Kansas City Today

Kansas City Public Schools’ SEIU Local 1 union has filed grievances that claim the district has delayed pay hikes and left other contract promises unfulfilled. Workers expressed frustration at a board meeting in mid-November, emphasizing issues like understaffing and inadequate training.

On KCUR's Up To Date, host Steve Kraske sat down with Maria Benevento, education reporter at the Kansas City Beacon, to hear why workers feel the district isn't supporting them.

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 Gabe Rosenberg and Lisa Rodriguez.

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

Data from the Kansas Maternal Mortality Review Committee shows between 2016 and 2020, severe complications that impact a woman’s health increased by 6.4% annually. Black moms in Kansas and women on Medicaid or from low-income zip codes are disproportionally affected.

Doulas can help with that — a study found moms who use doulas are two times less likely to experience birth complications. Now, UnitedHealthcare has started covering doula services for Kansas moms on Medicaid. Bek Shackelford-Nwanganga of 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 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 2024 elections in Missouri will tell us a lot about the future of politics in the state — especially of the Republican party, where several high-profile GOP primaries in August will pick the overwhelming favorites to win statewide office in November. In Kansas, Democratic Rep. Sharice Davids will be seeking a fourth term in the 3rd Congressional District, which all of Johnson County and part of Wyandotte and Paola.

KCUR's Brian Ellison spoke with the Kansas News Service's Dylan Lysen and St. Louis Public Radio's Jason Rosenbaum about key races on both side of the state line.

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

Hundreds of years ago, Kansas’ native Wichita Tribe built their prairie homes with rows of thatched grasses. A new generation of students at Haskell Indian Nations University are learning the skill, and reconnecting with a Great Plains tradition. KCUR’s Julie Denesha reports.

Lifelong martial artist David Muhammad has used a background in karate to launch his kickboxing practice onto the global stage. The two disciplines have fed his thirst for competitive combat and helped him build a diverse community in south Kansas City. KCUR’s race and culture reporter Lawrence Brooks IV has 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 Anna Schmidt, 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

School lunch debt is climbing in Kansas, and advocates are pushing to make sure children don't go hungry at school. Many school districts have policies that single out kids when they can't afford to pay for lunch. A new report shows that this can hurt families, even if policies aren't strictly enforced. Suzanne Perez from the Kansas News Service brings us that story

Are you serving pumpkin or sweet potato pie this Thanksgiving? A look at the history and cultural ties that influence why Americans may prefer one or the other. Chad Davis with Harvest Public Media has more on that.

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, 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

For years, Kansas City, Missouri, has struggled to answer 911 calls quickly. Police and city officials are actively pursuing a new, automated feature they hope could speed things up. But not everyone in on board quite yet.

KCUR's Sam Zeff spoke with Up To Date host Steve Kraske about why the Kansas City Fire Department worries the proposed system might actually make things more complicated.

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

When Fort Scott, Kansas' Mercy Hospital closed in early 2019, the community of 7,550 people in southeast Kansas briefly lost its emergency room. Mayor Matthew Wells remembers the time without an ER clearly.

Now, his town is once again in that position after the community’s stand-alone ER closed, leaving residents to travel at least 20 miles to the nearest emergency center and raising concerns about attracting new residents and businesses.

Steve Kraske spoke with Wells and Kansas News Service reporter Bek Shackelford-Nwanganga on KCUR's Up To Date about the future of health care for the community.

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

When the Kansas City Council unanimously voted to eliminate bus fares three years ago, Kansas City became one of the first cities in the country to go fare-free. Feeling the revenue pinch without fares, the Kansas City Area Transportation Authority is considering bringing them back.

KCUR's Madeline Fox and Celisa Calacal talk about the monetary future for Kansas City's bus service.

Almost 80% of Missouri and 50% of Kansas lacks primary care doctors. Local universities are hoping to train and retain the next generation of doctors for underserved communities. KCUR's Noah Toborda explains how this came to be and what those starting their careers can do to help.

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 Lisa Rodriguez.

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

Subdivisions, restaurants, and retail shops have popped up around Lee’s Summit and Raymore, and single-family homes have spread across what was farmland just a few years ago. But residents along the south edge of Kansas City say a proposed 430-acre landfill could threaten that growth.

Many have organized to block the proposal, claiming a landfill would erode property values and threaten their health. They’re raising money and deploying lobbyists to change a state law, a move that failed in the General Assembly last year.

KCUR's Up To Date host Steve Kraske spoke with Kansas City Beacon statehouse reporter Meg Cunningham to learn more.

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, 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

Nearly one-third of Kansas election officials have left their position in the last four years amid harassment and criticism fueled by unsubstantiated voting fraud claims. Dylan Lysen of the Kansas News Service reports that the continued scrutiny may cause additional stress in 2024.

An artist and fabricator in Louisburg, Kansas, spent a decade working in the studio of a famous New Orleans artist — Ida Kohlmeyer. The fabricator, G. Paul Lucas, is now the go-to repairman for any of Kohlmeyer's damaged work. KCUR's Julie Denesha has more on the artist.

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, 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.