A combination of public subsidy from Kansas City and its port authority to assist in the relocation of two federal agencies to downtown could reach up to $26 million. The USDA announced earlier this year that the Kansas City region beat out 135 other cities to host the Economic Research Service and National Institute of Food and Research, which combined account for about 500 jobs. The USDA, through federal the landlord, the General Services Administration, started scouting locations in both Kansas and Missouri. On Friday, The Star reported that an office building at 805 Pennsylvania Avenue in downtown Kansas City was [...]

It was the disasters in Flint and Newark — where low-income communities were poisoned by lead-contaminated drinking water —that inspired Olathe retiree Ullyses Wright to become a first-time candidate. “It seems to me that a public entity, serving the public, needs to be representative of the public,” said Wright, one of three contenders for an open seat on the WaterOne board, which oversees Johnson County’s water supply. “People need to speak up for people of color and people with different socioeconomic backgrounds, especially thinking about what happened in Flint and now Newark.” (Read more: KC Star Local News)

A Lawrence man shot by a police officer during a traffic stop for a seat belt violation last summer is suing the city and police department in federal court. The suit, which was originally filed in Douglas County District Court last month, was removed to federal court this week. Akira Lewis claims officers from the Lawrence Police Department used excessive force when attempting to take him into custody after he asked to speak to a supervisor when he was pulled over in the 100 block of West Sixth Street in May 2018. (Read more: KC Star Local News)

Overland Park’s downtown has gone from quaint to contemporary. Lenexa built a downtown from the ground up. And while the hearts of other Johnson County cities are transforming, Shawnee’s downtown has remained stagnant. But many say that’s starting to change. Millions of dollars of new investment — from private developers, business owners and the city — are breathing new life into the area that many said has been depressed for decades. (Read more: KC Star Local News)

About 30 police officers in Kansas City, Kansas, will be outfitted with body-worn cameras from different companies for the next month, the department said Monday. The officers will receive training from each company and report their experiences with the cameras as part of a multi-vendor evaluation. Police officials then expect to pick a company to buy from, the department said in a statement. (Read more: KC Star Local News)

The Rev. Thomas Johnson may not be a household name, but residents of Johnson County, patrons of the Shawnee Mission School District and those in the Shawnee Mission U.S. Postal area are beholden to him. In 1830, Johnson arrived in unorganized Kansas Territory as a missionary at the behest of Shawnee Indian Chief Fish, who wanted a training school for Native American children. Fish was born William Jackson, then adopted and renamed by the Shawnee, said historian John Forbes. (Read more: KC Star Local News)

Telephone and internet service provider CenturyLink received millions of dollars in Kansas economic development incentives. But apparently it wasn’t enough. CenturyLink informed employees in July of its decision not to renew a longstanding lease at 600 New Century Parkway in Gardner’s New Century AirCenter. The lease will expire on June 30 of next year. (Read more: KC Star Local News)

A former employee has sued the Unified Government of Wyandotte County/Kansas City, Kansas, not quite two weeks after a jury convicted her boss of misdemeanor battery against her. Madeline Waldeck sued the UG on Friday for discrimination, harassment and retaliation stemming from its handling of her complaints that former director of general services, Dennis “Tib” Laughlin, created a hostile work environment toward her, culminating in a 2018 incident in which he grabbed and pushed her. (Read more: KC Star Local News)

Shawnee Mayor Michelle Distler often has viewed her city’s attractive homes, walkable downtown and abundant green space as a well-kept secret. But now the secret’s out. For the first time, a piece of this Johnson County suburb is ranked as one of the country’s “hottest ZIP codes” by realtor.com, a national real estate website. The neighborhood along Nieman Road and Johnson Drive — and its accompanying 66203 ZIP code — came in fourth in the nation. (Read more: KC Star Local News)

The University of Kansas Hospital and St. Luke’s Hospital again topped U.S. News & World Report’s rankings of best hospitals in Kansas City. North Kansas City Hospital and AdventHealth Shawnee Mission (formerly Shawnee Mission Medical Center) also earned high marks in the rankings released Monday. It was the 10th straight year the news website has ranked KU as best in the Kansas City area. (Read more: KC Star Local News)