Kansas

Town hall focused on youth crime held in Kansas City

Published

1 year ago

October 29, 2024

Town hall focused on youth crime held in Kansas City

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (KCTV) – Jackson County leaders and experts came together Monday to hold a town hall geared toward youth crime in Kansas City. A panel discussed what is driving it, what they are doing to address it, and potential steps towards solutions to the problem.

“Seeing safe and peaceful communities starts with us,” said Adam McClun, the Director of Programs and Operations at KC Common Good. “It starts with our families and our kids and also asking ourselves the question are we reaching? Are we serving those most impacted by violence and those who are closest to violence?”

Representatives from KC Common Good, the Kansas City Missouri Police Department, Circuit Court of Jackson County, and Kansas City Public Schools all took turns sharing information. Major Leslie Foreman, with KCPD’s Central Patrol Division, brought up juvenile crime statistics. She said while there are several reasons it’s harder to get the numbers for certain juvenile crimes, they are able to keep stats for violent crimes like homicide.

“When we look at homicide suspects that are juveniles — these are identified suspects — doesn’t mean they have been charged necessarily, just that we believe we know who they are,” said Foreman. “In 2019, we had 17. In 2020, we had 6. 2021, we had 7. 2022, we had 14. 2023, we had 16. So far this year we have had 13. Homicide victims that are juveniles: In 2019 it was 11 of them. 2020 it was 10. 2021 it was 15. 2022, 12. 2023, 19. This year to date 14.”

Monica Penrose, the acting juvenile officer for the Circuit Court of Jackson County, discussed what they are doing to address offenders in the juvenile system.

“We receive hundreds of referrals each year,” said Penrose. “Many of them are actually minor types of offenses where we are able to put them in a diversion program and put their parents through services as well. We have parents bring their children to our offices asking for help. In our diversion program, over 92% of the youth referred to that program and go through the services do not re-offend.”

Another program that is working for kids in Kansas City Public Schools is a mentorship program, according to Dr. Derald Davis, the Deputy Superintendent and Chief Equity Officer.

“Our data shows that students with mentors have higher attendance, fewer disciplinary infractions, they are graduating on time at a higher rate versus those without mentors,” said Davis. “So essentially, students with support are thriving in school.”

He added they can always use more volunteers to sign up as mentors.

“Currently there are more than 350 students on the waiting list,” said Davis. “That means the student has asked for a mentor and parents have signed a permission slip. But to be fair, once there are 10 students on a waiting list at a particular school, we don’t accept any more permission slips. So the need is actually greater.”

Other ideas brought up to address youth crime include expanding community partnerships, putting more funding in crime prevention and programs, and going directly to the source and helping kids who are already in trouble get the support they need to prevent them from doing it again.

“”We just released the Kansas City public safety plan,” said Gary Jones Jr., the KC 360 Manager with KC Common Good. “Phase one of that is intervention.”

KC United for Public Safety just announced a plan earlier this month to make Kansas City safer. It’s called KC 360 and the five pillars of the plan are prevention, intervention, enforcement support, and support services.

The goal of the plan is to reduce gun violence by 50 percent in five years, and have fewer than 100 homicides annually.

All on the panel agreed there are several things that can be worked on, but it won’t be an overnight fix.

“Understand there is a root cause to that we have to address as well,” said Jones Jr. “It’s one thing to brand the crisis and the issue, but I think Kansas City has to take time to brand the solutions as well. And that’s what we has not been doing thus far.”

KC Common Good has more information on how to get involved on its website.

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Kansas

RESULTS: NE Kansas high schools to play Friday after Tuesday sub-state wins

Published

7 hours ago

March 4, 2026

Press Room

RESULTS: NE Kansas high schools to play Friday after Tuesday sub-state wins

TOPEKA, Kan. (WIBW) – Below is a look at the results from Tuesday night’s high school basketball sub-state semifinals in Northeast Kansas.

Editor’s Note: This story will be updated with what schools are hosting when that information becomes readily available.

WIBW Scoreboard

BOYS

5A East Boys: Tuesday’s sub-state semifinal results

KC Washington 68, Highland Park 38
Shawnee Heights 49, De Soto 37 (will play Leavenworth Friday)

5A West Boys: Tuesday’s sub-state semifinal results

Topeka West 55, Hutchinson 32 (will play Bishop Carroll Friday)
Emporia 61, Great Bend 41 (will play Maize South Friday)
Seaman 73, Valley Center 51 (will play Hays Friday)

3A West Franklin Boys: Tuesday’s sub-state semifinal results

Burlington 60, Osage City 35 (will play Baxter Springs Friday)

3A Sabetha Boys: Tuesday’s sub-state semifinal results

Hiawatha 73, Oskaloosa 48 (will play Heritage Christian Friday)
Silver Lake 58, Sabetha 39 (will play Perry-Lecompton Friday 7:30 p.m.)

GIRLS

6A West Girls: Tuesday’s sub-state semifinal results

Washburn Rural 60, Wichita South 32 (will play Derby)
Topeka High 69, Maize 45 (will play Liberal)
Manhattan 67, Free State 21 (will play Wichita East)

4A East Girls: Tuesday’s sub-state semifinal results

Rock Creek 71, Parsons 23 (will play Tonganoxie)
Wamego 54, Labette County 33 (will play Bishop Miege)
Hayden 2, Athison 0 (will play Baldwin)

2A Eskridge/Mission Valley Girls: Tuesday’s sub-state semifinal results

Rossville 71, KC Christian 49 (will play Maur Hill-Mount Academy)
Lyndon 61, Jeff. Co. North 31 (will play Valley Heights)
Valley Heights 65, Doniphan West 41 (will play Lyndon)

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Kansas

Doe v. State of Kansas | American Civil Liberties Union

Published

19 hours ago

March 3, 2026

Press Room

Doe v. State of Kansas | American Civil Liberties Union

In early 2026, the Kansas state legislature passed SB 244, a law which prohibits transgender people from using public restrooms on government property that align with their gender identity and establishes a private right of action that allows anyone who suspects someone is transgender and in violation of the law to sue that person for “damages” totaling $1,000.

The law also invalidates state-issued driver’s licenses with updated gender markers that reflect the carrier’s gender identity. In February 2026, transgender people across the state received letters from the state Department of Revenue’s Division of Vehicles informing them that their driver’s licenses “will no longer be valid,” effective immediately. SB 244 also prohibits transgender Kansans – or those born in Kansas – from updating the gender marker on state-issued birth certificates and driver’s licenses in the future.

The same day SB 244 went into effect, the American Civil Liberties Union, the ACLU of Kansas, and Ballard Spahr LLP filed a lawsuit challenging SB 244 in the District Court of Douglas County on behalf of two transgender men who had their driver’s licenses invalidated under the law. The lawsuit charges that SB 244 violates the Kansas Constitution’s protections for personal autonomy, privacy, equality under the law, due process, and freedom of speech.

“The invalidation of state-issued IDs threatens to out transgender people against their will every time they apply for a job, rent an apartment, or interact with police,” said Harper Seldin, Senior Staff Attorney for the ACLU’s LGBTQ & HIV Rights Project. “Taken as a whole, SB 244 is a transparent attempt to deny transgender people autonomy over their own identities and push them out of public life altogether.”

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Kansas City man sentenced for cocaine trafficking, possession of illegal firearm

Published

1 day ago

March 3, 2026

Press Room

Kansas City man sentenced for cocaine trafficking, possession of illegal firearm

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (KCTV) – A Kansas City man was sentenced in federal court for his role in a drug trafficking conspiracy and possession of an illegal firearm.

According to the United States District Court for the Western District of Missouri, 22-year-old Antoine R. Gillum was sentenced to 10 years in federal prison without parole.

His sentencing stems from a June 2024 incident in a metro gas station. KCPD investigators contacted Gillum inside and found that he had discarded a 9 mm pistol in an aisle between the merchandise. He also discarded a pill bottle containing multiple illegal substances: cocaine base, oxycodone/acetaminophen and oxycodone.

Officers searched the vehicle Gillum had arrived in and found approximately 32 grams of cocaine base.

On May 6, 2025, Gillum pleaded guilty to one count each of possession with intent to distribute cocaine and possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime.

This case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Jessica Jennings. It’s a part of ‘Operation Take Back America,’ a nationwide Department of Justice initiative to eliminate cartels and transnational criminal organizations.

No further information has been released.

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