Up To Date

Events like Lawrence Art in the Park, which will take place this weekend, Art Westport and the Plaza Art Fair are central to the business for many Kansas artists. It’s an opportunity to make a lot of sales, and to talk with the public about their work.

With so much TV, and so many films in theaters and on streaming platforms, it can be hard to know what’s most worth watching. Up To Date’s film experts shared their top titles so far this year.

The Kansas State Fair offered the first chance to see U.S. Senate candidates Roger Marshall and Adam Hamilton and gubernatorial candidates Ty Masterson and Cindy Holscher square off. The raucous crowd at times shouted down candidates as they spoke.

The legal back and forth over Missouri's congressional maps this election cycle is unprecedented in American politics. 5th District Congressman Emanuel Cleaver and his Republican general election opponent state Sen. Rick Brattin joined KCUR's Up To Date to share their thoughts on what has transpired.

University of Kansas professor Chris Koliba argues that the American social contract is fraying. He joined KCUR’s Up To Date to discuss how we got to this point and what the country can do about it.

Early next year, Jeff Maher of Overland Park will run seven marathons on seven continents in seven days. He joined KCUR’s Up To Date to discuss how he is preparing for the races and why he decided to take on this challenge.

Charles Adair was in the midst of a mental health emergency when he turned himself into law enforcement for old traffic warrants. If sheriff’s deputies at the Wyandotte County, Kansas, jail had followed protocol for a mental health crisis, it might have prevented Adair’s death – which was ruled a homicide due to being restrained with a knee on his back.

The Kansas City Renaissance Festival began as a fundraiser for the Kansas City Art Institute in 1977, and this year is its 50th season. The festival opened September 5 and will run every weekend through October 12, rain or shine. 

The Caribbean country of Haiti is in the midst of a severe political and humanitarian crisis as it struggles to address widespread gang violence. Ahead of the 14th annual KC Haiti Symposium on Saturday, KCUR's Up To Date spoke with two Haitian journalists and a Kansas City doctor who runs a surgicenter in the country.

Dr. Sasha Hamdani's new book, "Too Sensitive," aims to provide a science-backed, empathetic framework for understanding why some people experience high emotional sensitivity. The Kansas City psychiatrist joined KCUR's Up To Date on Tuesday.

More than 700 patients were sued by a doctor in western Kansas for medical debt. The doctor is now Republican U.S. Sen. Roger Marshall, who for decades was a practicing obstetrician-gynecologist.

In a stunning unanimous ruling, the Missouri Supreme Court blocked the state’s newly redrawn congressional maps from going into effect for the 2026 midterm elections, and ordered a referendum on the gerrymandered map to be placed on the November ballot. But Republican leaders are appealing the decision to the U.S. Supreme Court.

The festival returns for its sixth year of free movie programming, which will include films across a range of genres from experimental to animation.

Sweeping Promises will embark on an American tour on Sep. 9 to share their third album, “You Say I Romanticize.” The Kansas-based duo has been gaining national attention, while also producing other local bands at their "artistic commune."

Gillon Property Group, which owns the Plaza, says the empty lot is a “physical and psychological” problem and will be one of the first major redevelopment targets now that Port KC approved a major incentive package. The space was meant to host a Nordstrom, but the project was scrapped in 2022 after multiple delays.

Rohlfing, a U.S. Army veteran, is running against Democrat Stacy Lake in November to become the next Jackson County executive. He says he would focus on providing “world class customer service” if elected.

An 11-year-old boy was allegedly physically and sexually assaulted in April at Eisenhower Middle School in Kansas City, Kansas. In August, the district’s school board received notice of a pending $5 million lawsuit for failing to prevent the attack.

At the end of July, Kansas City Police Chief Stacey Graves announced that she is retiring from her role leading the department after four years. She joined KCUR’s Up To Date to look back at her tenure as the city’s top cop and to discuss the department’s future.

The Trump Administration has proposed eliminating a majority of its regulations for the federal early education program Head Start. The government says the changes would put rulemaking in the hands of the states and could result in higher enrollment. Kansas and Missouri Head Start leaders say many of the impacts are still unknown.

Located just north of the Missouri River, North Kansas City has grown by over 20% since 2020. Mayor Jesse Smith says it’s time to make updates while maintaining the community’s “small town feel.”

The public agency voted to issue nearly $1.5 billion in bonds and tax breaks to Gillon Property Group early this week. Jon Stephens, the president and CEO of Port KC, says the deal is critical to the revitalization of the historic Plaza. 

On his new album “Dear City,” Jeff Shafer’s socially-conscious hip hop celebrates what makes Kansas City great, but also reflects on what changes are needed to make the city even better.

As students across the Kansas City metro dust off their books and head back to school, our literary experts recommend titles perfect for reading deeply, just like you’re in English class yourself.

Kansas City Mayor Quinton Lucas joined KCUR's Up To Date to discuss the city council's funding package for a new Royals ballpark, what he'd like to see in the city's next police chief, the future of the Country Club Plaza and more.

Lake, an attorney who won the Democratic primary for Jackson County executive, is running against Republican Alan Rohlfing in November. The county has struggled under a dysfunctional legislature, and the interim executive was recently indicted on federal bribery charges.