Kansas City, MO – Home foreclosures in the Kansas City metro region rose 11 percent from June to July. That's an additional 19 hundred homes, according to the Kansas City Business Journal.

Nationwide, foreclosures rose 4 percent in July, far fewer than the KC metro jump.

Jackson County had the most with one in every 281 houses, followed by Wyandotte County, one in every 294 homes. Johnson was lowest. it saw 283 foreclosure filings. The Business Journal reports that amounted to one in every 767 homes.

Walt Bodine welcomes back the movie critics with a look at the latest and greatest films playing in local theaters.

Kansas City, MO – Children in Kansas and Missouri are facing new immunization requirements as they return to school this year.

Steve Kraske talks with George Harter, Executive Director of Musical Theater Heritage, and others about the new production of 1776.

By Up to Date

Kansas City, MO – Sherman Edwards was a pop-song composer working in the Brill Building in New York. "See You In September" was his most well-known contribution. Until one day in 1966, when he announced he couldn't deal with rock songs anymore and walked out of the office, saying he had an idea for a musical he wanted to write.

By Maria Carter

Kansas City, MO – The Johnson County, Kansas government will spend $15 million dollsars less next year as sales and property tax revenues continue to fall. The county commission voted-in a $794 million budget to operate in 2011.

A sheriff's deputy was injured and an inmate she was transporting was killed in a crash on Interstate 70 near the Kansas Speedway.

Steve Kraske and guests look back at the best performances of last season and provide a preview of the upcoming performing arts season.

By Up to Date

Kansas City, MO – The 2009-2010 theater, music, and dance season has come to an end and the 2010-2011 season is getting ready to kick off.

Steve Kraske talks with the KC Star's theater critic Bob Trussell and Paul Horsley, performing arts editor, music and dance critic for The Independent.

By Steve Bell

Kansas City, MO –

Olathe, KS – The Johnson County Kansas budget for next year cuts 159 jobs and reduces spending by $15 million. As passed by unanimous vote today , the spending plan does not raise taxes

Income will not equal outflow in 2011 and the county will need to draw on its reserves.

Fort Leavenworth, KS – A chance discovery on a Fort Leavenworth physical training field has made a connection between two people, one of them recently killed in combat. KCUR's Dan Verbeck has the story.

There's a lot of distance in rank between a mid level enlisted man and a full colonel. The two classes don't mix much. But this was different.

When directors are casting a musical that's been staged before, they're often dependent on what it originally looked like.

Kansas City, MO – The concept of non-traditional casting switches up that formula, putting actors of different genders, race or age into roles that weren't written that way.

Musical Theater Heritage opens a production of "1776" this weekend, boldly asserting that shows don't have to be held hostage to history.

"1776" runs through August 29th at the Off Center Theater in Crown Center.