Kansas City Today

Nov. 2 is Election Day in Kansas, where hundreds of seats on local school boards are up for grabs. These usually low key races are now the center of attention as school board meetings become the center of protests around "critical race theory," COVID-19 and other issues. Kansas News Service education reporter Suzanne Perez and editor Stephen Koranda break down these newly polarized and partisan elections.

Before COVID-19 hit, Missouri had the 4th highest rate in the country of residents taking anti-anxiety pills. KCUR's Alex Smith reports that the state's lack of mental health care coverage leads to doctors over-prescribing these medications, which can cause long-lasting problems for patients.

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

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

Kansas City-based singer, composer and harpist Calvin Arsenia is adding author to his already impressive resume. Arsenia told KCUR’s Laura Spencer his new book of prose and poetry , "every good boy does fine," grew out of the pandemic and a podcast, and it explores growing up as evangelical Christian and coming to terms with his sexuality.

Twenty-seven years ago, Willa Robinson began selling books as a street vendor on 18th and Vine; now, she has her own space at Willa’s Books and Vinyl on 63rd Street. Robinson recently spoke to KCUR’s Brian Ellison on Up To Date about what she calls Kansas City’s largest collection of vintage African American books.

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

A federal grand jury has indicted eight members of the Kansas City, Kansas-based sect The United Nation of Islam on forced labor charges, detailing a long list of alleged abuses of minors as young as 8 years old. The group bears little-to-no resemblance to the religion of Islam, and it's gone by several names, including The Value Creators and The Promise Keepers.

KCUR reporter Dan Margolies tells more about this mysterious group, its leader Royall Jenkins, and the charges leveled against them.

KCUR reporter Luke Martin also brings us the story of Darryl Chamberlain, who has a vision for improving Kansas City’s urban core that's led to national acclaim — and kept him on the lookout for second-hand instruments for the A-Flat Youth Orchestra.

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

Kansas City Today is hosted by Lisa Rodriguez, filling in for Nomin Ujiyediin. It is produced by Byron Love and edited by Gabe Rosenberg.

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

Missouri’s state legislative redistricting process is rushing towards its deadline, as the House and Senate commissions hear testimony about what the new maps should look like. But not many people who follow the process are confident the commissions will succeed. As St. Louis Public Radio’s Jason Rosenbaum reports, failure could make for big problems in next year’s election cycle.

The COVID-19 pandemic imposed financial burdens on many, which caused college enrollment to drop and student debts to increase. Harris Stowe State University in St. Louis, one of Missouri's two Historically Black Colleges and Universities, decided to use CARES Act funding to cancel $330,000 worth of debt from hundreds of students. Dr. LaTonya Collins Smith, interim president of Harris Stowe, talks with Brian Ellison on Up To Date about the decision's impact on students.

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

This summer, Missouri Attorney General Eric Schmitt sued multiple local governments over their mask mandates. And with those lawsuits have come hefty legal bills for some of those local governments, school districts, and health departments. Steve Vockrodt, investigative editor of NPR’s Midwest Newsroom, shares what he uncovered about what these lawsuits are costing taxpayers.

Americans eat more than 7.5 million pounds of chestnuts every year. Most are imported from Italy, China and Korea, but they could easily be grown in the Midwest. Harvest Public Media’s Jonathan Ahl says chestnuts offer an option for small-scale, low-effort and, importantly, profitable way to farm.

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