City Council votes to insource animal control services back to Kansas City
KC Pet Project's current . It was extended by one year in 2024.
Last week, Forest Decker, Kansas City's director of Neighborhood Services, told FOX4 the city issued an request for proposal for a new vendor.
KC Pet Project has outsourced services to the city since 2020, but some city leaders and residents raised concerns about slow response times, among other issues.
Hotel closure reveals reduction of crime near I-70, Noland
KC Pet Project saw major changes in December, when two chief officers .
Steve Kaufman, KC Pet Project's interim CEO, spoke with FOX4 before Thursday's meeting and said 'if the city takes over animal control again, it would be a sad day for Kansas Citians who want to see animal services improve.
Last month, Kansas City's Director of Neighborhood Services Forest Decker said the city plan would include 10 animal control officers that are on duty at all times.
The nonprofit also tried to make the case that putting animal control in house again would cost the city nearly $600,000 annually.
Download the FOX4 News app on iPhone and Android
KC Pet project will continue to operate its animal shelter at Swope Park.
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


New York Post
2 hours ago
- New York Post
Elon Musk threatens Apple with legal action, reignites OpenAI feud over alleged antitrust violations
Elon Musk threatened Apple with a lawsuit – and launched a testy back-and-forth on X with OpenAI's Sam Altman as he accused the App Store of violating antitrust laws by unfairly favoring ChatGPT over Musk's Grok chatbot. 'Apple is behaving in a manner that makes it impossible for any AI company besides OpenAI to reach #1 in the App Store, which is an unequivocal antitrust violation. xAI will take immediate legal action,' Musk wrote in a post on his social media platform X Monday. He added that X and his Grok AI chatbot are excluded from the App Store's 'Must Have' list when the apps rank as #1 in news and #5 overall, respectively – asking if Apple is 'playing politics.' 3 Elon Musk threatened Apple with legal action as he accused its App Store of antitrust violations. Getty Images Apple did not immediately respond to The Post's request for comment. In response to Musk's accusations, Altman wrote in a post: 'This is a remarkable claim given what I have heard alleged that Elon does to manipulate X to benefit himself and his own companies and harm his competitors and people he doesn't like.' The war of words quickly devolved into mudslinging over follower counts. 'You got 3M views on your bulls— post, you liar, far more than I've received on many of mine, despite me having 50 times your follower count!' Musk wrote late on Monday. Altman said a 'skill issue' or 'bots' were to blame for Musk receiving fewer views on some of his posts. 'Will you sign an affidavit that you have never directed changes to the X algorithm in a way that has hurt your competitors or helped your own companies?' Altman pressed, adding that he would 'apologize if so.' Musk posted about an hour later: 'Scam Altman lies as easily as he breathes.' Last year, Apple partnered with OpenAI to integrate ChatGPT into its iPhone, iPad, Mac laptop and desktop products. At the time, Musk warned that 'if Apple integrates OpenAI at the OS level, then Apple devices will be banned at my companies. That is an unacceptable security violation.' It's just the latest in a yearslong feud between Musk and OpenAI, which the billionaire parted ways with in 2018 after co-founding the AI firm in 2015. 3 Elon Musk questioned why X and his Grok AI chatbot are excluded from the App Store's 'Must Have' list. Apple In February 2024, Musk filed a lawsuit against OpenAI and Altman, accusing them of betraying the firm's nonprofit mission by partnering with Microsoft. He withdrew the suit in June but refiled it two months later. Prior to the verbal sparring session, Musk had cheered Grok's performance on the App Store – rising past Google as the fifth top free app. 3 OpenAI chief Sam Altman pressed Elon Musk to sign an affidavit in the pair's latest verbal spat. AP xAI released its latest chatbot version, Grok 4, last month, while OpenAI unveiled GPT-5 on Thursday. Musk's legal threats come soon after Robert Keele, who led the legal department at xAI, announced he left the company to spend time with his family – though he added there was 'daylight between our worldviews' with Musk. OpenAI and xAI did not immediately respond to The Post's requests for comment. Apple is currently facing a landmark lawsuit from the Department of Justice that alleges the company maintains an illegal monopoly over smartphones. And in June, Apple lost a plea to halt changes to its App Store from a ruling that the company could no longer charge a commission on payment links inside its apps.


CNBC
4 hours ago
- CNBC
Musk-Altman battle escalates as Tesla CEO drags Apple into the spat
There's a new company at the center of the intensifying battle between Elon Musk and Sam Altman: Apple. Musk and Altman, who helped start OpenAI a decade ago with a group of other co-founders, had a public falling out that led to a legal fight last year, with Musk accusing Altman of breach of contract for abandoning the artificial intelligence company's founding mission. The back-and-forth war of words and lawsuits took another dramatic turn on Monday, when Musk threatened Apple with "immediate" legal action over alleged antitrust violations. Musk's complaint, which he voiced on his social media site X, is that Apple favors OpenAI's ChatGPT over X's Grok chatbot in the App Store. "Apple is behaving in a manner that makes it impossible for any AI company besides OpenAI to reach #1 in the App Store, which is an unequivocal antitrust violation," Musk wrote, without citing evidence. "xAI will take immediate legal action." Apple partnered with OpenAI in mid-2024 to integrate ChatGPT into its iPhone, iPad, Mac laptop and desktop products. Readers added context to Musk's post, pointing out that China's DeepSeek reached the top spot in the App Store in January of this year, and that Perplexity was No. 1 in India in July. Altman quickly responded to Musk's accusations. "This is a remarkable claim given what I have heard alleged that Elon does to manipulate X to benefit himself and his own companies and harm his competitors and people he doesn't like," Altman wrote in a post on X Monday night. Altman referenced a 2023 report from tech news site Platformer that described how Musk, after acquiring Twitter (now X), made sweeping platform changes and "created a special system for showing you all his tweets first." Altman said that if Musk ended up filing a suit, he hoped it would lead to "counter-discovery on this," adding that he and many others "would love to know what's been happening." The feud continued into the morning hours on Tuesday. "You got 3M views on your bulls--- post, you liar, far more than I've received on many of mine, despite me having 50 times your follower count!" Musk wrote. Musk's X account indicates he has 224 million followers, but the company has never disclosed how many could be bots. Altman's account on X lists 3.9 million followers. Altman clapped back, asking if Musk would "sign an affidavit that you have never directed changes to the X algorithm in a way that has hurt your competitors" or helped his own companies, and said he would offer a personal apology in return. Neither Musk nor his attorneys responded to requests for comment. OpenAI referred CNBC to Altman's posts and the company's past statements. Apple declined to comment. Musk stepped down from the OpenAI board in 2018, after hiring another founding member of the startup, Andrej Karpathy, to run the Autopilot team at Tesla. Around the time he left OpenAI, Musk said he saw AI as "potentially more dangerous than nukes." As part of his lawsuit against OpenAI, Musk asked a federal court to stop the AI startup from converting into a fully for-profit business. Musk argued that OpenAI ditched its original mission as a nonprofit to develop AI "for the benefit of humanity broadly." A federal judge in California denied Musk's effort to halt the transformation. OpenAI has emerged as a massive commercial enterprise since the public launch of ChatGPT in late 2022, and is now in talks with investors about a stock sale that would value the company at roughly $500 billion, CNBC confirmed last week. Musk formed xAI in March 2023, announcing its debut four months later. Since then, he has raised billions of dollars for the company, merged it with X and called for Tesla, his only publicly traded business, to invest billions more into the AI company. In February, a Musk-led group of investors offered to buy control of OpenAI for $97.4 billion. Altman responded on X, saying, "no thank you but we will buy twitter for $9.74 billion if you want." In dragging Apple into the dispute, Musk has focused on the App Store, where ChatGPT is currently the top-ranked free app while Grok is fifth. Musk took issue with ChatGPT being listed as one of the store's "Must-Have Apps," a list that does not include Grok. "Why do you refuse to put either X or Grok in your 'Must Have' section when X is the #1 news app in the world and Grok is #5 among all apps? Are you playing politics?" Musk wrote in a post. Grok releases have been riddled with safety issues and concerns surrounding manipulation of the technology. In May, the chatbot promoted false claims about alleged "white genocide" in South Africa, leading Musk to write that the automatic responses were the result of an "unauthorized modification." In July, Grok responses across X included praise for Adolf Hitler. Musk's threats to Apple come as the iPhone maker faces pressure from regulators and competitors over App Store policies. A panel of judges in June denied Apple's emergency application to halt changes to its App Store that resulted from the company's legal battle with Epic Games. In 2021, a judge ruled that Apple could no longer prohibit developers from directing users away from the company's in-app purchasing, which brings with it up to 30% of gross sales.
Yahoo
4 hours ago
- Yahoo
Unplugged Relaunches UP Phone under New CEO with a Powerful Privacy System and All-New Experience
Led by Former Apple Product Leader Joe Weil, Unplugged's Flagship Smartphone Delivers a Private Alternative to Big Tech Devices LAS VEGAS, Aug. 12, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Unplugged today announced a major update to its privacy-first smartphone, UP Phone, alongside the official appointment of Joe Weil as CEO. Weil, who led special projects for Apple Services, was brought on earlier this year to lead the relaunch, restructure operations, and drive long-term growth. "More people are concerned about their smartphones than ever before. Instead of protecting our privacy, devices are subsidized by selling access to our private information. And while our phones give us access to so much of the world, they can also be used to filter and limit what we can see," said Joe Weil, CEO of Unplugged. "When it comes to these issues, Apple and Google take similar and symbiotic approaches, leaving many customers without a phone that's right for them. That's why we built Unplugged—because we believe in a future where a device serves the person who owns it, not the agendas of the company that made it." UP Phone: Breaking the Cycle of Data ExploitationDesigned to optimize privacy at every level, UP Phone integrates proprietary hardware and software like no other smartphone to protect customer privacy. With an on-device Firewall, multi-layered privacy protections, a refreshed OS, and an all-new user experience, UP Phone sets an entirely new standard for privacy with a device that is easy to use out of the box. At the core of UP Phone is a powerful on-device Firewall. More than just software, it's the foundational security infrastructure that enables UP Phone's privacy system across the OS and apps. The Firewall blocks third-party tracking and data harvesting attempts—and exposes the apps behind them—so customers can see their privacy protections in action. UP Phone's operating system, UnpluggedOS, is purpose-built for privacy, functioning independently from Big Tech ecosystems to eliminate surveillance and data harvesting at the source. UP Phone leverages open-source Android without Google Mobile Services (GMS)—preventing backdoor data collection and restoring customer autonomy. Independent Test Reveals UP Phone's Clear Privacy AdvantageIn tests conducted by cybersecurity firm Raxis, UP Phone outperformed Apple's iPhone 16 Pro and Samsung's Galaxy S25 in blocking third-party data harvesting connections and data transmissions. Within a one-hour testing window, Raxis monitored data activity across all three phones in their standard factory configuration while engaging with 33 widely used apps like Snapchat, Expedia, Spotify, Pinterest, The Weather Channel, and Nike. The test revealed that: iPhone performed 3,181 DNS requests to third-party tracking domains and sent and received a total of 210,748 data packets to the trackers during testing—even with "Ask app not to track" selected. Galaxy performed 1,368 DNS requests to third-party tracking domains and sent and received a total of 171,467 data packets to the trackers during testing. For UP Phone, no evidence in packet captures of DNS lookups or data packets sent or received from third-party tracking sites during testing. Fine-Tuned Privacy ControlsA streamlined dashboard displays key stats and settings at a glance, allowing customers to adjust features, monitor Firewall and VPN status, check the phone's last unlock time, and track screen time—all through intuitive controls designed for quick, effortless access. The Privacy Center app makes it simple to manage privacy settings in just a few taps. Firewall activity can be monitored in real time with visibility into how many third-party tracker attempts have been blocked, and the apps behind them. With Time Away, customers can see if there's been unauthorized access and exactly when their phone was last unlocked—helping them keep their personal data securely in their control. Streamlined controls allow customers to block intrusive ads and malware, restrict access to unwanted content such as adult and gambling websites, limit social media embeds and sharing, and disable the camera, microphone, USB data, outgoing NFC, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and location services. UP Phone provides fast and secure ways to access and protect data. Lost Mode erases all data after a user-defined period if the device is lost or stolen, helping to secure personal information. It restarts the device in a protected mode, which is designed to enhance security against physical extraction tools compared to the standard locked standby state. With Emergency Reset, data can be wiped from UP Phone using a designated unlock code—ensuring personal information never falls into the wrong hands. Scheduled Reboot lets customers set automatic times to clear cached data and eliminate potential malware, and boost privacy, security, and performance. Built-in, no-logs, VPN protection running in the background hides the IP address while traffic is being blocked. Customers can choose from dozens of routing geographies and three separate server protocols for greater privacy and control over their connection. Unlike other phones that are still active and exchanging data while powered off, UP Phone's Battery Disconnect Switch completely separates the battery from the circuits for secure power-off. Encrypted cloud storage makes it easy to move a photo library, favorites, and even named faces over to the Unplugged platform. For customers who don't want to use the cloud, UP Phone supports an SD card so customers can store photos and files locally up to 1TB. Brave, the privacy browser with built-in ad blockers and tracking protection, comes pre-installed as the default browser. Brave Search includes built-in privacy preserving AI that doesn't train on customer searches or maintain centralized databases of searches and AI conversation history. All-New Experience and Advanced FeaturesSuperior privacy protection doesn't mean sacrificing performance or usability—UP Phone delivers both a powerful and intuitive experience. A redesigned interface—with fresh icons, smarter navigation, and streamlined setup—makes getting started effortless and everyday use smooth, intuitive, and enjoyable. Customers can move faster, stay focused, and accomplish more with ease. The new App Center is uncensored, unbiased, and untracked— giving customers the freedom to access the apps they want without restrictions imposed by major app store ecosystems. UP Phone's striking 6.67-inch AMOLED display brings every detail to life in rich, vivid color and crisp definition. Powered by an octa-core Mediatek 1200 processor with 8GB of RAM, UP Phone delivers fast, efficient performance. The powerful rear triple-camera system captures vivid images with a 108MP high-resolution main lens, an 8MP ultra-wide lens, a 5MP macro lens, and a 13MP front-facing camera for selfies and video calls—all supported by software settings that help optimize focal length, lighting, and color. Committed to Open Source for Transparency and TrustUnplugged is building a transparent, open-source Android security solution. The Firewall is currently available as open source, with more projects to follow, allowing developers and security professionals to freely audit and verify UP Phone security. Made in AmericaUnplugged also announced plans for U.S.-based manufacturing later this year, creating jobs domestically, improving quality control, and reducing dependence on foreign supply chains. Pricing and Availability All prices listed are in U.S. dollars. UP Phone is available for $989 at and on including an in-store pick up option. Shipping starts in mid-September. Privacy services are offered through a $12.99 monthly or $129.99 annual subscription covering VPN, antivirus, messenger features, and cloud photo storage. Every phone includes one year of full service at no additional charge, and the device remains fully functional regardless of subscription status. A basic tier is available without subscription fees. Customers in the U.S. and Canada can pre-order UP Phone at with shipping beginning in mid-September. Free FedEx 2Day® Shipping in the U.S. on orders of $50 or more. Estimated delivery within 2 business days. Delivery times to ZIP codes in Alaska and Hawaii may differ from delivery times in the contiguous U.S. For shipments outside the U.S., charges will be reflected upon checkout. Customers are responsible for any import duties and taxes upon delivery. UP Phone is fully compatible with mobile service on major carriers, AT&T and T-Mobile. It's also compatible with mobile virtual network operators (MVNOs) utilizing their infrastructures, such as Patriot Mobile, Pond Mobile, Mint Mobile, Cricket Wireless, PureTalk, and Really. UP Phone accessories including premium cases by ITSKINS, screen protectors, fast chargers, and USB-C cables are available at with prices ranging from $19.99-$34.99. About UnpluggedUnplugged is a privacy-first technology company empowering digital freedom in an era of rising surveillance and data harvesting. Its flagship product, UP Phone, blocks tracking, data extraction, and behavioral profiling at the system level. Featuring a groundbreaking firewall that provides real-time visibility into third-party activity behind the screen and a robust suite of powerful privacy protections, Unplugged gives users a real choice for true privacy. Learn more at View original content to download multimedia: SOURCE Unplugged