Kansas City Today

The Wizard of Oz and Kansas have been inseparable since farm girl Dorothy Gale first skipped down the yellow brick road. But does an enduring image from the Dust Bowl 1930s hold Kansas back from what it wants to be today? David Condos of the Kansas News Service 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

"Somebody Somewhere" is an emotional comedy on HBO and streaming on MAX that takes place in Manhattan, Kansas. It follows Sam, played by Kansas native Bridget Everett, as she returns home in search of herself. Along the way she meets chipper and compassionate Joel, played by Jeff Hiller.

Hiller's acting career spans almost 20 years — many of his roles have been bit parts. He says his success on this show comes from years of playing "someone that we all know."

"I love being able to play a character, honestly, that has a last name," Hiller said.

Up to Date's Steve Kraske spoke with Hiller about landing the role and what it has been like to see the show thrive.

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.

Kansas City, Missouri, service industry workers will no longer need liquor cards to work at restaurants or bars. The licenses, widely viewed as unnecessary and burdensome, did not require any education about serving alcohol and also kept some people with felony convictions from working in the service industry.

KCUR's Steve Kraske spoke with 1st District Councilman Kevin O'Neill, and Manny's Mexican Restaurant General Manager David Lopez to learn more about how dropping the requirement can benefit workers and restaurants.

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.

The Keystone pipeline’s biggest oil spill ever happened in Kansas last year. Now an investigation reveals that the operator knew about problems in that section of the pipeline a decade ago. Kansas News Service editor Stephen Koranda and reporter Celia Llopis-Jepsen fill us in on the chain of events that led to the spill.

Beginning in the 1960s, Kansas City became one of the first places in the country where McDonald’s franchises could be run by Black operators. From the KCUR podcast A People’s History of Kansas City, Mackenzie Martin reports on how those restaurants got caught up in the fight for racial equality.

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

As guns become the number one cause of death for Gen Z, some younger residents of the Kansas City metro say they’re losing trust in the ability of elected officials and law enforcement to keep them safe. As KCUR’s Zach Perez reports, some believe the only way to feel protected is by being armed themselves.

2023 is the International Year of Millets, at least according to the United Nations. Millets are a type of small grain mostly grown in parts of Asia and Africa, and part of the UN’s interest is that millets are nutritious, good for diversifying global foods, and drought-resistant. That last quality could make them useful for U.S. farmers, especially as the Midwest and other parts of the country face deepening drought. 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

With supermajority control of both the Senate and House, Republican lawmakers in Kansas have routinely entertained policy ideas shaped by fringe religious views — restrictions placed on transgender residents, anti-abortion propaganda, tax dollars for private schools and a refusal to acknowledge systemic racism.

Reporters at The Kansas Reflector have been taking a close look at how religion can be seen in every corner of the statehouse, and how it's been exploited to justify attacks on marginalized people and inspire fear in voters.

KCUR's Steve Kraske was joined by Kansas Reflector reporter Rachel Mipro to talk more about the relationship between church and state in Kansas.

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

Debates surrounding a potential landfill south of Kansas City have taken place from City Hall to Jefferson City. Despite widespread opposition, many agree that a new landfill may be needed sooner than once thought. KCUR's Chris Fortune reports on the state of waste in Kansas City.

A Kansas City hobbyist has been making wooden chess sets based on the iconic architecture of his hometown. With his sights set on KC, the Liberty Memorial and the Power and Light building will soon be moving across the chess board. KCUR's Julie Denesha reports on these iconic miniature buildings.

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

Around five decades ago, Mexican American lowrider culture made its way from the West Coast to Kansas City’s Westside. KCUR’s Lawrence Brooks IV reports the art form now includes shops, builders and riders from all backgrounds.

This month, the federal government let the COVID national emergency declaration expire after three years, but that doesn't mean that the virus is completely gone. St. Louis Public Radio's Sarah Fentem talked with St. Louis University health law professor Rob Gatter about how the end of the emergency could affect patients' health.

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

The Missouri General Assembly wrapped up its 2023 session last Friday evening. As St. Louis Public Radio Statehouse reporter Sarah Kellogg explains in a conversation with news editor Brian Moline, this session will be remembered more for what didn’t get done than what did.

It’s been about three years since inmates rioted at the state prison in Lansing, Kansas. They ransacked offices and battled with prison workers for almost 12 hours. But as reporters Blaise Mesa and Andrew Bahl report, nobody has been charged in either that incident or another riot in 2022.

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

Tenants at a low-income apartment complex in Kansas City have lived in uninhabitable conditions for years. Now, they’re taking action. KCUR’s Celisa Calacal takes us there.

A company called VineBrook Homes has bought about 27,000 single family homes in the Midwest and South since late 2018. These houses are, or soon become, rentals. Now VineBrook is moving into the Kansas City metro. As the Midwest Newsroom’s Kavahn Mansouri reports, VineBrook has a poor record with tenants and has even been sued by one city.

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