Kansas City Today

For more than 20 years, Weston, Missouri, has been the sole home of Green Dirt Farm. That's about to change as it's slated to set up shop in the Crossroads next month. KCUR's Savannah Hawley-Bates gets the scoop on the farm's award-winning cheese and what to expect from the new restaurant.

Yes chef! Many school districts in the Kansas City area prep students for careers in fine dinning. The programs go further than how to cook — they teach students how to run a restaurant. KCUR's Jodi Fortino spotlights the high schoolers at the helm of restaurants, cafes and eateries all over town.

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 Gabe Rosenberg and Madeline Fox.

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

Big wins in statewide offices and the state legislature have helped create bitter factionalism within the Missouri GOP. But since former President Trump is likely to take the state easily in November, many GOP officials aren’t worried about what’s to come. Jason Rosenbaum of St. Louis Public Radio explains how Republican party dominance in elections also created sizable divisions.

Two companies in Kansas are trying to build the state’s first underground carbon dioxide storage sites. Proponents hope storing carbon emitted by factories or ethanol plants would fight climate change by keeping it out of the atmosphere. Kansas News Service editor Stephen Koranda and reporter Calen Moore review what we’ve learned so far.

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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 Kansas Constitution protects the right to an abortion, according to a 2019 decision by the state’s Supreme Court. In 2022, voters overwhelmingly rejected a proposed amendment to the constitution that would have overturned that decision.

But Republican lawmakers and groups like Kansans for Life are still pushing for abortion restrictions, as they decry a surge in the number of abortions Kansas has provided — fueled by out-of-state patients — since the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade in 2022.

KCUR's Brian Ellison sat down with Rose Conlon of the Kansas News Service to discuss what anti-abortion lawmakers and advocates are pushing this year.

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.

Lisa Lopez-Galvan was the life of the party. If she knew you, you were her family. The 43-year-old mother from Shawnee was a beloved DJ who played all the fiestas in town and was a pillar of Kansas City's Latino community.

Last Wednesday, Lopez-Galvan's life was tragically cut short when she was fatally shot at the Kansas City Chiefs victory parade at Union Station. Up To Date's Steve Kraske spoke with Beto Lopez, the brother of Lopez-Galvan, about his sister's life and legacy.

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.

After last week’s mass shooting at Union Station, which followed a record-setting year for gun violence in Kansas City, local leaders are questioning how well existing firearm regulations protect residents — particularly in Missouri, which boasts some of the nation’s least restrictive gun laws.

Kansas City Mayor Quinton Lucas has long been a critic of those permissive policies; Missouri Governor Mike Parson, a Republican, has long defended them. Both men spoke with Steve Kraske on KCUR’s Up to Date about what can and should be done, and about the prospects for change in Jefferson 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 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

Mass shootings and other tragic events often mire witnesses in anxiety and post-traumatic stress — but even people who aren't there can feel the effects. Up to Date's Steve Kraske spoke with Amanda Davis, director of therapy services for Saint Luke's Crittenton Children's Center, about how to talk to children about Wednesday's mass shooting at Union Station.

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.

As of Wednesday evening, one person is dead and 22 have sustained gunshot injuries. Even more people were injured in the rush to get out of Union Station after the shooting started. Kansas City Police say they’re still collecting information on victims. Children’s Mercy Hospital says a few of the injured are children.

KCUR has the latest updates and information at KCUR.org.

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 Kansas City Royals have announced they want to build a potential new ballpark in the Crossroads arts district downtown. The $2 billion project would stretch from Truman Road south to 17th Street, and Grand Boulevard east to Locust Street. We take a look at the plan and how it could affect businesses.

Every weekend between late January and Valentine's Day, Thad McCullough and Tammy Parsons can be found adding a little pizazz to the streets of Independence. The co-founders of the West iNd Heart 2 Heart Connection Project attach around 300 large, red wooden hearts to light poles each year. On the signs are messages of love from people in the community. KCUR's Julie Denesha has that 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.

As Missouri reaches its first full year of legalized weed, local growers and sellers are seeing an increasing demand for weaker weed, both online and in brick-and-mortar dispensaries. KCUR's Zach Perez explains how weed has gotten stronger, and why there's a growing market for low-strength weed.

More and more pharmacies are closing nationwide, and patients are losing access to pharmaceutical care. These closures hit independently owned pharmacies the hardest, and in places like rural Kansas, they create pharmacy deserts, limiting access to pharmaceutical care. Bek Shackelford-Nwanganga with the Kansas News Service brings us that 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.

The Kansas City Live area in the Power and Light District was packed from early Sunday morning on with face-painted, noisemaker-wielding, “Let’sGoChiefs”-chanting fans. After the victory, celebrations broke out across the city and the sound of fireworks filled the streets.

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 C.J. Janovy.

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