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Kansas City Museum, Oz Memorabilia, KC Creative Couples

Susan B. Wilson
/
KCUR

Union Station Issues Statement On Museum Agreement With City

It came as a shock to a lot of people when Kansas City Museum director Christopher Leitch was let go last month by the management of Union Station. The two institutions merged back in 2000, but have had a rocky relationship ever since.  And now it’s really unclear what the future will be for both institutions.  KCUR arts reporter Laura Spencer has been following the fall-out from the departure of the museum’s director.

Redefining The Co-op In Ways Big And Small

One in five adults over age 15 is a member of a cooperative, according to the United Nations. That’s 1 billion people worldwide. And the UN says co-ops will be the fastest-growing business model by the year 2025. But here in the U.S., the number of co-ops has been steadily declining, down 40 percent from 1993. The co-op model, long a staple of Midwestern agricultural communities, is being redefined in ways big and small.

Following in Darwin’s Footsteps: Two Young Women Scientists Forge Their Futures in the Galapagos

Charles Darwin revolutionized science. His theory of evolution was based on careful observations of birds and other wildlife in places like the Galapagos Islands. But one thing that has been really slow to evolve is the gender mix in science; men still dominate many scientific field just like they did in Darwin’s day, more than 150 years ago. But gradually, more women are breaking in, including two young scientists from Missouri who landed in the Galapagos.

From The Land Of Oz And Proud Of It

If you’re from Kansas, or even from Kansas City, Missouri, no matter where you go in the world, someone’s going to make a crack about Dorothy, or Toto. But not everyone here is trying to escape the legacy of The Wizard of Oz. Topeka-born Jane Albright is a director of the International Wizard of Oz Club. She talks about the legacy of the Oz book series, the new movie and the collection that’s taken over the top floor of her house.

Kansas City Creative Couples: Rexroth & Skidmore

This week in our series on Kansas City’s Creative Couples, we profile Ayla Rexroth and Clayton Skidmore, two visual artists turned curators, who opened Subterranean Gallery in the basement of a building in Hyde Park.  The gallery doubles as their apartment, and has played a big role in their relationship. As the two have showcased the work of other local artists and hosted events and exhibitions, they’ve had a few adventures of their own in their seven years together.

World Choral Fest Grows From Kansas City Roots

The first-ever World Choral Fest was held last month in Dublin, Ireland and was the brainchild of Tracy Resseguie who heads of the choir program at Staley High School in the North Kansas City School district. This international, inter-generational festival was first inspired by Resseguie's great grandfather, who immigrated from Norway to Iowa in 1890. Today, the festival brings singers and composers together from different parts of the world, including some Kansans.

Sylvia Maria Gross is storytelling editor at KCUR 89.3. Reach her on Twitter @pubradiosly.
A native of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, Susan admits that her “first love” was radio, being an avid listener since childhood. However, she spent much of her career in mental health, healthcare administration, and sports psychology (Susan holds a PhD in clinical psychology from the University of Pittsburgh in Pittsburgh Pennsylvania and an MBA from the Bloch School of Business at UMKC.) In the meantime, Wilson satisfied her journalistic cravings by doing public speaking, providing “expert” interviews for local television, and being a guest commentator/contributor to KPRS’s morning drive time show and the teen talk show “Generation Rap.”
As a health care reporter, I aim to empower my audience to take steps to improve health care and make informed decisions as consumers and voters. I tell human stories augmented with research and data to explain how our health care system works and sometimes fails us. Email me at alexs@kcur.org.
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