Kansas City Today

As the climate continues to change and extreme weather events become
more common, communities across the Mississippi River Basin face an increased risk of flooding. The area includes much of the Midwest, Great Plains and the South. Nomin Ujiyediin spoke with Eva Tesfaye of Harvest Public Media about one community in Missouri and how it’s adapting to the changes.

Hispanic Missourians used to have advocates built into the state government, thanks to the bipartisan Governor’s Commission of Hispanic Affairs. It was introduced in late 2003, but only about four years later, it basically disappeared. KBIA’s Kassidy Arena reports what happened to it, and why its disappearance matters.

Contact the show at [email protected]. Follow KCUR on Twitter 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 and Lisa Rodriguez.

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

In June, amid political turmoil surrounding reproductive health rights across the country, Planned Parenthood Great Plains opened a new health center in Kansas City, Kansas. Since then — and after Kansas voters in August reaffirmed the right to an abortion — demand for services has skyrocketed. KCUR’s Noah Taborda reports that officials are now battling to ensure adequate care for patients.

Hays has become sort of the California of Kansas — a place where people don’t flush a toilet, linger in the shower or tend to a lawn without thinking about how much water they’re using. As climate change intensifies droughts, more cities in the Midwest might have to embrace a similar conservation sensibility. David Condos of the Kansas News Service reports.

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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 and Lisa Rodriguez.

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

In just a few weeks, Missouri voters will decide whether to legalize marijuana, but some supporters of legal weed says the amendment on November’s ballot is not the way to do it.

Up To Date host Steve Kraske spoke with John Payne, campaign manager for Legal MO 2022, to discuss the specifics of how the Missouri marijuana industry would change under this initiative, and with state Rep. Ashley Bland Manlove, who supports the legalization of weed but says Amendment 3 is unclear and is concerned about how Missouri will approach expungement, tax and equity.

Contact the show at [email protected]. Follow KCUR on Twitter 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 and Lisa Rodriguez.

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

Incumbent Democratic Kansas Gov. Laura Kelly sparred with Republican challenger Derek Schmidt, currently the state attorney general, Wednesday in a debate sponsored by the Johnson County Bar Association and Kansas City PBS. They differed on education issues including school safety and whether to let transgender athletes compete in girls' and women’s sports. Schmidt said transgender athletes pose a threat to Title IX, the federal education law barring discrimination based on gender. Dylan Lysen of the Kansas News Services breaks down Kelly's responses and what both candidates view as the biggest threats facing Kansas.

Women’s professional soccer figures to be more prominent in Kansas City, with the groundbreaking Thursday of a women’s soccer stadium just north of downtown. As Greg Echlin reports for KCUR, this year’s turnaround by the playoff-bound pro club ranks as one of the biggest reversals in Kansas City sports history.

Contact the show at [email protected]. Follow KCUR on Twitter 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 and Lisa Rodriguez.

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

In August, Kansans voted to preserve the right to an abortion in the state constitution — immediately making Kansas a destination for nearby states where the procedure is illegal. Now, abortion clinics are struggling to keep up with demand. Steve Kraske spoke with Planned Parenthood Great Plains President & CEO Emily Wales and Chief Medical Officer Dr. Iman Alsaden about the struggle to stay above water in one of the only “abortion havens” of the Midwest.

Contact the show at [email protected]. Follow KCUR on Twitter 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 and Lisa Rodriguez.

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

Kansas Governor Laura Kelly said in 2019 that the state’s foster care system had reached a “crisis point” and required immediate rescue. Three years later, an independent evaluation of the state system says there's more work to be done. The study found that kids in the system are benefiting from more stability, but some are still forced to sleep in offices overnight. On KCUR's Up To Date, Steve Kraske spoke with Laura Howard, Secretary of the Kansas Department for Children and Families, about the Kansas foster care system and its progress.

About 10% of U.S. households are food insecure, and there are a number of federal programs in place to help bring that number down. One of those programs is the Supplemental Nutrition Education Program, or SNAP-Ed, which involves educating food stamp recipients about low-budget eating. But according to an investigation by Harvest Public Media and the Midwest Newsroom, some employees of the program are paid so little that they themselves are experiencing food insecurity. Harvest Public Media’s Dana Cronin reports.

Contact the show at [email protected]. Follow KCUR on Twitter 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 and Lisa Rodriguez.

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

The two men running for Kansas attorney general see the job of the state’s lawyer in very different ways. Republican Kris Kobach wants to sue the federal government every chance he gets, while Democrat Chris Mann is staying closer to home. Dylan Lysen of the Kansas News Service reports.

Since Kansas City's right-to-counsel program opened in June, more tenants are receiving legal representation, leading to better outcomes that avoid eviction and keep tenants in their homes. Brian Ellison spoke with KCUR's Celisa Calacal about how the program has helped nearly 400 Kansas City tenants.

Contact the show at [email protected]. Follow KCUR on Twitter 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 and Lisa Rodriguez.

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

Much attention is being focused on the elections on the Kansas side of the state line, where races for governor, attorney general and the congressional seat that covers Johnson County and part of Wyandotte County are all too close to call.

The Missouri ballot may seem boring in comparison, but it too features significant races, controversial ballot questions and a newly redistricted Legislature. KCUR's Brian Ellison talks with Jason Hancock of the Missouri Independent.

Contact the show at [email protected]. Follow KCUR on Twitter 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 and Lisa Rodriguez.

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

On a recent blustery Saturday afternoon , Kansas City musicians Betse Ellis and Clarke Wyatt hitched a ride on The Kansas City Lady with pontoon boat captain Roger MacBride. KCUR reporter Julie Denesha brought her microphone along for the trio's short trip up the Missouri River.

It took Kansas City native and artist Steve Snell 88 days to paddle all 2,341-miles of the Missouri River. Along the way, he encountered tough weather, angry cows, swarms of mosquitos, and physical fatigue. Snell joins Steve Kraske on Up To Date to talk about his paddle down the river and the 90 large watercolors and 30 postcard-sized paintings he created during his trek.

Contact the show at [email protected]. Follow KCUR on Twitter 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 and Lisa Rodriguez.

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

Millions of children in the U.S. rely on federal services, including the children’s health insurance program (CHIP) and Medicaid, for health coverage. Since the start of the pandemic, a federal emergency declaration has allowed them to receive continuous coverage without jumping through the usual bureaucratic hoops. That will end when the state of emergency is lifted. Side Effects Public Media’s Sebastián Martínez Valdivia reports health providers are worried.

Kansas Gov. Laura Kelly is defending a problematic weed killer as safe. But studies suggest the chemical hurts fish, frogs and other living things. Kansas News Service reporter Celia Llopis-Jepsen and Harvest Public Media editor Maria Altman discuss.

Contact the show at [email protected]. Follow KCUR on Twitter 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 and Lisa Rodriguez.

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