Kansas City Today

For seven decades, Kansas City’s Latino men’s basketball tournament has connected the region’s Hispanic diaspora. Meet coaches and players who use sport to keep kids out of trouble, create community and broaden horizons.
Also, Schwan’s, often associated with yellow trucks, ice cream treats and customer service, recently changed its name and stopped deliveries in many states. How the changes affect the company’s place in the food industry.

Latino men's basketball has been a Westside tradition since the 1950s. KCUR’s Lawrence Brooks IV reports on a Cinco De Mayo tournament in the Kansas City neighborhood that honors a former youth coach and raises money for local Latino sports.

The company Schwan’s has been delivering frozen food to households since 1952. Its signature yellow trucks and friendly delivery people are especially beloved by their customers in the Midwest. But Schwan’s Home Delivery has since changed its name to “Yelloh” and cut staff and delivery centers. Harvest Public Media’s Elizabeth Rembert explores the company’s legacy and future.

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 and Gabe Rosenberg.

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

Missouri Republicans could play a key role in legalizing abortion later this year. Even though many GOP voters don't agree with their party on abortion rights, they may still support other candidates on the ballot. Plus: Adopted from an orphanage in Russia, Anna McCune is pouring her heart into making sure Kansas City's kids don’t experience what she did growing up.

Missourians could vote in November to end the state’s ban on abortions if backers of an abortion rights initiative turn in enough signatures by May 5. St. Louis Public Radio’s Jason Rosenbaum reports that efforts to overturn the restriction might not hurt Republicans’ chances because so far, support for the effort hasn’t been entirely divided by party.

Spending the first five years of her life in a Russian orphanage, Anna McCune learned that having the support of people who care about you is what turns the four walls of a “house” into a “home.” Now she’s pouring her passion into providing a home for Kansas City’s unhoused youth and families. Zoe Shriner of NPR’s Next Generation Radio 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 David McKeel and KCUR Studios, and edited by Madeline Fox and Gabe Rosenberg.

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

In vitro fertilization remains legal across the U.S. despite an Alabama court ruling that temporarily halted treatment in the state. But for many IVF patients in Kansas, the disruption has cast doubt on their own access to fertility care. Rose Conlon of the Kansas News Service brings us one family’s story.

Clarisa Evans is a midwife and new gardener who supports families through at-home births using a holistic approach. Evans uses herbal remedies and encourages familial involvement to help families feel safe during one of the most transformational moments of their lives. Lauren Winston of NPR's Next Generation Radio 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 Anna Schmidt and KCUR Studios, and edited by Madeline Fox and Gabe Rosenberg.

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

For young Kansas City actors with autism, a new play creates space to "connect with others." Vanessa Severo’s “Rubik" tells the story of neurodivergent teens on the cusp of a new phase of life.

When Vanessa Severo first set out to write a play for performers with autism, she reached out to friends and family who were neurodivergent. KCUR's Julie Denesha reports on a new play about a group of teens with an array of developmental challenges, and how Spinning Tree Theatre aims to create new opportunities for young artists with disabilities.

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 Anna Schmidt and KCUR Studios, and edited by Madeline Fox and Gabe Rosenberg.

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

Kansas City Council unanimously approved $71 million to fund the Kansas City Area Transportation Authority, which ensures bus and paratransit rides will remain free until the contract expires next April. In the meantime, City Manager Brian Platt has been instructed to examine the costs and benefits of "zero-fare" compared to "functional free fare." Details are scarce.

Up To Date's Steve Kraske spoke with Sunrise Movement KC organizer Mahreen Ansari, 6th District Council member Johnathan Duncan, and KCATA's Chief Mobility and Strategy Officer Tyler Means about the costs and benefits of continuing free bus service in Kansas City.

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 Madeline Fox and Gabe Rosenberg.

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

A pair of noisy upstarts are out-hustling the establishment to create a space for themselves in Kansas City's jazz scene. Plus: A Platte City man with Down syndrome has built a life with a job he loves and a place of his own to call home.

Kansas City’s historic jazz scene hasn’t always made room for the most “out-there” of improvisors. Now, a pair of noisy upstarts are out-hustling the establishment to create a space for themselves. Bill Brownlee reports on the founders of the Extemporaneous Music and Arts Society.

When Dustin Sheridan was born in 1975, there weren’t many resources for people with Down syndrome. But as the decades passed, he was able to find the tools and opportunities that helped him live on his own in Platte City, Missouri. Rosie Pasqualini of NPR’s Next Generation Radio reports.

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

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

On Monday, Port KC and the Kansas City Current revealed renderings showing planned development around CPKC Stadium. The three-phase project will take 10 years and cost $800 million.

So what is planned for the new development? Housing, shopping, dining, and more will line the Berkley Riverfront north of downtown.

Up To Date host Steve Kraske sat down with Jon Stephens, CEO and president of Port KC, to discuss the project.

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 Madeline Fox and Gabe Rosenberg.

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

After a sudden family tragedy, English Language Arts teacher Alana Washington started a mentorship program at the Kauffman School that gives students a space to express themselves and their spirituality. Rita Hanch of NPR’s Next Generation Radio reports.

And for more than six decades, one Kansas City community orchestra has given amateur musicians who work in health care a place to perform. KCUR’s Julie Denesha reports that many doctors, nurses and medical students find the music therapeutic.

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 Anna Schmidt and KCUR Studios, and edited by Madeline Fox and Gabe Rosenberg.

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

Many Midwest ranchers, park workers and homeowners work nonstop to control disruptive plants from faraway places. In an excerpt from the podcast Up From Dust, Celia Llopis-Jepsen of the Kansas News Service reports on policy changes meant to help.

Biochar is a hot topic in sustainable agriculture — it looks like charcoal, but actually sequesters carbon through an ancient farming technique. Kate Grumke from Harvest Public Media has the story on how the old process is finding new life.

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 Anna Schmidt and KCUR Studios, and edited by Madeline Fox and Gabe Rosenberg.

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

Mark Salas and Theresa Sahhar share a dream of retiring to a simple farm life, but each has very different worries about what the world will look like when they get there.

Both are alumni of KCUR’s 2022 election initiative, called Your Voice, which invited people with differing political views to share their thoughts on politics.

As we approach the 2024 elections, KCUR invited Salas and Sahhar back. They sat down with KCUR’s Community Engagement Producer Zach Perez to discuss how their life experiences lead them to opposing viewpoints, their concerns with political polarization in the U.S., and how their views have changed over the past two years.

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 Madeline Fox and Gabe Rosenberg.

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