Kansas City Today

The Kansas Department of Corrections is using opioid settlement funds to pay for a program to reduce opioid overdose deaths. Opioids like fentanyl are a major driver of rapidly rising overdose deaths in Kansas. Also, headlines from across the metro.

One of the many ways the state of Kansas and community organizations are spending funds from national legal settlements against prescription opioid makers is to pay for a program aimed at reducing opioid overdose deaths. The state expects to receive more than $340 million over the next 18 years. Dylan Lysen, of The Kansas News Service, broke down the threat of overdose among people leaving prison, and how the distribution of naloxone, a medicine that rapidly reverses an opioid overdose, could save lives.

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, Madeline Fox and Lisa Rodriguez.

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

Clinton’s Soda Fountain in Independence, Missouri, is beloved by regulars and tourists alike for its homestyle ice cream and its connection to former President Harry Truman. Plus: Looking back on when a group of Kansas counties tried to secede and form their own state called West Kansas.

We’re bringing you an occasional series about Kansas City’s neighborhood hangouts and the customers who bring them to life. KCUR’s Savannah Hawley-Bates spent time with ice cream lovers at Clinton’s Soda Fountain on the historic Independence Square. The shop opened in 1988 in the same building where President Harry Truman worked at a former soda fountain when he was a kid.

More than 30 years ago, a group of southwest Kansas counties tried to secede and form their own state called West Kansas. It’s largely forgotten now, but the divide between east and west Kansas remains today. Calen Moore of the Kansas News Service tells us what happened with the plans for the 51st state.

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, Celia Morton 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.

Some of the 24 people injured during Kansas City's Super Bowl parade in February have had to resort to credit cards to stay afloat financially, while they wait for promised donations to be delivered. The latest in KCUR’s series “The Injured” looks at the high cost of surviving a mass shooting.

Four months after the shooting at the Kansas City Chiefs Super Bowl parade, the cost of surviving is hitting hard for gunshot victims. Expenses like medical bills, missed work, and out-of-pocket costs are overwhelming the survivors and their families. Many are waiting for a promised payout, but in the meantime they’re racking up debt.

For the KCUR and KFF Health News series “The Injured,” Peggy Lowe and Bram Sable-Smith report it can be expensive to survive a mass shooting.

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 Byron Love, Celia Morton 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.

Kansas City’s extreme temperatures have many community members sheltering inside in the air conditioning. But how is the city's unhoused population coping with the heat? Plus: Get the top headlines from around Kansas and Missouri.

The National Weather Service recently recorded highs in the triple digits, with a heat index reaching 110 degrees. While many people are choosing to stay inside to avoid these extreme temperatures, Kansas City’s unhoused population are having difficulty finding relief.

Jonathan Roberts, chief operating officer of non-profit ReStart, shared with Steve Kraske on KCUR's Up To Date about the work their outreach teams are doing this summer.

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 Byron Love, Celia Morton 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.

After 19 seasons, outgoing Kansas City Symphony music director Michael Stern conducted his final concert over the weekend. Plus: One local opera company is bringing the show to residents of local retirement communities.

Michael Stern has stepped down as music director of the Kansas City Symphony after 19 seasons, with Matthias Pintscher taking over at the start of the 2024-25 season. Dan Margolies and Classical KC spoke with the outgoing maestro about the people and places in Kansas City that will remain important to him.

Getting all dressed up and going to the opera is a privilege that many get to enjoy — but not everyone. For KCUR sister station Classical KC, Laura Fotovich reports on the Lyric Opera of Kansas City, a company that lets local retirement community residents enjoy the show at home.

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, Madeline Fox and Lisa Rodriguez.

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

The primary race for Missouri Secretary of State race is packed, with eight candidates seeking the Republican nomination. We take a look at the crowded contest to become the person in charge of Missouri’s elections.

The role of secretary of state has become increasingly more visible, especially in an era when a former president — and the current Missouri Secretary of State Jay Ashcroft — have elevated false claims that the last election was stolen. So what’s going in the race for the GOP nomination? How will you decide who should take charge of the election process in Missouri?

Brian Ellison spoke with politics reporter Jason Rosenbaum, who’s covering the race for St. Louis Public Radio.

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 Gabe Rosenberg, Madeline Fox and Lisa Rodriguez.

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

Kansas lawmakers took an ambitious step towards luring the Kansas City Chiefs and Royals to move across state lines. A bill passed in special session this week would open hundreds of millions of dollars to help build new stadiums for both teams. So what happens now?

On KCUR's Up To Date, reporter Zane Irwin of the Kansas News Service explains to Steve Kraske what the STAR bonds will do and how we got here.

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, Madeline Fox and Lisa Rodriguez.

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

In Kansas, issues like abortion restrictions and transgender rights might hinge on whether Republicans can keep their powerful majorities in the Statehouse. Democrats have set their sights on breaking the supermajority. Plus: Problems with Boeing are causing anxiety in Wichita, where aviation is a big industry.

For almost a decade, Kansas Republicans have enjoyed a veto-proof majority in the Legislature, meaning that they can override the Democratic governor on topics like abortion restrictions and transgender issues. Zane Irwin of the Kansas News Service reports Democrats say they finally have the energy and the funding to change that this November.

Some air travelers have been nervous about flying since a door plug panel blew out of a Boeing 737 plane in midair earlier this year. In a city with close ties to the aviation industry, there's even more anxiety — of the economic kind. NPR's Joel Rose reports from Wichita.

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 Gabe Rosenberg, Madeline Fox and Lisa Rodriguez.

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

Alvin Brooks’ life has become the stuff of legend around Kansas City. Now, a new film by Academy Award-winner Kevin Wilmott details it for the big screen.

Brooks is the civil servant of Kansas City. A former police officer, then police commissioner, educator, civil rights leader and the founder of Ad Hoc Group Against Crime, Brooks has dedicated his life to improving the lives of Kansas Citians.

KCUR's Steve Kraske spoke with Academy Award-winning filmmaker and University of Kansas professor Kevin Wilmott about his latest documentary, “The Heroic True-Life Adventures of Alvin Brooks.”

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

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

It’s National Pollinator Week, and butterfly farmers in Kansas and around the U.S. are raising awareness about how habitat loss, pesticide use and climate change are killing off our pollinators. Plus: The Missouri Department of Conservation's new director reflects on how conservation work has evolved over time.

For the past 25 years, pollinator species have experienced a drop in numbers. Experts say that’s due to habitat loss, chemical use and climate change. Harvest Public Media's Anna Pope reports on how butterfly breeders and farms are helping capture people's attention and serve as a gateway into learning about preserving habitat.

Jason Sumners is the new director of Missouri’s Department of Conservation. St. Louis Public Radio’s Sarah Kellogg spoke with Sumners about how conservation work has changed over the years and his goals for the department.

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

Kansas City Today is hosted by Gabe Rosenberg. It is produced by David McKeel 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.