Up To Date

Some Kansas children with an incarcerated mother get the chance to spend the day with their mom outside of a prison facility. The new documentary “Play Free,” screening at the Lawrence Arts Center, showcases the day-long outing’s benefits for children and mothers.

At a live broadcast of KCUR’s Up To Date from Crow’s Coffee Red Bridge, South Kansas City Chamber of Commerce president Rick Chambers said that neighborhoods south of Waldo don’t get the public safety and social service resources that other areas of the city enjoy.

Kansas City Mayor Quinton Lucas joined KCUR’s Up To Date during a live broadcast at Crows Coffee in the Red Bridge neighborhood on Friday. He discussed his political future, the Royals downtown ballpark, the search for the next Kansas City police chief and more.

Missouri voters rejected Proposition A, a referendum on redistricting, and approved Amendment 6, which makes it much harder for voter-led ballot initiatives to be changed by state lawmakers. However, the amendment may still be challenged in court, while Republicans are considering another round of redistricting before 2028.

The Kansas Attorney General race has not yet been called by the Associated Press as of Thursday afternoon, but Democrat Chris Mann holds a 13,000-vote lead over incumbent Republican Kris Kobach. He joined KCUR's Up To Date to discuss his priorities for the position if these results hold.

Kansas U.S. Senator-elect Adam Hamilton says that after his victory, he feels a "deep sense of responsibility to make sure that we actually change things for the better." He spoke with KCUR's Up To Date, along with election experts and several congressional winners from Missouri, about what led to the Democratic wave in Tuesday's election.

Nurses want Kansas City’s largest healthcare system to increase security at hospitals. The demands follow the shooting death of a visitor at Centerpoint Medical Center in Independence, Missouri. The suspect charged in the death was a patient at the hospital at the time of the shooting.

With midterms finally upon us, KCUR’s Up To Date took a deeper look at the key races Kansas and Missouri voters will decide at the polls Tuesday, and answer questions submitted by listeners.

Once Children’s Mercy hospital becomes out of network for her family, Christy Moreno may have to seek specialty treatment in Mexico or Canada. She says the cancellation of the family’s insurance has put her child in a life-or-death situation.

The Golden Scoop in Overland Park, which hires people with developmental and intellectual disabilities, is closing the doors on its flagship store and going mobile with an ice cream truck. CEO Amber Schreiber said employees will learn new skills and meet more community members.

Missouri Attorney General Catherine Hanaway is expecting additional challenges to the state's congressional districts and the outcome of the Nov. 3 election. However, she said her office will defend the use of the 2022 map, which is "the law now in Missouri" following rulings by the U.S. Supreme Court.

The president and CEO of Kansas City University fears the Education Department's new borrowing cap on federal loans for professional degrees will prevent qualified students from attending medical school.

Former Deputy National Security Advisor Ben Rhodes, who served under President Barack Obama, and Republican strategist Annie Kelly Kuhle joined KCUR’s Up To Date to discuss next week’s midterm elections.

Two teams from the Kansas City suburbs faced off for the inaugural Kansas title in girls flag football. Newly anointed champions St. James Academy hope it’s a critical moment in advancing participation and support for women’s sports.

Kansas is just over one week away from the 2026 midterm election. Pastor Adam Hamilton, the Democratic candidate for U.S. Senate in Kansas, spoke to KCUR's Up To Date about his focus on “leading from the middle” and his frustration with the Trump administration’s foreign policy.

A body-horror novel about parasitic vampires, a beautifully designed scientific book about eerie plants and an exploration of family history narrated by the ghosts of ancestors are among Kansas City librarians’ and booksellers’ picks this Halloween season.

Keri Ingle, who has represented in the Missouri House since 2019, is running against outgoing Missouri House Speaker Jon Patterson to represent Lee’s Summit, Blue Springs and other cities in eastern Jackson County in the state Senate. Democrats are targeting the seat in hopes of breaking the chamber’s Republican supermajority.

Kansas City Rabbi Doug Alpert was detained for several hours by Israeli forces this week while helping Palestinian farmers harvest olives in the West Bank. He joined KCUR’s Up To Date to discuss what happened.

People who don’t typically vote in midterm elections were the target audience during the Wednesday night debate between Republican U.S. Sen. Roger Marshall and Democrat Adam Hamilton. The outcome of the race could help flip the balance of power in the Senate.

Outgoing Missouri House Speaker Jon Patterson and Rep. Keri Ingle are running in a competitive race to represent Lee’s Summit, Blue Springs and other cities in eastern Jackson County. Democrats are targeting the seat in hopes of breaking the state senate’s Republican supermajority.

The Arabia Steamboat Museum, home to the largest collection of pre-Civil War artifacts in the world, announced that it would leave its River Market location when its lease expires on Nov. 13. Museum owner David Hawley has been seeking a new home for years, to no success so far.

State Sen. Cindy Holscher, the Democratic nominee for Kansas governor, says she would work to fully fund special education, place a moratorium on data centers and legalize recreational marijuana if elected. She joined KCUR’s Up To Date two weeks before the 2026 midterm elections to discuss her policy platform.

Democrat Chris Mann is running this November to unseat incumbent Republican Kansas Attorney General Kris Kobach. Mann said he’s focused on serving the people of Kansas and protecting customers, and argues that Kobach has prioritized his own political aims. Mann lost the same race against Kobach in 2022 by 1.6 points.

For the first time in five years, the nonprofit Historic KC has released its list of “Most Endangered Places” in Kansas City. The organization hopes it could lead to the restoration of buildings that demonstrate the region's architectural heritage.

The Open Doors Foundation planned to open a hostel to house World Cup visitors, and use the profits to help convert the location into a low-barrier homeless shelter. A series of zoning citations and complaints from neighbors prevented either project from moving forward.