Latest news with #Missouri
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Business
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Travis Kelce Quietly Approves Of Taylor Swift Buying Back Her Masters
Singer Taylor Swift has some good news to share, and Travis Kelce is right there to help her enjoy every moment of it! The "Cruel Summer" singer revealed on Friday, May 30, that she had finally bought back the rights to her music catalog after Scooter Braun picked up her masters in 2019. After several years, Swift revealed that Shamrock Capital had finally agreed to give her back the rights to her music with "no strings attached." Over five million people liked Taylor Swift's announcement within three hours of her post, and the Kansas City Chiefs' tight end was one of them, once again showing his support for his girlfriend. Comments were disabled on the post, but fans were quick to celebrate on social media platforms like X, the website formerly known as Twitter, and Reddit. 'You belong with me,' she wrote in the caption along with heart emojis of various colors. Photos showed Swift sitting on the floor, dressed in a blue shirt and jeans, with her albums spread around her to celebrate the fact that her music is, once again, hers. Following her announcement, Swift's first name, 'taylor,' started trending online along with 'Rep TV' and '1989 TV.' One of her songs, 'Better Than Revenge,' was also trending, along with 'Debut TV' and 'Swiftie.' Although 'Fearless (Taylor's Version),' 'Red (Taylor's Version),' "Speak Now (Taylor's Version),' and '1989 (Taylor's Version),' have already been released, fans are concerned that she might never release 'Reputation (Taylor's Version)' after a shocking revelation she made in her lengthy letter. In her lengthy letter, the 'Love Story' singer revealed that although she has completed re-recording her debut album, the same can't be said for 'Reputation (Taylor's Version),' which would be the last album to be released. 'Full transparency: I haven't even re-recorded a quarter of it. The Reputation album was so specific to that time in my life, and I kept hitting a stopping point when I tried to remake it,' she revealed. 'All that defiance, that longing, to be understood while feeling purposely misunderstood, that desperate hope, that shame-born snarl and mischief.' 'To be perfectly honest, it's the one album in those first 6 that I thought couldn't be improved upon by redoing it,' she continued. 'Not the music, or photos, or videos. So I kept putting it off. There will be a time (if you're into the idea) for the unreleased Vault tracks from that album to watch.' However, there is good news for fans who are looking forward to the release of her debut album, as she revealed that it is already finished. Although she admitted that she loves how it sounds, she did not hint at a release date for the new music. 'I've already completely re-recorded my entire debut album, and I really love how it sounds now,' she wrote. 'Those 2 albums can still have their moments to re-emerge when the time is right, if that would be something you guys would be excited about.' 'But if it happens, it won't be from a place of sadness and longing for what I wish I could have,' she added. 'It will just be a celebration now.' Although Scooter Braun told The Hollywood Reporter that he is 'happy for her,' he had no part to play in this recent development, despite recent reports. One insider told PEOPLE magazine on Friday that he did not 'encourage' the sale in any way. 'Contrary to a previous false report, there was no outside party who 'encouraged' this sale. All rightful credit for this opportunity should go to the partners at Shamrock Capital and Taylor's Nashville-based management team only,' the insider shared. 'Taylor now owns all of her music, and this moment finally happened in spite of Scooter Braun, not because of him.' Instead, the "Karma" singer clearly thanked Shamrock Capital for giving her the opportunity to own her music once more in her letter. 'All I've ever wanted was the opportunity to work hard enough to be able to one day purchase my music outright with no strings attached, no partnership, with full autonomy,' she wrote. 'I will be forever grateful to everyone at Shamrock Capital for being the first people to ever offer this to me.' She went on to say, 'This was a business deal to them, but I really felt like they saw it for what it was to me: my memory and my sweat and my handwriting and my decades of dreams. I am endlessly thankful."
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Business
- Yahoo
See what Independence city council members will discuss in June 2 meeting
The Independence City Council is meeting on Monday, June 2 at 6:00 p.m. in council chambers at City Hall, located at 111 E. Maple Ave. in Independence. You can attend in person or watch an online livestream of the meeting through the city's Youtube channel. The agenda can be found online ahead of the meeting, which will include a public hearing on the city's proposed 2025-2026 budget and a public hearing on the city's development ordinance related to rules on motor vehicle repair. Residents do not have to sign up ahead of time to speak at a public hearing, but will be asked to limit their comments to the topic of the hearing. Members of the public can make comments on other agenda items of the meeting in person. You can register to comment in person or by calling (816) 325-7010 before 6 p.m. Monday. A proposal to require fingerprint-based criminal background checks for private security guards citywide A ban on metal detectors and 'treasure hunting' in city parks An ordinance dismantling the city's tourism commission, which was established in December 2024. After the main agenda, councilmembers may go into a closed session to discuss ongoing legal actions involving the city.
Yahoo
an hour ago
- General
- Yahoo
KC teen getting life back on track was killed a month ago. His family wants answers
Reality Check is a Star series holding those with power to account and shining a light on their decisions. Have a suggestion for a future story? Email our journalists at RealityCheck@ Have the latest Reality Checks delivered to your inbox with our free newsletter. A month after the death of 17-year-old Charles Sanders, who was shot in the front yard of a home in Kansas City's Northland, his family has grown frustrated with the police investigation. They say Kansas City police have told them investigators have a suspect and a warrant for that person's arrest. But still, no one has been taken into custody. Charles was shot and killed on April 23 in North Brook, a Northland neighborhood. Kansas City police responded to the 7800 block of Northeast 75th Court around 2:15 p.m., according to police spokesperson Capt. Jake Becchina. Initial information in the investigation indicated an altercation between at least two people led to the shooting, Becchina said. At the scene, officers discovered a young man, whom they believed at the time could have been a teenager, unresponsive and with gunshot wounds in the front yard of a home. The shooting victim, who police identified as Charles Sanders two days later, was taken to a hospital and pronounced dead. Since the shooting, his mother, Heather Sanders, said she has had minimal contact with the detectives working the case, and is fed up with what she sees as a lack of action. 'They tell me that they have a suspect and a warrant. But why hasn't an arrest been made yet?' Sanders told The Star. KCPD police spokesperson Alayna Gonzalez told The Star that detectives 'have made great headway in identifying a possible suspect and the investigation is still very much ongoing.' The day of Charles' death was a roller coaster of emotions for his family. A Liberty police officer visited the Sanders home, asking about a burgundy Dodge Ram truck that Charles drove, Heather Sanders said. The truck was found abandoned on the side of the road, according to the officer, and Sanders left work to go pick up the truck with Charles' sister. Sanders and her daughter, Alyssa, tracked Charles' last known GPS location on his phone. 'We pull up and it's a crime scene,' Sanders said. At the scene, officers only told them a person was shot and later died, although they asked her if Charles had enemies, among other questions. They wouldn't give Sanders any information about her son's status, she said, which confused her. After returning home, the family received a call from Liberty Hospital, telling them that they had 10 minutes to come to the hospital to see Charles. On the way there, Sanders received another call saying a detective wouldn't allow them to see her son after all. The family arrived at the hospital, and Sanders told the detective they would meet investigators there. After anxiously waiting for almost three hours without being able to see Charles, the family went home, feeling certain that Charles had already died, Sanders said. Authorities didn't officially identify Charles for two days. 'I knew it was him the whole time,' Sanders said. 'He didn't come home. The truck was up there. His location was there. I don't know why they waited.' Charles was not positively identified at the scene, police spokesperson Sgt. Phil DiMartino told The Star in an email. Since Charles was taken to a hospital and died there, the responsibility of identification is placed on the respective medical examiner's office, DiMartino said. This responsibility would be on the Clay County Medical Examiner's Office in this case. Detectives waited until the examiner could confirm the victim's identity, DiMartino said. 'Detectives will make every effort to identify a victim on scene,' DiMartino said. 'Investigators understand the sensitive nature and gravity of these situations so they always aim for expedience without sacrificing accuracy.' Sanders believes her son went to the neighborhood to see friends. But he never returned home. Instead, he was shot and killed in a neighborhood just 3 miles from his Liberty home. Sanders believes her son was killed for money. She said Charles told his sister, Alyssa, he was taking money out of his bank account, and he withdrew $620. Two days after his death, the family got the truck back. Charles' wallet was sitting in the front seat with $20 inside, Sanders said. 'He was killed for $600,' she said. DiMartino would not confirm this detail, saying it's part of the ongoing investigation. An arrest is what the family is hoping for, but they acknowledge it may not help them cope with losing their eccentric, sociable teen who was preparing for the next phase of his life. Charles was able to connect with people from a wide variety of backgrounds, and was a natural leader, loved ones said. But now, he won't be able to achieve any of the goals he was aiming for just before his death. 'It should have never happened,' Sanders said, tears streaming down her face. At the time of his death, Charles was turning over a new leaf in life, according to his family. He had an outgoing personality that attracted many friends, family members said. But after the loss of his father three years ago to heart problems, loved ones said he couldn't control his emotions and began spending time with the wrong crowd. 'Being in the wrong place at the wrong time, sometimes, stuff like that,' Charles' oldest sister, Jada, said. His uncontrollable emotions led to misbehavior at Liberty High School, and Charles was moved to the Department of Youth Services in a residential treatment program to correct his behavior. Liberty Public School District confirmed Charles was a student until last February. Sanders said her son spent approximately nine months in the program before he came home and graduated in January through the Alternative Resource Center. The program allowed Charles to work through his emotions, Sanders said, including writing down what he was thinking and feeling. Some notes he read to his family. 'Every time we would go and see him, he would share stuff that he wrote about, like things that happened in his life and how it affected him,' Sanders said. 'A lot of it was for his dad. So it was a lot of therapy kind of stuff with his dad, trying to work through his feelings … to learn how to cope with it.' After Charles finished the program, he was more driven and focused and avoided hanging with the wrong crowd, loved ones said. He worked at a local Chipotle with his sister, Alyssa, and was pondering whether to go to college to be a child therapist to help other kids or join the military. 'He definitely set himself goals, and he was trying to reach them,' Sanders said. Family members were happy to see him working toward his goals because he had a light that brought people together, they said. Charles, affectionately known as Chucky, was described as a goofy class clown who never met a stranger. His sisters, with whom he had a strong bond, have memories of him cracking jokes with everyone. As a kid, Charles played multiple sports like soccer, baseball, and wrestling, and was a Boy Scout. His sister, Jada, recalls a childhood summer when they filled the back of their uncle's truck with water and swam. Other kids saw his fun qualities as well, and the family has received an outpouring of support since his death. 'When you looked around the funeral, it was like you could almost see the different stages of his life and all the groups of people that he touched,' Sanders' partner, Ross Gardner, said. A week after Charles' death, racist and antisemitic flyers were seen in Northland neighborhoods off Shoal Creek. The flyers were the talk of the neighborhood where Charles was shot in the days after his death, but authorities haven't said they are connected or that race played a role in the shooting. Parents in North Brook and surrounding neighborhoods responded by posting their own anti-hate flyers and drawing hearts on sidewalks. Family members didn't see the signs because they avoided the neighborhood altogether, but say they've received support from North Brook residents, who even had a cotton candy fundraiser for the family. Still, the Sanders family doesn't understand why no arrest has been made. Authorities told Sanders they have a strong case against the person believed to have killed her son, and a warrant has been issued. But even if an arrest is made soon, it won't help resolve the family's feelings of anger, resentment, and sorrow. 'You're sitting here and you're mad because you want an arrest made, but I'm also telling myself, it's not gonna make me feel any different. I'm still gonna be upset about it,' Sanders said. Charles' oldest sister fears her brother's killer could be someone she knows. 'Those kids in that neighborhood go to Liberty public schools,' Jada Sanders said. 'What if I know them? What if I went to school with them, or they knew my friends?' Sanders has been contacting detectives once a week, but said she'll increase that if time continues to pass without an arrest. Until then, the family waits and lives with their memories of Charles, or Chucky, or Darles as other loved ones knew him, knowing life will never be the same again. 'We will all carry on, be successful. Gotta live, gotta make a living,' Gardner said. 'But nothing will ever be normal here again.'
Yahoo
an hour ago
- General
- Yahoo
North KC church shuts down transitional housing program over tax status dispute
For the first time in her 47 years of living, Bobbi Roark was able to get a place with her own money and raise her daughter. Although she did the work to get her own car, get sober and get her daughter back, she credits Homefront Community Development Inc, an organization providing transitional housing in the Northland, with helping her get to a more stable place. Without Homefront, she thinks it would have taken way longer for her to make those strides. Now, she and others are at risk of losing that support, as the church that owns the homes has ordered those who stay there to leave after an escalating dispute between the organizations. 'It is only with deep sadness that we have concluded this partnership cannot continue,' read a written statement from the leadership of First Baptist Church of North Kansas City regarding its relationship with Homefront. What first started as a church filling a need in its community by providing shelter and grew into a a grassroots organization that neighbors in need turned to for a decade, has in recent months devolved into a dispute over tax codes, real estate and the role of religion in social services. And the people who most benefited from those services are losing out. Homefront started as a ministry through First Baptist Church of North Kansas City back in 2015. With just two houses, hundreds of people have passed through the homes' doors when they needed a safe place to land. Most heard about the homes and the resources they offered through word of mouth. '[The church] made a decision,' said Leigh Reynolds, a board member for Homefront. 'We have these properties. We can do something really useful with them. You're seeing an uptick of unhoused people in the North Kansas City area, lots of folks hanging out on the steps of the library. They said, 'What if we use these homes to help care for our homeless neighbors here in the Northland?'' Spencer Stith, a member of the church at the time, was the sole volunteer helping manage the homes. He spearheaded the effort to establish Homefront as its own independent nonprofit organization in 2015. Since then, Homefront has created a board of three volunteers in addition to Stith. Stith was not available for comment for this story. Reynolds, who has 30 years of experience in nonprofit consulting, said that Stith has gone above and beyond supporting Homefront residents over the past 10 years, taking residents to appointments and acting as a stand-in social worker of sorts. 'Spencer is very committed to deep and lasting change for folks,' said Reynolds. 'Whatever it is that you need to be successful and move out of homelessness into a thriving life, Spencer would do that very meaningful, deep hands-on work.' Roark said Stith had been an amazing resource for her when she was struggling most. But the small, personal and informal nature of the organization that made people feel so at home there also made it susceptible to shifts in leadership at the church it was tied to and at risk of overlooking some of the administrative steps needed to keep it going. Around 2020, First Baptist Church got new pastors, which Homefront volunteers said changed the relationship between the organization and the church that owned the homes. 'I feel that some of their priorities shifted as often happens when there's a leadership change. I think I'm no longer a member of that church,' Reynolds said. Instead of a partner to Homefront, she said the church began to feel more like a landlord to the nonprofit. Things took a turn last fall when the church discovered that Homefront had lost its nonprofit status. In the state of Missouri, 501(c)(3) nonprofits must file an annual report with the Missouri Secretary of State to maintain their good standing and state registration by August 31 of each year. Nonprofits also have to fill out an annual federal return with the IRS, Form 990, which is the equivalent of an annual tax return for nonprofits. According to state records, Homefront has not filed that Missouri report since 2017, and federal records indicate the last time the organization filed its federal return was in 2020. Missouri revoked Homefront's state nonprofit status in 2018, and the IRS revoked Homefront's federal nonprofit status last spring. In the fall, First Baptist brought this discovery to Homefront's attention and gave the organization 90 days to fix its nonprofit status, and then an additional 30-day grace period, according to a statement from the church. In the meantime, the church withheld donations from members for Homefront in order to follow Missouri law, which says an organization that loses its nonprofit status 'may not carry on any business except that necessary to wind up and liquidate its business and affairs.' The majority of Homefront's donations had previously come from the church and were used to pay rent to the church for the houses' mortgages, utilities and a small stipend for Stith. 'Over the past decade, FBCNKC has provided more than $400,000 to support Homefront. This support has included subsidized rents, staff salaries, home repairs, and direct financial contributions,' the church in a statement earlier this month. 'This generosity reflects our deep belief that Jesus draws near to the hurting and that His gospel is good news to the is only with deep sadness that we have concluded this partnership cannot continue.' Reynolds said Homefront's mail is delivered to the church and the nonprofit never received notification about its nonprofit status being dissolved. However, she said she's not blaming the church for the missed deadlines. Reynolds said Homefont filed to be reinstated as a nonprofit in December but has not heard back. However, state records don't show that filing. Earlier this year, the church and Homefront again met to discuss the future of the transitional housing organization if it regained legal status. According to Reynolds, the church wanted to increase the rent it charged for the two homes to market rate and requested that Homefront provide more detailed information about the residents staying in the homes and require the residents to participate in Bible studies. Reynolds said those requests went against what Homefront stands for. 'We are not anti-Bible and not anti-church. We do this work because we love God, and it came out of our love of doing the work of the church,' she said. 'But that's just never been a part of our program because we feel like it can be such an impediment to people's healing, especially if they have religious trauma, which a lot of people do. And so we didn't want to mandate that.' In its statement, First Baptist asserted that, 'No specific terms for a new agreement were ever formally communicated to Homefront.' In March, Homefront was preparing to let the church know they could not agree to the terms, but First Baptist asked them to vacate the properties instead. Homefront officially closes on Saturday, at the end of the month. While residents need to find somewhere to go, Reynolds said it isn't a goodbye for good. The board will take time to regroup and find another location to serve the community. It's unclear what will happen to the homes themselves. In its statement, church leadership said it 'has made no decision—formal or informal—regarding the sale of the residences, nor has it determined how or whether the properties will be used in the future.' In the meantime, Reynold said she has a message for North Kansas City neighbors. 'I want to shine light on the people in our community that need help,' she said. 'Smile at your homeless neighbor.'
Yahoo
3 hours ago
- General
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Police searching for suspect after man shot, killed Friday night in Kansas City
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — An investigation is underway after a man was shot and killed Friday night in south Kansas City, investigators reported. According to the Kansas City Police Department, at about 8:45 p.m., officers were dispatched to the area of 82nd Street and Troost Avenue on reports of a shooting. Man pleads guilty to shooting, killing 6-year-old boy in Kansas City, Kansas While officers were driving to the scene, KCPD said they received multiple calls about shots in the area, and an additional call about a shooting victim found near 82nd Street and Tracey Avenue. When KCPD arrived, they reported finding a man suffering from gunshot wounds in the street. Officers immediately began performing life-saving operations until paramedics arrived. The man was then taken to a hospital, where he later died from his injuries. At this time, police are still searching for a suspect and believe there was an altercation between multiple people in the street before the shooting occurred. See the latest headlines in Kansas City and across Kansas, Missouri If you or anyone you know has information about the deadly shooting, police ask that you call homicide detectives directly at (816) 234-5043, or the TIPS Hotline anonymously at (816) 474-8477. This is a developing story. Stay tuned with FOX4 News for the latest updates and information. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
