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Kansas City Today
Kansas City Today is a daily news podcast from KCUR Studios bringing you all things Kansas City, wrapped up in 15 minutes or less. Whether you’re an early bird or a night owl, it’ll be waiting in your feed every weekday. Hosted by Nomin Ujiyediin.
October 14, 2021
Escaping the Taliban for Missouri
For Zamzama Safi, the Wilkens farm just south of Corder, Missouri, is a long way from Afghanistan — and it's exactly where she wants to be. After the Taliban takeover of the country, some 120,000 Americans and refugees faced a harrowing journey to get out.
October 13, 2021
The unsolved killing of Alonzo Brooks
The Jackson County prosecutor shares her thoughts on the latest developments in the Kevin Strickland case. Plus, the killing of Alonzo Brooks has gone unsolved for 17 years. Federal investigators are now taking a fresh look at the circumstances surrounding his death.
October 12, 2021
Kansas tried to hide an audit of its prescription drug prices
Kansas taxpayers and state employees could be paying too much for prescription drugs, but a state-commissioned report doesn't actually say if customers got a bargain or got gouged. Kansas even tried to black out large swaths of the audit, but it botched many of the redactions.
October 11, 2021
Climate change is already a disaster for mental health
More young people say they're struggling with anxiety and depression related to climate change. In Kansas City, one mother is pushing the environmental movement to prioritize mental health and prevent activists from burning out.
October 8, 2021
Local bookstores are taking on Amazon and winning
To survive the pandemic, indie booksellers in Kansas and Missouri have found success by directly competing with Amazon for online orders. Plus, a new show at the Daum Museum of Contemporary Art features the work of nine Kansas City women.
October 7, 2021
The execution of Ernest Johnson
The state of Missouri this week executed Ernest Johnson, 61, who was convicted of murdering three people in 1994. His attorneys argued he was ineligible for the death penalty because multiple IQ tests had shown he had the mental capacity of a child.
October 6, 2021
What’s the future hold for Kansas wind?
Large wind farms have been cranking out electricity in Kansas for 20 years. In this episode we follow Brian Grimmett of the Kansas News Service as he looks at how the state’s wind industry has changed and where it could be heading.
October 5, 2021
Uncovering the history of the Shawnee Indian Mission
Over the summer, the remains of hundreds of Indigenous children were discovered at a Canadian boarding school. Since then, officials in Fairway, Kansas, said they would work with the Shawnee Tribe to look into the history of the Shawnee Indian Mission.
October 4, 2021
LGBTQ foster kids still have few protections in Kansas
Years after preliminary guidance from the Kansas Department for Children and Families, the state has made no progress in requiring that LGBTQ foster children are placed "in homes that respect their identities."
October 1, 2021
Winter Is Coming For Kansas City's Unhoused Population
Kansas City is searching for solutions to keep hundreds of people without homes warm during the approaching winter months. Plus, an iconic artifact that witnessed some of the city's wildest music moments makes a comeback at the newly-renovated Kansas City Museum.
September 30, 2021
Weed And The Other Kind Of Weed
A Kansas City nurse is helping patients navigate the world of medical marijuana. Also, local home gardeners fight on behalf of native plants, which are bringing bees, butterflies and some unwanted code enforcers to their front yards.
September 29, 2021
Missouri Takes Schools To Court Over Mask Mandates
A Missouri judge threw a wrench into Attorney General Eric Schmitt's plans to end school mask mandates all at once. At a hearing Tuesday, Judge Brouck Jacobs denied Schmitt's attempt to apply reverse-class-action status for his lawsuit against Columbia Public Schools.
September 28, 2021
Suicide Rates In Kansas Are Going Up Alarmingly Fast
Suicide rates increased by nearly 45% in Kansas over the past two decades, but those rates rose even more in sparsely populated rural communities. Plus, OBGYNs in Missouri say COVID-19 is causing severe complications and stillbirths in pregnant people.
September 27, 2021
Kansas City’s Health Care Workers Are Burned Out And Quitting
In the first months of the pandemic, health care workers were applauded as heroes against COVID-19. A year and a half later, they find themselves coping with burnout and hostility from the public as vaccines and masks become politicized.
September 24, 2021
Kansas City Welcomes Return Of Plaza Art Fair
A political action committee focused on supporting police wants to recall Kansas City Mayor Quinton Lucas and several city council members. And following a year-long hiatus, the Plaza Art Fair makes a comeback.
September 23, 2021
Chick-Fil-A Kicked Out Of Kansas City's New Airport
Pushback from LGBTQ advocates got Chick-fil-A removed as a possible food option at the new KCI airport terminal. And with Kansas City expecting as many as 1,200 refugees from Afghanistan this fall, a new public school is developing programs to help ease their transition.
September 22, 2021
An Invasive Grass Is Taking Over Kansas
Old World bluestem grass is crowding out native plants and remaking Kansas grasslands and pastures. Unless landowners and researchers stop it, the invasive species could change the Kansas prairie forever. Also, FBI data reveals hate crimes are on the rise in Kansas and Missouri.
September 21, 2021
Couple Could Lose Their Law Licenses After Aiming Guns At BLM Protestors
Missouri’s chief disciplinary counsel is asking the state Supreme Court to suspend the law licenses of a St. Louis couple that pleaded guilty to waving guns at unarmed Black Lives Matter protesters. Also, why Missouri Secretary of State Jay Ashcroft wants local elections to become partisan.
September 20, 2021
Nebraska Furniture Mart And The Battle Over ‘Dark Stores’
Nebraska Furniture Mart, one of the busiest retailers in the region, stands to get a nearly $1.5 million property tax refund on its Kansas City, Kansas, location after winning an appeal to a state tax board. What could this mean for other big box retailers?
September 17, 2021
Kansas City BBQ Legends Inducted Into Hall Of Fame
Two Kansas City BBQ legends will be inducted into the Barbecue Hall of Fame Saturday at the 2021 American Royal World Series of Barbecue. We look at their decades long legacies and contributions to one of Kansas City's most iconic entrees.