Brian Ellison
Host/ContributorAs a host and contributor at KCUR, I seek to create a more informed citizenry and richer community. I want to enlighten and inspire our audience by delivering the information they need with accuracy and urgency, clarifying what’s complicated and teasing out the complexities of what seems simple. I work to craft conversations that reveal realities in our midst and model civil discourse in a divided world. Follow me on Twitter @ptsbrian or email me at brian@kcur.org.
Having studied for careers in both journalism and the ministry, I've served as a Presbyterian minister in Kansas City since 1999 and part-time in KCUR's newsroom and talk show studios since 2008. I'm the substitute host of KCUR's Up to Date, an occasional newscaster, and anchor election night coverage. From 2015 to 2019, I hosted the award-winning KCUR political podcast Statehouse Blend Missouri. I've been part of teams recognized awards from the Radio Television Digital News Association, the Society of Professional Journalists, and the Religion News Association. My reporting has included appearances on NPR's Here and Now and national election coverage and KCPT's Kansas City Week in Review. I continue to preach, teach and organize as executive director of a national non-profit organization. My partner Troy and I live in Kansas City with our dog daughter Willoughby, who is lovable, if a bit much.
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Participants at a fundraiser for the Johnson County GOP earlier this month took turns kicking, punching and pummeling an effigy of President Biden, leading to bipartisan outrage and demands of resignations. What does the incident say about the Kansas Republican Party and its future?
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In the wake of last year's contentious fight over zoning laws in Prairie Village, new bills in the Kansas Legislature would threaten local control over rezoning and limit cities' ability to stop citizen petitions. The proposals are being fiercely opposed by cities across Johnson County.
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Kansas’ second-largest city is a food-lover’s paradise with some of the best Asian food in the metro, including Chinese dim sum and all-you-can-eat Korean BBQ. There’s no shortage of classic barbecue joints and fine-dining establishments either.
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The shooting that followed last week's Chiefs Super Bowl victory celebration has restarted a familiar conversation about gun control, even among elected officials who fled together for safety when the gunfire broke out. Could such a high-profile tragedy foster bipartisan changes to gun laws?
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The Kansas City Chiefs have won their third Super Bowl title in five years, and are the first back-to-back NFL champions in almost 20 years.
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A small band of far-right conservative state senators in Missouri has drawn the ire of even their fellow Republicans. Their goal is to make it even harder to change the state constitution for issues like protecting abortion rights. And they might succeed.
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During this year's NFL playoffs, burning and smashing the Shawnee shop's "Burnt Bills" and "Roasted Ravens" donuts were a good luck charm for Chiefs fans. A similar donut will be available for their Super Bowl matchup against the San Francisco 49ers.
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With the Chiefs back in the Super Bowl and March Madness right around the corner, what better time to catch a game at your neighborhood sports bar? Here’s a list of Kansas City’s best watering holes with big TVs and great food.
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Last week saw significant developments in two deeply divisive areas of Missouri law. What will lawmakers do with legislation limiting transgender rights and health care this year, and will voters enshrine abortion rights in the state constitution?
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Missouri’s first Asian American woman elected to the General Assembly says it hasn’t always been easy to serve. State Rep. Emily Weber, from Kansas City, reflects on race and equity in Missouri government, and the rest of this year’s legislative agenda.