Many people end up in the justice system because of mental health issues, drugs or PTSD from serving in combat. But jails and prisons aren’t usually well-equipped to treat those underlying issues. As KCUR’s Noah Taborda reports, that’s why some Kansas City-area jurisdictions are setting up specialty courts.

People in the Midwest and High Plains are used to severe thunderstorms and tornadoes. But there’s a weather phenomenon that’s becoming a more common part of their vocabulary: derechos.

A year ago, a derecho swept across the central U.S. including Kansas and Missouri, bringing widespread damaging winds, tornados and killing at least five people. As Harvest Public Media's Katie Peikes reports, scientists are grappling with what the future of derechos could look like.

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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.

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