Kansas City Today

The Kansas City Star published an investigation this week on racism within the Kansas City Police Department.

Reporters spoke with 25 current and former Black officers about discrimination and abuse behind the blue line, and their experiences with a system that "papered out" Black officers from the department on flimsy pretexts — all while keeping leadership mostly white. "For many officers, the question lingers: If this is how police treat their own, what chance does a regular Black citizen have?"

Nomin Ujiyediin sits down with Kansas City Star reporter Glenn Rice to talk about the newspaper's reporting.

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

To escape Russia's widespread bombing of Kyiv and other cities in Ukraine, hundreds of thousands of refugees have migrated to Lviv. Once considered a safe spot in Ukraine, the city is now being targeted with missiles. Anna Yakutenko is a Ukrainian journalist who trained in the states — including here at KCUR — speaks with KCUR's Sam Zeff about life on the ground in Lviv, Ukraine.

"I don't know if I'm gonna come back (to Kyiv), and my apartment will be safe," Yakutenko said. "When I packed it was actually one of the few times that I cried because I was packing some stuff, considering, 'What if I’m not coming
back?'"

After the U.S. Department of Agriculture completed the first-ever survey of hemp production, it found an industry worth over $800 million. However, the department also discovered a glaring diversity discrepancy: Only 6% of hemp farmers are Black.

Although cannabis business has been hard for many people of color to break into, Corinne Ruff of St. Louis Public Radio reports that many in Missouri hope the hemp industry will offer a new way in.

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 announced Friday that he will retire on April 22. The news came just a day after Kansas City Council passed a budget that includes $269 million for police, above the 20% minimum required by Missouri law.

Missouri Senate Majority Whip Tony Luetkemeyer, a Parkville Republican, has pushed for the state legislature to pass a law increasing the amount of money Kansas City is required to dedicate to police — since it's a state-appointed board, not city leaders, who control the KCPD.

As Luetkemeyer wants to keep it that way: "What is being promoted in City Hall is the notion of local political control... whether or not we believe that the largest police department in the state of Missouri should be controlled by politicians in City Hall in Kansas City. And my answer to that is absolutely not."

KCUR's Brian Ellison speaks with Luetkemeyer about his push for more city funding for police, why so little has gotten done in the Missouri Senate this year, and the recent allegations against former governor and current U.S. Senate candidate Eric Greitens.

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

After a visit to countries bordering Ukraine, Kansas Sen. Roger Marshall says the U.S. needs to send more weapons to help the country in its fight against Russia's invasion. Marshall's comments come just two weeks after he and other Republicans voted against an omnibus spending bill that included $13.6 billion for Ukraine. Marshall spoke about his trip and his stance on Ukraine on KCUR's Up To Date.

High gas prices have drivers and politicians calling for more domestic oil production. But small American oil companies can’t find employees that are both able, and willing to go to work in the oilfield, reports KCUR's Frank Morris.

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

Mitchell Williams has ridden hundreds, possibly thousands, of miles on Kansas City roads, and he says he’s never experienced outright racism. But he has noticed a lack of Black bike riders. KCUR's Luke Martin has the story of how the Major Taylor Cycling Club is hoping to change that.

When the United States exited from Afghanistan, many Afghan refugees — some of whom had worked with the U.S. military —were forced to flee their homes. After immigrating to America and settling in mid-Missouri, some new and expecting Afghan moms are getting a warm welcome from local health and community groups. KBIA's Rebecca Smith brings us this story.

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

Opening arguments for the trial of University of Kansas professor Feng "Franklin" Tao started on Tuesday. He was the first to be charged under the China Initiative, a Trump administration program that resulted in increased attention to Chinese American academics and about a dozen arrests. As John Rutwich reports for NPR, the initiative was shut down last month, but that hasn't stopped ongoing cases like Tao's.

Decades of research shows some medications are very effective at helping people overcome drug use disorders. Now, a few Kansas counties are allowing this kind of medical care for people in jail. For the Kansas News Service, Celia Llopis-Jepsen reports that experts say more jails need to take the same step.

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

Sheena Greitens, ex-wife of former Missouri Gov. Eric Greitens, said in a sworn affidavit Monday that Greitens knocked her down during an argument in 2018, and that she saw her then-husband strike their three-year-old son. Sheena Greitens also says she became afraid for her safety and the safety of her sons after the governor's resignation — which came after allegations of sexual misconduct during an affair.

Steve Vockrodt of the NPR Midwest Newsroom reports on the latest allegations of Greitens, which has prompted his rivals for the U.S. Senate to demand he drop out of the Republican primary immediately.

The Kansas City Police Department is slated to get $269 million in the upcoming fiscal year, by far the most of any city agency. That’s $33 million more than a state law requirement that the department receive at least 20% of the city’s general fund. But, as KCUR local government reporter Celisa Calacal found, how that extra money should be spent is still disputed by Kansas City residents and politicians.

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

The Kansas Legislature is just a couple of weeks from the end of its session, and many questions remain about which bills will make it to the finish line, including one to approve medical marijuana and another ending the sales tax on groceries. Jim McLean of the Kansas News Service talks to Brian Ellison about what to expect.

Missouri lawmakers are reconvening Monday after a week-long break, marking the halfway point of their 2022 session. St. Louis Public Radio’s Sarah Kellogg reports on what’s been accomplished so far, but mostly what hasn't — and why some believe things are more dysfunctional than normal at the Capitol.

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 artist Harold Smith is on a roll. For decades, he’s been creating his colorful paintings and multimedia works out of his living room in Kansas City, Kansas. And now, they’re featured in the new TV show “Bel-Air,”a dramatic re-boot of the sitcom “The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air" that's airing on Peacock. KCUR’s Laura Spencer brings us this story.

In February, Dr. Marvia Jones stepped into the role of health director of Kansas City, Missouri, making history as the first Black woman appointed to the position. Jones recently appeared on KCUR's Up To Date with Steve Kraske, where she shared how the Health Department will be changing its approach to COVID-19, and gun violence as an urgent public health matter.

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 Kansas City Missouri municipal budget is bouncing back from revenue shortfalls caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. With more money than last year’s $1.74 billion budget, thanks in part to federal COVID relief funding from the American Rescue Plan, city departments will not have to withstand any cuts. KCUR government reporter Celisa Calacal read the dense, 572-page document and shares insights into where the $2 billion in taxpayer funds would go to.

The first round for the NCAA women's basketball tournament starts this weekend. The University of Missouri just missed out, but the University of Kansas and Kansas State are both in. As Greg Echlin explains for KCUR, the season marks a turning point for women's basketball around Kansas 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 with Trevor Grandin and edited by Gabe Rosenberg & Lisa Rodriguez.

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