Kansas City Today

Over 100 years, the Country Club Plaza has survived floods, social unrest and protests, and challenging economic climates for its shops, restaurants and storefronts. KCUR's Jacob Martin reports that as the Plaza marks this anniversary, the district is no longer locally owned, stores are closing and a controversial new development is planned to replace a historic church.

Kevin Strickland is one of the country’s longest serving exonerees. After 43 years in a Missouri prison for a triple murder he didn't commit, Strickland is now speaking out about the injustice he faced — before, during and after his innocence case. Strickland is joined by CBS journalist Erin Moriarty to discuss the role media plays in wrongful convictions on KCUR's Up To Date with 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

One year ago Monday, our KCUR colleague Aviva Okeson-Haberman died after a bullet pierced the window of her apartment in what appeared to be a random crime. KCUR reporters have been investigating the murder of the 24-year-old reporter, which remains unsolved. In the last year, KCUR investigative reporter Peggy Lowe learned that's the tragic reality for many in Kansas City who have lost family and friends to homicide.  

Missourians applying for Medicaid are waiting months longer to hear back on their applications than the federal government says they should. The extended wait times stand out especially compared to neighboring Oklahoma, which also approved Medicaid expansion in the summer of 2020. KBIA’s Sebastián Martínez Valdivia 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

The Kansas Legislature gets back to work after its spring recess and an eventful three weeks. Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly signed multiple bills approved by a Republican-controlled legislature into law — such as the state budget and a ban on "sanctuary cities" — and issued some high-profile vetoes. The fate of legislation on transgender athletes, parental involvement in public school curriculum, and plastic bags hang in the balance.

KCUR's Brian Ellison spoke with Tim Carpenter, senior reporter for the Kansas Reflector, about his impressions of this year’s session.

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 with Trevor Grandin and edited by Gabe Rosenberg and Lisa Rodriguez.

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

Climate Action KC is a nonprofit regional collaborative that connects more than 100 local and state elected officials with community leaders to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, promote public health and improve the quality of life across the Kansas City region. But not everyone is on board.

Journalist Barb Shelly spent time with of these some small-town mayors to learn how they're approaching their planet-saving mission.

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 with Trevor Grandin and edited by Gabe Rosenberg and Lisa Rodriguez.

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

The Missouri House Budget Committee threw out Gov. Mike Parson's proposal to use $22 million in state funds to increase teacher pay — Missouri ranks last in the country for teachers' starting salary.

State Rep. Maggie Nurrenbern, a Democrat from Kansas City and member of the Missouri House Elementary and Secondary Education Committee, tells Up To Date host Steve Kraske that the governor's plan went too far for some lawmakers, while others thought it wasn't nearly enough.

Ford is electrifying its best-selling pickup. The F-150 Lightning rolls onto roads this spring, as the company tries to show old-school drivers how electric vehicles can work out in the country. Harvest Public Media’s Elizabeth Rembert reports on predictions that it will be the pickup that takes the Midwest electric.

Kansas City Today is hosted by Nomin Ujiyediin. It is produced by Byron Love with Trevor Grandin 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

Kansas lawmakers are on the verge of letting students attend public schools outside the districts where they live. That push to open enrollment pits conservative school-choice advocates against school administrators. Kansas News Service education reporter Suzanne Perez spoke with editor Stephen Koranda about the proposal.

The B-2 stealth bombers parked about 60 miles east of Kansas City are relics of the Cold War. But the lumbering batwing planes give the U.S. Air Force the power to hit even the most heavily defended targets, anywhere in the world. And as KCUR’s Frank Morris reports, that capability seems a lot more important now than it did when B-2s were first deployed.

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 with Trevor Grandin and edited by Gabe Rosenberg and Lisa Rodriguez.

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

Kansas City Police Chief Rick Smith officially steps down Friday after a five-year tenure marked by a widely criticized response to the Black Lives Matter protests, high homicide rates and the conviction of an officer for killing a Black man. Kansas City Mayor Quinton Lucas speaks with Steve Kraske about policing in Kansas City and the search for a new chief.

More than 4.6 million Ukrainians have left their homes since the Russian military invaded almost two months ago. Many are in refugee camps or other living arrangements in Western European countries, but some have made it to the United States. St. Louis Public Radio’s Eric Schmid has the story of a couple who fled Ukraine to reunite with their son 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 with Trevor Grandin and edited by Gabe Rosenberg and Lisa Rodriguez.

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

Observers say the U.S. Supreme Court is as close as it has ever been to overturning its landmark Roe v. Wade decision, which guaranteed the right to an abortion across the country. Even without such a decision, the last few decades have seen legislatures chip away at abortion rights and efforts to do away with the practice entirely in dozens of states — including in Missouri and Kansas.

Tessa Weinberg of the Missouri Independent and Dylan Lysen of the Kansas News Service discuss the the issue in their respective statehouses with KCUR's Brian Ellison.

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

This episode of Kansas City Today is hosted by Brian Ellison. It is produced by Byron Love with Trevor Grandin and edited by Gabe Rosenberg and Lisa Rodriguez.

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

Invasive plants such as Bradford pear trees, which you might recognize from the white flowers blooming this time of year, are spreading like weeds across Kansas and Missouri. And they're wiping out food for birds, butterflies and other wildlife. Kansas News Service reporters Celia Llopis-Jepsen and Blaise Mesa explain what's being done to solve the problem.

Almost half of all people released from prison in Missouri return within five years. But research shows prison education can help break this cycle. As St. Louis Public Radio’s Shahla Farzan reports, one nonprofit is betting on this approach by training the next generation of computer programmers while they’re incarcerated at the Missouri Eastern Correctional Center.

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 with Trevor Grandin and edited by Gabe Rosenberg and Lisa Rodriguez.

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

Earlier this week, Kansas Gov. Laura Kelly signed a Republican-sponsored bill that dismantles Wyandotte County’s “Safe and Welcoming” ordinance, which restricted police cooperation with federal immigration authorities and offered municipal IDs to people who can't obtain legal identification — including undocumented immigrants, people experiencing homelessness, and the elderly.

The move shocked many in Kelly's base, including immigration advocates, who had expected her to veto the bill. On KCUR's Up To Date, Steve Kraske talks to Karla Juarez, executive director at Advocates for Immigrant Rights & Reconciliation, and Washburn political scientist Bob Beatty, about what this law means for Kansans and how the signature will impact Kelly's reelection chances.

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 with Trevor Grandin and edited by Gabe Rosenberg and Lisa Rodriguez.

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