Kansas City Today

Missouri saw 2,690 deaths from Alzheimer's in 2024 — a 145% increase since 2000. One southeast Missouri couple is trying to convince lawmakers their support is critical. Plus: A substance abuse counselor in Kansas City has developed secular recovery programs focused on inclusivity.

More than 120,000 Missourians and about 55,000 Kansans live with Alzheimer’s disease, while even more provide unpaid care. A couple is working to persuade lawmakers their work is crucial to early detection and intervention. The Midwest Newsroom’s Luke Nozicka reports.

A Kansas City addiction counselor has developed a secular 12-step program, and he’s working with the Kansas City Public Library to make it even more inclusive. The library’s Anne Kniggendorf spoke with Michael DePriest, the founder and director of “My Recovery KC,” about how his new program breaks down barriers for people battling addiction.

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 Seth Jahraus and KCUR Studios, and edited by Gabe Rosenberg, Madeline Fox and Emily Younker.

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

Kansas U.S. Senate candidate Erik Murray wants "solutions, not chaos" for healthcare and the economy. He spoke on KCUR's Up to Date about the challenges he thinks are most pressing for Kansans in the federal government.

Developer Erik Murray, a U.S. Senate candidate from Kansas City, Kansas, hasn’t run for office before but touted his experience with federal policies that deal with affordable housing tax credits and opportunity zones. He criticized Republican Sen. Roger Marshall for “smiling and nodding” as President Trump grows the deficit.

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 Seth Jahraus and KCUR Studios, and edited by Gabe Rosenberg, Madeline Fox and Emily Younker.

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

The discovery of an ancient Kansas settlement named Etzanoa is challenging long-held views that all Indigenous people on the Great Plains were nomadic. Plus: Kansas boasts its own version of the Liberty Bell at a small town in Marion County.

A new immersion center in Arkansas City is telling the story of one of the oldest cities in North America. Ancestors of the Wichita Tribe lived at a large settlement named Etzanoa in southern Kansas. Roger Nomer of the Kansas News Service reports.

The small town of Goessel, Kansas, has a Liberty Bell of its own. But instead of bronze, it's made of woven strands of wheat and makes no noise at all. Beccy Tanner from the Kansas News Service has 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 Seth Jahraus and KCUR Studios, and edited by Gabe Rosenberg, Madeline Fox and Emily Younker.

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

First-term Kansas state Sen. Patrick Schmidt said Kansans’ needs are greater than what lawmakers can address at the state level. He spoke on KCUR's Up to Date about why his experience sets him apart from his Democratic opponents.

Calling himself the “door-knockingest candidate in the race,” Schmidt is competing in the crowded Democratic primary for U.S. Senate. His current Kansas senate district represents Osage County along with parts of Douglas, Jefferson and Shawnee counties. Schmidt says he would focus on cost of living, healthcare and corruption if sent to Washington D.C.

Contact the show at [email protected]. Follow KCUR on Instagram and Facebook for the latest news.

Kansas City Today is hosted by Laura Ziegler. It is produced by Seth Jahraus and KCUR Studios, and edited by Gabe Rosenberg, Madeline Fox and Emily Younker.

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

If you go to any ice cream truck or swimming pool snack bar, you’ll likely find the red, white and blue Bomb Pop. The famous treat was invented in Kansas City in 1955. But when the popsicle first came out during the Cold War, some parents didn’t like the idea of selling a frozen weapon of war to children.

The red, white and blue Bomb Pop popsicle is everywhere during the summertime. It's become the ultimate icon of nostalgic Americana. And it was created right here in Kansas City. From the podcast A People’s History of Kansas City, Mackenzie Martin 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, Madeline Fox and Emily Younker.

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

Cameras with license plate-reading capabilities are used by law enforcement agencies and cities around the U.S., including in Missouri and Kansas. But some residents are resisting the surveillance.

Reporter Sam Zeff spoke with KCUR's Up To Date host Steve Kraske about what the cameras do, how much they cost and how some communities are responding.

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, Madeline Fox and Emily Younker.

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

It's a crowded primary race for Democrats hoping to take on incumbent Kansas Sen. Roger Marshall. Democrat Christy Davis spoke on KCUR's Up to Date about why she's running and how her experience working for the USDA sets her apart.

A fifth-generation Kansan based in the Flint Hills, Davis believes her experience in a federal leadership role is what distinguishes her candidacy. As U.S. Senator, Davis says she'd work to reel back harmful policies put in place by the Trump administration. Davis spoke with Brian Ellison on Up To Date about her campaign.

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 Seth Jahraus and KCUR Studios, and edited by Gabe Rosenberg, Madeline Fox and Emily Younker.

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

Rural hospitals in Kansas will use federal money to help them transform and expand access to healthcare. Some are creating new services like mobile maternal health clinics, but looming Medicaid cuts still mean many hospitals are at risk of closing.

The money comes from the federal Rural Health Transformation Program. The funding is partially intended to offset cuts to Medicaid, and the first group of grantees were recently announced. Bek Shackelford-Nwanganga of the Kansas News Service spoke with editor Stephen Koranda on how rural hospitals intend to use the money.

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 Seth Jahraus and KCUR Studios, and edited by Gabe Rosenberg, Madeline Fox and Emily Younker.

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

Kansas City’s transit authority could become among the first in the nation to use AI-powered cameras on city buses to help strengthen security and more quickly detect banned passengers. But critics worry about privacy and scaring away riders.

KCUR reporter Savannah Hawley-Bates spoke with Up To Date producer Zach Wilson about the KCATA's potential launch of the cameras, and why some local advocates and national experts are concerned.

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, Madeline Fox and Emily Younker.

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

Only about 2% of aircraft pilots and flight engineers are Black. A group of men, inspired by the legacy of the Tuskegee Airmen, is trying to change that by highlighting careers in aviation. A KCUR reporter visited Red Tail Academy to learn about why that number is so low.

The founders of the Red Tail Academy are trying to grow the relatively small number of Black people in the aviation industry. KCUR's Brandon Azim visits the flight school to find out how.

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, Madeline Fox and Emily Younker.

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