Wichita's Early Edition

Earlier this year, Kansas lawmakers banned cell phones at all K-through-12 schools. Now, more than a month into the new school year, some Wichita students and teachers say the phone ban has had some surprising effects. We’ll hear more from students and teachers about phone-free schools, and we have news from Wichita and around the state.

Wichita musician Rudy Love passed away in 2021. He was the leader of the band "The Love Family." KMUW's Carla Eckels recently spoke with his brother, Bob Love, about releasing a new set of arrangements of the group's songs. We'll hear more, and we have news from Wichita and around the state.

Rural Kansas communities are losing population as young people go away to college and never move back. One county's solution: Pay them ten grand to come back. That story is coming up, and we have news from Wichita and around the state.

The most recent limits on federal student loans have the potential to put medical students in a tight spot financially. We’ll hear how the rules are impacting future Kansas physicians, and we have news from Wichita and around the state.

An internationally renowned expert on authoritarianism visited Kansas this summer and wrote about it for the New York Times. We’ll hear why they think the state’s new policies on transgender rights are similar to rules imposed in Nazi Germany, and we have news from Wichita and around the state.

Roadrunners are having a moment right here in the Sunflower State. We’ll learn why roadrunners are becoming more common in Kansas, and we have news from Wichita and around the state.

The Land Institute in Salina is celebrating its 50th year and KMUW's Torin Andersen recently caught up event planner Kelly Yarbrough to learn about her approach to artmaking. And we have news from Wichita and around the state.

We'll hear Jedd Beaudoin's conversation with Texas-based musician Troy Campbell, founder of The House of Songs which builds collaborations with musicians from multiple communities. And we have news from Wichita and around the state.

Texas singer-songwriter Summer Dean says that she has some unexpected training for live performance in her youth. We'll hear more, and we have news from Wichita and around the state.

How dirty sodas became Wichita's hottest drink trend. We'll hear more from Hugo Phan, and we have news from Wichita and around the state.

A novel way to battle the high cost of healthcare. We'll hear about Medical Loan Closets, and we have news from Wichita and around the state.

KMUW's Carla Eckels recently spoke with award-winning author, journalist and Wichita native, Mark McCormick, who recently released a new collection of articles. We'll hear that, and we have news from Wichita and around the state.

A decade ago, a federal task force announced a plan to help monarch butterflies along their great migration, particularly Interstate-35, from Minnesota to Texas. We'll hear about what happened to the "Monarch Highway," and we have news from Wichita and around the state.

The Trump administration and Congress have made massive changes to federal food benefits in the last year. That’s impacting rural areas, where food insecurity is on par with urban centers. We'll hear how rural areas are feeling the effects of changes to food aid, and we have news from Wichita and around the state.

Federal officials targeted four Kansas schools for their policies surrounding transgender students. But what is it like to be a transgender student at one of the districts? We'll hear more on one student’s experience, and we have news from Wichita and around the state.

25 years after 9/11, we remember how that day unfolded in a Kansas classroom. And we have news from Wichita and around the state.

Studies show that one in five Kansas adults cannot read well enough to understand instruction manuals or healthcare forms. Adult education programs are trying to close that gap. We'll learn about the state of adult literacy in Kansas, and we have news from Wichita and around the state.

Before Roger Marshall was a U.S. senator, he was an obstetrician-gynecologist in western Kansas. He stopped practicing when he ran for Congress in 2016. Now, a new report from The New York Times shows Marshall sued approximately 700 of his patients over medical debt. More than 80 of them ended up being arrested over what they owed. We'll hear more on that story, from the New York Times reporter wh...

About four years ago, Wichita educator Raul Rangel took his first trip overseas for a study abroad program in France. That trip inspired an audacious lifetime quest to visit every country in the world. KMUW’s Suzanne Perez talks with Rangel about his global travels. Plus we have news from Wichita and around the state.

This summer’s drought has been rough on crops, including sunflowers. And while this year’s sunflower season might be brief, it’s sure to be glorious. We’ll join KMUW’s Lu Anne Stephens in a sunflower field north of Lawrence, and we have news from Wichita and around the state.

The Trump administration has eliminated thousands of federal jobs for experts who help farmers with conservation efforts. We'll hear how cuts at the Natural Resources Conservation Service are impacting farmers and the environment, and we have news from Wichita and around the state.

Wichita musician Craig Owens releases a new album, The River, this Friday with. the Bodo Ensemble. Jedd Beaudoin talks with Owens. And we have news from Wichita and around the state.

The dancers in Ballet Wichita's "Alice in Wonderland" summer tour range from older professionals to young children. And this show requires more than just classic dance technique. We take a look at the dancers who are bringing Alice, the Mad Hatter and the March Hare to stages across Kansas. And news from Wichita and around the state.

Just outside of Pittsburg, Kansas, is an unlikely destination for fried chicken lovers. Nearly right next to each other are two iconic restaurants known for their fried chicken and their charm. We’ll hear about Chicken Annie’s and Chicken Mary’s. And we have news from Wichita and around the state.

Midwest prairies are turning into woodland. Ranchers are trying to stop this change, but it’s an uphill battle. Now some ranchers are testing out totally new approaches to the problem. We'll hear more, and we have news from Wichita and around the state.