Kansas City Today

Kansas City residents are all too familiar with the heat advisories that accompany the summer months. But lately, evenings have not provided much of a break from these dangerously high temperatures, which is a health danger to residents as well as a financial drain. KCUR's Nomin Ujiyediin spoke with Dr. Andrew Pershing, director of climate science at Climate Central, about why we're seeing these climate trends and who's at risk.

The Phelps County Clerk wanted to take anyone with a court-ordered guardian off the voting rolls. Her argument? An article in the state constitution. St. Louis Public Radio's Jonathan Ahl reports on how some Missouri residents could lose their voting rights.

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

One of the oldest Black housing cooperatives in the country is in trouble. Park Parade in Kansas City faces the possibility of foreclosure if a federal agency isn’t satisfied that enough progress is being made to fix up deteriorating conditions. As the Midwest Newsroom’s Steve Vockrodt reports, residents say they’re not clear about what’s going on.

While the U.S. homeownership rate saw its biggest annual increase on record during the pandemic, the disparity between Black and white homeowners also grew. Some experts suggest Black homeownership is lower now than a decade ago.

One Kansas City broker and her team of real estate agents are on a mission to create 1,000 new Black homeowners in Kansas City’s urban core, and they're almost halfway there. KCUR’s Bek Shackelford-Nwanganga has more.

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 Friday the U.S. Supreme Court overturned the constitutional right to abortion. With five Catholics and one Christian in the majority ruling, some have questioned how religion influenced this decision.

Up To Date host Steve Kraske spoke with Kansas City-area religious leaders Hazzan Tahl Ben-Yehuda, director of congregational learning at Congregation Beth Shalom, Rev. Rick Behrens of Grandview Park Presbyterian Church and Rev. Shanna Steitz of Community Christian Church about what their respective texts teach about abortion and how they interpreted the ruling to their congregations.

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

Some sidewalks throughout Kansas City are in need of major repairs. Cracks and fissures prove difficult for those with mobility needs, and some neighborhoods lack safe sidewalks altogether. A rash of recent hit-and-runs has drawn even more attention to the dire status of street safety.

City plans like Complete Streets and Vision Zero hope to change things, but advocates say more work needs to be done for everyone to have equitable access to safe sidewalks. Nomin Ujiiyediin spoke with KCUR reporter Savannah Hawley about what the city is doing to keep pedestrians safe.

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

Kansas City Today is hosted by Nomin Ujiiyediin. 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 Southwest Chief, an Amtrak train running from Los Angeles to Chicago, struck a dump truck at a rural crossing in Mendon, Missouri. Four were killed, including the dump truck driver, and 150 were taken to area hospitals. KCUR's Frank Morris went to the scene and tells the story of the aftermath.

Supply chain shortages have required area schools to get creative with school lunches, and that can look like buying more from local farmers. Although the produce may be a little more expensive, it can often last longer and produce less waste. KCUR's Jodi Fortino reports on this farm-to-cafeteria movement.

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

Kansas City Today is hosted by Nomin Ujiiyediin. 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 overturning of Roe v. Wade brings more eyes than usual to the Midwest as Kansas becomes the first state to vote on abortion rights after the U.S. Supreme Court ruling. Although the amendment being voted on in Kansas' Aug. 2 primary has no immediate effect on abortion access, many say that it could quickly lead to stricter limits on the procedure.

Up To Date's Steve Kraske spoke with Danielle Underwood, spokesperson for the Value Them Both Coalition and Kansans For Life, about the upcoming amendment vote, and with Kansas Abortion Fund director Sandy Brown about what the possible end of abortion rights could mean for residents.

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

Today's episode of Kansas City Today is hosted by Lisa Rodriguez. 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

We bring you reactions from across Kansas City following the overturning of Roe v. Wade by the U.S. Supreme Court Friday.

Plus, private equity investors, with their focus on buying cheap and reaping quick returns, are moving voraciously into the U.S. health care system. But these acquisitions can put vulnerable communities at the mercy of firms whose North Star is profit, rather than patient health.

Kaiser Health News correspondent Sarah Jane Tribble tells the story of two rural hospitals in Missouri that closed just years after being acquired by a Kansas City-based firm.

"With this particular hospital company, they didn't know what they were doing," Tribble said.

KCUR's Nomin Ujiyediin spoke with Tribble about what happens when private equity comes for rural hospitals.

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 conservative majority of the U.S. Supreme Court dealt a fatal blow to Roe v. Wade, a decision that allows Missouri to implement a "trigger ban" outlawing almost all abortions. KCUR's Celisa Calacal discusses what Missouri residents need to know about the new state of reproductive rights.

In Kansas, voters will now decide whether to remove the last barrier protecting abortion rights from the state’s constitution. KCUR's Blaise Mesa talks about what's at stake in that August 2 ballot issue.

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

Former Missouri governor and current U.S. Senate candidate Eric Greitens has found himself in the news once again with a provocative online ad advocating for "hunting" politicians in his own party. The ad has been condemned by Missouri's police union and other groups. It's also revived attention to recent abuse allegations against Greitens and the past sexual misconduct that forced him to resign as governor.

Up To Date's Steve Kraske spoke with UMKC associate professors Debra Leiter and Rebecca Best about Greitens' strategy and whether the ad should be given oxygen at all.

"We're all talking about it, so I think in some ways it's done what it was intended to do," Leiter said.

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

Corn and soybeans can be found in a large amount of what Americans consume. The current pricing of these two crops is a large part of why food expenses are so high. KCUR's Frank Morris reports why these commodities cost double what they did two years ago.

Building large swaths of fencing is expensive for ranchers and vulnerable to any number of problems. One Kansas rancher, however, is using a virtual solution that both saves money and helps conservation efforts. The Kansas News Service's Celia Llopis-Jepsen reports on the GPS collars that could help maintain Flint Hills for years to come.

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