Preservationists cling to tax breaks as Missouri goes broke

Developers, architects and preservationists in Missouri want to protect historic tax credits. In Kansas City, the state program has subsidized the restoration of the Hilton President Hotel, the Mainstreet Theater and other downtown projects.

Everybody likes to see old buildings come back to life. But the program, which drained $108 million from last year’s budget, is one of the reasons that the state is like that friend who’s always out of money at the end of the month.