Kansas City Today

As the government shutdown drags on, what’s the experience like for federal workers — not just the thousands who have been furloughed, but those left behind to carry on the work without pay? KCUR spoke with an IRS customer service agent about her experiences working through the shutdown, and her worries for the future.

For federal workers — including the more than 30,000 in the Kansas City area — the impact of the shutdown has been immediate and direct. Many have been furloughed, missing their second paychecks now as the shutdown drags on.

But some, like IRS employee Brittany Melugin, are still coming into the office. It's steady work that she's still proud to be doing, but it hasn't been easy. She spoke with KCUR’s Nomin Ujiyediin to talk about the shutdown and its impact on workers.

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, Emily Younker and Gabe Rosenberg.

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

A Kansas City therapist started a walking group in a disadvantaged neighborhood that aims to make sure everyone can keep up. We'll take a Friday stroll with the “Marlborough Unstoppables." Plus, a 1962 plane crash heading to Kansas City killed eight crew members and 37 passengers — in what turned out to be the country's first jet bombing.

After a series of health scares, one Kansas City mother needed to make a change. But finding a place to walk isn’t easy in her neighborhood east of Troost Avenue. So, as KCUR's Luke Martin reports, Shakea Roper teamed up with her local neighborhood association and created her own walking community.

The first suicide bomber to target a passenger flight was on a 1962 flight from Chicago to Kansas City. And the culprit was from Merriam, Kansas. “Disaster at 3900 Feet,” written by Enfys McMurry, dives into the investigation and the impact on two small Midwestern towns. She spoke with Kansas City Public Library’s Laura Spencer.

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, 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.

A major breach of the KCKPD has revealed a list of alleged officer misconduct for the first time, including allegations of sexual harassment, excessive force, false arrests and more. Even still, some accusations of misconduct by known corrupt cops, such as disgraced former detective Roger Golubski, did not make the list.

The hack exposed more than a terabyte of data, including the department's highly secret Veracity Disclosure List, commonly known as a Giglio List. KCUR's Peggy Lowe and WIRED editor Andrew Couts spoke with Steve Kraske on KCUR's Up To Date about the information that their investigation uncovered.

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.

Voters in Kansas and Missouri went to the polls yesterday to decide on a range of issues, including how many days kids should be in school and whether they should abandon their current form of government. Today, we bring you election results from across the metro.

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, 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.

Missouri Republicans are facing the sobering reality that the new congressional map they passed in September isn’t a done deal. A voter-led referendum could derail the GOP’s plans for more favorable congressional lines.

Missouri Republicans approved a new congressional map that would carve up Kansas City and make it harder for any Democratic candidate from the state to win a seat in the U.S. House in 2026. But as St. Louis Public Radio’s Jason Rosenbaum reports, a looming referendum could derail those plans.

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.

The Independence board of education first approved a four-day school week in December 2022 to help recruit and retain teachers amid a chronic shortage across the state. Whether the district can keep its shortened week, though, will be decided by voters on Tuesday.

A Missouri law passed last year requires certain school districts to ask voters to approve a four-day week. So, beginning with the 2026-27 academic year, Independence will need that approval to keep its shorter schedule. Just one other school district in the state has put the issue before voters, and Crystal City residents overwhelmingly supported it. KCUR's Jodi Fortino has more on the implications of the upcoming vote in Independence.

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 Luke X. Martin 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 has been in the national news a lot lately, including one surprising place: stories about the New York City mayoral race. Many national news outlets, most of them conservative-leaning, have zeroed in on candidate Zohran Mamdani’s proposals for free bus fare and government-run grocery stores, and they’re using Kansas City as a negative example of both.

New York City’s 2025 election has captured nationwide attention. That’s mostly thanks to candidate Zohran Mamdani, a state assemblymember and democratic socialist who leads his opponents by double digits in virtually every poll. KCUR's Savannah Hawley-Bates explains the connection between two of Mamdani's policy positions and some high-profile public programs in Kansas City.

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 Luke X. Martin 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.

Students at Ruskin High School in south Kansas City have the newest Teacher of the Year in Missouri — and they’re not surprised. Hear from them about why their teacher came out on top. Plus: The number of people experiencing homelessness in Kansas fell this year, but President Donald Trump recently ended federal funding for programs that provide permanent housing with no strings attached.

A social studies teacher in the Hickman Mills School District is Missouri’s newest Teacher of the Year. KCUR’s Jodi Fortino introduces us to the Ruskin High School students who say Kim Sixta is always there when they need her.

Homelessness in Kansas has fallen this year. But the president wants to end federal support for some programs that advocates say are effective. That may disrupt their work and increase the number of people who are without housing. Kansas News Service reporter Dylan Lysen spoke to editor Stephen Koranda about the changes.

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

Kansas City Today is hosted by Celisa Calacal. 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.

A Kansas City car salesman has opened a business hosting legal car sideshows. He hopes the space will make city streets safer, after years of complaints from businesses and residents about crowds and violence.

Screeching tires, drifting and loud smoking engines are the stuff of spinning car sideshows. But this time they’re not coming from downtown intersections. KCUR's Brandon Azim reports from inside Kansas City’s newest car pit, where doing donuts is legal.

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.

A Kansas college cross-country runner collapsed from exertional heat stroke during a blistering hot practice in August. Former athletes and trainers say this doesn't surprise them.

Delia Montes was one of two cross-country athletes at Dodge City Community College who were treated for heat-related conditions last summer after practicing on the hottest day of the year. Former athletes and trainers said this did not surprise them. KCUR's Carlos Moreno spoke with reporter Sam Zeff about a three-month investigation with The Midwest Newsroom into why coaches made her run on a dangerously hot day that nearly cost her life.

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.