Kansas City Today

The Mission City Council is carefully considering the fifth iteration of a plan by developers to build on the location of the old Mission City Mall, which closed in 2005. After developers failed to follow through on a substantial completion requirement by the end of 2021, the agreement with the city of Mission expired. Nomin Ujiyediin spoke with Kyle Palmer of the Shawnee Mission Post about the project's history and the latest version of the plan.

Marcus Walker was enjoying a successful overseas basketball career when a medical condition landed him back in the United States and in a deep depression. Once Kansas City’s all-time leading high school scorer in men’s basketball, Walker found himself without direction, until he started pouring his energy into a training program for girls in his hometown. KCUR’s Lawrence Brooks IV reports Walker's new goal is to change young lives, one crossover at a time.

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 U.S. Department of Justice is investigating the hiring practices of the Kansas City Police Department in response to allegations the organization discriminates against people of color. Kansas City Mayor Quinton Lucas speaks with KCUR's Steve Kraske about the inquiry and how to hold those who wear the badge accountable.

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

We’ve been noticing something. It’s getting harder to get elected officials and candidates — some of them, at least — to talk to us.

There was a time when participating in debates was a given, an automatic bipartisan agreement to answer questions in the name of civic discourse. But now, especially among Republican candidates, journalists — including those of us here at KCUR — are increasingly being told "no." And that has consequences for the community’s understanding of candidates' views, and for our ability to bring the full range of voices and ideas to listeners.

Kansas City Today host Nomin Ujiyediin spoke with the host of KCUR’s Up to Date, Steve Kraske, to reflect on why this is happening and why it 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

Last fall, at school board meetings across the country, parents who were upset about COVID-19 precautions began airing a different grievance, this one over school library books. In the St. Louis region, groups of parents went to board meetings to read aloud passages they said were sexually explicit, calling the books “criminal.” As St. Louis Public Radio's Kate Grumke tells us, they even got police involved.

Emporia State University has laid off 33 employees, including tenured faculty, in response to declining enrollment. Kansas News Service reporter Suzanne Perez spoke with editor Stephen Koranda about the cuts, how that’s stirred a revolt on campus and what the implications are for other state schools.

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, Trevor Grandin, 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 Republicans want to give the Legislature more power over Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly through what’s known as a legislative veto. The veto would allow it to override Kelly's policy decisions on the environment, social services and many other matters. Kansas News Service reporter Dylan Lysen spoke with editor Stephen Koranda about a proposed constitutional amendment on the November ballot and how it could change the way the state is governed.

Polls show millennial and Gen Z voters will turn out in high numbers for the upcoming general election, even though they are disillusioned with what they see as divisive political rhetoric and inauthenticity among politicians. KCUR's Laura Ziegler brings us the voices of young people across Kansas City.

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, Trevor Grandin, 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 2019, the Kansas Supreme Court determined that the state constitution guaranteed the right to an abortion. Now, six of those justices are up for retention. Steve Kraske asked Carol Beier, a former justice on the Kansas Supreme Court and Steve Leben, a former Kansas judge and professor at the University of Missouri-Kansas City, how the current fight over reproductive rights could figure into the retention election.

Kansas prisons have struggled to offer quality medical care in recent years. The state says it’s satisfied with a new health contractor, but inmates say the medical care is so poor it threatens their health. Blaise Mesa of the Kansas News Service 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, Trevor Grandin, 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

Last Thursday, the FBI took former Kansas City, Kansas, detective Roger Golubski into custody, charging him with six counts of violating the civil rights of women whom he allegedly sexually assaulted. The next day, the federal prosecutors filed a motion detailing how Golubski engaged in a pattern of kidnapping and sexually assaulting women and girls, and threatening them into silence.

Steve Kraske spoke with Stephen McAllister, a former U.S. attorney for the District of Kansas and distinguished professor of law at the University of Kansas, about the federal case against Golubski and why it took so long to charge him.

Stay tuned to hear the trailer for Overlooked, a new investigative podcast from KCUR Studios and the NPR Midwest Newsroom. Overlooked dives deep into the whole story of Golubski, introduces the people who he's wronged, and asks what accountability and justice truly looks like. Subscribe now wherever you get podcasts.

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, Trevor Grandin, 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

More cities are looking to make big investments in solar power to combat climate change. But that raises the heated question of where exactly to build a solar farm large enough. KCUR’s Carlos Moreno reports on how one such project is splintering communities outside Kansas City.

Chicago, the Great Lakes and Mount Rushmore attract visitors to the Midwest, but states without obvious destinations have to get more creative. Harvest Public Media’s Elizabeth Rembert explores how some states are promoting unexpected activities to lure in tourists.

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, Trevor Grandin, 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

A federal grand jury indicted former Kansas City, Kansas, police detective Roger Golubski on Thursday on charges of sexual assault, kidnapping and attempted kidnapping. Golubski worked for the Kansas City, Kansas, Police Department for 35 years, retiring as a captain in 2010.

For years, he has been the subject of allegations that he terrorized Black residents of the city, sexually assaulted women and exchanged drugs for information in order to clear cases. KCUR's Peggy Lowe shares the details of Golubski's arrest and what's in his six-count indictment.

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, Trevor Grandin, 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

A user on the Kansas City subreddit asked the question: "What is the most cursed intersection in Kansas City?" Residents named over 40 places with poor sidewalks, no crosswalks and speedy drivers. Out of all these answers, however, five places kept showing up.

KCUR's Nomin Ujiyediin spoke with reporters Celisa Calacal and Savannah Hawley about where these "cursed" intersections were located and how they're being changed — or not.

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, Trevor Grandin, 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