Kansas City Today

The Missouri legislature spent a lot of time in the spring working to un-do laws that voters passed on November’s ballot — including paid sick leave and abortion. Now, a group called Respect Missouri Voters wants to stop lawmakers in Jefferson City from doing that.

KCUR's Steve Kraske spoke with the Benjamin Singer, CEO of Show-Me Integrity and co-founder of Respect Missouri Voters, about the bipartisan and volunteer-run coalition aiming to protect citizen-led ballot measures from being overturned.

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.

The Springs Aquatic Center in Kansas City is a popular place for kids to cool off or take a dive. Hear from the families spending their summer poolside. Plus: This year's All-Star game displayed an automated system to help umpires call balls and strikes. Could this system be used by the Kansas City Royals in future seasons?

We bring you an occasional series about Kansas City’s neighborhood spots, and the people who bring them to life. Reporter Jodi Fortino introduces us to the kids who are swimming, sliding and diving their summer days away at the Springs Aquatic Center.

This year's All-Star game featured a heavily debated topic in recent years: an automated system to help umpires call balls and strikes, called ABS. Though nothing official has been announced, there are indications the new system will be used by the Kansas City Royals and other Major League Baseball teams next season. Greg Echlin has more.

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 Madeline Fox, Emily Younker and Gabe Rosenberg.

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

A Family Dollar store in Kansas City collapsed last weekend, killing a 68-year-old man and critically injuring a 50-year-old woman. Two days before the collapse, a city building inspector was dispatched to the property.

Multiple people raised concerns about the structural integrity of the Broadway Boulevard store before it partially collapsed Sunday. "The roof is weakened to such an extent that it could compromise the load bearing capability of the entire roof support system," a Kansas City inspector wrote. The inspector said the entire building was in danger.

KCUR's Up To Date host Steve Kraske asked investigative reporter Sam Zeff about what led up to the collapse.

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 Carter Galloway 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.

Missouri is one of many states facing pressure from President Donald Trump to redistrict before the 2026 midterm elections. The 5th Congressional District, which encompasses Kansas City, could be targeted.

The state of Missouri is divided into eight congressional districts, six of which are held by Republicans and two by Democrats. Missouri lawmakers are being pressured by Trump to target Democratic Rep. Emanual Cleaver's seat in the 5th Congressional District, which represents Kansas City. It is part of a larger push to redistrict in multiple states to keep Republicans in power, even if the 2026 midterms are strong for Democrats.

Up To Date host Steve Kraske sat down with Missouri Independent deputy editor Rudi Keller and University of Missouri-Kansas City political science professor Greg Vonnahme to discuss the issue.

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 Carter Galloway 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.

Missouri recently became the 28th state to pass the CROWN Act, banning discrimination against Black students' hair. We'll head to a Kansas City salon to hear how local teens are reacting. Plus: Farmers worry that Trump's on-and-off tariffs could hurt America's reputation with one of their biggest buyers, China.

Hair salons and their Black clients are relieved Missouri has passed a law prohibiting discrimination against natural hair styles for Black people. The CROWN Act bans hair discrimination in schools, but not in the workplace. KCUR's Brandon Azim visited one salon to talk to clients about the new law.

China is a destination for many of the U.S. specialty agricultural products that have fewer options for sales at home and abroad. Negotiations between the U.S. and China over a new trade agreement have meant months of uncertainty and have left some specialty producers worrying about the future. Harvest Public Media's Hope Kirwan 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 Carter Galloway 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.

Two members of the St. Joseph, Missouri, school board say they’ve been harassed because of their progressive political beliefs. They say they're being targeted by a multimillion-dollar national organization dedicated to promoting Christianity in public schools.

Over the past couple of years, volunteer school board members in St. Joseph, Missouri say they’ve faced harassment from community members and a multimillion-dollar national Christian organization because of their political beliefs. KCUR’s Nomin Ujiyediin has been investigating their experiences, and told KCUR’s Madeline Fox it’s part of a broader national trend of school boards and other local elected officials dealing with increased negative attention.

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.

The late Kansas Sen. Bob Dole was a champion for disability rights. One of his biggest accomplishments was getting the Americans with Disabilities Act passed, 35 years ago this week. We'll look back on the role Kansas played in this landmark civil rights law.

The Americans with Disabilities Act was signed into law 35 years ago this Saturday. It’s the first comprehensive civil rights law for people with disabilities, and it almost didn’t pass. It took years of protests, and advocates from across the country, including the late Republican Sen. Bob Dole. From the KCUR podcast A People’s History of Kansas City, Mackenzie Martin 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 Madeline Fox, Emily Younker and Gabe Rosenberg.

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

In western Kansas, rural hospitals have been closing or are perpetually understaffed, leaving residents to drive anywhere from an hour to multiple hours for doctors appointments. Plus: Scientists are working on a new framework that factors climate trends into how we think about drought.

Western Kansas is the place for a quiet, rural lifestyle. But with that comes shortages when you need to see a doctor. Rural Kansans on average travel twice as far for medical care than their urban counterparts. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have found that largely due to this difference in access to health care, rural residents are more likely to die early than urban residents. Calen Moore of the Kansas News Service reports.

Drought is defined as an abnormal period of dryness. But climate change means today’s normal might not be the same as yesterday’s. Climatologists are now coming together to figure out how to characterize drought because their proclamations have real, practical consequences. Some federal policies that give farmers emergency relief money are tied to the drought monitor. Mississippi River Basin Ag & Water Desk's Harshawn Ratanpal 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 Carter Galloway 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.

Public radio and television stations in rural areas may be hit the hardest after Congress clawed back $1 billion for public broadcasting.

High Plains Public Radio, which broadcasts in western Kansas, lost 15% of its operating costs, according to executive director Quentin Hope. And in southern Missouri, general manager Rachel Knight says Ozarks Public Radio has lost 10% of its budget and Ozarks Public Television has lost one-third of its budget.

Hope and Knight sat down with Up To Date host Steve Kraske to discuss the impacts of the rescission on their rural stations.

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 Carter Galloway 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.

Talks of overhauling the U.S. Postal Service have picked up since President Donald Trump began his second term. With service cutbacks already underway and privatization on the table, rural residents are bracing for more disruptions. Plus: There are more than 40 species of fireflies in Missouri, but for the past few years, people have been concerned about the populations diminishing.

As a government agency providing a public service, the U.S. Postal Service is not required to make a profit. But it is not supposed to lose money, either, which it has done every year since 2007, according to its annual reports. Rural communities have already experienced cuts as a means of pulling the Postal Service out of the red, and the current administration has also resurrected the issue of privatization. The Midwest Newsroom's Nick Loomis reports on growing concerns from rural residents.

Many Missourians probably have memories of sitting outside on hot summer nights watching lightning bugs. But during the past few years, there have been reports of fewer insects, which is why many Missourians have shared their surprise and pleasure at seeming to see more this year. KBIA's Rebecca Smith reports on the reemergence of fireflies in 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 Carter Galloway 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.