Kansas City Today

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.

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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

A trial in Kansas challenging the recently drawn congressional map is wrapping up after days of arguments over whether lawmakers crafted districts to benefit Republican candidates. Dylan Lysen of the Kansas News Services explains why local civil rights groups and some residents want the map thrown out.

Generations of Kansas Citians have grooved to a unique dance style in clubs and ballrooms: the intimate and soulful "Kansas City two-step." And as KCUR's Julie Denesha reports, the dance style now has its own song.

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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

Researchers have known for decades that lead poisoning can cause developmental delays and learning problems in children, even at low levels. And yet, lead still lingers around many Midwest households, leaving families to deal with the acute and long-term impacts of exposure to the neurotoxin. The Midwest Newsroom's Niara Savage and Allison Kite report.

A deadly strain of bird flu is spreading across the country. So far, more than 22 million commercial and backyard birds have died from illness or have been killed to stop the spread — including more than 400,000 in Missouri. As Harvest Public Media’s Katie Peikes reports, most of the affected flocks are commercial, but backyard flocks are no less susceptible.

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

Last week, the Missouri House passed a state budget for the coming year in a series of 15 bills that cover different areas of spending — from schools to Medicaid to transportation. Together they added up to a price tag of $46.5 billion. But a whole $1.8 billion in general revenue remains untouched.

"I'm alarmed that we left that much sitting on the table, particularly as we sent that budget over to the Senate, who we know have been really reckless," says Missouri Rep. Ingrid Burnett of northeast Kansas City.

Burnett is part of House Democratic leadership and sits on the Budget Committee. She joined KCUR's Brian Ellison to take a deeper dive into what the budget pays for, and what's been left on the cutting room floor.

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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 Anti-Defamation League has been keeping track of anti-Semitic incidents in the U.S. since 1979 and says they've never been higher than last year. In Kansas City, a new generation of Jews is coming to terms with that. KCUR’s Luke Martin reports.

For towns with only a few hundred residents, keeping tap water clean and safe can be a daunting expense. And as David Condos of the Kansas News Service reports, that’s likely to become more common in western Kansas as chemicals from farms seep into dwindling water supplies.

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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

One of the nation’s most prominent anti-Trump Republicans has taken refuge in an unlikely place — a remote, rural Kansas town that is deeply and almost unanimously devoted to Donald Trump. As KCUR’s Frank Morris reports, she has a warning for her Trump-loving neighbors.

A bill that would create a Department of Corrections nursery for pregnant prisoners is being considered in Jefferson City. The legislation has earned a broad coalition of rare bipartisan support. As Missouri News Networks’ Jana Rose Schleis reports, nurseries for incarcerated mothers are shown to reduce recidivism and have long-term benefits for babies.

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Kansas City Today is hosted by Nomin Ujiyediin. It is produced by Byron Love with Trevor Grandin and edited by Gabe Rosenberg & Lisa Rodriguez.

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

Lawsuits in Kansas are challenging gerrymandering in a new way. If they succeed, the power of one party to draw congressional maps to all but guarantee its control of a district could go away. As Dylan Lysen for the Kansas News Service reports, the state’s lone Democratic congressional district hangs in the balance.

Voters chose new school board members on Tuesday in some of the largest districts in the Kansas City area. This year's election was met with heightened interest after district leaders faced debates over COVID precautions, teaching race in schools and books in school libraries. We'll bring results from those contests, plus some local ballot measures.

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 & Lisa Rodriguez.

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

Fentanyl is driving an overdose crisis in Missouri that’s proving especially deadly for African Americans. Kansas City is starting to see the effects, but health experts say that existing efforts to treat drug addiction aren’t helping the people who need it most. KCUR’s Alex Smith 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 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

Thousands of people in Missouris experience sexual assault and rape every year. For many, the trauma of the assault itself is only the beginning of the nightmare — in many cases, their own lives become the subject of scrutiny in the process of seeking justice for their assailants.

Senate Bill 775, which passed the Missouri Senate last week, seeks to prevent a victim’s prior sexual history and conduct from being used at trial. The so-called "Sexual Assault Survivors Bill of Rights" now goes to the Missouri House for consideration.

"There is nothing that can justify someone sexually assaulting you, so why have that even as part of the questioning?" says Missouri Sen. Holly Rehder, who sponsored the bill. "That is only to harm the victim, the survivor. There is no other reason."

KCUR's Brian Ellison spoke with Rehder on Up To Date about where the legislation stands after the addition of a controversial amendment that prohibits school employees from providing sexually explicit material to a student.

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 & Lisa Rodriguez.

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

Several school districts in Kansas City will have elections for their school boards on Tuesday, April 5. These elections could have a big impact on school budgets, policies, and the superintendent of each district. Education reporter Maria Benevento has been covering those races for the nonprofit news website The Kansas City Beacon. She tells us how the pandemic and politics have affected this year’s school board election.

As Final Four college basketball gets underway this weekend, much of the media attention has been focused on the matchup between Duke and North Carolina, where Blue Devils coach Mike Krzyzewski will be winding down his legendary career. But the other semifinal game in New Orleans offers basketball fans another kind of drama: revenge. As Greg Echlin reports, the Kansas Jayhawks will try to avenge recent tournament losses to the Villanova Wildcats.

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 & Lisa Rodriguez.

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