Jean Peters Baker is leaving office next month after 13 years as Jackson County's top prosecutor. She said she's faced threats and criticism for her decisions over the years — especially over the prosecution of ex-KCPD officer Eric DeValkenaere.

Baker spoke with Steve Kraske on KCUR's Up To Date about the cases she's handled and why she decided not to run for reelection.

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

Kansas City Today is hosted by Nomin Ujiyediin. It is produced by Byron Love, and KCUR Studios, and edited by Lisa Rodriguez and Gabe Rosenberg.

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

Kansas City’s Nora Holt was an accomplished pianist, composer, singer, music critic, and even a club-hopping socialite. She composed more than 200 musical works in her lifetime, but you've probably never heard any of them — because they were stolen.

Mackenzie Martin from the KCUR Studios podcast A People’s History of Kansas City has the story.

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

Kansas City Today is hosted by Nomin Ujiyediin. It is produced by Byron Love, and KCUR Studios, and edited by Lisa Rodriguez and Gabe Rosenberg.

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

Christmas Ranch Tree Farm in Excelsior Springs has been a destination for generations of families in the Kansas City area every holiday season — but it takes a lot of work. Plus: It's now a lot easier to find out what your Kansas City neighborhood looked like in 1940, thanks to the public library.

Every year, starting the day after Thanksgiving, families traipse around the Christmas Ranch Tree Farm in Excelsior Springs looking for the perfect tree. KCUR’s Savannah Hawley-Bates takes us on a stroll through the spruce, pine and fir.

In the wake of the Tom Pendergast political machine of the 1920s and '30s, Jackson County embarked on a monumental tax assessment. It sent teams of federal workers out into Kansas City block by block, taking photos of residences, schools, factories and government buildings. Today, the photos provide a candid glimpse of daily life in 1940. The Kansas City Public Library’s Laura Spencer spoke about the images with digital history collections librarian Katie Eschbacher, who helped create a new website where you can view them.

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

Kansas City Today is hosted by Nomin Ujiyediin. It is produced by Olivia Hewitt and KCUR Studios, and edited by Lisa Rodriguez and Gabe Rosenberg.

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

Kansas lawmakers are considering ways to incentivize more affordable housing in the state, in response to a severe shortage that is driving up the price of homes. Plus: If you're still searching for a holiday gift that can bring the whole family together, one Kansas board game shop has some suggestions.

A housing shortage in Kansas has sent prices skyrocketing and made it harder to purchase a home. State lawmakers are considering ways to create more affordable housing. Kansas News Service reporters Dylan Lysen and Zane Irwin discuss how the shortage happened and some ideas to address the problem.

Setting up and playing a board game can take hours. But many modern board games and card games don’t require that kind of time commitment. Suzanne Perez of the Kansas News Service talked with the owner of a Wichita toy store to see what’s new this year in the world of games.

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

Kansas City Today is hosted by Nomin Ujiyediin. It is produced by Olivia Hewitt and KCUR Studios, and edited by Lisa Rodriguez and Gabe Rosenberg.

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

"Good Morning Indian Country" is a weekly news show made by students from Haskell Indian Nations University and the University of Kansas. It recently received major grants to continue training the next generation of Indigenous journalists.

On KCUR's Up To Date, host Steve Kraske spoke with two of the show's anchors, Allison Levering and Shia Blackcloud, and their faculty advisor Melissa Greene-Blye.

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

Kansas City Today is hosted by Nomin Ujiyediin. It is produced by Byron Love, and KCUR Studios, and edited by Lisa Rodriguez and Gabe Rosenberg.

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

After six and a half years, Missouri Gov. Mike Parson is set to leave office in January. In an interview with KCUR, Parson reflected on his tenure — including accomplishments like expanding I-70, if he plans to pardon former KCPD officer Eric DeValkenaere, and his hopes for the future of Missouri.

Parson spoke with Steve Kraske on KCUR's Up To Date.

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, Gabe Rosenberg and Lisa Rodriguez.

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

This year, Kansas City theatergoers have several ways to enjoy "A Christmas Carol," Charles Dickens' holiday story of redemption. Three different actors talk about their interpretations of Ebenezer Scrooge on stages around Kansas City.

Up to Date host Steve Kraske spoke with Gary Neal Johnson, Ron Megee and Cathy Barnett about getting into character and the lessons they take from the tale.

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

Kansas City Today is hosted by Nomin Ujiyediin. It is produced by Byron Love, and KCUR Studios, and edited by Lisa Rodriguez and Gabe Rosenberg.

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

Immigrants need a medical exam to become citizens, but it can be hard to find affordable options in Kansas City. That's in part because the physicians need to be specifically qualified by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

About 100,000 immigrants living in the Kansas City region are naturalized residents and each one requires a medical examination before getting citizenship. However, these exams can be very expensive. KCUR's Steve Kraske sits down with Noah Taborda to learn more about this issue, and how one local Kansas City clinic is offering these exams at lower prices.

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

Kansas City Today is hosted by Nomin Ujiyediin. It is produced by Olivia Hewitt and KCUR Studios, and edited by Lisa Rodriguez and Gabe Rosenberg.

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

As Kansas Citians begin a holiday season of feasting, a rising number of people don’t know where or when their next meal will be. Plus: The Ogallala aquifer is a critical source of water in western Kansas, and it’s running dry.

Kansas City community kitchens are seeing higher demand as food prices remain high and COVID-19 assistance disappears. KCUR’s Brandon Azim reports on how some local nonprofits are responding to the growing need.

The Ogallala aquifer plays a major role in the daily lives of Kansans. But a recent survey revealed half of Kansans say they have never heard of it. Calen Moore of the Kansas News Service reports on how the aquifer affects everyone in the state, even those who don’t live on top of it.

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

 Kansas City Today is hosted by Nomin Ujiyediin. It is produced by Olivia Hewitt and KCUR Studios, and edited by Lisa Rodriguez and Gabe Rosenberg.

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

In August, Planned Parenthood opened a clinic in Pittsburgh, Kansas — just five miles from the Missouri border. But workers don't expect demand at the clinic to decline after Missouri voted to lift it's current abortion ban. Plus: Midwest builders are using wood in a new, climate-friendly way to construct high rises.

Missouri’s two-and-a-half-year long abortion ban has lifted due to a voter-approved amendment to the state’s constitution, the latest in a series of changes to reproductive rights in the region. As Rose Conlon of the Kansas News Service reports, that’s playing out at small clinics, including one near the Kansas-Missouri border.

A traditional building material is getting new life in the Midwest. It locks away carbon and is strong enough to stretch stories into the sky. Harvest Public Media’s Kate Grumke reports on a new way builders are using wood.

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

Kansas City Today is hosted by Nomin Ujiyediin. It is produced by Byron Love and KCUR Studios, and edited by Lisa Rodriguez and Gabe Rosenberg.

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