Kansas City Today

The purpose of the Kansas City Land Bank is to revitalize neighborhoods. But an investigation by the Kansas City Beacon recently found that the Land Bank has potential conflicts of interest that could prevent board members from holding land buyers accountable to its own requirements. Beacon reporters Celisa Calacal and Emily Wolfe looked into why this program has resulted in lots sitting vacant for years.

Schools across Kansas are struggling to find substitute teachers in the midst of a lingering pandemic and national labor shortage. As Suzanne Perez of the Kansas News Service reports, the inability of schools to find teachers poses a daily crisis with long-term consequences for 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

Voters can now head to the polls for a couple of major local elections happening on the Kansas side of the state line.

We zoom in on the election to decide the next mayor of the Unified Government of Wyandotte County and Kansas City, Kansas. Current Mayor David Alvey is seeking a second term, but he faces a strong challenge from former Kansas City, Kansas deputy police chief Tyrone Garner. KCUR contributor Lynn Horsley talks us through the race.

In Overland Park, the city's very identity has become the theme of this year's mayoral race. City Council veteran Curt Skoog faces off against political newcomer Mike Czinege in a race to choose a replacement for Carl Gerlach, who has been mayor for 16 years but decided to step down. Kyle Palmer, editor of the Shawnee Mission Post, breaks down the contest.

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 Jackson County judge has ordered a landlord to pay back 15 months of rental payments plus interest and attorney’s fees — an amount totaling more than $17,000 — to a tenant that he unlawfully tried to evict. KCUR reporter Dan Margolies breaks down this David-and-Goliath legal victory for renters.

Times are tough if you’re in the market to buy a home. High demand and limited supply are causing prices to surge, and many would-be homeowners are left wondering if that's still an achievable part of the American Dream. On KCUR's Up To Date, Steve Kraske talks to the Smart Money Experts David Jackson and Nolan Keim about the pros and cons of renting and owning a home.

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

Hundreds of small apartment buildings have been demolished in Kansas City over the last two decades. KCUR's Carlos Moreno reports that a new study from the University of Missouri-Kansas City found that losing these affordable housing options is making the city more expensive and less inclusive.

Also, like many small businesses during the COVID-19 pandemic, arts and music venues had to briefly shut their doors to the public. A federal grant saved the day for many of them, but some small businesses that did not receive this grant had to close their doors permanently. Celisa Calacal, a reporter for the Kansas City Beacon, fills us in on how arts and performance businesses are recovering.

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

There have been plenty of conversations had about affordable housing and homelessness in metropolitan areas, but how do these issues appear in more rural parts of Missouri and Kansas? Cami Koons, a reporter for Kansas City PBS, delved into the issue and shares her findings.

Last year, Missourians voted to expand the Medicaid, making government-provided health insurance available to some 250,000 people. Since August, more than 17,000 people have applied for Medicaid in the state, which could be a boon for hospitals and the previously uninsured. But as Sebastián Martínez Valdivia reports, the road ahead isn’t exactly straightforward.

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