Kansas City Today

The U.S. Department of Agriculture wants states to provide personal information about SNAP applicants dating back to 2020. But Kansas Gov. Laura Kelly is refusing, despite the threat of losing millions in federal funding and a lawsuit from state Attorney General Kris Kobach.

Matthew Kelly, Kansas Statehouse reporter for the Kansas City Star, speaks with KCUR's Up To Date host Steve Kraske about what's happening.

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 Emily Younker and Gabe Rosenberg.

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

Sports betting is expected to start in Missouri on Dec. 1. But some are concerned about the consequences of making gambling so easy to access. Plus: Beef is as expensive as it’s ever been, thanks to the high cost of cattle. When will prices come down?

Missouri voters legalized sports betting by an extremely narrow margin last year, but it won’t be active until Dec. 1 due to licensing and regulation requirements. Some mental health advocates are concerned about the impact it will have on gambling addiction in the state. St. Louis Public Radio’s Olivia Mizelle reports.

If you buy beef, no doubt you’ve noticed that it’s gotten more expensive lately. In fact, beef prices in the U.S. are the highest they’ve ever been — an average of $9.69 per pound, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Will they come down soon? Harvest Public Media’s Michael Marks has the story.

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 Emily Younker and Gabe Rosenberg.

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

Copper wire thefts are on the rise in Missouri, and Kansas City is getting hit hard. It turns out the skyrocketing value of the metal is due in no small part to the Trump administration's 50% tariff on copper imports.

KCUR's Sam Zeff tells Up To Date host Steve Kraske only Texas and California have had more copper wire thefts than 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 Emily Younker and Madeline Fox.

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

Former detainees are speaking out about what they say are poor conditions at an immigration detention center in eastern Kansas.

Many immigrants who are detained in Kansas and Missouri go through the Chase County jail in eastern Kansas. Now, some former detainees say the facility was overcrowded and lacked medical care. As Zane Irwin of the Kansas News Service reports, the Cottonwood Falls facility is part of a national outcry against claims of worsening conditions for detained immigrants.

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 Emily Younker and Madeline Fox.

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

The Trump administration's clampdown on student visas means that colleges and universities have gotten a lot fewer students from abroad this year. That could spell trouble for higher education and the U.S. as a whole. Plus: A University of Kansas professor wrote the literal book on "Swiftynomics," about the economic impact of women's work — and Taylor Swift herself.

American schools have come to depend on international students to help keep the lights on. But the Trump administration views some of those students as possible terrorists, and it has clamped down on student visas. KCUR’s Frank Morris reports the resulting plunge in enrollment will cost the U.S. economy billions, and may hit some Kansas City universities harder than most.

Pop superstar Taylor Swift’s fans find significance and meaning in her choice of words, her clothing and her makeup. Some say Swift’s sphere of influence reaches beyond all that and extends into the economy. One such fan is associate professor Misty Heggeness, at KU’s School of Public Affairs and Administration. Heggeness spoke with the Kansas City Public Library’s Anne Kniggendorf about the economic power Swift and all women wield.

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, Emily Younker and Madeline Fox.

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

Election Day is just over a week away, and absentee voting is already underway, in the recall of Jackson County Executive Frank White Jr. We'll explain the backstory of this unusual special election, and what it means if you vote yes or no.

KCUR's Brian Ellison sat down with Josh Merchant, who covers local government for the Beacon, to talk about the petition gathering, controversy and legal wrangling leaning up to the election.

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.

Kansas City, Kansas, artist Harold Smith’s new series of paintings puts a personal spin on iconic works from art history by adding in his friends and neighbors. You can see these "Around the Way Folk, Saints in Uncommon Places" now at the Mulvane Art Museum in Topeka.

Kansas City, Kansas, artist Harold Smith’s new body of work reimagines famous paintings from the history of art, using people he grew up with. KCUR’s Julie Denesha has details.

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, Emily Younker and Madeline Fox.

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

President Donald Trump says that cashless bail is leading to a rise in crime, and wants to see it ended nationwide. But a study from the American Civil Liberties Union of Kansas found the opposite, and argues that cash bail for nonviolent crimes is hurting low-income residents.

The Kansas ACLU is calling for the release of inmates facing nonviolent charges without having to pay bail. Kansas News Service reporter Dylan Lysen spoke to editor Stephen Koranda about how cashless bail affects low-income people and crime rates.

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, Emily Younker and Madeline Fox.

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

Critical questions remain about how a 50-year-old Kansas City, Kansas, man died in the Wyandotte County Jail more than two months ago. Charles Adair’s death has been ruled a homicide, but new details reveal striking similarities to the death of George Floyd in 2020.

Wyandotte County law enforcement officials are still investigating the suspicious death of a jail inmate in July 2025. Reports obtained by KCUR show that the death was due to a common police procedure called prone restraint. Reporter Peggy Lowe explains the story with KCUR's Carlos Moreno.

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, Emily Younker and Madeline Fox.

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

Kansas has lost about 50 newspapers in the past 20 years. And as the owners of many small, family-owned papers get older, it’s uncertain who will keep the presses running when they retire. Plus: Missouri Republicans shattered norms when they pushed through redistricting and amendment changes in a special session — and it could have long-term consequences.

The past couple of decades have been tough on newspapers. More than 60% of Kansas counties have one or fewer news outlets. And now another challenge: Owners of many small, family-owned newspapers are getting older, and it’s uncertain who will keep the presses running when they retire. KMUW's Tom Shine reports.

Missouri’s special session on redistricting is over, with GOP lawmakers passing measures gerrymandering the state's congressional map and making it harder to pass some constitutional amendments. But its impact may last a lot longer. St. Louis Public Radio’s Jonathan Ahl and Jason Rosenbaum break down the completed special session.

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, Emily Younker and Madeline Fox.

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