In Kansas News
Kansas school districts are in limbo after the U.S. Department of Education froze funding for after-school programs, English language curriculum and more.
Kansas expected to receive $45 million this year. But on the last day, the administration said it was still reviewing the grants.
G.A. Buie is executive director of the Kansas School Superintendents’ Association. If the money never materializes, he says that summer and after-school programs could close.
“I don't think the current staff at the Department of Education have a true understanding of how these dollars are implemented in our schools and (...) the impact they will have on our communities.”
President Donald Trump’s administration said it’s reviewing the grants to make sure schools will not use them to promote left-wing ideas.
Kansas zoos – and the Kansas Sierra Club – want the public to think twice before catching box turtles for races held at summer fairs and festivals.
The events are common in the Midwest. Often people catch ornate box turtles. Conservationists believe that species is in decline.
Dennis Dinwiddie is with the Topeka Zoo. He says ideally these races should stop. At the very least – organizers should educate participants.
“Make sure that people understand – keep the turtle only for a short period of time. And when you take it back to the wild – this is the most important part – take it back exactly where you got it from.”
Releasing them somewhere else puts them at risk. Ornate box turtles have home ranges where they know how to find water, food and a safe spot to survive the winter.
And in Missouri News
Unemployment rose across most Missouri metropolitan areas in May, according to newly released data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. KCUR’s Madeline Fox has more.
"Kansas City, St. Joseph and Springfield all saw slightly higher unemployment rates in May of this year than the same month last year. Compared to April, though, Kansas City’s unemployment rate is down – but is still second-highest in the state, at three point eight percent. St. Joseph had the highest rate in Missouri.
All of Missouri’s metropolitan areas except Kansas City had higher unemployment rates in May than a month before.
For KCUR 89-three, I’m Madeline Fox."