Kansas City Today

Congress has approved a plan to claw back funding from U.S. foreign aid programs and public broadcasting organizations like NPR and PBS. What does this mean for KCUR? The station's general manager and interim content director discuss how this could impact our work.

Steve Kraske was joined on Up To Date by Sarah Morris, KCUR's general manager and a board member for NPR, and Lisa Rodriguez, interim director of content-journalism, to talk about the future of public media and the challenges ahead for KCUR.

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.

Some artists shy away from using AI. Kansas City photographer and digital artist David Morris embraces it. Hear how a local creative harnesses AI to bring his vision to life, and where you can see it! Plus: A Kansas City bookselling icon is retiring after years of tracking down Black books and vinyl. Now, a new generation is stepping up to preserve her legacy.

Artificial intelligence had a hand in a new art installation at a Kansas City Streetcar stop. David Morris’ abstract digital collage is called “Music is Community," and it’s part of this year’s “Art in the Loop” program. KCUR’s Julie Denesha spoke with Morris about how AI shapes his work.

Willa Robinson has been collecting and selling Black books and vinyl in Kansas City since the 1990s. She’s now retiring and closing what’s considered the longest-running Black-owned bookstore in Missouri. KCUR’s Celisa Calacal sat down with Robinson to talk about her collection, the legacy she’s leaving behind, and what’s next for the storefront.

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 recent years, most Kansas City suburbs have cut transportation funding, which means fewer and slower buses. Local officials are racing to fix that. Plus: High school graduation rates in Kansas are higher than ever. But some people worry that the growth of credit recovery programs could be lowering standards for students.

Many suburbs in the Kansas City metro have fewer and slower buses because of cuts to transportation funding. Regional cooperation for transit programs also has been lacking. KCUR's Savannah Hawley-Bates reports on how Kansas City’s transit system is in a death spiral, and what can be done to fix it.

In Kansas, some educators and community members worry that the growth of credit recovery in high schools may be boosting graduation rates without ensuring that students actually learn the material and meet state standards. The Kansas News Service's Suzanne Perez 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.

Panasonic's highly anticipated $4 billion electric vehicle battery plant opened in De Soto, Kansas, this week. But problems with Tesla, tariffs and tax breaks have investors worried. Leaders of the plant believe it's just a bump in the road.

The Kansas News Service's Zane Irwin covered the grand opening of the Panasonic plant, which aims to employ 4,000 people and have eight fully operational production lines by the end of 2026. He discussed its potential, future and possible challenges with Up to Date host Steve Kraske.

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.

Scientists in a Columbia, Missouri, lab have studied how toxic chemicals affect animals and ecosystems since the 1960s. But President Trump's proposed budget would likely mean lights out. Plus: Hydroelectric power is a mainstay of the United States electrical grid, but federal hurdles could take plants offline.

The White House wants to cut the budget of the Ecosystems Mission Area, the research arm of the Department of the Interior, by 90%. KBIA’s Harshawn Ratanpal reports about the potential threat to the Columbia Environmental Research Center.

Hydropower is one of the oldest sources of energy. It dates back at least 2,000 years, when water mills would crush grains and break ore. Today, hydropower accounts for nearly a third of renewable energy in the U.S. Harvest Public Media contributor Teresa Homsi reports that federal hurdles may prevent older hydroelectric plants from staying online and new projects from getting off the ground.

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.

A new report has raised concerns that Missouri Gov. Mike Kehoe and his predecessor have failed to fill vacancies at the Missouri Ethics Commission. As a result, the state watchdog has been unable to investigate dozens of complaints of ethical misconduct.

KCUR's Up To Date host Steve Kraske spoke with Kansas City Star reporter Kacen Bayless about the conseqeunces of those vacancies — which Kehoe finally filled on Friday.

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.

Crews of volunteers are digging into the ruins of a 168-year-old mansion in Lecompton, Kansas, that belonged to a territorial governor. The work is done through the Kansas Historical Society's annual archaeological field school. Plus: Children’s author Derrick Barnes from Kansas City is known for books that are all about making Black kids feel seen.

Dozens of amateur archaeologists are digging into Kansas territorial history at the site of a pre-Civil War mansion near Lecompton, on the bluffs above the Kansas River. KCUR’s Julie Denesha takes us there.

Bestselling children’s author Derrick Barnes has a new book out called “I Got You.” It’s about Black joy and the bond between brothers. Barnes worked as a creative copywriter at Hallmark and later was a community outreach specialist at the Kansas City Public Library. Barnes talks with the library’s Laura Spencer about the impact of his Kansas City roots.

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.

Jackson County’s top elected official is facing a recall election. County Executive Frank White Jr. says it’s a political vendetta, while lawmakers say it’s actually about property taxes. But will it actually happen next month?

The Jackson County Legislature this week approved a special election to recall White. Lawmakers set the election date for Aug. 26, but the county election board said that date is unlikely to work with such a quick turnaround.

Up to Date host Steve Kraske sat down with Jackson County Legislative Chair DaRon McGee to talk about White and the recall election.

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.

The Trump administration proposed slashing billions of dollars from federal health agencies, but a high school student from Overland Park has been pushing lawmakers to preserve cancer research funding. Plus, we remember a beloved Kansas City singer who died after a long battle with cancer.

Matthew Chen, a senior at Blue Valley North High School, knows the importance of cancer research firsthand: He’s been working with the University of Kansas Cancer Center for two years to look into the disease. KCUR’s Jodi Fortino talked with Chen about what federal cuts could mean for research like his.

Kansas City jazz vocalist Erin Keller died last week after an eight-year battle with colon cancer. The 44-year-old was a steadfast fixture in the Kansas City music scene. KCUR’s Julie Denesha brings us this remembrance.

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, 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.

President Trump's mass deportation efforts have led to the arrests of tens of thousands of immigrants, some of whom end up at the Phelps County Jail in Rolla, Missouri. Now some local activists are trying to provide comfort and assistance to detainees stuck in an unfamiliar place.

A group known as Abide in Love is providing ICE detainees in Missouri with food, hygiene products, clothing, and access to phone calls and texting to contact their families. St. Louis Public Radio’s Jonathan Ahl 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 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.