Kansas City Today

Sandra Hemme was freed from prison after 43 years for a murder she didn't commit, and her case illustrates how difficult it is to correct errors in the criminal justice system. That's especially true in Missouri, where the attorney general's office aggressively opposes innocence claims regardless of the evidence.

KCUR's Nomin Ujiyediin spoke with Katie Moore with the Marshall Project about Hemme's case, the Missouri Attorney General's involvement, and why top state leadership is hesitant to reform the systems that kept her behind bars.

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.

Kansas City voted Tuesday to approve the first Kansas City Public Schools bond question in six decades, as well as a public safety sales tax that would fund a new jail. Plus: Funding cuts by the Trump administration mean Kansans will have a lot fewer health navigators to help people enroll in Medicaid and insurance.

Yesterday, Kansas City voters renewed a local sales tax that will support a new city jail. And they overwhelmingly approved an additional $474 million dollars in property taxes for Kansas City Public Schools to improve its aging buildings.

Health navigators help connect people to public assistance such as Medicaid, decipher medical bills or find providers covered by their insurance. As Bek Shackelford-Nwanganga of the Kansas News Service reports, federal cuts might make people more susceptible to fraud and make it harder to access insurance.

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 Gabe Rosenberg, Madeline Fox, and Emily Younker.

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

The gutting of the federal Institute of Museum and Library Services has many local institutions, including Kansas City's World War I museum, wondering if they’ll receive promised grant money.

The Institute of Museum and Library Services usually offers up to $260 million in grants to libraries and museums across the country, but recent cuts have put funds from the federal agency in jeopardy. KCUR arts reporter Julie Denesha tells Up To Date host Steve Kraske that the National World War I Museum and Memorial in Kansas City will put a major media digitization project on hold as a result.

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 Lisa Rodriguez, Emily Younker and Gabe Rosenberg.

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

Decades of disinvestment have left Kansas City Public Schools buildings in rough condition, but on April 8, Kansas City voters will decide the fate of a bond that could bring some much-needed fixes. It's been six decades since the city last passed a school bond measure. How did we end up in this critical moment?

Even after the district regained accreditation and improved student performance, the district's crumbling buildings are a persistent reminder of the city's lack of trust and financial support of its public schools. On a new episode of KCUR’s podcast A People’s History of Kansas City, Mackenzie Martin and Jodi Fortino explain how we got to this point.

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 Emily Younker and Gabe Rosenberg.

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

Kansas ranks fourth in the nation in coyote populations. The state encouraged hunting them, and even legalized using night vision, but some property owners and regulars are concerned. Plus: A new exhibition of art by South Asian immigrants is highlighting the challenges many people in Missouri face when they first come to the United States.

Coyote populations are high and largely unwelcome in many Kansas communities. The state has encouraged hunting them and has even legalized hunting them using night vision. As Calen Moore of the Kansas News Service reports, the state is now reviewing the night hunting rules.

A Missouri art exhibit featuring the work of South Asian artists who emigrated to the U.S. is putting a spotlight on some of the challenges immigrants face in this country. St. Louis Public Radio’s Marissanne Lewis-Thompson spoke to artist Mee Jey about her work in the exhibit and how her new identity in the U.S. helped shape her art.

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.

Kansas City will host the 2026 FIFA World Cup next summer, the smallest city in North America to join the festivities. Is the city equipped to handle the huge influx of tourists and their transportation and housing needs?

KC2026 Chief Operating Officer Lindsey Douglas sat down with KCUR's Steve Kraske to talk about how the city is preparing for this major event, and what it means for the local community.

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 Emily Younker and Gabe Rosenberg.

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

Each spring, hundreds of millions of birds fly north through the heart of the continent to breed in Canada. But light pollution leads many of them to their deaths, and Kansas City is one of the deadliest cities for migrating birds.

Buildings and light pollution will take a heavy toll on migrating birds this spring, particularly in the middle of the continent. But one especially deadly building offers lessons on how Midwest residents can help more birds survive the journey. From the KCUR Studios podcast Up From Dust, Celia Llopis-Jepsen 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 Gabe Rosenberg.

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

Kansas City voters soon will decide whether to renew the public safety sales tax. City leaders would use that money to build a new jail, but not everyone likes the idea.

Kansas City voters will decide on April 8 whether to renew the public safety sales tax for 20 more years. City officials plan to use the money to build a new municipal detention center. Despite concerns about property crime and gun violence, some residents don't want a new jail built. KCUR’s Celisa Calacal breaks down the opposition to the ballot measure.

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 Lisa Rodriguez, Emily Younker and Gabe Rosenberg.

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

Workers at many federal agencies fear losing their jobs in the next wave of President Donald Trump's cuts. One Social Security worker in Kansas City shares his fears about future layoffs, DOGE's handling of sensitive information and the delivery of funds for people who need them.

KCUR's Nomin Ujiyediin spoke with Garth Stocking, a Social Security Administration employee in Kansas City and secretary of the American Federation of Government Employees labor union.

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 Lisa Rodriguez, Emily Younker and Gabe Rosenberg.

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

We live in a “throwaway society,” and now landfills are reaching their capacity with items that could be fixed. One Kansas City group is trying to change that by encouraging people to repair their broken stuff.

Landfills in Shawnee, Kansas, and Sugar Creek, Missouri, are filling up with trash too quickly. KCUR’s Brandon Azim reports on one nonprofit's efforts to help people repair usable items rather than toss them to the curb.

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 Lisa Rodriguez, Emily Younker and Gabe Rosenberg.

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