Kansas City Today

For six years, a new museum has been under construction in North Kansas City. The Rabbit Hole, set to open next week, is full of exhibits dedicated to children's books like "Goodnight Moon," "Frog and Toad" and many more. KCUR's Julie Denesha reports on how the museum presents literature in a whole new way.

Kansas native Freedy Johnston moved to New York and made it big in the '90s with his hit "Bad Reputation." Now, Johnston is branching out. KCUR's Bill Brownlee charts Johnston's path and his efforts to court the folk music establishment.

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 Trevor Grandin and KCUR Studios, and edited by Gabe Rosenberg.

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

Kansas teens in foster care could soon have a say in their legal relationships if a bill currently under consideration in the Kansas legislature is passed. The SOUL Family Legal Permanency Option would let teens pick the adults that help support and make decisions for them — without forcing them to give up their legal relationships with their parents.

Up To Date's Steve Kraske sat down with Rachel Marsh, CEO of Children's Alliance of Kansas, and Yusef Presley, former foster youth and advocate for SOUL, to discuss the program.

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.

Backers of the abortion legalization initiative need roughly 171,000 signatures by early May to make it onto the Missouri ballot. But Republicans in the Missouri General Assembly want to make any abortion measure much more difficult to pass. Jason Rosenbaum with St. Louis Public Radio reports on the potential remaining barriers for Missouri advocates.

Older neighborhoods with overhead power lines face more power outages than newer, wealthier neighborhoods that have buried ones. That’s led to frustration from Kansas residents who want more reliable service. They also believe there is an easy solution: bury the overhead power lines. Dylen Lysen with the Kansas News Service 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.

When the Milwaukee Bucks built their arena, Fiserv Forum, and the surrounding "Deer District," the team agreed to a slew of conditions that made it a better deal for local workers and the community as a whole.

Low-wage workers in Kansas City and their allies want a similarly strong community benefits agreement from the Kansas City Royals as the team pursues a new downtown stadium.

Laura Dresser is an economist at the University of Wisconsin and associate director of the High Roads Strategy Center. She spoke with Up To Date's Steve Kraske about her report on community benefits agreements and how they impact a 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 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.

A 2023 regional study found nearly a quarter of single-family homes in the Kansas City region were rentals, and individuals or corporations with 10 or more properties own nearly 20% of those rentals.

Host Nomin Ujiyediin sat down with Mili Mansaray, who covers housing and labor for The Kansas City Beacon, to discuss her reporting on the impact of large investors on the region's housing market.

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.

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

This year marks the 75th anniversary of the Pancake Day Races in the southwest Kansas town of Liberal. Racers don aprons, skirts and headscarves to run with a frying pan and a single pancake. The Kansas News Service's Calen Moore explains why the community keeps this international tradition alive.

Kansas City is a pretty "nice" place. But comedy writer and Midwest native Mia Mercado is wary of the adjective. KCUR's Anna Kniggendorf spoke with Mercado about what it means to be "Midwestern nice."

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 Trevor Grandin 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.

Polls show around 70% of Kansans support Medicaid expansion, which would result in an estimated 150,000 more low-income Kansans enrolling in the health care program. So why is the state one of only 10 remaining holdouts in the country? Rose Conlon of the Kansas News Service reports.

Veterinary medicine was once a profession dominated by men. In the past 15 years, though, women have become the majority of practicing veterinarians and students. Despite these changes, some areas of the field still lag behind. Harvest Public Media’s Lilley Halloran looks into why rural animal practices are still largely male-dominated.

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

Skaters of all skill levels filled the rink on a recent Friday night at Winnwood Skate Center in Kansas City, the metro’s new mecca for Black skate culture.

They were there because of the work of Knejie Allen and Adontis Atkins, two Black Air Force veterans who last fall opened the region’s only stand-alone roller-skating school, SK8 Shot Studios, at 16th Street and Burlington Road in North Kansas City. KCUR's Lawrence Brooks IV brings us their 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 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.

One of the requirements for a divorce in Missouri is that no one in the relationship is pregnant. The statute was intended to protect child support payments in case of a divorce, but critics say it doesn’t take abuse from either party into consideration.

Missouri state Rep. Ashley Aune represents the 14th District in Kansas City’s Northlands, and she introduced a bill to allow divorces if a person is pregnant. Up To Date’s Steve Kraske spoke with Aune about the issue and its prospects in the legislature.

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.

Last week, the Royals finalized a proposal to build a new stadium in the Crossroads District. Jackson County residents are set to vote on April 2 on a 3/8th cent sales sales tax extension to help fund the new stadium.

Host Nomin Ujiyediin sat down with KCUR's Savannah Hawley-Bates to discuss the Royal's stadium plan and the response from business owners and labor groups.

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