Kansas City Today

The World Cup is just over a week away. But for hosts like Kansas City, there are still a lot of unknowns. Is Kansas City ready for the World Cup? Kansas City has been preparing rigorously over the past four years for the World Cup. From a new airport to a revamped transportation service, the city has put in work getting itself presentable for the big event. Yet, Kansas City's campaign to host the...

Fifteen people say they were physically assaulted by staff, and some sexually abused by other residents, at Change Academy at Lake of the Ozarks, a youth residential treatment center in Missouri that takes in children from across the country. A residential treatment center in Missouri has said it aims to become to childhood trauma what St. Jude is to childhood cancer. But some former residents say...

Industries and cities used to pollute rivers so heavily that at least one caught fire a dozen times. But like the Spring River in Kansas, some waterways are now bouncing back. Plus: Residents in a small Kansas town are upset about a smelly landfill.  For around a century, heavy metals from one of the world's top lead and zinc mining regions pummeled the Spring River, which flows from the Missouri...

World Cup officials have said 650,000 soccer fans will visit Kansas City over the course of the monthlong tournament. But how will we know how many actually show up? Hear what we're seeing in the weeks before the FIFA World Cup. Steve Kraske spoke with reporter and Up To Date producer Halle Jackson about how many soccer fans Kansas City should expect between now and mid-July, and how organizers an...

Kansas City metro bus riders now have to pay fares after six years of free rides. KCUR's Nomin Ujiyediin spoke with government and politics reporter Savannah Hawley-Bates about the new rates and which residents will qualify for free or reduced fares. Contact the show at news@kcur.org. Follow KCUR on Instagram and Facebook for the latest news. Kansas City Today is hosted by Nomin Ujiyediin. It is p...

For immigrants looking to stay in the U.S legally, asylum is often their last hope, but judges are denying more claims. Plus: A Missouri man living in the U.S. for 25 years will be deported to Mexico after authorities pulled him over for not having a front license plate. Millions of immigrants apply for asylum in the U.S. every year, protecting them from deportation. But judges in Kansas City’s im...

More than 45,000 habeas corpus cases have flooded federal courts across the country with petitioners alleging their detention was illegal. In Missouri, Kansas, Iowa and Nebraska, these filings have been overwhelmingly successful, according to an analysis by the Marshall Project and the Midwest Newsroom. Nomin Ujiyediin spoke with reporters Katie Moore and Luke Nozicka of The Midwest Newsroom and T...

Jackson County legislative Chairman Manny Abarca, now a candidate for county executive, was banned from Paseo Academy for what school officials deemed “unsafe” behavior in the building. We’ll hear details of the letter to Abarca from Kansas City Public Schools’ legal counsel.  KCUR reporter Sam Zeff shared details about Chairman Abarca's legal woes with Steve Kraske on KCUR's Up To Date.  Contact...

Missouri Attorney General Catherine Hanaway calls crypto currency ATMs “getaway cars for fraud.” She discusses how her office is cracking down on the scams, and how to identify the red flags — plus talks about ongoing lawsuits over redistricting. Hear that conversation with Steve Kraske from KCUR's Up To Date.  Contact the show at news@kcur.org. Follow KCUR on Instagram and Facebook for the latest...

The FIFA World Cup is coming to town next month and one Olathe teacher is making sure her students know what's happening — and who's coming to town. We'll hear how local students are becoming experts on the different countries coming to play in Kansas City this summer. Contact the show at news@kcur.org. Follow KCUR on Instagram and Facebook for the latest news. Kansas City Today is hosted by Nomin...

With the costs of groceries rising and food assistance falling, community gardens can help keep healthy produce on a family's table. We’ll hear how food banks and other groups around Kansas are growing their own. As grocery prices rise, some community organizations are growing their own produce and creating community gardens to help fight food insecurity. Organizers say fresh vegetables are only s...

School districts across the Kansas City metro are navigating financial challenges as they cope with fewer students and state funding shortfalls. Plus: Researchers believe that Gen Z may be reaching for a cigarette more often than members of older generations. Contact the show at news@kcur.org. Follow KCUR on Instagram and Facebook for the latest news. Kansas City Today is hosted by Nomin Ujiyediin...

After the World Cup, Kansas Citians relying on public transportation will find it even harder to catch a ride to work. Inadequate regional funding is forcing the KCATA to slash routes in September. During the World Cup, there will be a major expansion of Kansas City's public transportation services. But once that excitement ends, the KCATA plans to cut more than one-fourth of its weekday bus route...

The Missouri Supreme Court ruled last week that the congressional maps lawmakers drew in 2025 to give Republicans a boost in this year’s midterm elections will stay in effect. What could this mean for the political future of Democratic Congressman Emanuel Cleaver II? The state's top court recently ruled new congressional maps are constitutional. KCUR's Steve Kraske spoke with both Jason Rosenbaum,...

Kansas City is bustling today, but it wasn’t always destined to be that way. Hear how Irish immigrants literally carved the city's first streets.  In the 19th century, towering limestone bluffs dominated Kansas City’s geography. That is, until a charismatic Catholic priest recruited hundreds of Irish immigrants to haul it away. From the podcast “A People’s History of Kansas City,” Jacob Smollen re...

Two nonprofits are building a network of donors and supplying breast milk to Kansas hospitals to support new moms who aren't able to produce their own. Plus: Some farmers are changing the model of community-supported agriculture to appeal to today’s consumer preferences. Contact the show at news@kcur.org. Follow KCUR on Instagram and Facebook for the latest news. Kansas City Today is hosted by Nom...

The Kansas City Council recently removed a 75-year-old rule that required businesses to provide a certain number of parking spots. Some residents and visitors say the change will exacerbate an already frustrating parking situation. Contact the show at news@kcur.org. Follow KCUR on Instagram and Facebook for the latest news. Kansas City Today is hosted by Nomin Ujiyediin. It is produced by Jacob Sm...

An Olathe native will officiate some of the 2026 FIFA World Cup matches. We’ll learn what it took to land a spot on the referee crew and how he’s preparing for the massive event. Kyle Atkins shared how he's getting ready for the tournament with Steve Kraske on KCUR's daily talk show, Up To Date.  Contact the show at news@kcur.org. Follow KCUR on Instagram and Facebook for the latest news. Kansas C...

After passing a $51 billion budget, Missouri lawmakers return to Jefferson City for the final week of this year's session. Hear what's in and what's out of this year's funding package, and which big issues remain on the agenda in this final week. KCUR's Brian Ellison sat down with Rudi Keller of the Missouri Independent to talk about the final week of legislative session. Contact the show at news@...

During the first weekend in May, Latinos from across Kansas City celebrated 100 years of a beloved Cinco de Mayo fiesta at the Guadalupe Centers. What began as an annual celebration of Mexican immigrants and their cultural roots has grown into a weekend-long block party filled with music, food and the chance for longtime supporters to reconnect. We’re bringing you an occasional series about Kansas...

Tornado warning sirens have been a frequent sound in the Kansas City area so far this year. This month is likely to be much of the same, according to Zachary Leasor, a state climatologist with the University of Missouri.  Contact the show at news@kcur.org. Follow KCUR on Instagram and Facebook for the latest news. Kansas City Today is hosted by Nomin Ujiyediin. It is produced by Jacob Smollen and...

It’s getting more difficult to find an attorney in rural Kansas as people retire. Now, the state is offering incentives to attract a new generation of lawyers. But filling the civic leadership roles left by veteran lawyers will not be easy.  Contact the show at news@kcur.org. Follow KCUR on Instagram and Facebook for the latest news. Kansas City Today is hosted by Nomin Ujiyediin. It is produced b...

Residents of a rural Johnson County community are confronting a new data center proposal from San Francisco-based Beale Infrastructure, just weeks after they blocked a similar proposal. KCUR's Steve Kraske spoke with Taylor O’Connor, reporter at The Kansas City Star, about what she learned from residents in the area.  Contact the show at news@kcur.org. Follow KCUR on Instagram and Facebook for the...

Pastor Adam Hamilton of Leawood went on a tour of Kansas the last couple of months to explore running for the U.S. Senate. Now, he's officially in — as a Democrat. We'll discuss how Hamilton's entrance has injected energy and controversy into the race to unseat Republican Sen. Roger Marshall.  So why is this preacher with no elected experience getting so much attention? KCUR's Brian Ellison talked...

When a Kansas City opera held auditions of older dogs for a new production, canine owners around the metro answered the call. Meet the working dogs trying out for a critical role in “Of Mice and Men." Plus: We'll take a tour of the Kansas Statehouse and a new mural depicting 13 women’s civil rights advocates. A recent casting call for a Kansas City opera sought an actor with a gentle temperament w...