Kansas City Today

Today starts the final week before Missouri lawmakers take their midterm break. It’s a moment to assess where things stand, what’s happened, which bills seem headed to the finish line, and — given recent history in the General Assembly — where acrimony and division may be leading things astray.

Host Brain Ellison sat down to talk with Rudi Keller, deputy editor of the Missouri Independent, to see what bills are moving through Jefferson City and how the atmosphere of the session has been so far.

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 fourth floor gallery of the University of Kansas' Spencer Museum of Art has undergone a makeover. Curators hope to cater to a wider audience with a more diverse array of artwork, and they've also partnered with local writers to help respond to the chosen art. KCUR's Julie Denesha has the story.

This week saw the sudden passing of a Kansas City jazz great. A member of the jazz duo the McFadden Brothers, Ronald McFadden is remembered as a gifted singer, saxophonist and tap-dancer. Up To Date's Steve Kraske spoke with singer David Basse and musician Greg Carroll about McFadden's life and legacy.

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 Byron Love, 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

For people experiencing homelessness, finding a permanent residence is one huge challenge followed by another: making that space livable. KCUR’s Carlos Moreno reports on the Kansas City nonprofit that gives people a hand — and a personal shopper.

Wind turbines, with their red lights that blink through the night to warn off airplanes, have become a defining presence across the Kansas landscape. But those lights annoy many rural residents. Kansas News Service reporters Celia Llopis-Jepsen and Blaise Mesa fill us in on efforts that could keep turbines dark for most of the night.

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

Kansas City Today is hosted by Gabe Rosenberg. 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

Kansas City's new airport terminal has officially opened to the public, with the inaugural flight arriving from Chicago early Tuesday morning — and many more following. KCUR's Frank Morris was there as the first passengers arrived and he spoke with Steve Kraske on Up To Date about how the big day went.

St. Louis Circuit Attorney Kim Gardner saw some of her political support collapse last week when a man who repeatedly violated house arrest seriously injured a teenage athlete. She’s now facing an effort from Missouri’s attorney general to remove her from office. St. Louis Public Radio’s Jason Rosenbaum looks at why the outcome of the judicial bid to oust Gardner could have larger implications than just whether she stays in office.

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

Qasim Rahimi was once a freelance journalist and a spokesperson for Afghanistan's environmental protection agency. He was forced to leave those jobs and his home behind when the Taliban took control of the country in June 2021. Rahimi is a member of the Hazara, an ethnic minority group that has faced violent persecution at the hands of the Taliban for decades.

Rahimi has since settled in the Kansas City metro along with about 60 Hazara families. On KCUR's Up To Date, Rahimi speaks about his family's experience leaving Afghanistan for Kansas City and the genocide he says is happening against his people.

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

A flat income tax championed by Kansas Senate President Ty Masterson passed in the Senate last week, 22-17. Supporters say the state can afford it, but opponents say it could cause a financial disaster — and mostly benefit the richest of Kansans.

Host Brain Ellison talked with Sherman Smith of the Kansas Reflector to learn what this will mean for Kansans, and how likely it is to become law.

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

Young people continue to migrate from small towns to larger cities, leading the steady population decline many rural communities continue to face. However, some residents in western Kansas hope passing down their love of rodeo to younger generations will help keep their cowboy culture alive. The Kansas News Service's David Condos reports from a Kansas rodeo.

You can't talk about Kansas City without jazz. Regardless of their inseparable histories, some fear that the art is losing its luster in town, especially with young listeners. Now the Kansas City Jazz Orchestra is bringing the music directly to the next generation. KCUR's Lawrence Brooks IV reports how the orchestra is changing it up for their 20th season.

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

Kansas City Today is hosted today by Madeline Fox. It is produced by Byron Love, 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

Kansas lawmakers are considering dozens of education bills this session, including ones that would make it easier for families to send their children to private schools. Kansas News Service education reporter Suzanne Perez spoke with political reporter Dylan Lysen about some of the proposals.

This Saturday night, local artworks go under the hammer as the Kansas City Artist Coalition hosts its 40th “Benefit Art Auction.” The nonprofit’s big annual party for people who love art comes six months into the job for new Executive Director Courtney Wasson. KCUR’s Julie Denesha reports.

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

Kansas City Today is hosted today by Carlos Moreno It is produced by Byron Love, Paris Norvell 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 teenagers and young adults in Missouri and Kansas struggle with addiction and alcohol abuse, some turn to “enthusiastic sobriety” programs. The outpatient groups are based on the idea that substance abuse treatment has to be fun and feel good for it to stick. But as KCUR’s Noah Taborda reports, some former group members say the programs pushed them in reckless and illegal behavior.

In Kansas, lawmakers are considering a "foster care bill of rights" that would put protections for foster children and parents into law. Kansas News Service criminal justice and social services reporter Blaise Mesa talked to KCUR’s Steve Kraske on Up To Date about what the bill would do and its odds of passing.

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 today by Madeline Fox. It is produced by Byron Love, Paris Norvell and KCUR Studios and edited by Gabe Rosenberg and Lisa Rodriguez.

A record 1.4 million people are enrolled in Missouri’s Medicaid program — the government-funded health insurance for disabled and low-income people and families. That’s in part because the state has been barred from kicking anyone out of the program during the coronavirus pandemic. But that provision ends this spring. St. Louis Public Radio’s Sarah Fentem reports some are worried that as the state starts to review patients, people who need coverage will lose their insurance.

Across the Midwest and Great Plains, mesonets — a funny word for statewide weather monitoring networks — record data for farmers, researchers and emergency responders. But as Harvest Public Media’s Elizabeth Rembert reports, funding for many state mesonets is on shaky ground.

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 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