KMBC 9 Storytellers

Dalton Grant was 11-years-old when he and his mother found themselves trapped in the wreckage of 1981's Hyatt skywalks collapse. Their family was attending a dance in the hotel's lobby July 17, 1981 when two suspended walkways collapsed. The disaster remains the worst accidental structural collapse in American history.

Dalton's story was part of the recent KMBC Chronicle: "The Skywalk Tapes." In this episode, listeners will hear there's more to his rescue story.

KMBC 9 Executive Producer Cara Doyle joins host Haley Harrison for an in-depth discussion of the people and stories behind the making of the new documentary "The Skywalk Tapes."

The hour-long documentary tells the story of the July 17, 1981 skywalks collapse at Kansas City's Hyatt Regency Hotel. It airs July 13, 2021 at 9pm on KMBC and July 17, 2021 (the 40th anniversary of the tragedy) at 8pm on KCWE.

Special thanks to Cara Doyle Wright, photojournalists Turner Twyman, Todd Ummelmann, Micheal Mahoney, and News Director Dan O'Donnell.

Mindy Corporon joins Haley for a conversation about her new book, "Healing a Shattered Soul." It's the story of the act of domestic terrorism and hate crime that took the lives of her son, father, and another woman in Overland Park, Kansas in 2014.

Haley and Mindy also talk about the fact the shooter died in prison the same day the book was published.

Oscar winner, and KU film professor Kevin Willmott joins Haley for a conversation about Hollywood's reckoning with race. It was six years ago the Academy nominated all white actors. The backlash was swift. #OscarsSoWhite drew attention to the lack of diversity in the movie industry. This week, we're asking what, if anything, has changed since 2015.

Willmott talks about the 2021 Oscars, and his upcoming film.

The creators of the new movie "Lotawana" join Haley to talk about becoming the first movie in history sold with NFTs (Non-Fungible Tokens). The movie is out later this year and was filmed in Jackson County, Missouri.

https://lotawanamovie.com/

The Peace Corps turned 60 on March 1st. 90 year old Kansas Citian Mary Abbott was in the Kennedy administration when the agency was founded. She led its press office. Abbott, now a resident of Bishop Spencer Place, joins Haley to talk about her famous grandfather, and her career in the CIA and at the New York Times. Abbott also shares memories of the beginning of the Peace Corps and Kennedy's assassination.

Frank P Walsh: https://pendergastkc.org/article/frank-p-walsh

Anti-Asian sentiment appears to be rising during the pandemic. Reports of harassment, vandalism, and violence against Asian Americans are on the rise, according to the group Stop AAPI Hate.

KMBC 9's Bianca Beltran joins Haley this week. They discuss Bianca's interview with Kansas City's JiaoJiao Shen, who says the rising xenophobia is painful.

Stop AAPI Hate: https://stopaapihate.org/

NASA scientist Roger Wiens joined Haley the day before the new Perseverance rover landed on Mars. It's the first rover to land on the red planet since Curiosity in 2012.

They discussed several challenges unique to this mission, the new data we're going to hear, and the next steps in exploring Mars.

Follow the mission on Twitter @NASAPerseverance

Blue Springs native Khalil Davis will be playing for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Super Bowl 55. This week, we talk to Khalil, his parents, and high school coach about his rise from foster care to the NFL. It's a story he shares with his twin brother Carlos, who plays for the Steelers. Both men made it to the postseason in their rookie seasons in the NFL.

Longtime KMBC 9 anchor Larry Moore continues the beloved Christmas tradition of reading "'The Night Before Christmas." It started in 1984 with the children of KMBC employees and continues in 2020.

Happy holidays. Thank you for listening to this podcast. Episodes will resume in January 2021.