Kansas City Today

Polls are open from 6 a.m. to 7 p.m. in Missouri and 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. in Kansas (although Johnson County opens an hour earlier!). With the U.S. presidential race at the top of the ticket, and a critical abortion rights amendment plus statewide and congressional races below, it's a stacked election. We break down the races on both sides of the state line.

KCUR's Brian Ellison speaks with Zane Irwin, politics reporter for the Kansas News Service, about the U.S. House 3rd District race between incumbent Rep. Sharice Davids and Republican Dr. Prasanth Reddy, plus other important dynamics in Kansas' elections.

Ellison also checked in with Jason Rosenbaum of the Missouri Independent about the U.S. Senate race between Democrat Lucas Kunce and incumbent Republican Sen. Josh Hawley, the race for Missouri governor, and ballot measures on abortion rights.

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.

Racist and nativist rhetoric has made headlines in the 2024 election, and immigrants and refugees around Kansas City have taken notice. Plus: One of Missouri's few openly gay Republican lawmakers says his vote on transgender rights cost him his party's support — and reelection.

Anti-immigrant rhetoric has dominated much of this election cycle, and immigrants and refugees in the area are paying attention. KCUR’s Josh Marvine spoke with immigrants and the nonprofit leaders who help them integrate in Kansas City, to find out how they navigate what many consider a fraught time.

Tomorrow is the general election, but several statehouse races were settled during the primaries in August. One Missouri incumbent already knows he's not returning to Jefferson City in January. KCUR’s Celisa Calacal brings us the story of Republican Chris Sander, who lost his party's support over just one issue.

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

This episode of Kansas City Today is hosted today by Brian Ellison. It is produced by Byron Love 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.

Missouri voters will soon decide whether GOP lawmakers went too far by banning most abortion in the state. We'll go inside the high-stakes battle over Amendment 3. Plus: That and other ballot issues have been drawing millions of dollars in campaign funds from outside the state.

Missouri was the first state in the country to ban most abortions after the fall of Roe v. Wade. But next week, voters will decide whether to place abortion rights protections in the state constitution. St. Louis Public Radio’s Jason Rosenbaum reports on the sky-high stakes for Missouri’s Amendment 3.

With the general election days away, out of state groups are pouring money into key ballot issues in Missouri, especially on abortion and gambling. The Midwest Newsroom reporter Pia Malbran sat down with editor Kris Husted to talk about the outside interest in Midwestern politics.

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

Kansas City Today is hosted today by Nomin Ujiyediin. It is produced by Byron Love and KCUR Studios, and edited by Gabe Rosenberg and Lisa Rodriguez.

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

Happy Halloween! This fall, volunteers at Kansas City’s historic Union Cemetery have been giving attention to hundreds of long-neglected gravestones. Plus: Republican Mike Kehoe and Democrat Crystal Quade are both campaigning to become Missouri’s next governor. How will the issue of abortion influence the vote?

Volunteers in Kansas City’s historic Union Cemetery are using brushes, buckets, and gloves to help preserve and protect graves and connect with local history. KCUR’s Julie Denesha has the story.

With just one week left before Election Day, Missouri voters will decide who will become their next governor. Polls show the contest is closer than any other statewide office. Beyond the candidates themselves, a major factor in the race could be the presence of an abortion rights amendment on the ballot. St. Louis Public Radio’s Sarah Kellogg 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 Lisa Rodriguez and Gabe Rosenberg.

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

This election, Missouri voters will see Proposition A on their ballot. The measure would raise the state's minimum wage to $15 and mandate paid sick leave. But what else is at stake?

If passed, Proposition A would increase the minimum wage in Missouri from $12.30 to $13.75 by 2025, and then to $15 by 2026, as well as require employers to provide paid sick leave for all private employees. Nomin Ujeyidiin spoke with Beacon housing and labor reporter Mili Mansaray to learn more about the measure and how it could affect workers' lives in Missouri.

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, 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.

As he runs for re-election this November, Missouri Sen. Josh Hawley’s about-face on right to work is seen by some as a welcome shift toward pro-labor policy and by others as election year pandering.

Missouri’s trade unions have been a source of Democratic votes and financial support for decades. But trade union members are increasingly willing to give Republican candidates a chance, especially ones who hold pro-labor positions. St. Louis Public Radio’s Jason Rosenbaum explores whether this GOP outreach is part of a wider trend.

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.

Jackson County voters will elect a new county prosecutor in just over one week.

Either Republican Tracey Chappell and Democrat Melesa Johnson would become the first Black woman elected to the position. The current county prosecutor, Jean Peters Baker, is not seeking reelection.

But the race is gaining extra attention because of Kansas City's recent rise in property crimes. The two candidates recently met on KCUR's Up To Date for a debate about their approaches to criminal justice and what they'd do differently in the office.

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

This episode of Kansas City Today is hosted today by Brian Ellison. It is produced by Byron Love 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.

The Kansas City record shop 7th Heaven has been a popular destination for vinyl lovers since it opened in 1974, but its upcoming closure has regulars reflecting on the store’s 50-year run. Plus: A KitchenAid specialist from Kansas is making it big on TikTok as “Mister Mixer.”

We’re bringing you another installment of our occasional series The Regulars, about Kansas City’s neighborhood spots and the customers who bring them to life. KCUR’s Kate Mays spent time with music lovers at 7th Heaven, a south Kansas City record store closing this fall after 50 years.

It’s a universal truth, and an aggravating one, that expensive appliances will break down sooner than you expect. That frustration is why one Augusta, Kansas, business owner says it drove him to start his own appliance repair business. From KMUW, reporter Celia Hack spoke with one KitchenAid specialist who's gained a global following on social media.

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

Kansas City Today is hosted today by Nomin Ujiyediin. It is produced by Byron Love and KCUR Studios, and edited by Gabe Rosenberg and Lisa Rodriguez.

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

A group of Johnson County volunteers wants to boost voter turnout by encouraging their social networks to reach out to their friends and neighbors with election reminders. Plus: One of the closest elections in Missouri this fall is the race for attorney general, where incumbent Republican Andrew Bailey is facing Democrat Elad Gross.

A few days into early voting, Kansas appears to be breaking records just like the last presidential election. But in the United States, that still means around a third of eligible voters don’t cast ballots. KCUR’s Laura Ziegler has the story of some Johnson County moms who use good-natured peer pressure to get friends and neighbors to the polls.

Early voting has begun in Missouri as well, where voters will choose almost all the statewide officeholders this fall. That includes attorney general and lieutenant governor. St. Louis Public Radio’s Jonathan Ahl spoke with statehouse reporter Sarah Kellogg to break down those two races.

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 is one of the worst states in the nation for drug overdose deaths for young adults. But one Olathe mom wants to help families overcome the stigma. Plus: New polling data gives us a look at how Kansans feel about abortion, marijuana legalization and more.

More kids between the ages of 15 and 19 die of drug overdose in Kansas than anywhere else in the country, according to preliminary CDC data. The primary cause is fentanyl. As KCUR’s Noah Taborda reports, that’s why an Olathe mother is trying to change the way high school students think about drugs.

With Kansans in some counties already voting in the presidential election and Statehouse races, new survey data provides a look at how people in Kansas feel about certain key issues. Kansas News Service reporters Daniel Caudill and Zane Irwin discuss the results of the survey and how this election could impact the partisan back-and-forth in Topeka.

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.