Kansas City Today

The Kansas City Area Transportation Authority promised free bus rides for those who need it, as it brings back fares this June. But riders and nonprofits are still waiting to see how that will work. Plus: Missouri cattle farmers who contract red meat allergies from alpha-gal syndrome are suddenly put at risk by their livelihood.

After six years of free fares, it will cost people $2 to ride the bus in Kansas City starting in June. The Kansas City Area Transportation Authority promised free fares would continue for some people, but it hasn’t yet released a complete plan for who will ride for free and how. KCUR’s local government reporter Savannah Hawley-Bates spoke to news editor Emily Younker about nonprofit providers and riders' worries that some will fall through the cracks in the meantime.

Managing the tick-borne illness alpha-gal syndrome is hard for anyone. People with the disease can have severe allergic reactions to products like red meat and dairy. For farmers who are in close contact with mammals, the allergy can be ruinous and, sometimes, life-threatening. KBIA’s Rebecca Smith, who has been covering alpha-gal over the past year, reports on how the condition is disrupting the lives, and livelihoods, of Missouri’s cattle men and women.

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

Kansas City Today is hosted by Nomin Ujiyediin. It is produced by Jacob Smollen and KCUR Studios, and edited by Gabe Rosenberg, Madeline Fox and Emily Younker.

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

On Tuesday, the U.S. and Israel continued attacks on Iran that started over the weekend. Now, President Donald Trump is saying the war may continue for weeks to come. Many Iranians and Iranian Americans are celebrating the potential for democracy in the country, but are anxious about the expanding violence.

KCUR's Steve Kraske spoke with Hanieh Ghazali, a PhD student at the University of Missouri-Kansas City, who moved here from Tehran and Mercedeh Tavacoli, a local Iranian-American activist, about their thoughts on the conflict.

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

Kansas City Today is hosted by Nomin Ujiyediin. It is produced by Jacob Smollen and KCUR Studios, and edited by Gabe Rosenberg, Madeline Fox and Emily Younker.

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

Kansas City Council voted to relax some controversial portions of its energy code that builders said made it harder to build affordable housing — or anything. Over the past few years, the city has seen a drop in new home construction compared to surrounding cities and suburbs, but the standards aren't the only reason.

KCUR's Nomin Ujiyediin spoke with The Beacon's workforce and economic impact reporter Thomas White about the impact of the energy efficiency standards, and why the city is changing its mind.

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

Kansas City Today is hosted by Nomin Ujiyediin. It is produced by Byron Love and KCUR Studios, and edited by Gabe Rosenberg, Madeline Fox and Emily Younker.

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

Kansas legislators have had an unusually busy year so far — most recently the passage of a law that restricts bathroom usage for transgender people, and prohibits gender changes on IDs. We'll hear about what's been passed at the halfway point, and what's still to come.

Zane Irwin of the Kansas News Service walks KCUR's Brian Ellison through where we are, and what we should expect in the remaining weeks of the session.

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

Kansas City Today is hosted by Brian Ellison. It is produced by Byron Love and KCUR Studios, and edited by Gabe Rosenberg, Madeline Fox and Emily Younker.

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

The Missouri Republican Party is mulling over how national headwinds could affect key state legislative races and ballot initiatives, such as an abortion ban and redistricting referendum. Plus: Missouri colleges and universities are racing to fulfill a new request for student data from the U.S. Department of Education.

The Missouri Republican Party is riding an unprecedented wave of success into the 2026 election cycle. But the party’s leaders acknowledge that in this midterm election, with critical ballot initiatives, a negative national environment for Republicans may affect their chances. St. Louis Public Radio’s Jason Rosenbaum has this report from the recent Missouri GOP Lincoln Days in Springfield.

In August, the U.S. Department of Education issued a memo demanding that federally funded universities upload additional student enrollment data from the last six years, broken down by race, gender, standardized test scores, high school GPA and family income. But as KBIA's Kat Ramkumar reports, a rushed deadline and lack of staffing has led to problems.

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

Kansas City Today is hosted by Nomin Ujiyediin. It is produced by Byron Love and KCUR Studios, and edited by Gabe Rosenberg, Madeline Fox and Emily Younker.

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

Increased immigration enforcement in Olathe is worrying some. Students across Johnson County have staged protests against ICE, and a recent school walkout led to an altercation with pro-Trump students and several arrests.

At one recent protest at Olathe Northwest High School, a fight broke out between students supporting the Trump administration and those objecting to its immigration policies. KCUR's Up To Date host Steve Kraske spoke with Johnson County Post reporter Kate Mays about student activism and the impact of ICE sightings around the Olathe community.

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

Kansas City Today is hosted by Nomin Ujiyediin. It is produced by Jacob Smollen and KCUR Studios, and edited by Gabe Rosenberg, Madeline Fox and Emily Younker.

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

Urban rivers are struggling with water pollution, as the Blue River in Kansas City shows. Restoring riverside woodlands and other natural areas could lead to a healthier river.

The Blue River in Kansas City is, like many urban rivers in Kansas and Missouri, suffering from pollution and overdevelopment. It also has diehard fans with lifelong connections to it. Celia Llopis-Jepsen from Harvest Public Media reports that they’re taking steps to restore clean water and a thriving habitat.

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

Kansas City Today is hosted by Frank Morris. It is produced by Jacob Smollen and KCUR Studios, and edited by Gabe Rosenberg, Madeline Fox and Emily Younker.

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

The Kansas City Police Department paid nearly $11 million to settle lawsuits over police misconduct and wrongful deaths during this fiscal year. As Kansas City faces budget issues and World Cup security demands, some city leaders want to exert more control over these growing legal costs.

Up To Date host Steve Kraske spoke with KCUR investigative reporter Peggy Lowe about the public concern over the Kansas City Police Department's finances, and how budget pressures may affect services.

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

Kansas City Today is hosted by Nomin Ujiyediin. It is produced by Byron Love and KCUR Studios, and edited by Gabe Rosenberg, Madeline Fox and Emily Younker.

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

Missouri Governor Mike Kehoe has proposed having citizens vote to phase out the state income tax over the next five years. But is that a viable option for the state budget?

Brian Ellison spoke with Amy Blouin, president and CEO of the Missouri Budget project, about the details of the governor's proposal and how it may hurt the average Missourian more than help.

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

Kansas City Today is hosted by Brian Ellison. It is produced by Byron Love and KCUR Studios, and edited by Gabe Rosenberg, Madeline Fox and Emily Younker.

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

Artist Heidi Pitre’s new show brings together literature, nostalgia and pen-and-ink illustrations on vintage library checkout cards. Pitre brings her library card art to — where else? — the Kansas City Public Library.

Before computers, borrowing a book from the library meant writing your name on a 3-by-5-inch card, and the librarian would stamp it with a due date. When you returned the book, the little card went back into the pocket inside the cover.

A new exhibition features these vintage cards covered with illustrations by Kansas City artist Heidi Pitre. On a card for Stephen King’s “The Shining,” for instance, she drew a typewriter; “The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe” got a regal lion.

Pitre met Kansas City Public Library’s Laura Spencer at a local tea shop to talk about her project.

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

Kansas City Today is hosted by Nomin Ujiyediin. It is produced by Byron Love and KCUR Studios, and edited by Gabe Rosenberg, Madeline Fox and Emily Younker.

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