Kansas City Today

The Kansas Legislature adjourned on Monday, ending the final session of Gov. Laura Kelly's first term in office. The Republican-controlled House and Senate overrode several more of Kelly's vetoes and left a number of Democratic priorities unfulfilled.

"In spite of many efforts to thwart our agenda," Kelly tells KCUR's Brian Ellison, "we got a lot done."

Now the Democratic governor is preparing for a reelection fight coming up this November, where she'll likely face Kansas Attorney General Derek Schmidt. But Kelly says she's a "more formidable candidate" than she was in 2018.

Before then, voters will weigh in on a ballot issue in August, which would remove the right to an abortion from the Kansas Constitution.

"My position on reproductive rights has been clear from the get-go, from the moment I walked onto the Senate floor," said Kelly, a former lawmaker. "I really do believe this is a decision that should be left to a woman and her physician, and not involve politicians."

Kansas City Today is hosted today by Brian Ellison. It is produced by Byron Love, Trevor Grandin and KCUR Studios, and edited by Gabe Rosenberg and Lisa Rodriguez.

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

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

Employees at five Starbucks stores around Kansas City have so far filed for union elections — and one of them is headed to a vote on Tuesday. But as KCUR's Jacob Martin reports, baristas say the company's union-busting efforts have made them reconsider whether the company really cares about their employees.

Advances in gene therapy over the years has afforded many with rare conditions the ability to treat what was once considered untreatable. However, some fear that the fix they need won't come so soon. KCUR’s Alex Smith has the story of a Kansas man who spent years advocating for research that he worries won’t be ready in time to help him or his family.

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

Kansas City Today is hosted today 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

Last week, the Kansas Supreme Court approved a Republican-drawn congressional map that makes it harder for Democratic Rep. Sharice Davids to hold her seat. One element of the map takes the northern half of Wyandotte County — roughly the part of Kansas City, Kansas, north of I-70 — and puts it in the 2nd Congressional District, which wraps around the rest of Wyandotte and Johnson Counties to include more rural and conservative areas.

Kansas state Sen. David Haley has represented that part of Wyandotte County in the legislature since 2001. KCUR's Brian Ellison spoke with Haley about his thoughts on the map and the court's decision.

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

Kansas City Today is hosted today by Brian Ellison. 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

Parking on the weekends at the City Market has long been free, but a recent change has done away with that. KCUR's Celisa Calacal reports that Kansas City officials are rethinking free parking across the city.

Right in Kansas City, radio pioneer Andrew "Skip" Carter started the nation’s first Black-owned and operated station west of the Mississippi River, KPRS AM, now known as Hot 103 Jamz. For KCUR's podcast A People's History of Kansas City, Suzanne Hogan looks back at how the Carter Broadcasting Group broke through.

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 Supreme Court on Wednesday upheld a congressional map that Gov. Laura Kelly, a Democrat, had refused to sign. The Republican-controlled Legislature passed the new redistricting plan over Kelly’s veto, and a coalition of civil rights groups and Democrats objected in state court.

A lower court found that the map was racially and politically gerrymandered, but the state Supreme Court disagreed, saying the map does not violate the state constitution. KCUR's Brian Ellison spoke with Dylan Lysen, who has been following the case for the Kansas News Service.

Even though college athletes are not playing for pay, a U.S. Supreme Court ruling last year said the NCAA can’t stop them from cashing in on endorsements. As Greg Echlin reports, some star athletes are already making big money.

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

As climate change continues to threaten the well-being of the planet, young people around the world have suffered from anxiety and stress relating to global warming. And the future of the planet has become something to consider for people choosing whether to have kids. KCUR’s Nomin Ujiyediin reports on how adults in their 20s and 30s in Kansas City are handling that conversation.

Enrollment and revenue continue to drop at public universities in Kansas. Together, the state's six major public universities — KU, K-State, Wichita State, Emporia State, Fort Hays State and Pittsburg State — offer more than 1,500 degree programs. And some experts say that’s too much. As Suzanne Perez of the Kansas News Service reports, state officials may put some of those programs on the chopping block.

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 week, we followed Real Humans host Gina Kaufmann as she traveled with a Kansas City man who rode the bus everyday as a necessary means of transportation. In the second of this two-part series, Gina meets riders who use public transit by choice or preference — and asks what it will take to get more Kansas Citians choosing public transit.

"As the metro wrestles with what can be done to reverse course on climate change, reliance on personal automobiles looms large as an obstacle to change. On the whole, we just need to drive less. Which means more people probably need to get familiar with transit."

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 a legislative year that has been anything but typical, Missouri lawmakers ended their session Friday in wholly atypical fashion, passing legislation that could dramatically affect Kansas City’s budget and overhaul elections in the state, while leaving many of the session’s hottest topics unresolved.

But surprising many, the Senate actually passed a congressional map approved by the House. The districts break down as six Republican-leaning and two Democratic, saving Rep. Emanuel Cleaver’s Kansas City-area district.

On the Kansas side, the redistricting saga continues months after the Republican-controlled Legislature passed a map that was quickly struck down by a state judge in Wyandotte County, who found it to be racially and politically gerrymandered to favor Republicans. The Kansas Supreme Court takes up an appeal to that ruling on Monday. Kansas News Service reporter Dylan Lysen spoke with editor Stephen Koranda about what’s happening today in the high court.

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

Despite being designed for cars, Kansas City is home to people who rely on the bus every day. KCUR's Gina Kaufmann spent a day riding along with Richard Heimer, a person who relies on the city’s buses for his commute, to learn what's working and what's not in our public transit system.

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

While most students are gearing up for summer break, kids at one Kansas City elementary school will be getting ready to head back to the classroom. KCUR’s Jodi Fortino tells us how officials at Gordon Parks Elementary School hope a year-long academic calendar will address COVID-19 learning and emotional losses.

Foster children can’t represent themselves in court, so the state appoints an attorney on their behalf. But Kansas foster parents complain those guardians ad litem are not doing their jobs properly. As Blaise Mesa of the Kansas News Service reports, some of the lawyers rarely meet the children they represent.

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