This week, victims of disgraced Kansas City, Kansas, Police Detective Roger Golubski and other social justice advocates marked one year since Golubski died by suicide on Dec. 2, 2024. That was the day his federal trial was to begin on charges that he violated the civil rights of several women through rape and kidnapping.

In the year since disgraced Kansas City, Kansas, Police Detective Roger Golubski killed himself on Dec. 2, 2024, his victims and others in the community say nothing has changed. KCUR's Up To Date host Steve Kraske spoke with investigative reporter Peggy Lowe about fears in Wyandotte County that accountability died with Golubksi.

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 Suzanne Hogan 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.

Sports betting became legal in Missouri this week. It marks the end of a years-long effort that came down to a statewide vote, and will likely transform the sports industry throughout the state. Plus: Lesser prairie chickens used to roam across Kansas and the Great Plains by the millions, but now there’s only a few thousand.

Initially passed through a constitutional amendment in November 2024, Missourians can legally place bets on sports as of this week. The effort to legalize sports wagering had the backing of Missouri’s professional sports organizations. St. Louis Public Radio’s Sarah Kellogg reports on what’s to come, including how gambling has already changed sports and can continue doing so.

The lesser prairie chicken was once a common sight in the southern Great Plains. But much of its habitat is now gone, and its numbers are dwindling. In recent years, the federal government has flip-flopped on protections for the bird, first awarding but then removing “endangered” status in Texas and “threatened” status in Oklahoma and Kansas this summer. Harvest Public Media’s Anna Pope reports on how states and landowners are continuing the conservation efforts.

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Kansas City Today is hosted by Brian Ellison. 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 Unified Government of Wyandotte County and Kansas City, Kansas, passed a revised version of its public camping ban — which includes lesser penalties for first time offenses than the initial proposal. Kansas City, Kansas Police called the measure “dignified,” but opponents worry it will criminalize homelessness.

People sleeping outdoors in Kansas City, Kansas, will soon face new legal consequences under an ordinance passed by the Board of Commissioners of the Unified Government. KCUR's Up To Date host Steve Kraske spoke with news intern Kowthar Shire about the new ban and opponents' concerns that it will criminalize homelessness.

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Kansas City Today is hosted by Nomin Ujiyediin. It is produced by Suzanne Hogan and KCUR Studios, and edited by Madeline Fox and Gabe Rosenberg.

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

Every year just before the holidays, Scouting America troops across the country collect food items for local pantries, right off our front porches. It’s an effort started 40 years ago from here in Missouri.

Scouting for Food became a national Scouting America program in 1988, expanding across the country as thousands of scouts collectively gathered hundreds of thousands of pounds of shelf-stable goods for food insecure residents in their local communities. Lacretia Wimbley of St. Louis Public Radio brings us this report.

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Kansas City Today is hosted by Savannah Hawley-Bates. It is produced by Gabe Rosenberg 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.

On Thanksgiving, families will have plenty to debate: politics, football...and pie? Americans also have strong opinions on whether to enjoy pumpkin or sweet potato pie on Thanksgiving. Plus: Holiday get-togethers are on the way, and if you’re looking for fun things to do, you might consider a new card or board game.

This holiday season, millions of Americans will host Thanksgiving dinner. In many households, guests get one important question: did you bring pumpkin pie or sweet potato pie? Harvest Public Media contributor Chad Davis reports in this story that originally aired in 2023 that while both dishes are similar, they carry different histories.

The owner of a Wichita toy store says there are plenty of fun family entertainment options to choose from this holiday. Suzanne Perez of the Kansas News Service finds out what’s new for your game table.

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Kansas City Today is hosted by Nomin Ujiyediin. It is produced by Jacob Smollen 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.

More than 650,000 people could attend the World Cup in Kansas City next summer, and all of them will need a place to stay. That's why the Kansas City Council is changing its rules around short-term rentals to make it easier for residents to host visitors.

Dozens of people recently attended a how-to "crash course" offered to Kansas Citians hoping to rent their homes during the World Cup. KCUR's Up To Date host Steve Kraske spoke with reporter Celisa Calacal about how residents are seeking to capitalize on all those visitors on sites like Airbnb.

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Kansas City Today is hosted by Nomin Ujiyediin. It is produced by Jacob Smollen 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.

For years, the Missouri Department of Corrections was not actually keeping track of the people who died in state prisons — with partial counts, missing names and flat-out wrong information being standard procedure. That is, until a Marshall Project reporter started asking questions.

The Marshall Project engagement reporter Ivy Scott sat down with KCUR’s Nomin Ujiyediin to talk about the effort to get the true numbers, and why they matter.

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, Suzanne Hogan 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.

Since purchasing the Country Club Plaza more than a year ago, the Gillion Property group has increased its security and made cosmetic repairs. Now, the company plans major construction that contrasts with the Plaza’s storybook atmosphere, and asking a Kansas City agency for $1.4 billion in tax breaks.

The Plaza's new owners recently released construction renderings featuring 10-story buildings and hundreds of new apartments. The owners also want major tax breaks from Port KC to help pay for all of it. KCUR's Up To Date host Steve Kraske spoke with reporters Eric Adler and Chris Higgins from the Kansas City Star about the plans and the debate over tax incentives for the 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 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.

In rural Medicine Lodge, Kansas, Sarrah and Kyle Miller were sued last month by their local medical clinic for $230 in unpaid medical expenses. Their story is part of a new pattern. Kansas hospitals have filed thousands of lawsuits against their rural patients in recent years, including many for less than $500.

Rural residents in Kansas not only struggle to find health care, but afterwards struggle to afford it, especially if they don’t have insurance. That has led to hospitals suing more patients over unpaid bills, often for small amounts of money. Calen Moore of the Kansas News Service reports.

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 and Emily Younker.

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

Kansas City officials are waging a war against graffiti, scrubbing surfaces clean only to see them tagged again the next day. Businesses and hotels are fighting back to send the message that downtown is a welcoming, thriving and safe place.

In a metro lucky enough to have numerous murals intended to make outside surfaces beautiful, some walls and bridges are being bombarded by random recurring graffiti. KCUR’s Brandon Azim takes us out with the people who are doggedly working to clean it up.

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.