Luke Ranker🚶♂️
@lukeranker.bsky.social
No two people live in the same city. Tell me about yours. Urban planner & Kansas Citian. Jayhawk & Wolverine. Once upon a time, a journalist. Probably walking somewhere. Opinions mine.
‘The numbers are just not credible’: Kansas used flawed math to estimate economic impact of Chiefs relocation, experts say
thebeaconnews.org/stories/2026...
thebeaconnews.org/stories/2026...
‘The numbers are just not credible’: Kansas used flawed math to estimate economic impact of Chiefs relocation, experts say
The Beacon spoke with four economists who say the state relied on inflated numbers to make the stadium deal look better. State officials say football teams bring in real value as millions flock to the...
thebeaconnews.org
January 23, 2026 at 10:23 PM
‘The numbers are just not credible’: Kansas used flawed math to estimate economic impact of Chiefs relocation, experts say
thebeaconnews.org/stories/2026...
thebeaconnews.org/stories/2026...
Columbia Heights Public Schools district officials accused ICE officers of using the 5-year-old “as bait.” A 10-year-old and her mother were also detained.
www.washingtonpost.com/immigration/...
www.washingtonpost.com/immigration/...
ICE detains four children from Minnesota school district, including 5-year-old
Columbia Heights Public Schools district officials accused ICE officers of using the 5-year-old “as bait.” A 10-year-old and her mother were also detained.
www.washingtonpost.com
January 22, 2026 at 6:40 PM
Columbia Heights Public Schools district officials accused ICE officers of using the 5-year-old “as bait.” A 10-year-old and her mother were also detained.
www.washingtonpost.com/immigration/...
www.washingtonpost.com/immigration/...
Many cities don’t know who owns rentals. Some of them say registries have changed how they view housing.
stateline.org/2026/01/21/w...
stateline.org/2026/01/21/w...
With rental registries, cities try to track housing and hold bad actors accountable • Stateline
As many people struggle to afford housing and tenant populations grow in some regions, more cities are turning to official registries to answer questions about their rental housing market.
stateline.org
January 21, 2026 at 6:40 PM
Many cities don’t know who owns rentals. Some of them say registries have changed how they view housing.
stateline.org/2026/01/21/w...
stateline.org/2026/01/21/w...
The ordinance, which comes about a week after Kansas City officials across the state line approved a similar five-year moratorium, is specifically related to public concerns over increased activity among federal immigration enforcement in the Kansas City metro
www.kansascity.com/news/local/w...
www.kansascity.com/news/local/w...
Wyandotte County officials to consider ICE facility ban similar to what KC passed
If approved, the moratorium would last until 2031.
www.kansascity.com
January 21, 2026 at 6:34 PM
The ordinance, which comes about a week after Kansas City officials across the state line approved a similar five-year moratorium, is specifically related to public concerns over increased activity among federal immigration enforcement in the Kansas City metro
www.kansascity.com/news/local/w...
www.kansascity.com/news/local/w...
The Environmental Protection Agency has stopped estimating the dollar value of lives saved in the cost-benefit analyses for new pollution rules. www.nytimes.com/2026/01/21/c...
Trump’s E.P.A. Has Put a Value on Human Life: Zero Dollars
www.nytimes.com
January 21, 2026 at 6:31 PM
The Environmental Protection Agency has stopped estimating the dollar value of lives saved in the cost-benefit analyses for new pollution rules. www.nytimes.com/2026/01/21/c...
“Our places of healing are under siege,” Dr. Roli Dwivedi, past president of the Minnesota Academy of Family Physicians, said Tuesday at a state Capitol news conference in St. Paul, where doctor after doctor told of patients suffering amid the clampdown.
apnews.com/article/immi...
apnews.com/article/immi...
Doctors in Minnesota decry fear and chaos amid Trump administration's immigration crackdown
Doctors say immigrant patients are missing key medical appointments, afraid to come to medical clinics amid the Trump administration’s sweeping Minnesota immigration crackdown.
apnews.com
January 21, 2026 at 3:23 PM
“Our places of healing are under siege,” Dr. Roli Dwivedi, past president of the Minnesota Academy of Family Physicians, said Tuesday at a state Capitol news conference in St. Paul, where doctor after doctor told of patients suffering amid the clampdown.
apnews.com/article/immi...
apnews.com/article/immi...
Three of the world’s best teams — Argentina, England and Netherlands — are reportedly interested in making Kansas City their training home during the World Cup. Organizers say local businesses should start planning to make the most of 650,000 expected visitors.
www.kcur.org/sports/2026-...
www.kcur.org/sports/2026-...
Kansas City has caught the eye of 3 World Cup powerhouses as teams make base camp selections
Three of the world’s best teams — Argentina, England and Netherlands — are reportedly interested in making Kansas City their training home during the World Cup. Organizers say local businesses should ...
www.kcur.org
January 21, 2026 at 3:20 PM
Three of the world’s best teams — Argentina, England and Netherlands — are reportedly interested in making Kansas City their training home during the World Cup. Organizers say local businesses should start planning to make the most of 650,000 expected visitors.
www.kcur.org/sports/2026-...
www.kcur.org/sports/2026-...
The world has entered an era of “global water bankruptcy” that is harming billions of people, a UN report has declared.
www.theguardian.com/environment/...
www.theguardian.com/environment/...
Era of ‘global water bankruptcy’ is here, UN report says
Overuse and pollution must end urgently as no one knows when whole system might collapse, says expert
www.theguardian.com
January 21, 2026 at 1:54 AM
The world has entered an era of “global water bankruptcy” that is harming billions of people, a UN report has declared.
www.theguardian.com/environment/...
www.theguardian.com/environment/...
Reposted by Luke Ranker🚶♂️
This is the most astonishing graph of what the Trump regime has done to US science. They have destroyed the federal science workforce across the board. The negative impacts on Americans will be felt for generations, and the US might never be the same again.
www.nature.com/immersive/d4...
www.nature.com/immersive/d4...
January 20, 2026 at 10:53 PM
This is the most astonishing graph of what the Trump regime has done to US science. They have destroyed the federal science workforce across the board. The negative impacts on Americans will be felt for generations, and the US might never be the same again.
www.nature.com/immersive/d4...
www.nature.com/immersive/d4...
If President Trump follows through with a threat to put new tariffs on European allies over Greenland, some $100 billion worth of American exports—from Boeing aircraft to bourbon whiskey—could get caught in the crossfire.
www.wsj.com/business/the...
www.wsj.com/business/the...
The $100 Billion of U.S. Goods at Risk of Tariffs in Trump’s Greenland Push
From Boeing aircraft to bourbon whiskey, the European Union has created a list of hundreds of categories of American products that it plans to target if trade talks unravel.
www.wsj.com
January 21, 2026 at 12:17 AM
If President Trump follows through with a threat to put new tariffs on European allies over Greenland, some $100 billion worth of American exports—from Boeing aircraft to bourbon whiskey—could get caught in the crossfire.
www.wsj.com/business/the...
www.wsj.com/business/the...
General strikes don’t happen very often in the United States. But in the face of widespread anger at ICE abuses and the murder of Renee Good, the Twin Cities’ labor movement is moving toward organizing one at the end of this week.
jacobin.com/2026/01/stri...
jacobin.com/2026/01/stri...
A Mass Strike in Minneapolis Against ICE?
General strikes don’t happen very often in the United States. But in the face of widespread anger at ICE abuses and the murder of Renee Good, the Twin Cities’ labor movement is moving toward organizin...
jacobin.com
January 20, 2026 at 6:30 PM
General strikes don’t happen very often in the United States. But in the face of widespread anger at ICE abuses and the murder of Renee Good, the Twin Cities’ labor movement is moving toward organizing one at the end of this week.
jacobin.com/2026/01/stri...
jacobin.com/2026/01/stri...
Reposted by Luke Ranker🚶♂️
NEW POST
While cities across North America struggle with housing shortages, Edmonton is proving that zoning reform works.
In 2025, for the first time in history, the number of homes permitted in 5-8 unit rowhomes surpassed detached homes. 🧵
#yeg #yegcc #yimby
www.jacobdawang.com/blog/2026/zb...
While cities across North America struggle with housing shortages, Edmonton is proving that zoning reform works.
In 2025, for the first time in history, the number of homes permitted in 5-8 unit rowhomes surpassed detached homes. 🧵
#yeg #yegcc #yimby
www.jacobdawang.com/blog/2026/zb...
2025: The year Edmonton built the missing middle – Jacob Dawang
Edmonton’s zoning reform is working. In 2025, newly legalized eight-home rowhomes drove a record increase in homebuilding, achieved by redeveloping only 0.39% of properties in mature neighbourhoods.
www.jacobdawang.com
January 5, 2026 at 5:00 PM
NEW POST
While cities across North America struggle with housing shortages, Edmonton is proving that zoning reform works.
In 2025, for the first time in history, the number of homes permitted in 5-8 unit rowhomes surpassed detached homes. 🧵
#yeg #yegcc #yimby
www.jacobdawang.com/blog/2026/zb...
While cities across North America struggle with housing shortages, Edmonton is proving that zoning reform works.
In 2025, for the first time in history, the number of homes permitted in 5-8 unit rowhomes surpassed detached homes. 🧵
#yeg #yegcc #yimby
www.jacobdawang.com/blog/2026/zb...
The vast majority of men are only willing to engage in public violence if they feel like the people around them will approve of — and reward them for — that violence.
ICE Watch works because it surrounds men seeking approval with people loudly expressing their disapproval.
www.ms.now/opinion/minn...
ICE Watch works because it surrounds men seeking approval with people loudly expressing their disapproval.
www.ms.now/opinion/minn...
Opinion | I'm a Minneapolis sociologist who studies violence. Here's how ICE observers are helping.
Research into how violence occurs shows that disapproval from the people around you can help reduce it.
www.ms.now
January 17, 2026 at 6:00 PM
The vast majority of men are only willing to engage in public violence if they feel like the people around them will approve of — and reward them for — that violence.
ICE Watch works because it surrounds men seeking approval with people loudly expressing their disapproval.
www.ms.now/opinion/minn...
ICE Watch works because it surrounds men seeking approval with people loudly expressing their disapproval.
www.ms.now/opinion/minn...
This going to be a curse for the Dems for a long time, I fear.
Watched Buttigieg's TH in WI... one takeaway is that Dems still aren't sure how to talk about the Biden years.
Buttigieg briefly mentioned that he was Transportation Secretary but kept his "we can't just pretend we got it right before" vibe from when he was a small-town mayor. (1/2)
Buttigieg briefly mentioned that he was Transportation Secretary but kept his "we can't just pretend we got it right before" vibe from when he was a small-town mayor. (1/2)
January 17, 2026 at 5:43 PM
This going to be a curse for the Dems for a long time, I fear.
A 500-Mile Road Trip Through Scotland Taught Me to Love Whisky in a New Way
www.wsj.com/lifestyle/tr...
www.wsj.com/lifestyle/tr...
A 500-Mile Road Trip Through Scotland Taught Me to Love Whisky in a New Way
I skipped the tour buses and big-name distilleries and hit the road to find a deeper understanding of Scotch’s role in the country
www.wsj.com
January 17, 2026 at 5:40 PM
A 500-Mile Road Trip Through Scotland Taught Me to Love Whisky in a New Way
www.wsj.com/lifestyle/tr...
www.wsj.com/lifestyle/tr...
A federal judge in Minnesota imposed restrictions on the actions of immigration agents toward protesters in the state on Friday, a decision that comes after weeks of mounting tension between demonstrators and federal officers.
www.nytimes.com/2026/01/16/u...
www.nytimes.com/2026/01/16/u...
Judge Restricts Immigration Agents’ Actions Toward Minnesota Protesters
www.nytimes.com
January 17, 2026 at 3:28 AM
A federal judge in Minnesota imposed restrictions on the actions of immigration agents toward protesters in the state on Friday, a decision that comes after weeks of mounting tension between demonstrators and federal officers.
www.nytimes.com/2026/01/16/u...
www.nytimes.com/2026/01/16/u...
After an ICE agent shot and killed the Minneapolis mother, conservative media launched an all-out attack on her reputation. Her identity as a queer woman was central to it.
www.wired.com/story/the-ca...
www.wired.com/story/the-ca...
The Campaign to Destroy Renee Good
After an ICE agent shot and killed the Minneapolis mother, conservative media launched an all-out attack on her reputation. Her identity as a queer woman was central to it.
www.wired.com
January 17, 2026 at 1:54 AM
After an ICE agent shot and killed the Minneapolis mother, conservative media launched an all-out attack on her reputation. Her identity as a queer woman was central to it.
www.wired.com/story/the-ca...
www.wired.com/story/the-ca...
Reposted by Luke Ranker🚶♂️
Cool now sell the parking crater they own and don't use
Commerce Bank wants to vacate and sell one of its buildings in Kansas City's Central Business District.
www.bizjournals.com/kansascity/n...
www.bizjournals.com/kansascity/n...
Commerce Bank lists 12-story downtown office building for sale - Kansas City Business Journal
Commerce Bank listed a 12-story downtown office building for sale.
www.bizjournals.com
January 16, 2026 at 3:36 PM
Cool now sell the parking crater they own and don't use
The zoning change is the first regulation on where data centers can be built in Kansas City. Advocates see it as the first step in limiting the AI data center boom.
www.kcur.org/housing-deve...
www.kcur.org/housing-deve...
Kansas City just changed its zoning to make data centers harder to build
The zoning change is the first regulation on where data centers can be built in the city. Advocates see it as the first step in limiting the AI data center boom.
www.kcur.org
January 16, 2026 at 3:28 PM
The zoning change is the first regulation on where data centers can be built in Kansas City. Advocates see it as the first step in limiting the AI data center boom.
www.kcur.org/housing-deve...
www.kcur.org/housing-deve...
Commerce Bank wants to vacate and sell one of its buildings in Kansas City's Central Business District.
www.bizjournals.com/kansascity/n...
www.bizjournals.com/kansascity/n...
Commerce Bank lists 12-story downtown office building for sale - Kansas City Business Journal
Commerce Bank listed a 12-story downtown office building for sale.
www.bizjournals.com
January 16, 2026 at 3:26 PM
Commerce Bank wants to vacate and sell one of its buildings in Kansas City's Central Business District.
www.bizjournals.com/kansascity/n...
www.bizjournals.com/kansascity/n...
The Trump administration appears to be planning to leverage the same playbook used in Minnesota to go after other blue states.
www.wired.com/story/califo...
www.wired.com/story/califo...
Minnesota Is Just the Beginning. California and New York Are ‘Next’
The Trump administration appears to be planning to leverage the same playbook used in Minnesota to go after other blue states.
www.wired.com
January 15, 2026 at 6:48 PM
The Trump administration appears to be planning to leverage the same playbook used in Minnesota to go after other blue states.
www.wired.com/story/califo...
www.wired.com/story/califo...
In a world where ICE agents are shooting US citizens on the street, the need for militias and extremist groups like the Proud Boys to support far-right interests has evaporated.
www.wired.com/story/trump-...
www.wired.com/story/trump-...
Trump Doesn’t Need the Proud Boys Anymore
In a world where ICE agents are shooting US citizens on the street, the need for militias and extremist groups like the Proud Boys to support far-right interests has evaporated.
www.wired.com
January 14, 2026 at 6:35 PM
In a world where ICE agents are shooting US citizens on the street, the need for militias and extremist groups like the Proud Boys to support far-right interests has evaporated.
www.wired.com/story/trump-...
www.wired.com/story/trump-...
F.B.I. agents conducted a search at the home of a Washington Post reporter on Wednesday, as part of what officials said was an investigation into the possible sharing of government secrets www.nytimes.com/2026/01/14/u...
F.B.I. Searches Home of Washington Post Journalist for Classified Documents
www.nytimes.com
January 14, 2026 at 2:14 PM
F.B.I. agents conducted a search at the home of a Washington Post reporter on Wednesday, as part of what officials said was an investigation into the possible sharing of government secrets www.nytimes.com/2026/01/14/u...
Out of 49.5 million voter registrations that have been checked, the department referred around 10,000 cases to Homeland Security Investigations for further investigation of noncitizenship, or roughly .02 percent of the names processed www.nytimes.com/2026/01/14/u...
Initial Review Finds No Widespread Illegal Voting by Migrants, Puncturing a Trump Claim
www.nytimes.com
January 14, 2026 at 1:34 PM
Out of 49.5 million voter registrations that have been checked, the department referred around 10,000 cases to Homeland Security Investigations for further investigation of noncitizenship, or roughly .02 percent of the names processed www.nytimes.com/2026/01/14/u...
With federal agents storming the streets of American communities, there’s no single right way to approach this dangerous moment. But there are steps you can take to stay safe—and have an impact.
www.wired.com/story/what-t...
www.wired.com/story/what-t...
What to Do if ICE Invades Your Neighborhood
With federal agents storming the streets of American communities, there’s no single right way to approach this dangerous moment. But there are steps you can take to stay safe—and have an impact.
www.wired.com
January 13, 2026 at 11:57 PM
With federal agents storming the streets of American communities, there’s no single right way to approach this dangerous moment. But there are steps you can take to stay safe—and have an impact.
www.wired.com/story/what-t...
www.wired.com/story/what-t...