Kansas City Today

Five years after the COVID-19 pandemic began, students around Kansas City still struggle with their mental health. A group of students at Guadalupe Centers High School share what they learned when they interviewed each other.

The COVID-19 pandemic shuttered schools for months, upending students’ education and lives. A group of students at Guadalupe Centers High School spoke with their friends and teachers to find out how the pandemic took a toll on their mental health, and if those issues persist. KCUR’s Jodi Fortino sat down with Jose Almaguer, Jackie Ventura, Jennifer Saavedra and Rannikah Siguiente to hear more.

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

Kansas City Today is hosted by Peggy Lowe. It is produced by Olivia Hewitt 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 private prison in Leavenworth, Kansas, could reopen to hold detainees for federal immigration authorities. Plus: Farmers fear the trade war could cause another farm crisis.

A private prison in Leavenworth, Kansas, that closed amid allegations of mismanagement could reopen to hold detainees for federal immigration authorities. As Zane Irwin of the Kansas News Service reports, a single lawsuit could decide whether Leavenworth will become a regional linchpin for President Donald Trump’s immigration agenda.

The trade war comes at a terrible time for American farmers. Many were already losing money. Crop prices are low and costs for fertilizer and farm equipment are way up. Tariffs are likely to make things worse. As Frank Morris reports for Harvest Public Media, some fear that could set the stage for the worst farm crisis in 45 years.

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

Kansas City Today is hosted by Peggy Lowe. It is produced by Olivia Hewitt 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 a 5-4 vote last year, Jackson County legislators approved a budget that was later vetoed by County Executive Frank White. Now more than three months into 2025, Jackson County has yet to pass a spending plan. Hear why the gridlock has led to a lawsuit and why some county services aren't being funded.

Steve Kraske spoke with government reporters Josh Merchant of The Beacon and KCUR's Savannah Hawley-Bates about the stalemate on KCUR's Up To Date.

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

Kansas City Today is hosted by Luke Martin. 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 Trump administration canceled more than $12 billion in public health grants last month. Local public health departments are worried about what that will mean for Kansas Citians.

The cuts included millions of dollars for Kansas and Missouri, with effects that trickle down to virtually every local community. Here in the Kansas City area, impacts include loss of staff and research projects cut short. So what might it mean for you and your neighbors?

Marvia Jones, director of the Kansas City Health Department, and Charlie Hunt, director of the Johnson County Health Department, join KCUR's Brian Ellison to discuss the impact of the grant cuts.

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 Olivia Hewitt 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.

More than 100 years ago, Swedish-born artist Birger Sandzén helped shape the way Americans picture the Kansas landscape. Today, the largest collection of his paintings, prints, and drawings is in the small central Kansas town where he immigrated, lived and worked.

Whether you know it or not, how you picture the hills and streams of Kansas, and the mountains of Colorado, is largely shaped by a Swedish painter known as “the Van Gogh of the Plains.” KCUR’s Julie Denesha spent some time in Lindsborg, Kansas, known today as "Little Sweden."

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 Olivia Hewitt 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 number of students heading to college is projected to decline after this fall. The financial impact is putting some Missouri institutions at risk of significant cuts — or closure. Plus: Some kindergarten classes in Kansas are rediscovering what young children can learn through old-fashioned free play.

The number of students heading to college this fall is projected to be the biggest ever —and then it's expected to drop precipitously in the year after. For some schools, that’s more than just a demographic concern. In the first part of her series on the coming "enrollment cliff," KBIA's Aminah Jenkins reports the financial impact is putting some Missouri institutions at risk.

As full-day kindergarten has become more widely available in Kansas, it has also become more rigorous. Kindergarten classes feature bell-to-bell lessons designed to prepare youngsters for first grade. But some districts are bringing back old-school playtime, as Suzanne Perez 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 Olivia Hewitt 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 bill moving through Missouri’s Legislature seeks to prohibit police statewide from enforcing federal gun laws — despite federal courts ruling an earlier version of the law was unconstitutional. How could this bill impact Missouri law enforcement and residents?

Republicans in Missouri are pushing a bill dubbed the Second Amendment Preservation Act through the Legislature again. A previous version was signed into law in 2021 but was struck down by the courts as unconstitutional two years later. Police departments across the state testified this week against the proposed law. Kavahn Mansouri with The Midwest Newsroom has been covering the issue. He sat down with investigative editor Kris Husted to discuss the law’s second emergence.

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 Olivia Hewitt 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 Kansas Legislature had a noticeably short session this year. With Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly in what lawmakers dubbed her "veto era," how did Republicans override her decisions?

Kansas lawmakers hustled through the spring legislative session. While Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly wasn't shy about using her veto pen, Republican supermajorities were easily able to override her. The Kansas News Service's Daniel Caudill joined KCUR's Steve Kraske to break down how the session ended.

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 Olivia Hewitt 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 and Kansas lawmakers are trying to eliminate junk food purchases from the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, also known as food stamps. But food access advocates worry that restricting SNAP will make it harder for recipients.

Harvest Public Media’s Anna Pope reports on the efforts across the nation — and in Congress, too — to narrow what SNAP recipients can buy.

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.

Father Emil Kapaun served as an Army chaplain in the Korean war, and was awarded a posthumous Medal of Honor. In February, Pope Francis named him "venerable," bringing him one step closer to canonization as a saint. But interest in his life — and traffic to his hometown of Pilsen, Kansas — is already picking up.

KMUW's Rose Conlon visited Pilsen to explore how Kapaun's legacy and pending sainthood is shaping the town.

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.