Susan B. Wilson

Kansas City, MO – Mayor Mark Funkhouser says he wants to come up with new ideas for redeveloping economically distressed parts of the city. Funkhouser contends that in recent years, developers have been in the driver's seat steering projects to wealthy areas while overlooking the third and fifth districts on the East Side. In the meantime, people have flocked to the suburbs; the Kansas City tax base is in jeopardy.

When parents devote 18 or more years to child-rearing, they often look forward to getting back to goals, dreams and hobbies that they had put aside. But some grandparents get thrust back into the parenting role, and have to put those things aside. Throughout the country, there are over 5.7 million children being raised by their grandparents - one of the most famous just became president.

Kansas City, MO – The Second Sudanese Civil War started in 1983, when brutal attacks on villages began. Many southern Sudanese were forced to flee persecution by Muslims in northern Sudan. By the time the war was over, two million people had been killed and an estimated 27,000 boys were or orphaned. The "Lost Boys" embarked on a long journey away from the war torn villages to seek refuge in international aid camps in Ethiopia and Kenya. They faced disease, hunger, thirst wild animals, and many did not survive the journey.

Kansas City, MO – In 2006, UMKC's Black Studies program was de-stabilized after several faculty members left. Charges of institutional racism were leveled against the university. At the time, KCUR's Laura Ziegler spoke to the Black Studies director Don Matthews, who described what he saw as the problem.

Kansas City, MO – We've seen more discouraging signs in the economy this past week, but Monday, November 17th marks the start of Global Entrepreneurship Week. That's right. Some experts argue that this period of economic downturn may be a good time to start a new business - as long as you're careful. KC Currents' Susan B. Wilson sat down with the Kauffman Foundation's FastTrac program director Monica Doss to find out how it's possible.

Kansas City, MO – It's been a tough couple of weeks for Kansas City Mayor Mark Funkhouser. Bills are skyrocketing, while citizen satisfaction scores are dropping. The light rail proposal, which the mayor campaigned intensely for, failed at the ballot box. And, the Kansas City Star officially retracted its endorsement of the mayor last weekend. KC Currents' Susan Wilson caught up with the mayor , and asked him where he thinks the city is heading.

Kansas City, MO – This week, international trade leaders from the United States, Mexico and Canada met in Kansas City for the annual North America Works conference. Since NAFTA took effect in 1994, some local leaders have been trying to promote Kansas City as a hub for international trade.

NAFTA has its critics from both the left and the right, and the election of Barack Obama may change the direction of the US trade policy.

Kansas City, MO – Pundits are saying turnout in the African American community will play a decisive factor in the presidential election, and will certainly influence state and local races here in Kansas and Missouri. One of the oldest black political clubs in the nation is here in Kansas City. That's Freedom Incorporated. Just this week, KCUR's Susan Wilson caught up with Freedom's president Craig Bland, who's also a state rep in Missouri. She asked Representative Bland how Freedom is gearing up for Tuesday's election.

Kansas City, MO – Reverend Stan Archie is a Missouri State Board of Education member. Archie was also selected by the National Association of State Boards of Education (NASBE) to serve on a school reform task force focusing on middle school issues. As someone who hears all sides in the education debate, Archie seems to think that the answer lies somewhere in between. KC Currents' Susan Wilson reports.

Kansas City, MO – Last month, thousands of people gathered on the east side of Kansas City to rally against violence. The month of August had seen a record number of homicides, and some church leaders say they are going to start working together on the problem.

Kansas City, MO – With the economic crisis and the war in Iraq on people's minds, the issue of education often gets put on the back burner. It has barely been mentioned in the presidential debates so far.

The country's largest teacher's union, the National Education Association, is trying to make sure public education is not overlooked, and that the votes of teachers are not taken for granted by either party.