Shereka Barnes left teaching more than 10 years ago. As the teacher shortage made its way to Park Hill, her friends and colleagues begged her to come back. Instead of returning to the classroom, Barnes opted to make an impact a different way — on the school board. KCUR's Jodi Fortino reports.

Abortion-rights advocates say that grass-roots organizations are incredibly important to abortion access, especially now that Missouri's ban has taken effect. St. Louis Public Radio's Farrah Anderson reports on how sex workers are coming together to is help each other access out-of-state procedures.

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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.

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