Harry Houdini was a master of escape. He was also a self-promoter who once performed a stunt in downtown Kansas City to draw an audience to his shows. We'll learn about the Houdini escape that originated right here in Kansas City.

Harry Houdini first visited Kansas City at age 12, and he maintained a connection here throughout his career. On Friday, Sept. 11, the Society of American Magicians and the International Brotherhood of Magicians will unveil a historic marker to commemorate a famous Houdini escape at 10th and Main streets. To learn why Houdini’s name still resonates, Kansas City Public Library’s Laura Spencer spoke with John Cox, writer of the blog “Wild About Harry” and several books about Houdini.

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Kansas City Today is hosted by Nomin Ujiyediin. It is produced by Byron Love 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.

The U.S. Department of Justice has followed through on its threat to sue Kansas City, Kansas, Public Schools based on a dispute over the district’s transgender policies.

On Up To Date, KCUR's education reporter Jodi Fortino told Steve Kraske the district says it is in full compliance with federal law and will defend itself in court.

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Kansas City Today is hosted by Nomin Ujiyediin. It is produced by Byron Love 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.

Tenants of the North Lawn apartments in Kansas City's Historic Northeast were forced to move out by the city due to the complex's hazardous conditions — capping off years of troubles with a landlord who failed to make proper fixes. But a deal with the city and the new owner should allow tenants to move back to a repaired building.

For years, KCUR has followed the story of a dilapidated apartment complex in Kansas City’s Historic Northeast neighborhood. Many of the residents are immigrants or refugees. And they complained for years of a lack of heat, mold infestations and other unsafe conditions – with little attention from their landlord. Advocacy group KC Tenants organized the building’s residents and got the attention of city government. And now, tenants say they’ve won the long battle by securing guarantees for repairs and lower rent. KCUR’s Celisa Calacal has been covering the story. She brought KCUR’s Nomin Ujiyediin up to speed.

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Kansas City Today is hosted by Nomin Ujiyediin. It is produced by Seth Jahraus 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.

Kansas City is dishing out a lot of money for new development plans, specifically toward the Country Club Plaza and Royals downtown ballpark. How do the two projects stack up against each other — and why does Kansas City feel like it needs to give those owners public funding?

Port KC approved $1.5 billion in bonds and tax benefits for the owners of the Country Club Plaza, after the Kansas City Council approved $600 million in funds for the new Royals stadium. On Up To Date, David Hundall of the Kansas City Star compares the two deals with KCUR's Steve Kraske.

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 Seth Jahraus 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.

Over the summer, an internationally renowned expert on authoritarianism visited Kansas to investigate the state's new polices on transgender rights. Hear why New York Times columnist M. Gessen sees similarities between Kansas and Nazi Germany.

In July, Senate Bill 244 took effect in Kansas, invalidating the birth certificates and drivers licenses of people who have changed the gender markers on their IDs also bans people from using bathrooms or lockers in public buildings that don’t match their gender assigned at birth. Pulitzer Prize and National Book Award-winning author/writer M. Gessen recently published a piece exploring the consequences of this new law in the New York Times. They joined KCUR's Nomin Ujiyediin to talk about what drew them to Kansas, and what they found when they visited.

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 Gabe Rosenberg, Madeline Fox and Emily Younker.

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

Saying goodbye to a pet can be really hard. But one business in Kansas City is offering a unique way to preserve their memory: preserving and articulating their skeleton. Plus: As more people pick up pickleball to stay fit, emergency room visits related to the sport have nearly quadrupled.

At Oracle Natural Science in Kansas City's Crossroads Arts District, taxidermy and skeleton preservation can help pet owners grieve and remember their beloved animals. KCUR’s Seth Jahraus reports.

Pickleball combines elements of tennis, badminton and table tennis, and is one of the fastest-growing recreational sports in the country. But as more people take up the sport, injuries are also becoming more common. Najifa Farhat reports on what’s behind the rise in injuries and what players can do to stay safe while staying active.

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 Gabe Rosenberg, Madeline Fox and Emily Younker.

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

There’s a chance your next bowl of cereal or protein shake will include milk that came from Kansas. Dairy production in the state has quadrupled over the last couple decades, and that growth rests on the shoulders of immigrant workers in rural Kansas.

Kansas has one of the fastest growing dairy industries in the country. The state has added on almost 50,000 milk cows to its herd in just the last year. All that growth requires immigrant labor to keep up with demand. Calen Moore of the Kansas News Service takes us inside the growing dairy industry.

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Kansas City Today is hosted by Nomin Ujiyediin. It is produced by Seth Jahraus 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.

Sports economists looking at the $600 million deal between the Royals and the Kansas City Council aren’t very impressed. The quickly-passed measure leaves many unanswered questions about where the public funds will come from, how much risk Kansas City will take on, and if the economic benefits will actually pan out.

Kansas City and Missouri are expected to provide over $1 billion in taxpayer funds to the new Royals stadium at Crown Center, potentially making it one of the largest public subsidies in MLB history. On Up To Date, Kansas City Business Journal reporter Thomas Friestad spoke with KCUR's Steve Kraske about some specifics behind the deal.

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Kansas City Today is hosted by Noah Taborda. It is produced by Seth Jahraus 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.

Birdwatchers in Kansas might notice tiny, yellow birds in their backyards, a songbird that only recently started breeding in Kansas. Also: Midwest prairies are turning into woodland. Ranchers are trying to stop this change, but it’s an uphill battle.

There’s new research tracking bright yellow warblers — a palm-sized bird that started breeding in southeast Kansas. Researchers are studying the birds’ migratory habits. Rachel Schnelle with the Kansas News Service reports.

On the Great Plains, prairies are turning into woods and shrubs. Some ranchers are testing out totally new approaches to the problem: calling on goats for help. Harvest Public Media’s Celia Llopis-Jepsen reports.

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 Seth Jahraus 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.

Last week, a Missouri judge declined to put two measures that received hundreds of thousands of petition signatures on the November ballot. Now the state Supreme Court will take a look. We'll take a closer look at the redistricting referendum and Respect Missouri Voters amendment.

Last Wednesday, Cole County Judge Daniel Green sided with Missouri Secretary of State Denny Hoskins in two cases where the secretary declined to allow measures on the November ballot. Rudi Keller, deputy editor of the Missouri Independent covered both cases and joined KCUR's Nomin Ujiyediin to talk about what’s next, and what this could mean for the future of state politics.

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 Gabe Rosenberg, Madeline Fox and Emily Younker.

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