Kansas City Today

The Kansas City Royals celebrated Denny Matthews’ 8,000th game behind the mic during last week’s matchup against the Cleveland Guardians. An inductee into the National Baseball Hall of Fame, Matthews has been "the voice of the Royals" since the team first began 57 years ago.

Nearly 20 years and thousands of games later, Matthews is continuing on to his 59th season. Steve Kraske spoke with Matthews about his time inside the broadcast booth of Kauffman Stadium.

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, Adelyn Mui and KCUR Studios, and edited by Madeline Fox, Gabe Rosenberg and Emily Younker.

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

For years, Soakie's in downtown Kansas City was one of the only Black gay bars in the United States. The bar closed in 2004, as development began on the Power & Light District, but a new historical marker remembers its impact.

Soakie's started out as an Italian sandwich shop, but became home to many in Kansas City's Black LGBTQ+ community. The bar eventually closed when development began to ramp up in the area. Steve Kraske spoke with Nasir Montalvo, founder of Black/queer Kansas City, and drag icon and former Soakie's employee Craig Lovingood AKA Tisha Taylor about their involvement with Soakie's.

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

Kansas City Today is hosted by Jodi Fortino. It is produced by Byron Love, Adelyn Mui and KCUR Studios, and edited by Madeline Fox, Gabe Rosenberg and Emily Younker.

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

A Kansas City Medicaid enrollee is among several plaintiffs suing over policy changes that would require medically frail people to prove their condition significantly impairs their ability to work. Plus: Massive restrictions on federal food benefits are being felt especially hard in rural areas, where food insecurity is on par with urban centers.

Some Missourians who rely on Medicaid are complaining that the Trump administration could force them to go back to work, even though they have medical conditions that should keep them from doing so. Steve Kraske spoke with Missouri Independent reporter Steph Quinn about a Kansas City plaintiff's experience.

More than 5 million people have lost federal food benefits since last summer after a slew of federal cuts and policy changes to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP.  In rural areas, food insecurity is on par with the country’s largest cities at about 16%. Harvest Public Media’s Anna Pope reports on how food aid changes are hitting rural America. 

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

Kansas City Today is hosted by Noah Taborda. It is produced by Byron Love, Adelyn Mui and KCUR Studios, and edited by Madeline Fox, Gabe Rosenberg and Emily Younker.

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

Home births have been increasing in Missouri and Kansas. And "free birth," when a person gives birth without the help of a medical professional, has been popularized in recent years by influencers. Hear why experts are concerned, but women who have done it say the practice is misunderstood.

Experts say that free births carry a lot of risks, but as Bek Shackelford-Nwanganga of the Midwest Newsroom reports, free birthers say they’re misunderstood.

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

Kansas City Today is hosted by Sam Zeff. It is produced by Byron Love and KCUR Studios, and edited by Madeline Fox and Emily Younker.

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

If approved by voters on Nov. 3, Missouri Amendment 3 would repeal abortion rights guaranteed in the state Constitution. It also would ban gender-affirming care for transgender youth — something that's already prohibited by state law.

KCUR's Steve Kraske spoke with Anna Spoerre, reproductive health reporter for The Missouri Independent, on Up To Date about Amendment 3.

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 Madeline Fox and Emily Younker.

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

Flock Safety cameras have sparked bipartisan uproar with many worried that the cameras, which scan license plates, infringe on privacy. Misuse of the cameras and their data has been documented across Missouri, Kansas, Iowa and Nebraska. Also, more farmers are fixing up their decades-old equipment rather than buying new.

Flock Safety cameras have become one of the most discussed and controversial technologies over the past few months. As St. Louis Public Radio’s Chad Davis reports for the Midwest Newsroom, the automatic license plate readers have gotten pushback from both parties across the Midwest.

Farming is expensive. And this year, it‘s gotten even pricier with the rising cost of fertilizer and fuel. Equipment prices have also reached historic highs. Harvest Public Media's Emma George-Griffin reports many farmers are now choosing to fix their old tractors and combines instead of buying new.

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 Lisa Rodriguez and Emily Younker.

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

Violent crime is going down in Kansas City, but cases of domestic violence are rising. Domestic violence often happens behind closed doors, and in some cases abuse begins subtly and progressively gets more intense. We'll hear from a survivor about what it took for her to leave the relationship, and how she found help.

Abuse survivor Carrah Jones and Billie Orr, managing attorney of Legal Aid of Western Missouri, spoke to KCUR's Steve Kraske about the steps to get out of a volatile domestic situation and what resources are available to help.

If you or someone you know is dealing with an abusive relationship, call The National Domestic Violence Hotline at 800-799-7233.

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 Lisa Rodriguez and Emily Younker.

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

A federal appeals court has again sided with Missouri Republicans, ruling the state must use the GOP-leaning congressional map passed by lawmakers last year. Plus: how new limits on federal student loans are impacting future physicians in Kansas.

KCUR's Steve Kraske spoke with senior news analyst Brian Ellison about the latest redistricting ruling and the Missouri Democratic Party's next move on Up To Date.

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

Communities are killing data center proposals faster than ever. But in a struggling small town, the idea of investment measured in billions of dollars can dwarf anything city leaders had ever hoped to attract previously. Hear the appeal data centers may have to places the information age has so far left behind.

If there’s one thing liberal Democrats, MAGA Republicans, and most Americans in between might agree on, it’s data centers. Cities and counties across the country are blocking them over water and power usage, noise pollution and AI concerns. But as KCUR’s Frank Morris reports, data center development can look a lot more attractive in a struggling rural town.

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 and Madeline Fox.

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

Public school funding continues to fall across the U.S., with Missouri facing its own tight budget. Schools are facing tough decisions like collecting more in taxes, reducing staff members and programs, closing buildings — or all of the above.

Lower tax revenue, rising inflation and the end of COVID-19 funding are a few reasons that public schools are seeing smaller budgets, leading many districts to close school buildings or collect more taxes. Nomin Ujiyediin spoke with KCUR education reporter Jodi Fortino, who explains how these changes could affect the student experience in Kansas and Missouri.

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 and Madeline Fox.

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