Kansas City Today

In-clinic abortion care has returned to Missouri for the first time in seven years, but people seeking those services are still learning to navigate the new system. We'll take a tour behind the scenes of one Planned Parenthood health clinic in Columbia.

KBIA’s Rebecca Smith spoke with health care providers staffing central Missouri’s only abortion clinic, and saw what it's like for patients.

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.

Charles McKinzie is a small-town pastor and lifelong Republican. Unlike many of his religious peers, he's also a vocal critic of new laws restricting gender-affirming care for Kansas minors. Plus: a look at organic and naturally grown food labels.

Last month, Kansas lawmakers approved a ban on gender-affirming medical care for minors. Kansas is the 26th state to enact such a law, which reflects growing concern among conservatives about transgender medical procedures. A debate over health care for trans kids and teenagers is playing out in faith communities across the state, including at one United Methodist congregation in south-central Kansas. Rose Conlon of the Kansas News Service reports.

Many people are interested in eating food that’s produced naturally. The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s "organic" label is supposed to give consumers confidence that their food was grown without pesticides, and with care for the animals. But high certification costs have some smaller farms looking for alternatives. As Mississippi River Basin Ag and Water Desk contributor Harshawn Ratanpal reports, one label has been trying to establish itself as an alternative.

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.

As Missouri lawmakers enter the second half of the legislative session, they are considering bills to amend or repeal the voter-approved measure that ended the state’s near-total abortion ban. They also must pass a state budget. Plus: Layoffs and court-ordered rehiring have all but paralyzed the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Rural Development agency.

Missouri lawmakers returned to Jefferson City yesterday for the second half of this year’s legislative session. The Republican-led Legislature has already accomplished one of its main goals: placing the St. Louis Police Department under state control. St. Louis Public Radio’s Abby Llorico spoke with statehouse reporter Sarah Kellogg about what to expect before the Legislature adjourns on May 16.

And it’s been a turbulent couple of months at the federal agency that funnels funding to many rural communities. The U.S. Department of Agriculture's Rural Development agency experienced hundreds of layoffs before employees were called back. As Harvest Public Media contributor Frank Morris reports, that uncertainty may erode a major source of federal largesse for small towns and farms.

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.

Kansas City voters will be asked in April's election whether they'll support a renewal of the city's public safety sales tax, which city officials want to use to fund a new jail. Plus: A small park in Westwood has sparked legal battles, heated city council meetings and even protests. Now, voters will decide its fate.

Voters will be asked on their April 8 ballots whether they'll support a renewal of Kansas City's public safety sales tax. City officials say they want to use the tax to fund a new jail, among other things, and have the support of the mayor and much of City Council. However, as KCUR's race and culture reporter Celisa Calacal discusses with Steve Kraske on Up To Date, opponents of the measure are concerned a new jail won't properly address increasing crime in the city.

In Westwood, controversy over whether to sell a small park at 50th Street and Rainbow Boulevard to a developer has resulted in two years of heated feelings and court challenges. Residents are weighing in now through a vote-by-mail election that ends April 1. KCUR newsroom intern Kate Mays shares the dramatic saga to help us to understand what's happening and why.

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

Since 1951, one locally-owned fast food chain has been a cult favorite for generations of Kansas City residents. How In-A-Tub, famous for its deep-fried tacos coated in a bright orange powdered cheese, came to be.

In-A-Tub, which locals lovingly refer to as “the Tub," got its unusual name from its early days serving 50 different flavors of ice cream. KCUR's Claudia Brancart details how decades ago, the local franchise gained a reputation for its unique take on the taco.

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

As the number of fetal and infant deaths in Kansas City begins to rise again, a group of women is trying to make sure expecting mothers are well educated on risk factors. Plus: Lawmakers across the Midwest are pushing to support local, independent grocers.

Kansas City's metro has a high rate of fetal and infant mortality compared to the rest of the country. KCUR's Noah Taborda has the story of one organization that's spent 20 years trying to reduce the number of infant deaths, and how that work is about to change.

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.

Kansans overwhelmingly voted for President Donald Trump. So why are so many local authorities hesitant to help his administration carry out its immigration policy goals?

In the first 50 days of the new Trump administration, ICE said it made over 32,000 immigration-related arrests in communities across the country — nearly as many as in all of 2024. But that trend doesn’t seem to have reached Kansas. Zane Irwin reports that many police departments and sheriff’s offices in Kansas are hesitant to help with deportations.

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.

The Missouri General Assembly is on its spring break this week, and at least as some see it, they could use the rest. It’s been an unusually productive session so far with the Republican supermajority making progress on many of their priorities.

Among the bills headed to Gov. Mike Kehoe are a supplemental budget bill with education funding, and a plan to take control of St. Louis Police away from the city.

KCUR‘s Brian Ellison spoke with Jason Hancock, editor-in-chief of the Missouri Independent, to round up the session so far.

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

Five years ago today, instead of gathering for a festive St. Patrick’s Day parade, Kansas Citians were ordered not to gather in groups, and hospitals began to gear up for the biggest public health crisis of our lives. We look back at the first days of the pandemic through the eyes of a front-line nurse.

KCUR’s Nomin Ujiyediin spoke to Carrie Willis, a nurse manager at Saint Luke’s East Hospital in Lee's Summit. Willis ran the progressive care unit treating COVID in 2020 and 2021. She shares how the pandemic led her to disappointment and trauma, but also rekindled her love of nursing and helped her rediscover her own resilience.

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 Lisa Rodriguez and Gabe Rosenberg.

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

Missouri Republicans are enthusiastic about President Donald Trump’s second term. But they acknowledge that his first months in office haven’t been without hiccups. Plus: A Kansas bill would eliminate state income taxes on tips for workers like food servers.

Missouri Republicans who attended the recent Lincoln Days event are enthusiastic about the first few weeks of President Donald Trump’s second term. As St. Louis Public Radio’s Jason Rosenbaum reports, the state’s GOP leaders are unwavering in their support despite backlash over Trump’s early moves.

President Donald Trump’s administration is pushing to get rid of federal income taxes on tips. That’s led Republicans in Kansas to introduce a bill that would eliminate state income taxes on tips as well. While the concept has broad support in Topeka, some say it should be paired with wage increases to make a bigger impact. Daniel Caudill 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 Byron Love and KCUR Studios, and edited by Lisa Rodriguez and Gabe Rosenberg.

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