Kansas City Today

Budget debates, U.S. Senate standoffs, crowded primary fields and a red wave — Missouri Republicans kept things interesting in 2024. So what are we expecting in this new year, with a new slate of statewide leaders and a Donald Trump presidency?

KCUR's Brian Ellison spoke with Jason Hancock, editor-in-chief of the Missouri Independent, about the past year in Missouri politics and what might come in 2025.

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

With the stories Kansas City Today tells throughout the year, we bring you out into the community, from government offices to farms to people’s homes. But today, we're heading behind the scenes into the KCUR newsroom, and asking reporters, producers and editors to talk about the stories that sparked joy or challenged them in 2024.

For this special episode, KCUR Studios intern Olivia Hewitt takes over the host chair and puts the microphone in front of the people who usually do the interviewing.

Listen back to some of the stories that shaped our year:

• Host Brian Ellison: Food recs: The best restaurants in eastern Jackson County
• Education reporter Jodi Fortino: At these Kansas City schools, students run the restaurants. And you're invited to dine
• Up To Date producer Claudia Brancart: What to know about Missouri's abortion rights amendment before Election Day
• Metro reporter Sam Zeff: A Missouri police sniper killed a 2-year-old girl. Why did he take the shot?
• News director Lisa Rodriguez: Golubski On Trial: Roger is dead
• Audience editor Gabe Rosenberg: Kitty's Cafe spent months waiting for a renovation. A hungry line of customers greeted its return
• Local government reporter Savannah Hawley-Bates: At Kansas City Current games, the city's lack of public transit for entertainment is on full display
• Solutions reporter Brandom Azim: One Kansas City nonprofit engages kids in coding to address a lack of minorities in the tech sector
• KCUR Studios lead producer Suzanne Hogan: Proudly analog, a Missouri family business keeps cassette tapes alive for new generations

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

This episode of Kansas City Today is hosted by Olivia Hewitt. It was produced by Olivia Hewitt and KCUR Studios, and edited by Gabe Rosenberg, Madeline Fox and Lisa Rodriguez.

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

With a Republican-controlled legislature and a Democrat in the governor’s chair, 2024 was always going to be a contentious and complicated year in Topeka. That proved true on everything from taxes to Medicaid to health care for transgender youth. We'll discuss the year in Kansas politics, and look ahead to the 2025 session.

In the Kansas City area, Democrats had some modest successes, winning a handful of legislative seats in Wyandotte and Johnson Counties, and re-electing Rep. Sharice Davids to a fourth term in Congress. But for the most part, it was a red year, in a red state. KCUR's Brian Ellison talked about all of this with Zane Irwin of the Kansas News Service.

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

Wyandotte County this year saw the death of ex-KCKPD officer Roger Golubski, budget cuts in the city government and concerns over high utility fees. Meanwhile, housing issues and homeless shelters, a case of food contamination, and high-stakes elections defined 2024 for Johnson County.

The Unified Government of Wyandotte County and Kansas City, Kansas has had its fair share of struggles over the past couple of years. KCUR’s Sam Zeff speaks with Nomin Ujiyediin about the biggest news stories of the year, and what will remain a concern in 2025.

Johnson County residents elected their first Democratic sheriff in decades. The Lenexa City Council rejected plans for Johnson County’s first year-round homeless shelter. Kyle Palmer, editor of the Johnson County Post, broke down what happened.

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

What were the most important stories this year in Kansas City and Jackson County? We're discussing the fight over a downtown baseball stadium, the city's homicide and property crime issues, and the controversy over a homeless shelter — and talking about what next year might hold.

KCUR reporters Savannah Hawley-Bates and Celisa Calacal sat down Kansas City Today host Nomin Ujiyediin to break down the year in news.

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

Tenant union members at an Independence apartment building are in their third month of a rent strike. Has it been worth the risk? Plus: A Kansas native explains how Truman Capote and Harper Lee ended up joining her family for Christmas dinner.

In downtown Kansas City and eastern Independence, tenants withheld their rent payments October and November in response to deteriorating conditions and landlords who turned a blind eye to issues like persistent pests, mold and faulty appliances. As KCUR's Celisa Calacal reports, residents at Independence Towers residents are continuing the rent strike into December, while the union at Quality Hill Towers voted to pause their strike and pay rent this month.

Many Kansans know Truman Capote spent considerable time in the state, working on what would become his most famous full-length novel, “In Cold Blood.” Far fewer people know he spent at least one Christmas in the Sunflower State — but writer Rosemary Hope remembers. Hope shares the story of the time Truman Capote and “To Kill a Mockingbird” author Harper Lee ate Christmas dinner at her family home in Garden City.

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 Olivia Hewitt 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.

Jean Peters Baker is leaving office next month after 13 years as Jackson County's top prosecutor. She said she's faced threats and criticism for her decisions over the years — especially over the prosecution of ex-KCPD officer Eric DeValkenaere.

Baker spoke with Steve Kraske on KCUR's Up To Date about the cases she's handled and why she decided not to run for reelection.

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

Kansas City’s Nora Holt was an accomplished pianist, composer, singer, music critic, and even a club-hopping socialite. She composed more than 200 musical works in her lifetime, but you've probably never heard any of them — because they were stolen.

Mackenzie Martin from the KCUR Studios podcast A People’s History of Kansas City 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 Lisa Rodriguez and Gabe Rosenberg.

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

Christmas Ranch Tree Farm in Excelsior Springs has been a destination for generations of families in the Kansas City area every holiday season — but it takes a lot of work. Plus: It's now a lot easier to find out what your Kansas City neighborhood looked like in 1940, thanks to the public library.

Every year, starting the day after Thanksgiving, families traipse around the Christmas Ranch Tree Farm in Excelsior Springs looking for the perfect tree. KCUR’s Savannah Hawley-Bates takes us on a stroll through the spruce, pine and fir.

In the wake of the Tom Pendergast political machine of the 1920s and '30s, Jackson County embarked on a monumental tax assessment. It sent teams of federal workers out into Kansas City block by block, taking photos of residences, schools, factories and government buildings. Today, the photos provide a candid glimpse of daily life in 1940. The Kansas City Public Library’s Laura Spencer spoke about the images with digital history collections librarian Katie Eschbacher, who helped create a new website where you can view them.

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 Lisa Rodriguez and Gabe Rosenberg.

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

Kansas lawmakers are considering ways to incentivize more affordable housing in the state, in response to a severe shortage that is driving up the price of homes. Plus: If you're still searching for a holiday gift that can bring the whole family together, one Kansas board game shop has some suggestions.

A housing shortage in Kansas has sent prices skyrocketing and made it harder to purchase a home. State lawmakers are considering ways to create more affordable housing. Kansas News Service reporters Dylan Lysen and Zane Irwin discuss how the shortage happened and some ideas to address the problem.

Setting up and playing a board game can take hours. But many modern board games and card games don’t require that kind of time commitment. Suzanne Perez of the Kansas News Service talked with the owner of a Wichita toy store to see what’s new this year in the world of games.

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 Lisa Rodriguez and Gabe Rosenberg.

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