Byron J. Love

Maud Wagner, one of the country’s first known female commercial tattoo artists, was born in Emporia, Kansas. She joined a sideshow act with her sister until a fateful meeting pushed her to pursue carnival stardom, inked from head to toe.

In the Aug. 4 election, Kansas Citians will decide whether to extend a sales tax aimed at re-developing neighborhoods east of Troost, and vote on $1.7 billion in bonds for water and sewers. What's at stake in the votes?

Missouri’s Republican supermajority redrew the state’s congressional boundaries last year to make the 4th and 5th districts a tougher battle for Democrats. We'll talk through the races before Tuesday's primary, the first election under the newly gerrymandered map.

Missouri Republicans want to make it harder to amend the state’s constitution, but even backers of Amendment 4 acknowledge it’s getting a rough reception. Plus: Missouri’s 6th Congressional District has an open race for the first time since 2000.

Missouri residents overwhelmingly voted against proposals to eliminate the income tax and change how citizens can change the Missouri constitution. Meanwhile, Kansans elected Reverend Adam Hamilton as the Democratic opponent to U.S. Sen. Roger Marshall and Democrat Cindy Holscher and Republican Ty Masterson will face each other in the race for Kansas governor.

Drive-in theaters have shown movies under the stars for generations, and many Kansas filmgoers still see value for these nostalgic experiences in a changing movie landscape. Plus: There’s a chance the wheat in your spaghetti could be grown in western Kansas in the next few years.

Two winners of last week's primaries are aiming for their first terms representing Missouri in Congress next year. We'll hear how Republican Chris Stigall and Democrat Jordan Herrera plan to unite their respective parties and secure seats in Washington.

Purple martins are back in Kansas. Thousands of the birds are gathering near the Wichita airport each evening as they prepare for their annual migration. Plus: A small town in southcentral Kansas proudly bears the nickname “Midway USA,” positioning itself firmly between California and New York.

The August primary elections were big for Johnson County Democrats, with primary wins for U.S. Senate candidate Adam Hamilton and Kansas governor candidate Cindy Holscher. What should voters expect in November, and what does it say about the future of the party and the state?

For decades, the names of thousands of local enslaved people lay hidden in deeds, wills, probate records and bills of sale. A recent discovery is shedding new light on Missouri's history of slavery.