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Bright pedicabs are zipping across Kansas City during the World Cup and they're here to stay. Plus: Organizers of a new music venue in Kansas City say it’s a place where the listening comes first. 515 Music Hub was a result of the city's Open Doors program for the World Cup, but wants to keep going after.

Missouri saw 2,690 deaths from Alzheimer's in 2024 — a 145% increase since 2000. One southeast Missouri couple is trying to convince lawmakers their support is critical. Plus: A substance abuse counselor in Kansas City has developed secular recovery programs focused on inclusivity.

Kansas U.S. Senate candidate Erik Murray wants "solutions not chaos" on healthcare and the economy. He spoke on KCUR's Up to Date about the problems in Kansas that most need addressing.

The discovery of an ancient Kansas settlement named Etzanoa is challenging long-held views that all Indigenous people on the Great Plains were nomadic. Plus: Kansas boasts its own version of the Liberty Bell at a small town in Marion County.

First-term Kansas state Sen. Patrick Schmidt said the issues facing residents are greater than what can be addressed at the state level. He spoke on KCUR's Up to Date about why his experience sets him apart from his Democratic opponents.

If you go to any ice cream truck or swimming pool snack bar, you’ll likely find the red-white-and-blue Bomb Pop. The famous treat was invented in Kansas City in 1955. But when the popsicle first came out during the Cold War, some parents didn’t like the idea of selling a frozen weapon of war to children. The red, white and blue Bomb Pop popsicle is everywhere during the summertime. It's become the...

Cameras with license plate reader capabilities are used by law enforcement agencies and cities around the U.S. , including in Missouri and Kansas. But some residents are resisting the surveillance. Reporter Sam Zeff spoke with Steve Kraske on KCUR's Up To Date about what the cameras do, how much they cost and how some communities are responding. Contact the show at news@kcur.org. Follow KCUR on In...

It's a crowded primary race for Democrats hoping to take on incumbent Kansas Sen. Roger Marshall. Democrat Christy Davis spoke on KCUR's Up to Date about why she's running and how her experience working for the USDA sets her apart.

Rural hospitals in Kansas will use federal money to help them transform and expand access to healthcare. Some are creating new services like mobile maternal health clinics, but looming Medicaid cuts still mean many hospitals are at risk of closing.

Kansas City’s transit authority could become among the first in the nation to use AI-powered cameras on city buses to help strengthen security and more quickly detect banned passengers. But critics worry about privacy — and scaring away riders. KCUR reporter Savannah Hawley-Bates spoke with Up To Date producer Zach Wilson about the KCATA's potential launch of the cameras, and why some local advoca...

Only about 2% of aircraft pilots and flight engineers are Black. A group of men, inspired by the legacy of the Tuskegee Airmen, is trying to change that by highlighting careers in aviation. A KCUR reporter visited Red Tail Academy to learn about why that number is so low. The founders of the Red Tail Academy are trying to grow the relatively small number of Black people in the aviation industry. K...

Across the country, data centers have attracted controversy for everything from overuse of utilities to tax breaks. Now, some Missourians are trying to track down those details through public records requests, appearances at public meetings and other grassroots efforts. Companies such as Amazon and Google are looking for land to build new data centers in Missouri. As KBIA’s Finnegan Belleau report...

The Algerian men’s national team adopted Lawrence as its home base for the World Cup. In return, the Kansas college town embraced the team in a big way — and flooded the streets Monday when Algeria won its first match of the tournament. Locals are hosting watch parties, creating art, and even altering KU's classic chant into "Rock Chalk Algeria" to show their allegiance. KCUR’s Suzanne Hogan spoke...

Many fans going to the first World Cup match in Kansas City last week were delayed by hours-long traffic jams. Local organizers made some changes to the transit system ahead of Saturday's Ecuador-Curaçao game — but were they enough?

A recently released audit of Missouri’s finances shows the state is on the brink of a budget crisis. Missouri Auditor Scott Fitzpatrick discusses what his office found and how he wants elected officials to respond. State officials say Missouri is on the brink of a budget crisis. State Auditor Scott Fitzpatrick tells KCUR's Brian Ellison the state has a spending problem and how he thinks it can be...

Hundreds flocked to a Kansas greenhouse to witness the colorful and pungent bloom of a rare, very smelly plant. Plus: An important bridge in Wichita was added to the National Register of Historic Places, which supporters say will aid its future preservation. A small greenhouse at Southwestern College in Winfield, Kansas, was the place to be earlier this week if you wanted to catch the fleeting sme...

Kansas voters will soon decide if they want to elect justices to the state’s highest court, instead of the current merit-based nomination system. Some former Kansas Supreme Court members worry direct elections could interfere with important decision-making processes. The amendment change would have justices elected by voters instead of appointed by the state. Former Kansas Supreme Court justice Ca...

Soccer first came to Kansas City through youth leagues in the 1970s, and a co-founder of the Brookside Soccer Club tells us how it changed the city. Plus: We'll take you to last night's World Cup match between Argentina and Algeria, the first of six games in Kansas City. Youth soccer programs might seem ubiquitous in modern America, but not that long ago, there weren’t many options at all for youn...

A federal program under fire from the Trump Administration has bought and shipped American grain to the world’s hungry for seven decades. Hear why the fight to save “Food for Peace” raises a fundamental question about the focus of U.S. international food aid. U.S. international food aid programs have been through the wringer in the second Trump Administration. One of those programs, Food for Peace...

Leawood pastor Rev. Adam Hamilton thinks he can bridge the divide in Washington and bring costs down for the people of Kansas. He spoke to KCUR's Up To Date about why he decided to run for Sen. Roger Marshall's U.S. Senate seat. Hamilton oversees the largest United Methodist church in the country, and he's one of 11 candidates running for the Democratic nomination. Kansas hasn't elected a Democrat...

An Olathe police officer violated department policy by calling an ICE hotline during a traffic stop, a call that ultimately led to a man's deportation. Learn the details behind the traffic stop and an update on the man's family.   The officer remains employed at Olathe's police department months after the incident occurred in February. Johnson County Post reporter Kate Mays discusses the story wit...

A year ago, a group of concerned people in Missouri got together to help immigrants detained by ICE, and they've since expanded to seven affiliates in three states. Plus: Even though ICE raids are less visible than this winter, fear among immigrants remains high. One year ago, a man detained by ICE in the Phelps County Jail died by suicide. That led a group of concerned residents in Rolla, Missour...

Going to a World Cup game, for many, requires hours of sitting in online queues, months of planning and thousands of dollars. Still, for KCUR Health Reporter Noah Taborda, the opportunity is too important to pass up. Plus: Amateur soccer players in Kansas City are hoping to host their own local pickup games with players from other countries. KCUR Health Reporter Noah Taborda spent the last year pr...

Data centers are on the fast track in communities across the Midwest and Great Plains, but rising concerns over water, energy and noise leave lawmakers rushing to catch up. Plus: Supporters and opponents are debating a proposed data center in southwest Kansas. Development of large-scale data centers is booming across the Midwest and South. Local and state governments are rushing to regulate this g...

The Kansas City Council is bringing back its efforts to ban conversion therapy after it repealed a 2019 ordinance last month. Council member Jonathan Duncan discusses how the new proposal restricting "dangerous therapies" is intended to comply with a recent Supreme Court ruling. Conversion therapy is a scientifically discredited practice that aims to change an individual's gender or sexual identit...