Steve Bell

News Reporter

Afternoon reporter Steve Bell brings more than 40 years of news experience to the KCUR newsroom. Fifteen of those years he served as a news or program director. His first newscast was at KANU in 1958. He has hosted news and talk programs on five Kansas city AM-FM stations and two commercial TV stations and was for many years the the signature voice of KCPT-19. Since joining KCUR in 2001, Steve has won two  first place awards from Public Radio News Directors International -- for best newscast and best feature reporting.  He has also received a number of awards from the Missouri Broadcasters Association and the Kansas City Society of Professional Journalists.  Steve  has a Ph.D. in psychology and dabbles in guitar and banjo playing.

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Headlines
8:35 am
Sat May 4, 2013

Top Stories Of The Week

The United States Attorney General challenged a new Kansas gun rights law. And Ford finally announced how many new jobs are coming to its Kansas City plant. KCUR's Steve Bell recaps on those and other top stories of the week on the KCUR Saturday News Review.

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Government
12:10 am
Thu May 2, 2013

City TV Channel To Go Digital

Credit City of Kansas City, MO

 

Kansas Citians can expect the picture to get sharper on Channel 2, the city government's cable TV channel.

The station is preparing to go digital HD. The city council finance committee has endorsed a $300,000 expenditure for new equipment to replace the 20-year-old control room equipment that is the backbone of the city's cable television communication system.

KCCG Channel 2 broadcasts council legislative and committee meetings and other city government related programs. It also rebroadcasts some meetings of the Jackson County Legislature.

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Headlines
7:21 pm
Fri April 26, 2013

Top Stories Of The Week

Credit Greg Echlin
Chiefs NFL draft pick Eric Fisher and his mother

The Chiefs drafted a big guy. And Missouri lawmakers were saying “yes” to tax cuts but “no" to Medicaid expansion and gun control. KCUR's Steve Bell recaps on those and other top stories of the week on the KCUR Saturday News Review.

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Government
1:24 am
Fri April 26, 2013

Airport Bus Privatization Plan Gets A Flat 'No' From Council

Credit KC Aviation Department

A city council that is nodding yes on airport officials' study of a new single terminal concept at KCI was not impressed with a plan to privatize the bus service at the airport.

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Government
1:27 am
Thu April 25, 2013

Racial, Police Issues Put Youth Curfew Change On Hold

As discussion opened  third district councilman Jermaine Reed expressed concern that all 34 tickets issued last year were to African-American kids.

That prompted a surprise appearance from Mayor Sly James who admonished the group to stick to the issue and not drift off into race relations. James agreed that the problem has some racial factors, but insisted that they are not the heart of the problem and that the city cannot allow the public to have the impression that it is not safe to go to some of its entertainment districts.

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Headlines
7:24 pm
Fri April 19, 2013

Top Stories Of The Week

Credit HDR, City of Kansas City
Photo illustration of a streetcar operating southbound on Main Street at 19th Street.

Sprint got a second suitor. And two Kansas Cities became partners in studying a streetcar line expansion. KCUR's Steve Bell looks back at those and other top stories on this week's Saturday News Review.

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Government
3:11 am
Fri April 19, 2013

Council Moves On Streetcar Expansion, Seat Belts

Credit HDR, City of Kansas City
Kansas City's proposed streetcar system

Kansas City, Missouri and North Kansas City are exploring extending the forthcoming downtown streetcar line into the Northland. Both city councils have now signed off on the collaboration.

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Government
1:36 am
Thu April 18, 2013

Port Authority Owes City $135,000 For Old Billing Errors

An investigation into Kansas City's port authority that began during Mark Funkhouser's administration may be coming to closure with the agency getting a substantial bill from the city.

 

An audit reviewed by the council finance committee Wednesday concludes that the city should try to recover $135,000 the city paid out for the repurposing of the old Richards Gebaur Air Force Base.

Auditors turned up over $92,000 in duplicate payments and almost $42,000 in vendor overcharges.

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Government
12:04 am
Mon April 15, 2013

Agencies Resist Economic Development Plan

Mayor Sly James is expressing some frustration with late-in-the-game resistance to his Advance KC economic development consolidation program.

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Headlines
6:57 pm
Fri April 12, 2013

Top Stories Of The Week

Plans for a new airport terminal moved ahead. And Kansas Citians got to meet the man who played Branch Rickey., Han Solo and Indiana Jones.

 

 

Harrison Ford, Celebs Boost Negro Leagues At “42” Showing

Harrison Ford fans and baseball fans were out in force to see the star outside Thursday's special pre-release showing of the movie “42” about how Jackie Robinson broke the color line in Major League Baseball.

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Government
10:30 am
Fri April 12, 2013

Ads Question Nixon Administration Record Controversy

As the controversy over scanned documents and other personal information continues in Jefferson City, television viewers might get the impression a statewide election is imminent, though it is not.

The ads begin with an on-screen question: “Is Jay Nixon's administration breaking the law?”

The commercials proceed, like some campaign ads, but the campaign for governor was last November.

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Government
2:46 am
Fri April 12, 2013

Council Endorses Airport Plan

The Kansas City city council has voted to move ahead with laying plans for a single-terminal concept for KCI Airport.  though, that it doesn't guarantee that a new terminal will be built.

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Headlines
2:40 am
Sat April 6, 2013

Top Stories Of The Week

Credit Kansas City aviation department
Proposed new KCI airport at night

Wyandotte County elected a new mayor. Kansas City voted “yes, yes and no.” And a council committee voted to give wings to plans for a new airport. KCUR's Steve Bell recaps on those and other top stories of the week on the KCUR Saturday News Review.

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Government
1:41 am
Fri April 5, 2013

Single Terminal KCI Plan Advances

KCI officials get a tentative go-ahead to proceed with planning for a new single-terminal airport. A city council committee has scheduled a full council vote next week.

Both the Transportation and Infrastructure committee and the full council heard presentations on the plan this morning.

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Government
12:40 am
Thu April 4, 2013

Mayweather Gaffe Spawns Tighter Funding Rules

Credit Library of Congress
Council chambers.

A city council committee has reacted to an event funding fiasco.  Concerns arose when a local group got $15,000 in city money to bring in boxer Floyd Mayweather for a youth event.

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