Steve Vockrodt
St. Louis Public Radio
Kansas City, MO, United States
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Past articles by Steve:
Missouri Attorney General not actually allowed to file charges in duck boat case, defense argues
Defense attorneys for three men accused of criminal negligence in the 2018 duck boat tragedy on Table Rock Lake said Missouri law doesn’t allow the Missouri Attorney General to bring criminal charges without an invitation from a local prosecutor. → Read More
Eric Greitens accused by ex-wife of physically abusing his family, 'unstable and coercive' behavior
Former Missouri Gov. and current U.S. Senate candidate Eric Greitens is accused by his ex-wife of physical violence against her and their children, and threatening her if she did anything "that might damage his political career." The allegations were made in a sworn affidavit filed Monday in the couple's divorce case. → Read More
Captain in Missouri duck boat tragedy asks judge to dismiss criminal charges
Kenneth Scott McKee and two others face criminal charges in Stone County, Missouri, for their role in a 2018 sinking of a duck boat on Table Rock Lake that killed 17 people. → Read More
As Missouri's attorney general fights mask mandates, taxpayers foot the bill to defend them
Missouri Attorney General Eric Schmitt is on a mission to battle mask mandates around the state. In some cases, legal services to defend the mandates are costing thousands of dollars — dollars from Missouri taxpayers. → Read More
A Kansas City-area trucking company got $700M from the CARES Act after support from Trump official
A congressional subcommittee is asking for records that would show any communications between Trump White House staffers and representatives of Overland Park, Kansas, trucking company Yellow Corporation. The committee wants to know why Yellow got a $700 million CARES Act loan. → Read More
Midwesterners Are Breathing Smoky Air From California Wildfires, New Research Shows
Health and meteorology experts say the growing presence of wildfire smoke in parts of Kansas and Nebraska could pose health risks to those who breathe it in. That concern is compounded, given the likelihood that vast and intense fires from California and surrounding areas will persist. → Read More
Concern over giveaway price for Indian Springs Mall site holds up latest project plan
Commissioners in Kansas City, Kansas, tabled a development agreement for a $140 million mixed-use project for the former Indian Springs Mall site. Officials were concerned about the proposed $400 sale price for 50 acres. → Read More
‘Ultimate pork project’: Kansas’ mega tax breaks don’t deliver as promised
Kansas sales tax revenue (STAR) bonds were designed to boost attractions that draw tourists from afar. But an analysis shows the developments don’t meet projections, and the state doesn’t measure if they work. → Read More
Federal union predicts ‘catastrophic attrition’ from USDA move to Kansas City
A federal union is predicting that large numbers of U.S. Department of Agriculture research employees will not make the move to Kansas City. The USDA announced that two research agencies would relocate to Kansas City. → Read More
Clay County treasurer, former school teacher dies after battling cancer
Ted Graves, who reached office as treasurer after retiring as a teacher, died Monday after a short battle against what was described as an aggressive form of cancer. Graves, 57, was also an assistant track coach. → Read More
The challenge for Lucas: melding ‘twelve mandates’ into a majority for his agenda
Kansas City mayors have a bully pulpit but little in the way of executive power. When Lucas takes office on Aug. 1, he’ll need buy-in from the City Council to move what he hopes is a transformative agenda. → Read More
Kansas, Missouri teamed up to lure USDA jobs to KC. Now, the competition begins
The USDA picked Kansas City as the new home for two of its federal research agencies. Now, Kansas and Missouri, which partnered to lure the jobs from Washington, will be competing with incentives to land them. → Read More
Kansas Supreme Court flicks away limits on certain damages in personal injury cases
The Kansas Supreme Court ruled caps imposed by the legislature on noneconomic damages in personal injury verdicts are unconstitutional. This does away with what critics called limits on a plaintiff’s ability to seek redress. → Read More
Hundreds of USDA jobs headed to KC after ‘united effort’ by Kansas and Missouri
The USDA has selected Kansas City as the new home for two of its research agencies as part of a plan by President Donald Trump’s administration to move more federal jobs out of Washington. Officials from both Kansas and Missouri partnered on the bid. → Read More
Amusement park company has option to buy Schlitterbahn in Kansas City, Kansas
Cedar Fair Entertainment Company, an operator of amusement parks, has a $6 million option to buy Schlitterbahn’s water park in Kansas City, Kansas. The purchase option is part of a larger acquisition of two of Schlitterbahn’s Texas water parks for $261 million. → Read More
Scott Tucker’s Leawood house headed for estate sale after seizure by IRS agents
Scott Tucker, the Kansas City businessman serving a prison sentence for running an illegal payday loan enterprise, is having his Leawood house sold later this month as part of a forfeiture order. → Read More
Sprint and T-Mobile merger faces lawsuit from 10 states: ‘Bigger isn’t always better’
Attorneys general from 10 states are suing to block Sprint’s proposed $26 billion merger with T-Mobile. The lawsuit argues that a merger will decrease competition, raise prices and reduce innovation. → Read More
Clay County and its attorney break law while taxpayers foot legal fees, official says
The Clay County clerk accused commissioners and a private lawyer doing work for the county of breaking the Missouri Sunshine Law. The clerk also accused the attorney of overcharging, “playing political games.” → Read More
Platte County taxpayers aren’t on the hook for Zona Rosa troubles, judge affirms
Platte County won a lawsuit last week over whether taxpayers were obligated to cover debt payment shortfalls on bonds supporting a parking garage at the Zona Rosa retail development in northern Kansas City. → Read More
More rain and broken levees: River flooding threatens Missouri towns
With more rain in the forecast for the Kansas City region, residents of Missouri communities already hit by flooding are watching the skies. Across the state, 43 levees have been over-topped since May 22, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers officials said. → Read More