Kansas City Today

Joseph Isaac, who raps under the name SleazyWorld Go, overcame his own obstacles to become the most popular artist from Kansas City in years. Bill Brownlee has the story.

Trauma surgeons and ER doctors often see the worst of Kansas City’s rising rate of gun violence. As KCUR’s Zach Perez reports, many of them are also working to inform communities about this public health crisis and prepare the next generation of physicians to treat its victims.

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

Kansas City Today is hosted by Laura Ziegler. It is produced by Paris Norvell, 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

After years of undervaluing homes, Jackson County's recent property tax assessment saw the value of properties increase by an average of 30%, while some owners saw spikes of more than 200%.

KCUR's Steve Kraske spoke with Jackson County Assessor Gail McCann Beatty on Up To Date to discuss the assessment process, what goes into it, and why these are spiking so dramatically.

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

Kansas City Today is hosted by Brian Ellison. It is produced by Paris Norvell, 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 area is rolling out the red carpet for Taylor Swift. North Kansas City has temporarily named a road after her, and Swift's likeness was carved into a corn field in Ray County.

This weekend will see thousands of fans from around the Midwest piling into Arrowhead Stadium. Up To Date's Steve Kraske spoke with Alexis Greenberg, president of the University of Kansas Swift Society, and Wild Way Coffee's Christine Clutton about their love for Taylor Swift.

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

Kansas City Today is hosted by Nomin Ujiyediin. It is produced by Paris Norvell, 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

Pilgrims flocking to see the well-preserved remains of an exhumed nun north of Kansas City say her “incorrupt” body signals sainthood. Another sign has to do with the racism Sister Wilhelmina Lancaster overcame as a Black nun in the 20th century. KCUR's Frank Morris reports.

Congress expanded work requirements for food assistance during the debt ceiling negotiations, a move that would normally happen through the Farm Bill. Shortly before that, the state of Kansas made similar changes. Harvest Public Media's Eva Tesfaye reports.

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

Kansas City Today is hosted by Nomin Ujiyediin. It is produced by Paris Norvell, 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

Hospitals in the United States have recruited nurses from around the world to combat U.S. labor shortages. But Samantha Horton of the Kansas News Service reports that problems in the complex system are slowing the flow of nurses that Kansas badly needs.

For the past two years, the federal government has offered states the option to extend postpartum care benefits for those on Medicaid from 60 days to one year. Research shows that women who receive extended postpartum care greatly benefit from it. The vast majority of states have approved this extension, including Kansas and Missouri. But not Iowa. Iowa Public Radio’s Natalie Krebs reports for the Midwest Newsroom.

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

Kansas City Today is hosted by Nomin Ujiyediin. It is produced by Paris Norvell, 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

Schools are allowed to physically restrain students or put them in a separate room if they are putting themselves or others at risk. In Missouri, it’s hard to tell how often that’s happening — or if schools are following the rules. As KCUR’s Jodi Fortino reports, a Belton mom whose son was repeatedly secluded and restrained says schools are using those methods in inappropriate ways.

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

Kansas City Today is hosted by Nomin Ujiyediin. It is produced by Paris Norvell, 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

Honeybees may not be native to North America, but they have made themselves crucial to the larger ecosystem thanks to their pollinating prowess. KCUR's Julie Denesha reports on who gets called when bees make their homes in interesting places.

$1.5 billion of the Inflation Reduction Act will go toward urban canopies over the next nine years. Harvest Public Media's Juanpablo Ramirez-Franco reports how this could help communities adapt to the changing climate.

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

Kansas City Today is hosted by Nomin Ujiyediin. It is produced by Trevor Grandin, 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 structure of tax laws set for sports betting in Kansas lets casinos write off significant promotional expenses, including their "free" wagers.

Host Nomin Ujiyediin sat down with Wichita Beacon reporter Marco Schaden to learn more about the laws that sports betting lobbyists help to pass, how much money the state is collecting and where that money is going.

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

Kansas City Today is hosted by Nomin Ujiyediin. It is produced by Paris Norvell, 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

Should 16-year-olds have a say in how their cities and schools are run? Kansas City teenager DJ Yearwood is the campaign director of Vote16MO, an initiative to lower the voting age in municipal and school board elections in Missouri. He says these kinds of local, nonpartisan elections give young people a unique opportunity to make change before they are asked to vote in national races dominated by the two major political parties. The group wants to get a measure on the ballot by November 2024.

KCUR's Steve Kraske spoke with Yearwood on Up To Date to learn more about what he hopes to accomplish.

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

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

Kansas City Today is hosted by Nomin Ujiyediin. It is produced by Paris Norvell, Byron Love, and KCUR Studios, and edited by Gabe Rosenberg and Lisa Rodriguez.

In the year since Roe v. Wade was overturned, more than a dozen states have made it illegal to provide abortions in most cases. But none, so far, punish women for obtaining abortions. As Rose Conlon of the Kansas News Service reports, a small but determined faction within the anti-abortion movement wants to change that.

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

Kansas City Today is hosted by Nomin Ujiyediin. It is produced by Paris Norvell, 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