Kansas City Today

Most people know that Kansas City BBQ is a big deal, but not many know who's responsible for its creation. Enter Henry Perry, a Black entrepreneur who helped shape Kansas City BBQ into what it is today. A People's History of Kansas City tells his story.

Want more BBQ? Join "A People's History of Kansas City" host Suzanne Hogan and producer Mackenzie Martin live at the Gem Theater on Thursday, Sept. 1 at 7 p.m. for a behind-the-scenes look at Henry Perry. Get tickets here.

Hiram Young bought freedom for him and his wife, started a thriving business, and eventually built the first school for Black children in Independence. Despite all of his success, Young's story is rarely told. For KCUR's podcast A People's History of Kansas City, Carlos Moreno uncovers truth behind one of the town's richest residents.

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

Sports fans in Kansas will soon to be able to wager on their favorite games. Betting can begin on Sept. 1, with the full program launching a week later. Meanwhile, sports betting remains illegal just next door in Missouri.

Up To Date's Steve Kraske sat down with Chris Reedy, vice president of the Butler National Corporation, and Max Bichsel, vice president of U.S. business at the Gambling.com Group, to talk about the ins and outs of sports gambling in Kansas.

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

The Kansas City Council last week overwhelmingly passed the Climate Protection and Resiliency Plan, formed with public input over two years, that will guide the city’s future climate policy with a focus on equity. Nomin Ujiyediin speaks with KCUR’s Savannah Hawley about why restaurants and utilities initially opposed the plan, and how it could reshape 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

Voting-rights advocates filed lawsuits this week arguing that Missouri's new law requiring Missourians to present a government-issued photo ID to vote, and limiting some voter registration and absentee ballot outreach, is unconstitutional.

KCUR's Nomin Ujiyediin talks with St. Louis Public Radio politics reporter Jason Rosenbaum about the new law and the long road to voting restrictions in Missouri.

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

With almost 900 kids in foster care and just 19 social workers, Jackson County Children’s Division is short hundreds of workers and has the worst case-overload problem in the state.

That means parents are going for months at a time without seeing their kids. KCUR's Laura Ziegler reports on why so many social workers left the field and never came back.

The Missouri Senate conservative caucus, which slowed down debates and pushed amendments relating to transgender student athletes and COVID-19 vaccine mandates, has disbanded.

Claiming a victory for their views, the caucus is now calling for more unity within the Republican Party. Up To Date's Steve Kraske spoke with the Missouri Independent's Jason Hancock to break down this story.

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 abortion-rights advocates cleared a massive hurtle with the rejection of an amendment to the state constitution that likely would have led to an abortion ban. Despite the victory, attention is turning to a new hurtle — an influx of out of state patients, coming from places where Republican lawmakers have successfully banned the procedure. KMUW's Rose Conlon reports how clinics are keeping up with the demand.

Several Kansas counties that rejected the constitutional amendment on abortion are still sending anti-abortion legislators to the Statehouse. Why? Because these Republican candidates continue to run unopposed. Kansas News Service reporter Dylan Lysen spoke with editor Stephen Koranda about how that may allow the Kansas Legislature to further restrict abortion despite the amendment's defeat.

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 case before the Kansas Court of Appeals could have far reaching effects on the state's justice system — where people who can't afford to pay court dues are held to a different standard than those who can. KCUR's Nomin Ujiyediin spoke with the Kansas Reflector's Sherman Smith about indefinite probation for poor Kansans.

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

Independent candidates are rarely successful in America’s two-party election system — in fact, an independent hasn’t been elected in Missouri in the post-Civil War era.

But none of that is stopping John Wood, who used to be a Republican congressional staffer. While the GOP selected Attorney General Eric Schmitt as their nominee from a field of Trump-supporting options, the less known Wood is offering himself as a mainstream conservative. Wood talked about his chances and his views with KCUR’s Steve Kraske.

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

Aviation pioneer Amelia Earhart made history by being the first woman to fly solo across the Atlantic Ocean, and then made headlines after her mysterious disappearance five years later flying over the Pacific Ocean. The Amelia Earhart Hangar Museum is slated to open in 2023 in her Atchison, Kansas, birthplace. KCUR’s Laura Spencer reports on the work to open the museum and the aircraft serving as its centerpiece

The fur industry has declined in popularity over the past several decades. But at Alaskan Fur in Overland Park, one man is still designing, sewing and altering custom furs after more than 40 years. His work typically costs more than $1,000, and can command a price in the tens of thousands of dollars. KCUR’s Nomin Ujiyediin explains why such skilled artisans are increasingly rare in the U.S., especially 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, 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

Panasonic aims to dramatically increase its production of electric car batteries globally, and Johnson County, Kansas, is shaping up to be central to that plan. Kansas News Service reporter Celia Llopis-Jepsen and editor Stephen Koranda talk about what’s green and not so green about this industry.

Clear-cutting trees to make way for livestock has changed much of Missouri's landscape, but one experimental Ozarks farm is hoping to change that. Harvest Public Media's Jonathan Ahl reports on the practice of forest grazing and why it could be better for the environment, for farmers, and even for the cows.

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