Kansas City Today

Muslims celebrate Ramadan every year by by fasting from sunup to sundown, then breaking bread with friends and family at the end of each day. KCUR’s Lawrence Brooks IV takes us to some halal markets around Kansas City that help feed some of those believers.

For almost a decade, Blip Coffee Roasters has been a haven for Kansas City bikers — especially on Sunday mornings. KCUR’s Celisa Calacal spent a morning with the bikers, motorcycle enthusiasts and the customers who bring Blip Coffee Roasters in the West Bottoms to 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 Byron Love and KCUR Studios and edited by Gabe Rosenberg and Madeline Fox.

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

On Tuesday night, the voters of Jackson County rejected a tax that would have funded renovations to Arrowhead Stadium and the construction of a new Kansas City Royals stadium in the Crossroads.

The Royals have said they don’t want to stay at Kauffman Stadium, and it’s possible they could seek other funding options for building downtown, bring back a vote on the tax in the future or move to another location.

KCUR’s Steve Kraske spoke with Kansas City Mayor Quinton Lucas, and later with Tara Raghuveer, founder of the tenants' rights group KC Tenants, which campaigned against the tax.

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 and Madeline Fox.

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

Kansas City-area voters delivered some surprises on Election Day, shooting down a controversial stadium sales tax and changing the makeup of some local school boards.

Plus: People incarcerated at a federal prison in Kansas haven’t seen their families in weeks. It’s because of an investigation into a possible gun that was brought into the prison. Kansas News Service reporter Dylan Lysen has been covering this story. He told editor Stephen Koranda how that’s affected incarcerated people and their loved ones.

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 Madeline Fox.

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

Kansas Senate Bill No. 233 proposes a ban on gender affirming care for anyone under the age of 18. Should the law pass, minors in Kansas would no longer have access to things like puberty blockers, gender-affirming surgery, or hormone treatment.

Republicans in the House and Senate are in strong favor of the bill, and say the treatments are dangerous, or minors may regret them later. However, studies found that nearly zero patients who underwent the treatments later reported regret, while delaying that care can cause physical and mental health problems.

Blaise Mesa, Kansas Statehouse reporter at The Beacon, spoke with Up To Date host Steve Kraske about the bill, how it's part of a larger national trend, and the likelihood of it becoming law.

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.

On April 2, Jackson County will vote on whether to renew a 3/8-cent sales tax that would fund the renovation of Arrowhead Stadium and the construction of a new Royals ballpark in the Crossroads. The proposal has been controversial since its announcement earlier this year, with elected officials, business owners, sports fans, labor unions and community groups all weighing in.

KCUR’s Celisa Calacal and Savannah Hawley-Bates have been covering this story for months. They spoke with host Nomin Ujiyediin about what might, or might not, happen based on the outcome of the vote.

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 and Madeline Fox.

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

Each year, arts groups from across Missouri gather in Jefferson City to lobby lawmakers for arts funding. KCUR’s Julie Denesha tagged along with some Kansas City students learning to speak up for the arts.

Voters will decide April 2 whether the Kansas City Royals can use tax money to help build a new stadium. It means many in the metro are focused on the franchise’s future. But FOX4’s Matt Stewart is putting politics aside with his new book called “The Kansas City Royals: An Illustrated Timeline.” It looks all the way back to the city’s first baseball team in 1884. Kansas City Public Library’s Anne Kniggendorf talked to Stewart about some lesser-known Royals stories.

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

Muslims around the world have been praying, studying the Quran, and fasting from sunrise to sunset since March 10 in observance of Ramadan. The holy month is usually a joyous time that centers on acts of charity and community for followers of Islam.

But this year is different because the war between Israel and Hamas is nearing its sixth month with no ceasefire in sight.

Up To Date's Steve Kraske sat down with Imam Mohamed Herbert, the resident scholar at Islamic Center of Johnson County, and Sara Jawhari, a Palestinian American journalist from Kansas City, to discuss why Ramadan feels different for some Kansas City Muslims this year.

Kansas City Today is hosted by Nomin Ujiyediin. It is produced by David McKeel and KCUR Studios, and edited by Gabe Rosenberg and Madeline Fox.

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

It was Superintendent Yaw Obeng's idea to create the first co-presidency on the Hickman Mills Board of Education. The idea came to him when the vote was evenly split between two candidates and no one was willing to budge.

"It was a bit of a calculated risk for me," said Obeng. "It wasn't the traditional, but I thought, well, you know, we're not doing anything right now, it can't get worse than this."

KCUR's Jodi Fortino spoke with Obeng about his efforts to reform the combative culture of the school board, and focus on putting students first.

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.

With eight weeks left in the 2024 Missouri legislative session, the House and Senate have passed several bills on their own, but none has passed through both chambers.

Items that still must pass this year include the state budget and the Federal Reimbursement Allowance, which is a tax on hospitals and other health care that creates around $4 billion for the state’s Medicaid program. Sarah Kellogg with St. Louis Public Radio has more.

Kansas lawmakers are set to receive a substantial pay increase in 2025. The nearly 93% raise was recommended by an independent task force comprised mostly of former legislators. Daniel Caudill reports for 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 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.

Clesslyn Crawford was shot in the head and killed during a hostage standoff in southeast Kansas. She was two years old.

For eight months, KCUR and the Midwest Newsroom have been investigating whether the sniper should have pulled the trigger. Editor Madeline Fox sat down with reporter Sam Zeff to discuss 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 David McKeel 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