Celisa Calacal
@celisa_mia
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🇵🇭 Reporter covering MO + KCMO gov and politics for @kcur | Work in @kcbeacon @thenation @alternet | Send tips, rants, thoughts to celisa @kcur .org
Kansas City, MO
Joined April 2015
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I reached out to every Kansas City council member and Jackson County legislator to ask how they plan to vote on the stadium sales tax.
Most of them either did not respond at all or didn’t give me a straight yes or no answer.
My latest:
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📍me
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📍unread books that |
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📍buying more books at a bookstore
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Stop talking trash about journalism:
Freedom of the press is ESSENTIAL
Investigative reporting is IMPORTANT
Editors are a GODSEND
Transcribing
Interviewing is FULFILLING
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Journalists! This is a day where language and the way you describe events REALLY matters
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PSA to newsrooms, both national & local, covering this story: PLEASE consider having Asian women drive & lead your coverage. We may be underrepresented in media, but we are here. And we're painfully, intimately familiar with the racism/sexism/fetishization against Asian women.
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✨Personal News time✨
Today is my first day as the new Missouri government and politics reporter for KCUR! I’ll be covering KCMO local government AND Missouri state government and I am so excited. Wanna get in touch, stay in touch, or send a tip? Email me at celisa
@kcur
.org
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BREAKING: Kansas City Council voted to kill the $10.5 million tax incentive package for MAC Properties and instead put it into the city's Housing Trust Fund. Story coming soon.
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I understand the excitement in Kansas City around hosting World Cup games in 2026. It's a big deal!
But, I will say, as a reporter, I am completely committed to holding elected officials & people in power accountable to HOW the World Cup impacts KC residents.
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Be for real… 😵💫
The developer described the new market rate apartments in downtown Kansas City to be “like living in a luxury resort.”
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KC police just fired tear gas into a crowd at the Plaza, even though things have been peaceful and nonviolent. Multiple people hit with tear gas.
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BREAKING: The Kansas City Council just passed a resolution declaring Kansas City to be a safe haven for gender-affirming care. More coverage to come
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Me at the Westport Road x Southwest Trafficway intersection
Google maps should let you have a “this road is too scary” marker
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Breaking: Kansas City Rep. Emanuel Cleaver said today he supports a ceasefire in Gaza.
KCUR’s George Russell has the scoop:
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The Ship in the West Bottoms announces that proof of vaccination is now required for Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights. It’s the latest in a string of local businesses to require proof of the COVID vaccine after officials reinstated the mask mandate.
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Would just like to say I reported the correct figure — $5.1 billion — weeks ago in my own reporting. I did the math myself and proved the county executive (and the KC Star’s article) were wrong and used an incorrect figure
.
@fox4kc
has obtained a new
@JacksonCountyMO
document that shows there was an error in the previous document leaked to the media on how much a new
@Royals
stadium would cost, should they
@godowntownkc
.
@JCEFrankWhite
's office confirmed the error today:
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Stunning news out of Missouri today: the state supreme court ruled that Amendment 4, the 2022 ballot measure that required Kansas City to raise its funding for the KCPD, was so misleading that it warrants a do-over election for this November.
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Local media news: workers at Kansas City PBS (which includes Flatland & 90.9 The Bridge) have filed to unionize with the National Association of Broadcasters and Technicians — Communications Workers of America.
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I am so incredibly proud to say that KCUR is unionizing!
This has been in the works for the better part of a year. I feel honored to stand alongside my colleagues and build a strong foundation, together, at KCUR.
Today, an overwhelming majority of eligible on and off-air staff at
@kcur
are taking the first step in ensuring that we are able to secure a more active role in the shared future of this organization.
Read our open letter below:
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@mjs_DC
In Kansas City, the streetcar has been free since it opened and buses have been free since 2020. Just saying!
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You know what makes this story even worse? When The Defender first reported this weeks ago, local outlets ran with the official police line & cast doubt on The Defender’s reporting.
Turns out The Defender was right the whole time.
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Not the local weatherman admitting he doesn’t think climate change is an issue
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I'm sorry but discussing the merits of a downtown stadium while thousands of tenants are at risk of being evicted in Kansas City seems like we're missing the plot by just a little bit....
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NEW: KC’s City Council voted 10-2 to reinstate a mask mandate in K-12 school buildings. The requirement goes into effect this coming Monday and will expire Feb. 3. Story TK
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Just want to say I’m safe. The KCUR team is working to get verified details of what happened:
PARADE TIME! I’m down at the parade route on Grand this morning, where tons of people have already found a spot along the route. More than last year at this time I’d say!
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Do you guys think Travis Kelce gave Taylor the lowdown on the constant street closures in KC
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Big win for KC Tenants here. Tenants facing eviction will now be guaranteed free representation in court. The law comes with no income restrictions — making it one of the most all-inclusive right to counsel policies in the country.
WE WON! TENANTS IN KANSAS CITY WILL BE GUARANTEED FREE LEGAL COUNSEL IN LANDLORD-TENANT COURT STARTING IN JUNE 2022
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I’m calling it. With 100% precincts reporting in Kansas City and 91% precincts reporting in Jackson County, no wins out with 58% of the vote, and the measure to repeal and replace the 3/8ths cent stadium sales tax fails.
For context, with 100% precincts reporting in KC and 63% precincts reporting in Jackson County, ‘no’ is ahead by 17,788 votes
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I've already seen many local news outlets repeat the talking point that being a World Cup city will mean lots of money coming in to economically benefit the city. But we need to ask what the actual COSTS are, *especially* the costs to the city's most vulnerable residents.
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Polls in Jackson County and Kansas City close in 30 minutes.
I’ll be checking results as they come in from the KC Election Board and the Jackson County Election Board. This is a big local election folks.
Follow this thread for updates throughout the night 🧵
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Professional news update: I'm now a full-time reporter at The Beacon covering civic engagement and economics in Kansas City and across Kansas and Missouri. Some topics I have my eye on: housing, labor/workers' rights, govt accountability, police accountability. Got a tip? DM me!
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The bravery of student journalists at Columbia is a testament to how crucial and important local journalism is. There is immense value in hearing from reporters who deeply understand and care about the community they report from and live in
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NEWS: The Kansas City Council voted 10-3 today to ban the practice of source of income discrimination, making it illegal for landlords to reject tenants who have a housing voucher. It means landlords can't reject applicants ONLY because of how they would pay rent.
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Did the LAPD write this
LA MAG COVER STORY: Barbed wire at The Grove. Home invasions in Hollywood. Smash mobs at CVS. Are we just being paranoid, or is the city really falling apart? Our
@LAMag
featured writer
@peterkiefer
investigates: How bad is crime in L.A.?
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If you’ve ever driven through this intersection you may be entitled to compensation
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The Pope said subscribe to your local news outlet
Let us
#PrayTogether
for all who work in the media, who work to communicate, to inform us, so that people are not so isolated, and to educate children. We pray for all those who are helping us bear this time of isolation.
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My grand idea for the Plaza: close it off to cars and put in a Uniqlo
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Just going to say that that the frequent laying off of journalists, downsizing of newsrooms and closure of news outlets at the local and national level further fuels the spread of misinformation, all of which is amplified, and even more destructive, in times of war
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@imteddybless
I went on a run yesterday, for literally the first time in my life. And then I did it again today and felt good about it
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Walked all the way from the Crossroads to the West Bottoms today and it really shows how much this city prioritizes cars over pedestrians
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So uh... I found out I'm nominated for Best Local Investigative Reporter in
@TheFastPitch
's Best of KC awards and I'm totally floored! I love being a local reporter who gets to dig into issues like housing, development, and accountability in KC
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Thinking about how so many people are losing power in the middle of freezing temperatures and utility companies are both blaming consumer usage and putting the responsibility of conserving power also on the consumer. This is not an "individual responsibility" problem.
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Taxing districts like the Kansas City Public Library and Kansas City Public Schools worry that a tax-exempt Royals stadium will mean they will lose out on millions of dollars in crucial funding through property taxes.
My latest:
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Objectivity
What's something that FEELS like it will save journalism, but won't.
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And there it is, called by the Associated Press. The right to an abortion remains protected by the Kansas state constitution
Kansas voters have rejected a constitutional amendment that would have allowed the Legislature to further restrict abortion access in the state.
The vote was the first statewide referendum on abortion since the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade.
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Really great piece from
@jbouie
on the systemic barriers that make it difficult for young people to vote. Yes, it can be frustrating to hear young people be apathetic, but it's also important to think about the systems that breed apathy in the fist place.
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Spending Valentines Day by checking out the new terminal at the Kansas City Airport for
@kcur
! Today hundreds of volunteers are going through an airport simulation. Follow along to see if the new airport is, indeed, a slay
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Check out my latest for AlterNet, where I look at prisoners who work as servants in state capitols & gov mansions:
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Kansas City guys be like "I know a place" and then take you to Up-Down
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Sorry but this is one of the worst bike lanes I’ve ever seen…
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My latest for KCUR is a profile of
@KCTenantsPower
and the way the group is trying to change who holds governing power in Kansas City — starting with tomorrow’s City Council elections
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If inflation is real then how come Costco’s hot dog and soda combo is still $1.50? 🤔
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BREAKING: the city council passed the affordable housing set aside ordinance, despite fierce opposition from
@KCTenants
. This is the moment the ordinance passed
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This is service journalism for people who eat late dinner (it's me, I'm eating dinner at 10)
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After weeks of intense campaigning, the measure to repeal and replace the 3/8ths cent sales tax to fund a new Royals stadium and renovations at Arrowhead Stadium fails, 58% to 42%.
Coverage from KCUR:
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Your mayor could never
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Kansas City allowed Meta to skirt the city’s rules around hiring minority businesses. When the head of the Civil Rights department sounded the alarm, she says she was pushed out.
My latest:
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After Wednesday’s shooting after the Chiefs championship rally, many are pointing to Missouri’s lax gun laws.
Some want local lawmakers to pass stronger gun laws.
Here’s the problem: a Missouri law says KC can’t do that. My latest w/
@kavahnmansouri
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This week in KC:
• Tenants’ Bill of Rights passed housing committee
• City council voted to make public transit FREE
• Councilman Eric Bunch committed to introducing a Green New Deal
Maybe coastal journos should stop overlooking the Midwest & writing us off.
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✨Personal news✨
I’m so excited to join
@beacon_news
as an assistant editor! As a huge fan of local news and a big advocate for strengthening local journalism, I’m pumped to join this new local media outlet in Kansas City.
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The Kansas City Council voted today to allocate $700,000 to Richard Chaves Jr. to build two roundabouts near the Kansas City airport. Worth noting that Chaves has donated nearly $30,000 to city council members and the mayor.
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too cringe for new york, too based for la, just nice enough for kansas city
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ALL PRECINCTS REPORTING FROM KC:
No with 58%
Yes with 42%
Remember that’s only the KC portion of Jackson County
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“These kids have got to get back to school. ... And if they do get COVID-19, which they will — and they will when they go to school — they’re not going to the hospitals.... They’re going to go home and they’re going to get over it.” — Mike Parson
JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) -- Missouri Republican Gov. Mike Parson, opponent of mandatory masks, tests positive for COVID-19.
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Made fried eggs inspired by
@bettinamak
and paired them with rice, sautéed leeks + shallots + garlic, and topped with green onions 😋
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Lots of good threads about the implications of "My Family's Slave," but what's missing is the implications of the piece among Filipinos
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Here it is: I looked into Kansas City's dangerous buildings list (yes, there's a list) and found over 360 properties labeled as dangerous. They're often left standing and vacant, falling into further disrepair and impacting the neighborhoods around them.
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Fellowships meant to diversify newsrooms without actually providing a pipeline to full-time employment
What's something that FEELS like it will save journalism, but won't.
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Literally can’t get over how badass I look in this tbh
Celisa Calacal. Missouri Government & Politics Reporter for KCUR. Kansas City's NPR station.
@celisa_mia
@kcur
@kcbeacon
@thenation
@alternet
#NPRmageddon
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The lack of diversity in journalism is because young journos, esp journos of color and those from low income families, can’t afford to work like this. How can they gain the necessary experience if they’re not even being fairly paid for their work? It’s a set up for failure
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Just going to be real here: it’s been about a year and a half since I’ve graduated college and moved to a new city to start my adult life, and I still feel like I don’t have friends of my own and it honestly makes life so much harder
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New Year’s Resolution: Stop prefacing my statements with “I don’t know I just think that” and
“This might sound dumb but...” because, nine times out of ten, I DO know and it’s NOT dumb. We’re not about to be embarrassed by our convictions in 2019!!!
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Here's something I never thought I'd say: I'm gonna be on Fox News tonight debating Tucker Carlson about police violence. Tune in @ 8!
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Henry Rizzo, candidate for the 4th District, said on KCUR's Up to Date just now: "There's no reason to go downtown right now"
That's so weird because I'm downtown almost every day!
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This "me too" movement is so painful & frustrating bc how many times do women have to relive their pain for the sake of educating men
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News: KC City Council unanimously approved salary increases for an estimated 1,400 city employees, to go into effect this August.
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I know we’re all excited for the Super Bowl…. But today is the day Kansas City presents its annual budget for the 2024-2025 fiscal year.
The city is working with a $2.3 billion budget. Follow for some highlights:
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"The average rent in the city went from $1,040 in December 2020 to $1,308 in December 2021. The average cost of a one bedroom, for example, rose from just over $859 to $1048 per month between 2020 and 2021, according to the data."
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I have a lot of issues with how this article is framed and written. This is one of those “both sides” stories that makes way too many assumptions about who has power and who shouldn’t.
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NEWS: KC City Council just voted to extend the mask mandate for students and staff in K-12 school buildings in Kansas City for two weeks. Mandate now set to expire Feb. 17. Story from me coming soon
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I feel like no one really thought through how rescinding the mask mandate in Kansas City will make it even harder for restaurants to hire staff. What person would want to work in an environment that makes them vulnerable to COVID because masks aren't required?
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I got access to the leaked financial memo regarding a new Royals stadium.
In it are projections on what a stadium would cost Jackson County if it’s put in the East Village:
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Hey you know what’s scary?
The venture capitalists ruining journalism
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Gonna be real honest here: 2019 was a really tough year for me, both professionally and mentally. There were a lot of dreams that didn’t pan out, a lot of roadblocks I had hit.
I wanted to give up a lot of times. But I didn’t, and that’s my biggest accomplishment.
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Julie Anderson is no longer chair of Kansas City's Land Bank — two weeks after our investigation into the program and Anderson's ties to a previous buyer of Land Bank property.
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One economist says "the agreement doesn’t do much for the community and is an example of 'what a fake CBA looks like.' But it does make the Royals more valuable."
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If you use your job as a reporter to make fun of the people you interview (who, might I add, aren’t obligated to speak to you in the first place), you honestly shouldn’t be a reporter.
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Hey KC! Wondering if any folks here live, work or commute near an intersection that's had asphalt art installed as a traffic calming measure. Would love to know what you think about these installations and if you think they're effective at increasing safety. DM me!
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It’s not a review if it’s just filled with misogyny. thank u, next
#REVIEW
“Thank u, next,” the latest two-week effort from one of the world’s most popular singers, triumphs in showcasing all the negative parts of who Ariana Grande is and all of the frivolous reasons why she makes music.
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It’s Election Day in Kansas City and the polls are now CLOSED. I’ll be monitoring election results all night. Hopefully in a few hours we’ll be able to say who will make up our 12-member city council for the next four years.
Follow this thread for updates 🧵
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