Kansas City Today

A new Kansas City Star investigation reveals that the plaintiff in a case brought forward against the city by Missouri Attorney General Catherine Hanaway has ties to the mafia.

Midwest lawmakers have tried and failed to ban paraquat, a toxic weedkiller that’s been tied to Parkinson’s disease. One state senator plans to keep fighting. Plus: The federal government has released new rules controlling how farmers can use the controversial herbicide dicamba.

The August primary elections were big for Johnson County Democrats, with primary wins for U.S. Senate candidate Adam Hamilton and Kansas governor candidate Cindy Holscher. What should voters expect in November, and what does it say about the future of the party and the state? History would suggest it will be a tough election for Democrats in Kansas this November. On the surface, at least, Republic...

Purple martins are back in Kansas. Thousands of the birds are gathering near the Wichita airport each evening as they prepare for their annual migration. Plus: A small town in south-central Kansas proudly bears the nickname “Midway USA,” positioning itself firmly between California and New York. Tens of thousands of purple martins are meeting up in Wichita in preparation for their annual migration...

Missouri's candidates are set for the November general election under a redrawn congressional map. But with Kansas City's three districts carved to specifically benefit Republicans, even longtime Rep. Emanuel Cleaver II faces a tough race.

Childcare costs in Missouri and Kansas can now rival a mortgage for working families, but two Midwestern lawmakers are fighting to change that. Plus: After the Affordable Care Act tax credits lapsed, healthcare premiums spiked for millions of farmers and ranchers.

State Sen. Rick Brattin was selected by voters during last week's primary election as the Republican candidate for Missouri's 5th Congressional District, a seat currently held by Democratic U.S. Rep. Emanuel Cleaver II. The 5th District is expected to lean more Republican under newly drawn congressional maps.

Two winners of last week's primaries are aiming for their first terms representing Missouri in Congress next year. We'll hear how Republican Chris Stigall and Democrat Jordan Herrera plan to unite their respective parties and secure seats in Washington. Senior News Analyst Brian Ellison spoke with both Stigall and Herrera on the KCUR's daily talk show Up To Date.  Contact the show at news@kcur.org...

Drive-in theaters have shown movies under the stars for generations, and many Kansas filmgoers still see value for these nostalgic experiences in a changing movie landscape. Plus: There’s a chance the wheat in your spaghetti could be grown in western Kansas in the next few years. In the 1950’s, drive-in screens towered over the Kansas prairie. But challenges like shifting viewing habits have cause...

Missouri Secretary of State Denny Hoskins rejected a citizen referendum that would have given voters the chance to overturn the new Republican-drawn congressional map. Hoskins said the measure was unconstitutional, but the group People Not Politicians said he's being "obstructionist."

Missouri residents overwhelmingly voted against proposals to eliminate the income tax and change how citizens can change the Missouri constitution. Meanwhile, Kansans elected Reverend Adam Hamilton as the Democratic opponent to U.S. Sen. Roger Marshall and Democrat Cindy Holscher and Republican Ty Masterson will face each other in the race for Kansas governor. KCUR's Brian Ellison breaks it all do...

Today, Missourians will decide the fate of a proposed constitutional amendment that gives lawmakers the ability to expand sales and use taxes in order to eliminate the state income tax.

Missouri Republicans want to make it harder to amend the state’s constitution, but even backers of Amendment 4 acknowledge it’s getting a rough reception. Plus: Missouri’s 6th Congressional District has an open race for the first time since 2000. Missourians will decide Tuesday whether to make it harder for some constitutional amendments to be enacted. Backers say that the current process drowns o...

Missouri’s Republican supermajority redrew the state’s congressional boundaries last year to make the Kansas City-based 4th and 5th districts a tougher battle for Democrats. We'll talk through the races before Tuesday's primary — the first election under the newly gerrymandered map. Rep. Emanuel Cleaver II, and the Kansas City-based 5th Congressional District, have been front and center in Missour...

People living in homeless encampments say Missouri and Kansas cities have been more aggressive about enforcement since a landmark U.S. Supreme Court decision. Plus: Latino communities in Wichita are on edge after immigration agents asked a bus full of people to present proof of citizenship.

As Gov. Laura Kelly finishes out her last term in office, seven Republicans and three Democrats are making their case to replace her. Find out about the candidates before the Aug. 4 primary. Plus: The cyclospora outbreak has some people scrutinizing where their produce comes from.

The World Cup has come and gone in Kansas City. What could the city's success as a host city mean for future events?

In the Aug. 4 election, Kansas Citians will decide whether to extend a sales tax aimed at re-developing neighborhoods east of Troost, and vote on $1.7 billion in bonds for water and sewers. What's at stake in the votes? Kansas City Star Dylan Lysen gives Steve Kraske a breakdown of the measures on KCUR's daily talk show, Up To Date.  Contact the show at news@kcur.org. Follow KCUR on Instagram and...

Maud Wagner, one of the country’s first known female commercial tattoo artists, was born in Emporia, Kansas. She joined a sideshow act with her sister until a fateful meeting pushed her to pursue carnival stardom, inked from head to toe. Memorabilia from Wagner's career makes up a large body of this country’s early tattoo artifacts. From A People's History of Kansas City, KCUR’s Julie Denesha repo...

Experts say affordable housing and a lower cost of living are driving people back into the Midwest. Plus: Many farmers are worried whether they'll see a profit this year thanks to high supply costs.

Kansas City opened its doors to thousands of international visitors during the World Cup. What kind of impressions did we make?

Five Republicans are running to replace U.S. Rep. Sam Graves in Missouri’s 6th District. Conservative talk show radio host Chris Stigall talks policy ahead of the August primary.

Several Republicans are running to replace U.S. Rep. Sam Graves, who isn’t running for reelection, in Missouri’s 6th district. Kansas City Councilmember Nathan Willett shares what his priorities would be if he is elected and why he thinks he’s the right fit for the job. St. Louis Public Radio Politics correspondent Jason Rosenbaum spoke with Willett, who claimed he was "proud" to not have Graves'...

The biggest natural disaster ever to hit Kansas City struck 75 years ago. The Black Friday Flood of 1951 is remembered as bigger, nastier and worse than you can probably imagine.  Kansas City’s biggest catastrophe hit 75 years ago, when the Black Friday Flood poured millions of gallons of toxic stew through neighborhoods and into the heart of the region’s industrial area. As KCUR’s Frank Morris re...

Immigrants without legal status can find themselves facing deportation to a country where they have no ties. Independence resident Alisa Ramdial Shahib is the latest.