As the ongoing teacher shortage persists, school districts like Kansas City, Kansas Public Schools are using virtual teachers to get by. The number of students learning from remote, on-screen instructors has more than doubled, despite the move being intended as a stopgap.

Kansas City, Kansas Public Schools first implemented virtual instruction three years ago to address staffing shortages. But virtual learning poses unique educational and interpersonal challenges. The Kansas City Star's Sofi Zeman sat down with KCUR's Steve Kraske to share more about what she's heard from students, parents and teachers about their experience with virtual learning.

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 Olivia Hewitt and KCUR Studios, and edited by Madeline Fox and Emily Younker.

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

The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development office in Kansas City is dealing with federal government cuts. How will vital community resources be impacted?

Kansas City's HUD office provides a variety of critical services to the community, including fair housing investigations, disaster relief and tenant support. But due to recent federal government cuts, the agency has lost a large portion of its staff. Treka Henry, a senior program analyst in HUD's Office of Field Policy and Management, estimates around 30% of staff are now gone. Henry sat down with KCUR's Nomin Ujiyediin to discuss the impact of this staffing shortage.

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 Olivia Hewitt and KCUR Studios, and edited by Madeline Fox and Emily Younker.

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

President Trump signed an executive order that aims to end federal funding for NPR and PBS. What does this mean for your local public media outlets? Hear KCUR’s general manager describe what this means for our station.

Last week, President Donald Trump signed an executive order directing the Corporation for Public Broadcasting to cease direct and indirect funding for NPR and its member stations. Sarah Morris, general manager for KCUR 89.3 and 91.9 Classical KC, spoke with Steve Kraske on Up To Date about the legality of Trump's order and what it could mean for public media stations around the country.

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 Lisa Rodriguez, Emily Younker and Gabe Rosenberg.

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

Missouri lawmakers are still wrestling with abortion rights, paid sick leave, tax cuts and the state budget. What's ahead for the General Assembly in the last two weeks of this legislative session?

KCUR's Brian Ellison spoke with Rudi Keller, deputy editor of the Missouri Independent, to get up to speed on what to watch the next two weeks.

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Kansas City Today is hosted by Brian Ellison. It is produced by Byron Love and KCUR Studios, and edited by Madeline Fox, Emily Younker and Gabe Rosenberg.

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

After Duncan Jenkins saw "Star Wars" for the first time, he embarked on a lifelong obsession. The Kansas City man has now amassed nearly 200,000 pieces of memorabilia — the second most complete collection in the world — stored in a museum next to his house.

As die-hard Star Wars fans celebrate "May the Fourth" this weekend, and Kansas City’s National Museum of Toys and Miniatures highlights action figures from the famous movie series, KCUR’s Julie Denesha checks out a private museum known as "The Sithsonian."

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 Lisa Rodriguez, Emily Younker and Gabe Rosenberg.

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

Free school lunch is a life-changing resource for kids in Kansas City. But for many families, potential federal budget cuts threaten to take the vital service away.

It’s a feat for Kansas City, Kansas, Public Schools to offer free lunch to more than 20,000 students every day. But school nutrition teams across the metro worry that job could get harder as the Trump administration floats budget cuts that could gut their ability to offer free meals, even as they face rising prices for already-costly food and equipment. KCUR’s Jodi Fortino reports on how local cafeterias are coping.

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 Olivia Hewitt 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.

Backyard chickens are really popular this year, in part due to the high cost of eggs. Some people are even renting chickens.

In recent years, more and more people have welcomed chickens to their backyards. But for those who aren’t ready to fully commit, renting chickens is an option. Chicken rental businesses will provide everything you need, such as the coop, the food and the hens. And as Harvest Public Media’s Skyler Rossi reports, recent egg shortages at the grocery store are pushing more people to take a crack at creating their own egg supply.

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 Olivia Hewitt 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.

Black people are reported missing in higher numbers than white people relative to their population, according to recent data. Some families believe the newly reinstated Missing Persons Unit of the Kansas City Police Department isn’t doing enough to address that. Plus: How the University of Missouri is handling reports of immigration enforcement authorities picking up college students.

The Kansas City Police Department created an independent Missing Persons Unit in 2023. Two years later, the department reports progress, but as KCUR's Brandon Azim reports, the numbers mask impatience and frustration among some Black families.

UM System President Mun Choi last month signed an executive order outlining a process for law enforcement compliance. The move comes as Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents visit campuses around the country to detain those whose speech the Trump administration disagrees with. KBIA’s Aminah Jenkins reports on how the UM policy works for both staff and students.

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 Lisa Rodriguez, Emily Younker and Gabe Rosenberg.

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

Five international college students in Missouri filed a federal lawsuit challenging the Department of Homeland Security's termination of their visas. And although the Trump Administration backed off the terminations on Friday, the students’ battle — and their uncertainty about their future legal status in the U.S. — continues.

Brian Ellison spoke with Mary Sanchez of The Beacon about the details of the case and how these students are taking action against what they believe is unfair treatment.

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 Madeline Fox, Emily Younker and Gabe Rosenberg.

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

Every year, 2 million seedlings from the George O. White State Forest tree nursery make their way to front yards and fields all over the region. We'll hear from the staff growing and cultivating trees at the 100-acre site in Licking, Missouri.

KBIA’s Jana Rose Schleis brings us an audio postcard from the Ozarks.

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

Kansas City Today is hosted by Peggy Lowe. It is produced by Byron Love and KCUR Studios, and edited by Madeline Fox, Emily Younker and Gabe Rosenberg.

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