Kansas
Looking ahead: What the loss of crucial funding will mean for child crime victims in Kansas • Kansas Reflector
In an ideal world, my job wouldn’t exist. Children’s Advocacy Centers would be superfluous. Crime would never touch our communities.
The reality is very different.
Last year, Children’s Advocacy Centers of Kansas provided more than 8,500 services — from forensic interviews, to mental health care, to advocacy services — to 4,400 children facing the severe aftermath of victimhood. The reality is that the 17 accredited CACs in the state serve children from infancy to 18 years of age, of all races and walks of life, guiding them through the criminal justice system as they heal from their traumas.
For years, Kansas CACs have been crucial for children and their families in the aftermath of violent crimes such as sexual assault, physical abuse, witness to violence, child sex trafficking. In some of their toughest moments, the centers offer solace and support. CACs are instrumental in helping victims navigate the harrowing journey toward recovery and justice.
But now, their services are in jeopardy. Budget cuts loom and the threat of shutdown is real.
As the executive director of the Children’s Advocacy Centers of Kansas, my mission has been to promote excellence in child abuse response and prevention through training, support, and statewide mobilization of our member CACs. This effort aims to create centers of distinction dedicated to supporting children and families through some of the most traumatic circumstances in their lives. Rather than leaving child victims to shoulder the burden of seeking justice and facing victimhood alone, our victim services professionals provide the crucial support these young victims need. However, to continue offering these indispensable services, CACs require adequate funding.
The Victims of Crime Act (VOCA), and through it the Crime Victims Fund (CVF), has assisted CACs in their crucial work for decades. Unlike taxpayer-funded initiatives, VOCA provides a sustainable federal funding source that bolsters numerous service providers dedicated to aiding millions of crime victims each year. Through this critical support, countless children and their families have found solace during their most difficult moments.
I’ve seen firsthand the way our services step into these young lives. A girl was sexually abused by her babysitter’s husband when she was only 3 years old. Her mother reached out to her local center the next day and from that first moment, the child was ushered into the recovery process by the committed staff. Over the next few years, she was given everything necessary to overcome her trauma. Now, after the resolution of her case, the girl is still in contact with her Family Advocate and offers her story to demonstrate how vital CACs are for these children and their families.
CACs are ceaseless advocates for crime victims, dedicated to ensuring they receive the necessary time and resources to heal and rebuild their lives.
This year, VOCA grants saw a $600 million federal cut. Across the board, the nation’s nearly 1,000 CACs are being forced to consider making cuts or shutting their doors.
Kansas is lucky to have received state support through the Governor’s Grants Program, adding an additional $1.8 million to the fiscal year 2024 budget and $1.1 million to the projected budget for fiscal year 2025, stabilizing programming and ensuring uninterrupted services to the children and families at all 17 Kansas CACs. While grateful for the increase stateside, our centers remain underfunded to meet the current need for services in our communities.
This vital injection into CAC funding won’t save it all. VOCA cuts will still leave thousands without essential services like victim advocacy, mental health services. These survivors of sexual assault, domestic violence and child abuse will not have the same access to services or the support that we have provided for decades.
Already, Kansas CAC’s are unable to reach 32% of the state. Further limitation of our services will see that percentage grow, cutting off countless children that need to reach our doors, it will result in shrinking staffs, shutting down satellite centers and leaving our rural communities to fend for themselves without the funds to establish their own CAC. The Kansas Legislature has taken care to keep doors open in our urban and rural communities, but we are still around $4 million short to meet the demand.
At the end of the day, VOCA cuts mean that child victims will have to carry the trauma of their abuse alone.
Before addressing long-term reform in CVF funding, we must stop the bleeding from cuts that directly impact victims and survivors. That is exactly what U.S. Rep. Ann Wagner (R-MO) proposes with the Crime Victims Fund Stabilization Act of 2024. This bill is intended to maintain current service levels nationwide and provide more time for the CVF to close the funding gap. But most importantly, it will allow CACs throughout the U.S. to continue operations at the highest level.
The reality is that to end the programs for these young crime victims would be to abandon them. We owe crime victims more than that.
Kasey Dalke is executive director of the Children’s Advocacy Centers of Kansas. Through its opinion section, Kansas Reflector works to amplify the voices of people who are affected by public policies or excluded from public debate. Find information, including how to submit your own commentary, here.
Kansas
1 man killed, 5 others wounded in mass shooting Friday night near East 19th and Vine streets in KCMO
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — One person was shot to death and five others were wounded by gunfire Friday night in the 18th and Vine Historic District in Kansas City, Missouri.
Police said officers were in the area of East 18th Street and Paseo about 10:30 p.m. when they heard gunshots.
The officers moved to East 19th Street between the Paseo and Vine Street to check for shooting victims, according to a police department news release.
They found one man who had been shot and was unresponsive, along with two women who had been shot.
The man was declared dead at the scene.
One of the women suffered serious gunshot wounds and the other woman suffered non life-threatening wounds, according to the police department news release.
Officers at the shooting scene were notified three more shooting victims from the same area had been taken to a hospital by a private vehicle.
An adult male and female were reported in stable condition late Friday, while a second adult male suffered critical gunshot wounds, according to police.
Police said their preliminary investigation revealed the victims were standing on 19th Street between Vine and Paseo when people began shooting in several directions.
All the shooting victims were hit by gunfire in that area, according to police.
No word on what led to the mass shooting and at least one murder.
This is a developing story and will be updated when new information is available.
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If you have any information about a crime, you may contact your local police department directly. But if you want or need to remain anonymous, you should contact the Greater Kansas City Crime Stoppers Tips Hotline by calling 816-474-TIPS (8477), submitting the tip online or through the free mobile app at P3Tips.com. Depending on your tip, Crime Stoppers could offer you a cash reward.
Annual homicide details and data for the Kansas City area are available through the KSHB 41 News Homicide Tracker, which was launched in 2015. Read the KSHB 41 News Mug Shot Policy.
Kansas
Where to watch St. Louis Cardinals vs Kansas City Royals: TV channel, start time, streaming for June 19
What to know about MLB’s ABS robot umpire strike zone system
MLB launches ABS challenge system as players test robot umpire calls in a groundbreaking season.
The 2026 MLB season has surpassed the quarter mark, and after each team’s first 40 games, there’s plenty of reasons to tune in all summer long.
Chicago White Sox slugger Munetaka Murakami has already proven doubters wrong by launching 17 home runs, Pittsburgh’s Paul Skenes consistently looks like the best version of himself on the mound and Milwaukee ace Jacob Misiorowski is throwing harder than any starter in the majors.
The MLB action continues on Friday as the St. Louis Cardinals visit the Kansas City Royals.
Here’s everything you need to know to tune in for the first pitch.
See USA TODAY’s sortable MLB schedule to filter by team or division.
What time is St. Louis Cardinals vs Kansas City Royals?
First pitch between the Kansas City Royals and St. Louis Cardinals is scheduled for (ET) on Friday, June 19.
How to watch St. Louis Cardinals vs Kansas City Royals on Friday
All times Eastern and accurate as of Friday, June 19, 2026, at 6:33 a.m.
- Matchup: STL at KC
- Date: Friday, June 19
- Time: (ET)
- Venue: Ewing M. Kauffman Stadium
- Location: Kansas City, Missouri
- TV: Apple TV
- Streaming: MLB.TV on Fubo
Watch MLB all season long with Fubo
MLB regional blackout restrictions apply
MLB scores, results
MLB scores for June 19 games are available on usatoday.com . Here’s how to access today’s results:
See scores, results for all of today’s games.
Kansas
Mixed results for Kansas City World Cup start as some businesses struggle
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (KCTV) — It’s been a week since the World Cup began in Kansas City, but some local businesses aren’t feeling the expected influx in traffic and are asking for support.
On Thursday, KC2026 provided numbers for the FIFA Fan Festival and the ConnectKC26 transportation system.
From June 11 to June 16, KC2026 said more than 63,000 people attended the FIFA Fan Festival.
There are mixed results for where everyone is from:
- 52% from Kansas or Missouri
- 33% from the United States
- 15% from out of the country
As of 2 p.m. on June 17, ConnectKC26 has a total of 86,540 registered passes.
Breakdown of routes from KC2026:
- Stadium Direct: 57,302
- Regional Direct: 17,284
- Airport Direct: 11,954
As for business traffic, it depends on where you look. Some businesses in the Country Club Plaza said they’ve seen an uptick, especially on the first match day.
“We just had a really fun time with all of the fans, and I think we did a good job preparing for it,” said KC Style Haus Owner, Deserae Minor.
But many businesses are sharing their disappointment online.
‘Ghost town’
Caitlin Benedict, who owns Bisou, a European-style coffee and pastry shop, took to Instagram after shopping at a Crossroads night market.
“We are all in this together, it sucks. It was dead. It’s been dead everywhere,” said Bisou Owner, Caitlin Benedict.
After sharing her disappointment online, she saw an uptick in business on Thursday.
“It’s nice when the community can help out, and you can back up your own hometown at the same time,” said Janet Garciga, who drove in from Lee’s Summit to visit Bisou.
“I don’t want them to just come to Bisou, and I don’t want it to just be for a day. I want them to go everywhere else, and I want them to support everyone else, and consistently, especially for the next month and a half while FIFA is here,” said Benedict.
She heard from businesses experiencing the same issues in Mission, other spots downtown, Kansas City, Kansas, and Overland Park.
Down the road in the Crossroads, Buffalo State Pizza saw fans for the French match on Tuesday.
“But after that, I mean, we even close early on Tuesday because that was, it was dead,” said Buffalo State Pizza Owner, Phillippe Lechevin.
Shopping bags and matchas aren’t filling up at Dear Society either.
“The 10 years that I’ve been here in Kansas City. I have seen a lot of these big events coming into town, and we’ve been told to prepare and get ready for these huge crowds. And to be honest, after the NFL draft and after so many things that I’ve seen in 10 years, I didn’t do anything different,” said Dear Society Owner, Chanel Jezek. “I kind of knew. I had a feeling like we weren’t going to be as busy as they were projecting because they’ve done this to us before.”
Multiple factors = slow traffic
All three, Bisou, Buffalo State Pizza, and Dear Society, said there isn’t really someone to blame, but rather multiple factors that could be part of the issues.
A lot of eateries in town added a 20% automatic gratuity to bills, Bisou and Buffalo State Pizza decided not to take part, but worry that it is keeping locals away.
Visit KC projected 650,000 visitors throughout the entire tournament, and these businesses wonder if the possibility of large crowds and no parking is also keeping residents at home.
“I think we lost a lot of the regular ones. You know, the number was shown earlier back in February, you know, the 600,000 people. People who have the option to work from home, but maybe they didn’t want to deal with the traffic, since there’s no traffic. So hopefully they’re going to come back,” said Lechevin. “People may realize, actually, you know, it’s not as crazy as it is. I can still park in my regular spot and have lunch at my regular spot without being, you know, charged an extra amount.”
Jezek said she’d love to see KC2026 and FIFA add more locally owned businesses on their website so fans know where to find them.
“We are not seeing an increase in traffic on the streets. We are not crowded like they were predicting. You can still come in. You can still support your local businesses, your favorite coffee shops, your favorite places to grab your gifts, or whatever. We’re here. We’re slow. And there are more places to park,” said Jezek.
Benedict said it is an honor to have the World Cup here, but wants to see more honesty and support from leaders.
“I feel like it’s good for our city. It’s recognition. But at the same time, I want leadership to step in and say, okay, we didn’t get as many travelers as we should have,” said Benedict.
These businesses are hopeful that fans, locals, and other owners all come out and support these small shops throughout the metro during the World Cup and beyond.
“I would say just keep coming and supporting us and showing up,” said Jezek.
KCTV5 reached out to Visit KC, but did not have any numbers it could share at this time.
Mayor Quinton Lucas’ office shared the statement below after this story aired on Thursday:
“While the economic impact of a global event of this magnitude will naturally vary by business and by neighborhood, Mayor Lucas is encouraged by what he is hearing from Kansas City’s entertainment and hospitality sectors. Hotels, bars, and restaurants reported strong activity as Kansas City welcomed tens of thousands of guests for the opening match. As we look toward this weekend’s games and the remainder of the tournament, we’ll continue to highlight opportunities for our visitors and residents alike to join in the fun and celebration of this one in a generation moment.”
Businesses are hopeful that the longer the World Cup goes on, the more people will show up. KCTV5 plans to check in with these businesses throughout the tournament to see if traffic picks up.
Copyright 2026 KCTV. All rights reserved.
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