Kansas City Today

Eight months after Kansas City's Super Bowl victory parade shooting, the survivors say that gun violence feels inescapable. Plus: Critics of a Missouri amendment to legalize sports betting say it won't actually fund education like supporters say it will.

Mass shootings like the one at the Kansas City Chiefs victory parade can shatter a survivor’s sense of safety. Even as their physical wounds heal, they are left with the memories of the violence, and it changes the way they see the world. In this installment of KCUR's series “The Injured,” Bram Sable-Smith of KFF Health News reports on a young woman’s journey past that parade day.

Proponents of an amendment to legalize sports gambling in Missouri say the resulting tax revenue could funnel tens of millions of dollars into the state’s education department. But KBIA’s Tadeo Ruiz reports that possible loopholes in the proposal could mean the state’s classrooms see little benefit.

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.

Democrat Lucas Kunce is challenging Republican incumbent Josh Hawley for U.S. Senate in Missouri. We'll hear from Kunce about his priorities, why he thinks he's the better candidate and why he won't endorse his party's candidate for president.

Democratic U.S. Senate candidate Lucas Kunce says his number one priority as a senator would be to bring federal money back to Missouri. But to do that, he'll have to unseat Republican incumbent Sen. Josh Hawley.

Kunce recently sat down with Up To Date's Steve Kraske to talk about inflation, health care, reproductive rights and more. (KCUR made multiple attempts to reach out to Hawley to join 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 Nomin Ujiyediin. It is produced by David McKeel 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.

It's been 96 years since a Democrat has won the sheriff's office in Johnson County. But this year's contest is unusually competitive after controversial incumbent Calvin Hayden lost the GOP primary. What are the issues at play, and what are residents hearing from the two candidates?

After defeating the current Johnson County sheriff Calvin Hayden in August's GOP primary, Republican candidate Doug Bedford is now in a competitive race with the Democrat, Byron Roberson, in the November general election. Early voting has already begun in Kansas.

Residents had an opportunity to hear from both candidates at a forum hosted by the Johnson County Post earlier this week. Up To Date's Steve Kraske sat down with Johnson County Post editor Kyle Palmer to discuss the forum, and where the race currently stands.

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

Kansas City Today is hosted by Madeleine Fox. It is produced by David McKeel 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.

Natural birth centers that aren’t affiliated with hospitals are becoming more popular, but patients across the Kansas City area are left with few options after a local center closed. Plus: Kernza is a relatively new grain with a budding future as a sustainable crop, but it's struggling to find a market.

Women in Kansas and Missouri have fewer options on where to give birth, especially if they’re looking to give birth holistically, after a natural birthing center in Overland Park, Kansas, closed. As Bek Shackelford-Nwanganga of the Kansas News Service reports, the closure worsens the existing shortage of birth care.

The grain Kernza is championed by many researchers as climate-friendly. It’s a perennial crop, meaning it stays in the ground year-round, unlike corn or soybeans. But there’s not much of a market for Kernza, at least not yet. As the Ag & Water Desk’s Eric Schmid reports, small breweries are one outlet for Kernza in the Midwest.

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.

Democrats have long enjoyed support from organized labor, but many union members don’t feel a party allegiance any more. In Kansas City's Northland, both Republican Rep. Bill Allen and his opponent, UAW member and Democrat Shirley Mata, hope to win over dissatisfied voters. Plus: The Midwest is going through another drought, but farmers might not be eligible for relief.

Missouri House District 17, which covers part of the Northland in Clay County, sits in the shadow of the Claycomo Ford Plant. More than 4,000 union members, many belonging to the UAW, live in the area. Collectively, they have the power to sway the outcome of what is sure to be a very close race. KCUR’s Savannah Hawley-Bates reports.

Flashes of drought hit the Midwest over the last month. Even short periods of drought can raise costs for livestock farmers. There is federal help for them, but as KBIA’s Harshawn Ratanpal reports, if severe drought doesn’t stick around long enough on the official federal drought monitor map, livestock farmers may be left out to dry.

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, 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.

Many unhoused students in Missouri and Kansas aren't getting the school support they need — in large part because the districts aren't counting them. Plus: Farmers expect less income this year, which is likely to send ripples through the larger economy.

Last year, the federal government allocated $129 million to help students experiencing homelessness get an education. That aid comes from a federal law that often falls short for rural youth. A Midwest Newsroom investigation found the majority of rural school districts in Missouri, Iowa, Kansas and Nebraska undercount homeless students. The Midwest Newsroom’s Kavahn Mansouri reports.

Over the last two years, agriculture in the United States has been riding the highs of elevated crop prices and record incomes. But farm income is projected to dip this year. Harvest Public Media contributor Will Bauer reports on what that means for farmers and the larger ag economy.

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.

In the race to be Missouri's next governor, Democrat Crystal Quade says she'll work across political differences to make Missourians' lives better. She shares her thoughts on issues Missouri voters are concerned with ahead of the November election. Plus: We bring you political headlines from across the metro.

Missouri voters have some big differences on issues like abortion rights, sports gambling, how best to handle crime and more. And one arena for sorting out those differences is in the election of Missouri’s next governor.

Republicans have offered up Lt. Gov. Mike Kehoe for governor. Democrats have chosen state Rep. Crystal Quade of Springfield — she is the House Minority Leader, the highest-ranking elected Democrat in the state.

Quade spoke with KCUR’s Steve Kraske on Up to Date about her campaign and her vision for 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.

A special Kansas City kickball tournament offers a chance for blind and visually impaired students to play — using beeping balls and bases. Plus: A former Hallmark artist has a new graphic novel that shows how being a "Mexikid" can be universal.

Kids with visual impairments often don’t get picked for sports teams. But what if there was a game that levels the playing field — that gives them a chance to enjoy all the benefits of playing a team sport with their peers? KCUR’s Brandon Azim tells us how a community has come together to sponsor games they’re calling "Beep Kickball."

Retired Hallmark artist Pedro Martín’s graphic memoir “Mexikid” is raking in the honors, including the Newbery Honor Award for children’s books and the Eisner Award for American comic books. He and Anne Kniggendorf, of the Kansas City Public Library, talked about the book’s overwhelmingly positive response and what makes the story feel so universal.

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 Gabe Rosenberg and Lisa Rodriguez.

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

Kansas Democrats are optimistic that next month's general election will result in an end to the GOP's veto-proof supermajority. How likely is such an outcome, and what would it mean for state politics in Kansas?

Since 2010, the Kansas GOP has held a veto-proof supermajority in the state legislature, but some political observers think 2024 could be the cycle that breaks that long run of dominance.

KCUR's Up To Date host Steve Kraske sat down with Zane Irwin, political reporter with the Kansas News Service, to discuss what breaking that majority could mean, and why Democrats are hopeful it may happen.

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 Gabe Rosenberg and Lisa Rodriguez.

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

The United Methodist Church of the Resurrection in Leawood, Kansas, is tackling political issues even as polarization burdens congregations across the country. Plus: Residents near the Lake of the Ozarks hope that approving a new casino could help bring in more tax revenue and fund some long-needed infrastructure projects.

Red, blue and purple signs have started popping up around the Kansas City metro area. But these aren’t political ads — it’s a project by a local church that’s finding unique ways to bring faith and politics together without fanning the flames of polarization. Zane Irwin with the Kansas News Service has this story.

When Missouri voters go to the polls in November, they’ll have the opportunity to greenlight a new casino at the Lake of the Ozarks. KBIA’s Alex Cox reports that Amendment 5 could impact both infrastructure and the state budget.

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.