Latest news with #KCUR
Yahoo
24-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Trans KU student spoke out about housing policy. Then he was fired from campus job
The University of Kansas is being sued by a former student employee who says he was fired after speaking to reporters about the elimination of gender-inclusive housing at his on-campus residence hall. The lawsuit was filed Thursday in U.S. District Court in Kansas City, Kan., on behalf of Anthony Alvarez, who recently completed his junior year at KU. He previously worked as a proctor, similar to a resident assistant, at Grace Pearson Scholarship Hall. Alvarez alleges he was fired in March for violating his employment agreement when he was quoted in a Feb. 27 KCUR article titled 'KU students protest housing changes they say will harm trans and nonbinary residents.' The complaint accuses KU of violating Alvarez's free speech and of retaliating against him. A KU spokesperson did not respond to a request for comment. In the article, Alvarez, who is transgender, expressed frustration with KU's plans to get rid of a gender-neutral bathroom in the dorm and to prohibit students there from sharing dorms with people whose gender on file with the university is different from their own. KU's website defines gender-inclusive housing assignments as 'a housing option in which two or more students share a multiple-occupancy space, in mutual agreement, regardless of the students' sex, gender identity, and/or gender expression.' Dozens of students protested the changes, which were announced in a Feb. 5 email to Grace Pearson residents. Alvarez was one of three trans students quoted in the KCUR article, which noted that he was a proctor at the dorm. Alvarez says he was speaking as a trans person who would be affected by the policy — not as a representative of the university. KU did not eliminate gender-inclusive housing at all dorms, but advised that Grace Pearson residents who want to retain gender-inclusive assignments should apply at a different scholarship hall for the 2025-26 school year. In addition to the university, the lawsuit names as defendants Sarah Waters and Emily Chellgren, respectively the director and assistant director of KU Housing and Residence Life. It alleges that in a March 7 meeting with Chellgren, Alvarez was placed on probation until March 13 and told he had violated several provisions of his employment agreement. 'The first provision states in part that '(Staff will) demonstrate a commitment to personal integrity, such as modeling good judgment, ethical behavior, and adherence to laws and policies,'' according to the lawsuit. 'The second provision states in part that '(Staff will) refer a student's parents, relatives, friends, and/or the media (press) to your supervisor. Unless otherwise designated, the Director of Residence Life, in conjunction with KU Strategic Communications & Public Affairs will respond to all media inquiries.'' Alvarez was allegedly directed to submit a letter rescinding his acceptance of a similar proctor position at a different KU dorm for the 2025-26 school year. According to the lawsuit, one day after receiving a letter that said he had three days to appeal the probation decision, Alvarez received a separate letter informing him that he had been terminated, effective immediately. 'Chellgren stated that Plaintiff's termination was based on the conduct which led to his probationary status — speaking to a member of the press — and on alleged additional policy violations since the March 7 meeting,' the suit states. In addition to losing his salary, Alvarez was allegedly told he would lose his dorm room in Grace Pearson and his university meal plan, which was tied to the proctor position. The lawsuit said Alvarez suffered economic harm, damage to his reputation, emotional distress, and the loss of constitutionally protected employment opportunities. 'Defendants lack any legitimate, non-retaliatory justification for Plaintiff's termination, and any such justification offered is merely pretextual,' according to the lawsuit, which requests that the university pay for Alvarez's legal fees and any other damages. On Friday, the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression, or FIRE, a national free speech group, sent a letter to KU condemning its decision to terminate Alvarez. 'Anthony Alvarez was unfairly punished for speaking to the media about an issue he cares deeply about in a personal capacity,' Ross Marchand, an attorney for the group, told The Star in an email. Marchand said the assertion that student employees must get advance approval from administrators before speaking with reporters is both unlawful and at odds with KU's media guidelines and practices, which encourage employees to 'respond to media inquiries on topics on which they are experts or over which they have administrative authority.' Marchand said KU employees have 'wide discretion to speak with reporters in their personal capacity.' 'KU Housing should follow the law and university policy and drop the related sanctions on Alvarez.'
Extra.ie
24-04-2025
- Extra.ie
Teen who fatally shot Irish chef had gun aged 10, court hears
A teenage boy charged with murder in the fatal shooting of an Irish chef in the US began carrying a gun when he was 10 years old, a court has heard. The teenager, now 15, who has only been identified in US courts by his initials KH due to his age, will find out in the coming weeks if he is to be tried as an adult for the murder of Shaun Brady. Mr Brady, a chef from Nenagh, Co Tipperary, was shot and killed outside his restaurant in Kansas City, Missouri, in August 2024. The married father-of-two, who owned and co-managed the Brady and Fox Restaurant and Lounge, was reportedly trying to stop a car break-in when he was shot. Police said they responded to a report of a shooting in a car park next to several businesses in late August on 63rd and Rockhill in Kansas City, Missouri, where Mr Brady's Irish restaurant was located. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Brady's KC (@bradyskansascity) Officers said that from their initial inquiries, Mr Brady was taking out rubbish when he saw several people beside a vehicle in the car park. After an interaction with them, Mr Brady was shot. Two teenage boys, both under 18, were arrested in connection with the shooting. Prosecutors in the US have argued that the crime was too violent for juvenile court. However, defence lawyers have described how the teenager was forced into a life of crime since he was 10 in order to feed himself. The court heard that KH had been exposed to violent crime from a young age and had survived cancer three times before he turned 10. He had also experienced abuse, homelessness and drug use in his short life. Irish chef Shaun Brady Pic: GoFundMe '15 is a young age, but why would you take a gun and then try and steal a car, there's no excuse,' said David Grace, a friend of Mr Brady's, speaking outside the court on Tuesday. Mr Grace added: 'I'm compassionate for people who are underserved by society – I am. But I do draw the line when you take a gun to steal a car. It doesn't excuse the act. That's my case.' The judge said she will issue her decision on whether KH will be tried as an adult by May 14. KH's father has since hit out at the US justice system and claimed that the juvenile system 'overlooked' his son. Speaking to local station KCUR, the father of the boys said that his younger son's mental health issues had been overlooked and that his previous run-ins with the law had not resulted in him being treated properly by the juvenile system.
Yahoo
11-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
KC radio host says mayor and aide tried to get him fired, offered quid pro quo
A former KCUR employee says in a new lawsuit that Mayor Quinton Lucas and a high-level aide attempted to have him fired after he participated in a protest at City Hall. The suit, filed by Hartzell Gray on Wednesday in Jackson County Circuit Court, is a First Amendment retaliation claim that names the City Of Kansas City and Lucas' former chief of staff, Morgan Said, as defendants. The city, Gray claims, 'attempted to force KCUR to terminate (him), worked to destroy his reputation, and caused various other harms that further serve to chill his First Amendment activities.' Gray was a KCUR radio host in 2022. He was also publicly involved in the renters-rights group KC Tenants, speaking regularly at its rallies and protests. In August of that year, Gray attended a city council meeting alongside about 50 other members of KC Tenants. The group was there to protest an ordinance, supported by Lucas, that relaxed affordable housing requirements for developers. Though the measure passed, KC Tenants disrupted the meeting with chants, and one of its leaders was arrested and escorted out of council chambers. The council prematurely adjourned the meeting. That night, according to Gray's lawsuit, Said contacted KCUR news director Lisa Rodriguez and told her 'something to the effect of: The Mayor's Office believes that KCUR does good work and is very fair with its reporting, but (Gray's) personal and political activities could reflect poorly on the station and damage how people see KCUR.' At many news organizations, including The Star, ethics policies prohibit journalists from participating in political protests to avoid the appearance of bias. NPR revised its policy in 2021 to state that journalists can 'sometimes' participate in protests. KCUR, which is a member station of NPR, doesn't address the issue in its Ethics and Practices policy posted online. Gray says that after Said's call to Rodriguez, a KCUR supervisor pulled him off his weekend shift, causing him to lose pay and fear for further retaliation. His suit also alleges that Said followed up with Rodriguez a week later to see what steps had been taken to 'fix the issue.' KCUR, Gray says, 'acted in a manner so as to not potentially upset the mayor, fearing the consequences of losing any remaining access to City Hall,' the suit says. But Gray also included in his lawsuit a text from Rodriguez where she appears to take issue with Said's behavior. 'Wanted to let you know that I think the call I got from the mayor's office was not cool, and I plan to follow up with Morgan about not issuing vague threats when our coverage is more than fair,' Rodriguez told Gray, according to the suit. 'Still, I'd love to chat about how you can support the causes you're passionate about in a way that doesn't make the newsroom's work more difficult.' Gray parted ways with KCUR roughly a year later, in the fall of 2023. It is not clear if he was fired or quit. He posted on X in 2024 that he had been 'fired for (his) advocacy,' though that might have been a reference to his work as an emcee at Sporting KC games, a role he also no longer holds. KCUR, which is not named as a defendant, declined to comment for this story, saying only that it was aware of the lawsuit but that its policy is to not comment on pending litigation. '(Gray) feels that if not for actions taken by the city, he would perhaps be in a different situation at KCUR,' Gray's attorney, Madison McBratney, told The Star in an interview Thursday. The lawsuit also alleges that Said attempted to appease Gray by offering him what amounted to a quid pro quo. Gray says he brought up the conversations between KCUR and Said to Lucas after running into him a few months after the incident, and that Lucas said 'something to the effect of, 'Ya, you know, I heard about that,'' and changed the subject. In March 2023, Gray says he saw Said and raised the issue with her. They scheduled a coffee meeting. At that meeting, Gray says, Said 'was both apologizing and justifying her actions regarding calling for (Gray's) job.' She then said, according to Gray: 'What do you want?' Gray says in the complaint that he took this to mean, 'What can the mayor give you for your silence?' Said offered Gray seats on two city boards, Gray says: the Commission on Reparations and the Economic Development Corporation of Kansas City. Gray left the meeting but, 'concerned by what was taking place,' did not follow up. The lawsuit suggests that Lucas must have been aware of the offer because 'he is the only person who can appoint individuals to city boards and commissions.' Lucas critiqued the basis of the lawsuit in a statement provided to The Star. 'The claim at its core appears to be an employment suit between a former employee, Mr. Gray, and his former employer, KCUR, that endeavors to cast blame unfairly on the City and our former colleague and friend,' Lucas said. 'The Mayor and the City visit regularly with the press, sharing facts, honest opinions, and feedback. We will leave it to KCUR an explanation for their own employment decisions. The claims against the City lack merit.' Said — who formally stepped down last year — referred The Star to the mayor's comments. Responding to Lucas' comments, Gray's attorney, McBratney, told The Star, 'I find it interesting that he is trying to make this about the actions of KCUR but is not denying any of the allegations about the actions of the mayor's office.' McBratney added that Gray's experience was especially troubling in light of other recent events coming out of City Hall. Those include a whistleblower suit filed by a former city employee who alleged that city manager Brian Platt suggested the city's communications staff lie to local media about the city's activities and accomplishments; a jury ordered the city to pay the employee $930,000, and Platt was fired last month. And earlier this week, leadership at The Star and several other local media outlets, including KCUR, issued an open letter urging Lucas and the city to restore transparency that has eroded under Lucas and Platt's tenure. 'It is starting to seem like we have a situation where not only are press outlets not able to get information from City Hall, they are essentially threatened with punishment if they don't follow a directive from the government,' McBratney said. The Star's Mike Hendricks contributed to this report.
Cedar News
19-03-2025
- Automotive
- Cedar News
VIDEO: a fire damaged two Tesla Cybertrucks at the dealership in KANSAS CITY, MISSOURI
KANSAS CITY, MISSOURI – Federal agents and local police are investigating a fire that damaged two Tesla Cybertrucks at the dealership on State Line Road near 103rd Street, KCUR reports. THE VIDEO:
Yahoo
13-03-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Kansas City transit meetings held amid potential route cuts
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — The Kansas City Area Transportation Authority will discuss possible service changes during a meeting Thursday. Service reductions may be necessary due to growing expenses and a lack of funding. KCUR first reported about the possible cuts and financial challenges on Wednesday, citing documents it obtained. Transit leaders discuss World Cup transportation plans According to the president of KCATA, despite financial difficulties, the organization's mission is still to support and organize transportation for regular bus passengers. The KCATA operates as many as 78 bus routes in seven counties on both sides of the state line. However, 150 union workers and up to 15 of those routes might be included in some upcoming budget cuts. The KCATA president claims that the organization is experiencing financial difficulties during this transitional period. The proposed service cuts that will be discussed at their public meetings are the consequence of rising public transportation costs in the years following the COVID-19 pandemic and the exhaustion of federal pandemic insurance. Local nonprofit still waiting for answers on federal grant money The Cares Act provided funding for the few years that bus service was free for passengers, but that funding is beginning to run out. The in-person meeting is Thursday from 5 to 7 p.m. at the East Village Transit Center. If you can't make the in-person meeting, there is a virtual meeting on Friday from noon to 1 p.m. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
