Kansas City Today

Few foods have such devoted followings as tamales, especially among Latinos. And in Mexico, Central America and for many Mexican American families, Christmas time is tamale time. KCUR’s Luke Martin takes us inside the tamale tradition in Kansas City.

As we enter the third year of the COVID-19 pandemic, Kansas City Today is taking a special look at how people in our community are doing. Mercedes Mora is one of two mental health care practitioners at Guadalupe Centers, a social service agency for Latinos within Kansas City. Mora says the pandemic has not only changed people's approach to self-care and mental wellness, but how they interact with their therapist.

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

When Texas passed a law restricting abortion after about six weeks of pregnancy, clinics in Kansas and Oklahoma found their lobbies suddenly full. But next year, Kansas voters are set to decide whether or not there's a constitutional right to abortion.

If Kansas bans abortions, where will these patients go next? From a clinic in Wichita, Abigail Censky of the Kansas News Service reports that the future of abortion across the region could shift quickly.

As we enter the third year of the COVID-19 pandemic, Kansas City Today is taking a special look at how people in our community are doing. We speak to Fahteema Parrish, president and founder of Parrish & Sons Construction, about labor shortages and the struggles to keep herself and her staff safe.

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

Frogpond, Kansas City's legendary four-woman rock band, recently took the stage for the first time since the year 2000. The show was supposed to double as a record release party for their new album Time Thief — only there were no records available. The entire vinyl industry had gotten backed up.

From the KCUR podcast Real Humans, host Gina Kaufmann investigates the root of the supply chain issues affecting artists, labels and music consumers who don't remember the time before streaming.

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 and edited by Gabe Rosenberg & Lisa Rodriguez

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

Missouri Attorney General Eric Schmitt has made it clear he’s against mask mandates and other COVID-19 prevention measures. Now, Schmitt and Missouri Treasurer Scott Fitzpatrick are making legal and financial threats against schools that keep up their COVID efforts. KCUR education reporter Jodi Fortino has been reporting on this issue and fills us in on the latest.

Brian Platt, the city manager of Kansas City, Missouri, says he stepped into his role this year with the mindset of creating a more efficient, proactive and responsive office. He talks with Steve Kraske on KCUR's Up To Date about the upcoming projects in 2022, what role his office has in finding a new police chief and how the city is addressing a lack of affordable housing in the Kansas City metro.

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 and edited by Gabe Rosenberg & Lisa Rodriguez

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

Missouri lawmakers will be returning to Jefferson City next month with a big task that only happens once every 10 years: redrawing Missouri’s eight congressional districts. And most of the controversy could be about how to change districts that encompass Kansas City and suburban St. Louis. St. Louis Public Radio’s Jason Rosenbaum provides a preview on what the GOP-lead legislature might do.

Exposure to cold and damp conditions can be dangerous — even fatal. That's why Kansas City leaders are working with community partners on how to keep the region's unhoused population out of the cold this winter. Steve Kraske spoke with Kansas City Councilwoman Ryana Parks-Shaw about the city’s Extreme Weather Activation Plan.

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 and edited by Gabe Rosenberg & Lisa Rodriguez

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

St. Louis County and Jackson County filed a motion to intervene in a Cole County case in which some residents and business owners sued the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services, challenging its ability to issue mask orders. After a judge struck down those orders as unconstitutional, Missouri Attorney General Eric Schmitt opted not to appeal.

Since then, Schmitt has used the decision to threaten school districts around the state with lawsuits — what St. Louis and Jackson Counties call "a campaign of litigation terror." St. Louis Public Radio's Sarah Kellogg has this primer on where Missouri is now.

How should Kansas schools teach history and race? They’re getting plenty of advice, most of it conflicting and often angry. As Suzanne Perez of the Kansas News Service reports, what started as anger over critical race theory has evolved into attacks on public schools.

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 Laura Ziegler. It is produced by Byron Love and edited by Gabe Rosenberg & Lisa Rodriguez

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