A Kansas City cookbook author gives us a glimpse of her warm kitchen this winter season. Plus, while many people go online or to the mall to shop for presents, some rural towns go all out to try and attract holiday shoppers.

New York Times bestselling cookbook author Erin Jeanne McDowell has been baking tasty treats for holiday tables since she was a teenager. KCUR’s Julie Denesha reports on what McDowell’s cooking up this season.

Some rural towns are known for their holiday festivities. Tourist dollars are a big part of their local economy. But as Harvest Public Media's Tadeo Ruiz Sandoval reports, getting people to town each year means new events.

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Kansas City Today is hosted by Nomin Ujiyediin. This episode was produced by Lisa Rodriguez and KCUR Studios, and edited by Emily Younker.

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A major tax incentives package approved Monday by Kansas lawmakers will help the Kansas City Chiefs move from Arrowhead Stadium in Missouri and build a new $3 billion domed stadium in Wyandotte County, Kansas. Dylan Lysen and Zane Irwin of the Kansas News Service talk about what this move will mean for both states.

Classical KC contributor Andrea Hoag remembers being toted from one wintertime performance to the next by her musician parents. She shares some memories from those years.

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Kansas City Today is hosted by Nomin Ujiyediin. This episode was produced by Suzanne Hogan and KCUR Studios, and edited by Emily Younker.

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Kansas will end all access to hormone treatments and other gender-affirming care for transgender minors in January. To keep getting care for their children, some families are opting to leave the state entirely.

On Jan. 1, 2026, young people in Kansas will be completely banned from receiving gender affirming medical treatments. As Zane Irwin of the Kansas News Service reports, transgender people and their families have already started fleeing for states where they can access care — uprooting their lives in the process.

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Kansas City Today is hosted by Brian Ellison. This episode was produced by Gabe Rosenberg 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.

From 2013-2023, Black student enrollment declined almost 34% at the University of Missouri — and Black students there have much to say about why.

Overall enrollment at Mizzou fell just about 10% from 2013-2023, according to data collected from the National Center for Education Statistics. For both current and former Black and African-American students who describe a history and culture of racism, the 34% decline in Black student enrollment is unsurprising — and is evidence validating their own experiences on campus. KBIA's Lilley Halloran reports.

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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 and Emily Younker.

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

This year saw the formation of the Kansas City area's first Women’s Pinball League. At 403 Club, in Kansas City, Kansas, beginners and pros of all ages and walks of life gather each Thursday for slap-saves, snacks and sisterhood.

KCUR Studios intern Jacob Smollen takes us on a sonic journey to this Strawberry Hill bar to meet these groundbreaking regulars.

This story is part of an occasional KCUR series called The Regulars, about Kansas City’s neighborhood hangouts and the customers who bring them to life.

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

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For the first time in 11 years, the Kansas City Chiefs will not be playing in the NFL playoffs. The bad news doesn’t stop there: superstar quarterback Patrick Mahomes sustained a season-ending injury in last weekend's loss to the San Diego Chargers. The situation has some fans wondering if this is the end of the dynasty, or just a fluke of a season.

KCUR's Up To Date host Steve Kraske took those seemingly existential questions to Patrick Allen, VP of content and strategy for Fansided and co-host of the Arrowhead Addict podcast.

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

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Next year, Kansas City’s only drinking water treatment plant will celebrate its 100th birthday. It’s a milestone worth applauding, for sure, but it’s also a reminder that the city has only one place where it makes clean water.

KCUR's Noah Taborda explains why that's a vulnerability and what the city plan to do about it.

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Kansas City Today is hosted by Nomin Ujiyediin. This episode was produced by Suzanne Hogan 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 Missouri and Kansas, the secretary of state is the top election official, a partisan position chosen by voters. But to the frustration of some, Missouri Secretary of State Denny Hoskins has used his authority to push certain Republican priorities, especially when it comes to ballot issues on redistricting and abortion.

To find out how unusual this is, and how it fits into broader trends across the country, KCUR's Brian Ellison spoke with Jonathan Shorman of the nonpartisan, nonprofit States Newsroom.

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Kansas City Today is hosted by Peggy Lowe. It is produced by Suzanne Hogan 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 Kansas City, singles looking for love have a new way to find possible matches: live, in-person and with an audience. Can a local reimagining of “The Dating Game” lead to love in a loveless city? Plus: A disease caused by ticks is on the rise in Missouri, meaning more people are looking for alpha-gal safe ways to eat out.

In Kansas City, disappointment with the dating scene has led to the creation of a new kind of singles event. One that aims to couple people up by putting them in front of a live audience. KCUR’s Mackenzie Martin explains.

This summer — following lots of conversations with his customers — Thomas Orr decided to create an alpha-gal menu for his Colton’s Steakhouse in Springfield. KBIA health reporter Rebecca Smith takes a look at how some restaurants in southern Missouri are adapting their menus to meet the needs of this growing community.

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Kansas City Today is hosted by Nomin Ujiyediin. This episode was produced by Jacob Smollen, Gabe Rosenberg 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.

This week, petitioners challenging Missouri's gerrymandered new congressional map submitted 305,000 signatures seeking to halt the law and put it up for a statewide vote. That's more than twice as many as needed. But a whole tangle of legal challenges lay ahead.

Missouri Secretary of State Denny Hoskins said he's prepared to reject signatures collected before Gov. Mike Kehoe signed the new map into law. Meanwhile, Missouri Attorney General Catherine Hanaway has argued that the signatures don't stop the map from taking effect as scheduled anyway. KCUR's Brian Ellison sat down with Nomin Ujiyedin to discuss the current state of citizen efforts to challenge Missouri's new congressional maps.

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

Kansas City Today is hosted by Nomin Ujiyediin. This episode was 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.