates outpace the nation" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="http://prb.org/news/are-americans-underbabied/" target="_blank">starting families later</a> than previous generations, especially in larger metropolitan areas.<ul><li>But rural regions and <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="more religious communities" data-vars-click-url="https://ifstudies.org/blog/first-in-family-red-states-pulling-ahead-on-marriage-and-kids" data-vars-content-id="7aa52d6e-150e-42da-9470-103860367d67" data-vars-headline="Kansas fertility rates outpace the nation" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://ifstudies.org/blog/first-in-family-red-states-pulling-ahead-on-marriage-and-kids" target="_blank">more religious communities</a> tend to see earlier marriage and childbearing, extending the years during which families might have additional children.</li></ul>Stunning stat: CDC data shows the average American woman is expected to have about 1.6 children over her lifetime. That is down from more than 7 children per woman in 1800.Reality check: Fertility rate and birth totals measure different things. Missouri recorded nearly twice as many total births as Kansas last year, 67,998 versus 33,984, simply because it has far more people.<a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="Go deeper" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/2026/07/14/central-plains-states-buck-fertility-decline" data-vars-content-id="7aa52d6e-150e-42da-9470-103860367d67" data-vars-headline="Kansas fertility rates outpace the nation" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/2026/07/14/central-plains-states-buck-fertility-decline" target="_self">Go deeper</a>

Gut-wrecking stomach bug is showing up in Kansas

Symptoms, which include "explosive" diarrhea, can last for a few days or even a month.

Cases of a gut-wrecking parasite are showing up in Kansas, part of a nationwide outbreak <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="health" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/health" data-vars-content-id="609bf31f-2af0-4b0e-8510-02262f3f759c" data-vars-headline="Gut-wrecking stomach bug is showing up in Kansas" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/health" target="_self">health</a> officials are investigating.The big picture: The gastrointestinal illness — called cyclosporiasis — is caused by a microscopic parasite spreading through contaminated food.

Axios Vitals

A choropleth map shows the percent change in gestational hypertension rates from 2016 to 2024, by state. The U.S. overall increase is 73%. Idaho, New York and New Mexico saw the smallest increases at under 40% while Hawaii, Pennsylvania and Wyoming saw the largest increases at over 130%.

Health 🩺

Ticks are having a banner year

How long ER visits take in Kansas and Missouri

"Nothing has changed" for KC parents after Trump's vaccine order

KC's pregnancy hypertension rates keep climbing

KC's blood supply is the lowest since COVID