The Unified Government of Wyandotte County and Kansas City, Kansas, passed a revised version of its public camping ban — which includes lesser penalties for first time offenses than the initial proposal. Kansas City, Kansas Police called the measure “dignified,” but opponents worry it will criminalize homelessness.

People sleeping outdoors in Kansas City, Kansas, will soon face new legal consequences under an ordinance passed by the Board of Commissioners of the Unified Government. KCUR's Up To Date host Steve Kraske spoke with news intern Kowthar Shire about the new ban and opponents' concerns that it will criminalize homelessness.

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Kansas City Today is hosted by Nomin Ujiyediin. It is produced by Suzanne Hogan and KCUR Studios, and edited by Madeline Fox and Gabe Rosenberg.

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Every year just before the holidays, Scouting America troops across the country collect food items for local pantries, right off our front porches. It’s an effort started 40 years ago from here in Missouri.

Scouting for Food became a national Scouting America program in 1988, expanding across the country as thousands of scouts collectively gathered hundreds of thousands of pounds of shelf-stable goods for food insecure residents in their local communities. Lacretia Wimbley of St. Louis Public Radio brings us this report.

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Kansas City Today is hosted by Savannah Hawley-Bates. It is produced by Gabe Rosenberg and KCUR Studios, and edited by Madeline Fox and Emily Younker.

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More than 650,000 people could attend the World Cup in Kansas City next summer, and all of them will need a place to stay. That's why the Kansas City Council is changing its rules around short-term rentals to make it easier for residents to host visitors.

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Kansas City Today is hosted by Nomin Ujiyediin. It is produced by Jacob Smollen and KCUR Studios, and edited by Madeline Fox and Emily Younker.

You can support Kansas City Today by becoming a KCUR member: kcur.org/donate.

For years, the Missouri Department of Corrections was not actually keeping track of the people who died in state prisons — with partial counts, missing names and flat-out wrong information being standard procedure. That is, until a Marshall Project reporter started asking questions. 

The Marshall Project engagement reporter Ivy Scott sat down with KCUR’s Nomin Ujiyediin to talk about the effort to get the true numbers, and why they matter.

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Kansas City Today is hosted by Brian Ellison. It is produced by Byron Love, Suzanne Hogan and KCUR Studios, and edited by Gabe Rosenberg, Madeline Fox and Emily Younker.

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Since purchasing the Country Club Plaza over a year ago, the Gillion Property group has increased its security and made cosmetic repairs. Now, the company is planning major construction that contrasts with the Plaza’s story-book-like atmosphere, and asking a Kansas City agency for $1.4 billion in tax breaks.

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Kansas City Today is hosted by Nomin Ujiyediin. It is produced by Jacob Smollen and KCUR Studios, and edited by Gabe Rosenberg, Madeline Fox and Emily Younker.

You can support Kansas City Today by becoming a KCUR member: kcur.org/donate.

In rural Medicine Lodge, Kansas, Sarrah and Kyle Miller were sued last month by their local medical clinic for $230 in unpaid medical expenses. Their story is part of a new pattern. Kansas hospitals have filed thousands of lawsuits against their rural patients in recent years, including many for less than $500. 

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Kansas City Today is hosted by Nomin Ujiyediin. It is produced by Jacob Smollen and KCUR Studios, and edited by Gabe Rosenberg and Emily Younker.

You can support Kansas City Today by becoming a KCUR member: kcur.org/donate.

Kansas City officials are waging a war against graffiti, scrubbing surfaces clean only to see them tagged again the next day. Businesses and hotels are fighting back to send the message that downtown is a welcoming, thriving and safe place.

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Kansas City Today is hosted by Nomin Ujiyediin. It is produced by Byron Love, Jacob Smollen, and KCUR Studios, and edited by Gabe Rosenberg, Madeline Fox and Emily Younker.

You can support Kansas City Today by becoming a KCUR member: kcur.org/donate.

A longtime resident of Columbia, Missouri, remains imprisoned in Texas more than a month after he was detained by federal officers. Owen Ramsingh is a green card holder who immigrated to the U.S. as a child, but he’s now facing deportation due to a drug conviction from when he was a teen.

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Kansas City Today is hosted by Nomin Ujiyediin. This episode was produced by Mackenzie Martin and KCUR Studios, and edited by Gabe Rosenberg, Madeline Fox and Emily Younker.

You can support Kansas City Today by becoming a KCUR member: kcur.org/donate.

Now that the government shutdown is over, tens of thousands of furloughed civil servants are back to work in Kansas City. But that doesn’t mean all is well. KCUR spoke with a Social Security employee who answers the 1-800 line about her experiences working without pay.

If you’re a current or federal worker and want to talk about your experiences, email [email protected].

Contact the show at [email protected]. Follow KCUR on Instagram and Facebook for the latest news.

Kansas City Today is hosted by Brian Ellison. It is produced by Byron Love and KCUR Studios, and edited by Madeline Fox, Emily Younker and Gabe Rosenberg.

You can support Kansas City Today by becoming a KCUR member: kcur.org/donate.