Central Standard

A visit to a trendy restaurant that makes "church basement coffee;" and a local bar owner shows us how to make frozen drinks without a blender. Then, the Food Critics search out the best happy hour specials in and around KC. Guests: Josh Rogers, Krokstrom Klubb & Market Jerry Nevins, co-founder of Snow & Company ; author of Sloshies: 102 Boozy Cocktails Straight from the Freezer Charles Ferruzza, The Independent and Shawnee Mission Post Mary Bloch, Around the Block Jenny Vergara, Feast

Women are more likely to die in complications related to pregnancy and birth in the United States than in other industrialized nations. A look at why — and what people are doing locally to change it. Guests: Nina Martin, reporter, ProPublica Devika Maulik, OB/GYN at Truman Medical Center ; Assistant Professor, UMKC Department of Obstetrics & Gynecology Hakima Payne, Uzazi Village

Slate Magazine says it's the " The Year of the Tick ." A local entomologist tells us all about these creepy-crawly disease-carriers. Then, the city of Lawrence recently hired an African-American police chief. However, he's not the first African-American in the position. The story of Lawrence's black chief marshall from the 1890s. Plus a new zine that covers the LGBTQ music community in KC. Guests: Gregory Burg, Director, Undergraduate Biology Program at KU Chris Mulvenon, Historian, Lawrence

As some families mobilize to open new high schools in the Kansas City Public School district, district officials are concerned there are already too many KCUR's Elle Moxley shares her latest education reporting , and local parents answer our questions about what schools they're choosing and why. Guests: Elle Moxley , KCUR education reporter John Couture , parent Darron Story , parent

73-year-old Mike Hartung has been producing art in his studio in Lindsborg, Kansas since the 1970s. 700 paintings later, he's finally having his first exhibit : "Gas Stations, Laundromats and the Spaces Between." Plus, Crick Camera Shop closed its doors for good back in January. We'll hear from a former employee who photographed the final days as an homage to film in the era of digital. Guests: Angie Jennings , president, Society for Contemporary Photography Mike Hartung ​, artist Richard Klocke

Some of the exciting stuff on KC's arts calendar this month: an artist residency at the Nelson-Atkins; a three-person, 90-minute version of Macbeth; and a chat with soul singer Julia Haile. Haile will be performing Gen Listen KC's Stockyards Sounds on Tuesday, August 8. Guests: Archie Scott Gobber , artist-in-residence at The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art Kyle Hatley, actor and director, The Tragedy of Macbeth Julia Haile, singer, The Buhs and Hi-Lux

The NAACP of Missouri has issued its first-ever travel advisory for the state, warning of harassment and discrimination. A look at whether Missouri is safe for people of color ... and whether safety related to race, religion, gender identity or sexual orientation is something that people think about when planning their travels. Plus, a former Kansas City Star editorial writer joins the Peace Corps and says goodbye to KC . Guests: Rod Chapel, President, Missouri NAACP Yael Abouhalkah

We take a look at the challenges of bringing quality healthcare to people in urban and rural communities, from a KCK clinic that serves the homeless to a program in a remote county that sends case workers to see patients. Guests: Jaynell KayKay Assmann, nurse practitioner, Care Beyond The Boulevard Kendal Carswell, Director, Pioneer Care Advocacy Team Jan Probst, Director, South Carolina Rural Health Research Center

From Oxford-educated surgeon to body-builder to Cerner executive, Daphne Bascom joins us to talk about the journey that now brings her to community health at the YMCA . Plus, Dodge City, Kansas-native Robert Rebein just published a new memoir on his home state . Guests: Daphne Bascom ​, senior vice president, Community Integrated Health, YMCA Robert Rebein , author, Headlights on the Prairie: Essays on Home

Recently, the Columbia Journalism Review dedicated an entire issue to the state of local news , featuring a map revealing "news deserts" in the U.S. What is the status of local news sources in our small Midwestern towns? Plus, ballet icon and Kansas City native Misty Copeland is back in town touring her new book, Ballerina Body . Guests: Roy Wenzl , former reporter, Wichita Eagle Sarah Kessinger , Marysville Advocate Misty Copeland , ballerina, author