Kansas City Today

Missouri is on the verge of making most abortions illegal. If the U.S. Supreme Court overturns Roe v. Wade this year, a law passed in 2019 would ban abortion except to save the life of the mother. St. Louis Public Radio’s Jason Rosenbaum examines the impact on Missouri policy and the upcoming election.

After white settlers forcibly removed the Kaw tribe from Kansas in the late 1800's, a sacred rock used as an alter by the tribe was then turned to an monument for the city of Lawrence. Almost a century later, KCUR's Frank Morris reports that 20-plus ton quartzite bolder is now bound for tribal land with the hope that it can strengthen the frayed bond between the Kaw, or Kanza, people and the state that took their land, their sacred stone, and even their name.

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 Missouri's primary coming up in August, election officials are growing increasingly concerned that the legislature’s failure to adopt a congressional map could lead to major deadlines being missed. St. Louis Public Radio’s Jason Rosenbaum reports on how the candidates are navigating the uncertainty.

Even with a few recent rains, much of the Great Plains — including much of Nebraska, Kansas and Oklahoma — are "abnormally dry." Wildfires have swept across the grasslands, and farmers are worried about how they’ll make it through the growing season. Harvest Public Media’s Elizabeth Rembert reports the region is getting desperate.

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

Friday was the deadline under Missouri law for the General Assembly to pass a budget for the coming fiscal year. Legislators met the deadline in a series of bipartisan votes — funding education, health care and social services — totaling more than $49 billion. Bolstered by federal COVID-19 relief funds, it’s the largest budget in state history, and now heads to Gov. Mike Parson’s desk.

With the budget out of the way, Missouri lawmakers now buckle down for the last week of the session, which ends 6 p.m. Friday, May 13. The House and Senate have passed only a handful of bills out of the hundreds that were introduced, including some prominent items that have become even more controversial in this election year.

KCUR's Brian Elision spoke with Jason Hancock, editor-in-chief of the Missouri Independent, to discuss what to expect from these next five days in Jefferson 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

The Grain Valley School Board recently demanded that teachers remove all signage from classrooms that indicate a safe and welcoming space for LGBTQ students. The decision has prompted protests and criticism from students, parents and community members.

"At our school particularly, there are a lot of kids that are closeted, or that don't have anyone to talk to," says Grain Valley parent Tara Powell. "They don't have the support system at home. And so these stickers show a sign that they have someone they can talk to, there's somebody that is just gonna be there and listen to them and give them a space place to be themselves."

On KCUR's Up To Date, Steve Kraske spoke with Powell, as well as activist and former Grain Valley student Justice Horn, about their reactions to the school board's decision and how they want the district to make things right.

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

Stephanie Byers of the Kansas House of Representatives built her campaign platform on protecting the rights of the LGBTQ community. Now the Wichita Democrat is serving her second year as the state's first openly transgender lawmaker, confronting head-on as GOP legislators pass numerous bills targeting LGBTQ topics in schools and attempt to ban transgender students from girls' and women's sports team.

The challenges have been personal, too: Byers has been on the receiving end of discriminatory comments from the public and, recently, from a Kansas Republican lawmaker, who publicly said she didn't want to share a bathroom with a transgender colleague.

"That's been the shoe that I've been waiting to hear it dropped for the last two years," Byers says. "I didn't run with the idea that this would insulate me from things like that."

Byers speaks with host Nomin Ujiyediin about this "emotionally charged" legislative session, and what's kept her going throughout.

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 leaked draft opinion, the Supreme Court of the United States appears likely to overturn Roe v. Wade, a decision that would leave millions of Americans with diminished access to reproductive care. The document was published by POLITICO Monday night and its authenticity was confirmed by the Supreme Court on Tuesday, although the court said it did not represent a final decision.

David Achtenberg, of the UMKC Law School, has been researching the private papers of the justices, including their draft opinions, for years. He spoke with Up To Date host 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

If you’ve walked near a stand of pine trees at Loose Park in Kansas City, Missouri, not far from the tennis courts, you’ve likely seen artist Wilbur Niewald, shock of white hair tucked under his straw hat and wearing a light blue denim shirt and blue jeans. Niewald frequently worked in the park, etching or painting on an easel.

Niewald died on Saturday at the age of 97, according to family and friends. KCUR's Steve Kraske spoke with fellow artist Nina Irwin and Bill Haw Jr., owner of Haw Contemporary, about Niewald’s decades-long influence on the Kansas City art community.

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 lawmakers are effectively done with the 2022 legislative session. Last week, two hot-button bills — a proposed ban on transgender athletes competing in women’s sports and a measure that would give parents more control over what their kids are taught in school — failed to get enough votes to override Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly’s vetoes. But the governor did sign a major piece of legislation eliminating the sales tax on food by 2025. Stephen Koranda of the Kansas News Service brings us up to speed.

There are 21 Republicans seeking to succeed Missouri Sen. Roy Blunt later this summer. But much of the focus has been on one contender: Former Gov. Eric Greitens, who is hoping to wade through a storm of scandal that’s threatening to upend his political ambitions. St. Louis Public Radio’s Jason Rosenbaum reports on the state of Missouri’s GOP Senate primary.

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

Since Russia launched their invasion of Ukraine in late February, many Americans have taken public stands against Russia. Stores have removed Russian vodka from their shelves, diners have stopped patronizing Russian restaurants, and venues have canceled concerts by Russian performers. As KCUR’s Eleanor Nash reports, the shift has some Russians in the Kansas City area living on edge.

Kansas City trumpeter and tap dancer Lonnie McFadden has headlined in nightclubs around the world but he never had a club of his own. With help from staff at the Ambassador Hotel, he opened Lonnie's Reno Club in the middle of the pandemic. KCUR's Julie Denesha checks in on how it's going.

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

Samantha Bishop wasn’t offered drug treatment until she was in prison. She beat addiction, but her journey through the criminal justice system only made recovery harder for a woman raising her young daughter. As Blaise Mesa of the Kansas News Service reports, the state’s criminal justice system is struggling to provide treatment for people who need it.

The transmission line known as the Grain Belt Express would deliver wind from southwest Kansas to other parts of the Midwest. Developers say the line would create the equivalent of 15 million barrels of oil annually. But as Cami Koons of Kansas City PBS reveals, some landowners oppose a private company using eminent domain to complete its project.

The interview about the Grain Belt Express contained some inaccuracies. The Grain Belt Express would generate the equivalent of about seven Hawthorn coal plants and would connect with the SPP, MISO and PJM grids.

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