As evidenced by recent openings, closings and bankruptcies , the Kansas City restaurant scene is extremely competitive right now. "Lots of players are competing for the same dollars, employees and customers," said KCUR Food Critic Jenny Vergara. "Only the strongest operators will survive." Friday on KCUR's Central Standard , Vergara, Liz Cook and Mary Bloch shared the most important food stories in Kansas City from the past few months.

Segment 1: Thanksgiving's got us thinking about turkey (and duck and quail and pheasant). Hunters and chefs are making plans for fall birds. From the key to a good brine to the effect of flooding on duck season, we get the inside story. Plus, the food critics help us find the best places to go in Kansas City for the fowl-less-eaten. Charles D'Ablaing , owner, Brookside Poultry Company James Worley , outdoorsman, conservationist, squirrel-grilling champion, self-described tomato whisperer Jenny

Segment 1: If Kansas City wants to go green, we have to drive less. Can we do it? Transportation is the biggest source of carbon dioxide emissions in the United States, with most of that coming from cars and trucks, but how realistic is it to expect people to break up with their cars in a city that was built for the automobile? Angie Schmitt , author, We Can't Stop Global Warming Without Reducing Driving Michael Wells , Missouri Valley Special Collections Librarian, Kansas City Public Library

Segment 1: Why former college athletes care that future college athletes might financially benefit from their name and image. Many think statements by the NCAA are a step forward since student athletes bring in millions for their respective universities, but others say it's not enough of a step. Michael Watson , former college basketball player, University of Missouri-Kansas City Carrie Fry Robinson , former college soccer player, Indiana University Patrick Hruby , journalist who covers athletes

Segment 1: Why a group of Bolivians in Kansas City demonstrated in the streets. In response to news that the president of Bolivia had stepped down, a group met outside Union Station in solidarity with friends and family involved in much riskier demonstrations back in Bolivia. Their message was not about one candidate versus another, but the democratic process itself. Bernardo Jordan , event organizer, Bolivia nos necesita Segment 2, beginning at 8:05: A big next step after a career in

Segment 1: Families live in downtown Kansas City, but it wasn't necessarily built with them in mind. The accepted wisdom in Kansas City has long been that families want houses in the suburbs and that the market for downtown is young professionals and empty nesters, but families have lived downtown for generations. Rick Usher , Assistant City Manager, Kansas City Sara McComsey , downtown resident, Kansas City Segment 2, beginning at 32:10: People don't think of black people when they think of who

The Kansas City food scene is more international than it used to be, and whatever else might be in those global dishes, the key to a lot of them is rice.

Segment 1: Missouri is home to choice wild edible fall mushrooms. A hunt for wild mushrooms at Burr Oak Woods launches a conversation about foraging Missouri mushrooms. Then, a James Beard Award-winning chef offers mushroom-cooking expertise for the home cook. Alix Daniel , Missouri Department of Conservation and the Kansas City Chapter of the Missouri Mycological Society Brittany Martinez , founder, Kansas City Chapter of the Missouri Mycological Society Gerard Craft , executive chef, Niche

Segment 1: Climate change affects people unequally. We talk about what this inequality looks like when it comes to housing, the needs of low-income residents, and more. Richard Mabion, Founder, Building A Sustainable Earth Community Tom Jacobs, Environmental Programs Director, Mid-America Regional Council Segment 2, beginning at 28:10: A KU student went viral for crocheting at a football game. She was just there to see a professor accept an award that she had nominated him for, but ESPN turned

Segment 1: Kansas City voters revert Martin Luther King Boulevard back to its previous name, Paseo. The morning after Martin Luther King's name was voted off of a major boulevard, we analyze what the controversy and its outcome mean for Kansas City communities. Plus, how this all looks through a national lens. Michelle Tyrene Johnson , Race, Identity & Culture Reporter, KCUR John Eligon , national race correspondent based in Kansas City, New York Times Segment 2, beginning at 31:10: A new