In the News

By Johnathan Shorman

When Mikkel and Kayla Kjelshus' daughter, Charlie, was born in the Kansas City area with complications that required intensive care, it was obvious the medical bills would be expensive.

They were prepared. Both parents had insurance and planned to use Kayla's, with its better rates, for Charlie's primary coverage.

Last week, Rep. Sharice Davids of Kansas District 3 toured Dentec Safety Specialists in Lenexa, a manufacturer that used federal funding to pivot their business from construction materials to needed medical supplies during the pandemic, according to a press release.

Davids and Dentec Chief Executive Officer Claudio Dente highlighted the company's reusable respirators — a product recognized by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration — as a "critical" innovation for healthcare workers.

By Chris Oberholtz

U.S. Rep. Sharice Davids announced Friday that the Restaurant Revitalization Fund granted more than $46 million in pandemic relief aid to 165 small businesses in Kansas City.

The Biden administration launched the program in January to give a lifeline to restaurants across the country that were forced by the government to either shut down or limit their operations. The fund provided a total of $28.6 billion in aid to more than 100,000 US restaurants, according to the US Small Business Administration.

By Shia Kapos

Women athletes have never been so inextricably linked to political discourse as they are today — speaking out on criminal justice reform, #MeToo, Senate races, publicity rights for their name, image and likeness (NIL), and inequalities in the NCAA.

And when the U.S. Women's Soccer Team takes the field at the Tokyo Olympics, we can expect a renewed discussion on pay equity.

By Leah Wankum

Downtown Overland Park could have looked vacant this summer.

When the global COVID-19 pandemic led to widespread shutdowns in March 2020, a handful of small businesses were at risk of staying permanently closed. But a loyal, supportive customer base paired with federal COVID-19 relief programs like the CARES Act and the American Rescue Plan have kept those businesses afloat, some business owners say.

By Heidi Schmidt and Tia Johnson

Families in Kansas and Missouri have started to receive child tax credit payments from the Biden administration's American Rescue Plan.

Critics labeled it another unnecessary government handout adding to the deficit, but on Monday, U.S. Rep. Sharice Davids and supporters hailed it as a big boost for families struggling with the pandemic.

5 things to know before child tax credit checks arrive this month

"While we were saving for all of the things we were expecting, we weren't expecting all that," Kansas mom Crystal Henry said.

Rep. Sharice Davids (D-KS) held a press conference on Monday to explain the expanded Child Tax Credit. New monthly payments begin reaching families' bank accounts on Thursday.

Davids, a tribal citizen of the Ho-Chunk Nation, voted in support of the American Rescue Plan, which expanded and improved the Child Tax Credit to provide more relief to more families through monthly advance payments of up to $300 per child. In a report released last month.

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The expanded Child Tax Credit will help Kansas families recover from the pandemic, according to U.S. Rep. Sharice Davids, D-3rd Dist.

New monthly payments will begin reaching families' bank accounts Thursday, and Rep. Davids and other officials shared resources for families to check their eligibility, track payments and update their information with the IRS.

Rep. Davids voted to support the American Rescue Plan, which expanded and improved Child Tax Credits. The plan provides monthly advance payments of up to $300 per child.