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CDC declares gut bug outbreak in Kansas

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

News

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.

Where to go solo dining in Kansas City

Reservations for one jumped 23% over the past year.

Things to Do

Solo dining is having a moment, with reservations for one jumping 23% over the past year, booking app OpenTable says. Why it matters: That growth may look like another sign of America&#x27;s <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="loneliness" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/local/san-francisco/2025/05/30/americans-eating-along-happiness-report" data-vars-content-id="6767783f-fdab-46cd-a8cf-81eb4e4902d4" data-vars-headline="Where to go solo dining in Kansas City" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/local/san-francisco/2025/05/30/americans-eating-along-happiness-report" target="_self">loneliness</a> <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="epidemic" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/2023/05/03/surgeon-general-vivek-murthy-fights-loneliness" data-vars-content-id="6767783f-fdab-46cd-a8cf-81eb4e4902d4" data-vars-headline="Where to go solo dining in Kansas City" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/2023/05/03/surgeon-general-vivek-murthy-fights-loneliness" target="_self">epidemic</a>. But many solo diners say eating alone offers a rare chance to slow down, reflect and savor the small stuff.

A dry jazz bar in a city built on booze

Café 333 arrives as American drinking hits a record low.

Business

Kansas City jazz was born in Prohibition-era clubs fueled by liquor. A century later, the city&#x27;s newest club is alcohol-free.Why it matters: <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="Café 333" data-vars-click-url="https://cafe333kc.com/index.html" data-vars-content-id="12730782-38c9-43b7-9ef7-88f25e28fa3c" data-vars-headline="A dry jazz bar in a city built on booze" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://cafe333kc.com/index.html" target="_blank">Café 333</a> is KC&#x27;s first sober jazz bar, and it&#x27;s arriving just as American drinking hits a record low.

Kansas and Missouri fall in business rankings

Infrastructure carried the most weight this year.

Kansas and Missouri each fell four spots in CNBC&#x27;s <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="annual ranking" data-vars-click-url="https://www.cnbc.com/2026/07/09/americas-top-states-for-business-full-rankings.html" data-vars-content-id="f48a710b-2868-4bb1-8219-1d89a6c6c4df" data-vars-headline="Kansas and Missouri fall in business rankings" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.cnbc.com/2026/07/09/americas-top-states-for-business-full-rankings.html" target="_blank">annual ranking</a> of the top states for business this year.Why it matters: The rankings land as both states broker deals for <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="billion-dollar" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/local/kansas-city/2025/08/28/port-kc-approves-funding-data-center-100-billion" data-vars-content-id="f48a710b-2868-4bb1-8219-1d89a6c6c4df" data-vars-headline="Kansas and Missouri fall in business rankings" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/local/kansas-city/2025/08/28/port-kc-approves-funding-data-center-100-billion" target="_self">billion-dollar</a> <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="data centers" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/local/kansas-city/2026/04/06/nebius-data-center-driving-independence-mayoral-race" data-vars-content-id="f48a710b-2868-4bb1-8219-1d89a6c6c4df" data-vars-headline="Kansas and Missouri fall in business rankings" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/local/kansas-city/2026/04/06/nebius-data-center-driving-independence-mayoral-race" target="_self">data centers</a>, <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="stadiums" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/local/kansas-city/2026/07/22/new-chiefs-kansas-stadium-design-renderings-arrowhead" data-vars-content-id="f48a710b-2868-4bb1-8219-1d89a6c6c4df" data-vars-headline="Kansas and Missouri fall in business rankings" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/local/kansas-city/2026/07/22/new-chiefs-kansas-stadium-design-renderings-arrowhead" target="_self">stadiums</a> and <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="next-gen tech" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/local/kansas-city/2025/10/03/kansas-could-get-next-gen-nuclear-power" data-vars-content-id="f48a710b-2868-4bb1-8219-1d89a6c6c4df" data-vars-headline="Kansas and Missouri fall in business rankings" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/local/kansas-city/2025/10/03/kansas-could-get-next-gen-nuclear-power" target="_self">next-gen tech</a> they say will add jobs and increase competitiveness.

The kratom crackdown splits KC at the state line

Kratom and 7-OH became felonies to possess in Kansas on July 1. Across the state line, they're still legal, even as cities pass their own bans.

A product local leaders and law enforcement <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="call" data-vars-click-url="https://www.kshb.com/news/local-news/investigations/drug-regulation/kansas-city-missouri-city-council-adopts-regulations-on-7-oh-kratom" data-vars-content-id="2ac406ed-9813-4186-929b-ff8d634bd406" data-vars-headline="The kratom crackdown splits KC at the state line" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.kshb.com/news/local-news/investigations/drug-regulation/kansas-city-missouri-city-council-adopts-regulations-on-7-oh-kratom" target="_blank">call</a> &quot;gas station heroin&quot; is now illegal in Kansas — and the federal government may soon make it illegal nationwide.Why it matters: Possessing kratom or its derivative, 7-hydroxymitragynine (7-OH), became a felony in Kansas on July 1, splitting the rules in a metro that&#x27;s home to the Midwest&#x27;s largest 7-OH producer.

Your World Cup scam survival guide

Fake tickets, sketchy QR codes and bogus streams are chasing the World Cup crowds. Here's how to spot the traps.

Kansas City&#x27;s turn on the World Cup stage is open season for online scammers, and a former Secret Service agent says the fix is mostly slowing down before you tap &quot;buy.&quot;The big picture: &quot;Cyber criminals follow attention, and wherever the world&#x27;s attention goes, scams and frauds are usually close behind,&quot; says Justin Miller, who spent 25 years chasing fraud for the Secret Service and now teaches cybersecurity at the University of Tulsa.

How law enforcement is stopping drones at the World Cup

In KC, 14 drones have been seized, resulting in 5 federal criminal citations.

Drones are no longer simply toys for hobbyists and for cameras in the sky — they&#x27;re real threats to public safety and large-scale security, experts tell Axios.Why it matters: U.S. leaders are pushing for hostile drone defense programs across the country, including in Kansas City, where police are using military-grade tech and working with federal law enforcement to patrol the air.

KC puts homelessness funding under audit

The city is ordering a 30-day audit of the nonprofit overseeing $20 million in federal homelessness funding.

Kansas City is rebuilding its homelessness response on two fronts: a $10 million plan to move unhoused individuals indoors and an audit of the agency overseeing the metro&#x27;s federal funding.The big picture: KC has the highest rate of chronic unsheltered homelessness of any major U.S. city, according to the<a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text=" U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development" data-vars-click-url="https://www.huduser.gov/portal/sites/default/files/pdf/2023-AHAR-Part-1.pdf" data-vars-content-id="a67182bd-83a2-4228-97e4-6ae0092d918f" data-vars-headline="KC puts homelessness funding under audit" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.huduser.gov/portal/sites/default/files/pdf/2023-AHAR-Part-1.pdf" target="_blank"> U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development</a> (HUD), and this is the biggest overhaul of the local response in years.

Violent crime in KC continues to drop

Homicides fell 25% and robberies dropped 38% in Kansas City in the first three months of 2026, part of a sharp nationwide decline in violent crime across America's largest cities.

Violent crime fell sharply in Kansas City in early 2026, mirroring a nationwide decline across America&#x27;s largest cities that has continued since a pandemic-era spike.Why it matters: Data from 67 major U.S. law enforcement agencies, including KCPD, show violent crime fell across most major categories during the first quarter compared with the same period in 2025.

Local nonprofit turns unwanted guns into garden tools

No ID, no paperwork, no questions. The Kansas City nonprofit is one of the few routes for permanently destroying an unwanted gun, and it's coming to Johnson County Saturday.

Kansas City nonprofit <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="Guns to Gardens" data-vars-click-url="https://www.gunstogardenskc.org/about" data-vars-content-id="e72f699a-a560-478b-9395-a890179a66ed" data-vars-headline="Local nonprofit turns unwanted guns into garden tools" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.gunstogardenskc.org/about" target="_blank">Guns to Gardens</a> is destroying unwanted firearms, cutting them up and handing the pieces to blacksmiths who turn them into garden tools.Why it matters: There&#x27;s no easy way to permanently get rid of an unwanted gun in the U.S. Owners can sell, trade or surrender them, but a <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="CBS investigation" data-vars-click-url="https://www.cbsnews.com/news/police-sell-guns-crime-atf/" data-vars-content-id="e72f699a-a560-478b-9395-a890179a66ed" data-vars-headline="Local nonprofit turns unwanted guns into garden tools" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.cbsnews.com/news/police-sell-guns-crime-atf/" target="_blank">CBS investigation</a> found that in most cases they end up back in circulation.<ul><li>Guns to Gardens is one route where they&#x27;ll end up as scrap metal.</li></ul>

KC runs its largest security drill yet for World Cup

More than 200 local, state and federal officers tested their response at the National WWI Museum as part of a $79M federally funded push to keep Fan Fest attendees safe.

More than 200 law enforcement officers ran a World Cup security exercise Tuesday at the National World War I Museum and Memorial.Why it matters: It was a large-scale, real-time training session for the people who will be keeping Fan Fest attendees safe this summer.

KC crash data signals early signs of improvement

Serious and fatal crashes are down after four years of increases.

Travel

Kansas City traffic data shows fatal and serious injury crashes may be starting to decrease after a four-year upward trend.Why it matters: It&#x27;s a sign that KCMO&#x27;s street safety initiatives might be starting to take hold, despite the numbers lagging behind predictions and city officials saying it&#x27;s too early to tell.

Kansas City police will use drones as first responders

Drones will be launched remotely from "nests" throughout the city.

The Kansas City Police Department (KCPD) is taking to the skies thanks to a fleet of drones, a new team of pilots and special permission from the federal government.Why it matters: Police say the technology will be used to respond to emergency calls faster and help officers on the ground, but <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="local" data-vars-click-url="https://kansascitymag.com/police-departments-around-kc-are-deploying-camerad-up-drones-and-retailers-are-using-the-devices-to-deliver-packages-is-everyone-good-with-this/" data-vars-content-id="771eb851-820b-4b25-b8c5-ae144ed685b1" data-vars-headline="Kansas City police will use drones as first responders" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://kansascitymag.com/police-departments-around-kc-are-deploying-camerad-up-drones-and-retailers-are-using-the-devices-to-deliver-packages-is-everyone-good-with-this/" target="_blank">local</a> and <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="national" data-vars-click-url="https://www.aclu.org/documents/eye-in-the-sky-policing-needs-strict-limits" data-vars-content-id="771eb851-820b-4b25-b8c5-ae144ed685b1" data-vars-headline="Kansas City police will use drones as first responders" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.aclu.org/documents/eye-in-the-sky-policing-needs-strict-limits" target="_blank">national</a> concerns over law enforcement&#x27;s expanded reach remain.

KC Mayor Lucas rolls out $2.5B budget for 2026

Public safety will remain the largest slice of the general fund at 75%.

Kansas City Mayor Quinton Lucas used his State of the City address on Wednesday to lay out a $2.5 billion budget and a list of priorities for the 2026 World Cup and day-to-day needs.

Public Safety

The kratom crackdown splits KC at the state line

Your World Cup scam survival guide

How law enforcement is stopping drones at the World Cup

KC puts homelessness funding under audit

Violent crime in KC continues to drop