KCUR

Before Poke Bowls Became Trendy, Bob Wasabi Searched The Globe To Create His Own In Kansas City

Bob Shin, who you might know as Bob Wasabi, is known around town for serving up some of the freshest fish in Kansas City, Missouri, at his small sushi restaurant on 39th Street. But, his daughter Tanya Shin says he has another nickname.

Thousands Call Missouri's Adult Abuse Hotline, But Only Some Get Through

Kansas Is Already Soggy And It's About To Get Drenched, Maybe Dangerously So

9 Free And Cheap Things To Do In Kansas City This Memorial Day And Beyond

By Brian McTavish • May 24, 2019

Andrew Birgensmith / Kansas City Symphony

Whether money’s tight or you have more moolah than you need, why pay more for your go-and-do than you have to?

Free, or nearly so, activities in the coming days and weeks range from expressions of national patriotism and promising local talent to appreciations of veggies, Italy and the entertainment value of William Shakespeare’s hypothetical love life.

Indeed, you don’t have to deplete yourself to enjoy yourself. So take a look – no charge!

1. Celebration at the Station

Missouri Governor Signs New Abortion Restrictions Over Objections Of Major GOP Donor

By Erica Hunzinger & Jason Rosenbaum • May 24, 2019

Carolina Hidalgo / St. Louis Public Radio

Updated 2:05 p.m. May 24 with comment from Parson spokesman — Missouri Gov. Mike Parson signed strict abortion regulations into law Friday, just hours after one of the biggest GOP donors encouraged him to veto it.

Ragtime Was All The Rage A Century Ago — In Sedalia, Missouri, It Still Is

By Julie Denesha • May 24, 2019

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Ragtime is big with the kids in Sedalia.

One day this spring, about 100 of them cheered for William McNally, a two-time winner of the World Championship Old-Time Piano Playing Contest. His performance at Sacred Heart School quickly won them over with the lively music that was all the rage 120 years ago.

“It’s kind of like making you want more," said Thomas Jenkins, 11, who had been taking piano lessons for about a year.

Missouri Lawmakers Set Later Start Date For Schools

By Ryan Delaney • May 23, 2019

Back to school will be a little later in Missouri next year if lawmakers get their way.

The Missouri General Assembly passed a law pushing school start dates back about a week over the opposition of school administrators. It’s part of an effort to encourage families to fit one more weekend of trips to amusement parks and lakeside cabins around the state.

Wichita Clinic Fights To Expand Abortion Access Despite Lack Of Willing, Local Doctors

By Celia Llopis-Jepsen • May 23, 2019

Andrea Allen / Wikimedia Commons, bit.ly/2M4AQBz

In April, the Kansas Supreme Court said the state’s constitution gives women a right to abortion.

That landmark ruling bolsters an ongoing lawsuit to expand access to abortion in Wichita. The case aims to clear the way for a clinic there — unable to find any willing, local doctors — to lean more on physicians in other states.

Missouri Corrections Department To Counties: The Check's In The Mail For Housing Inmates, Eventually

By Samuel King • May 23, 2019

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Counties across Missouri hoped this was the year that the Department of Corrections would make headway on the $20-$30 million they’re owed for housing inmates who eventually go to state prisons.

But legislators allocated only $1.75 million more to address the backlog. Missouri's practice of reimbursing counties in this way is unique in the United States, and local sheriffs and county leaders say it’s time for a better solution.

3 Killed As Violent Tornadoes Cause 'Devastation' In Missouri

By Matthew S. Schwartz • May 23, 2019

Updated 7:30 a.m. ET

A devastating series of storms late Wednesday spawned multiple tornadoes that caused extensive damage to several buildings and led to three deaths in Missouri.

"There was a lot of devastation throughout the state," Gov. Mike Parson told reporters at a morning press briefing. "We were very fortunate last night that we didn't have more injuries than what we had, and we didn't have more fatalities across the state."

He added: "But three is too many."

Amtrak Answers Senators But Leaves The Future Of Kansas Passenger Rail In Question

By Corinne Boyer • May 22, 2019

Passenger trains will keep rolling through rural communities in Kansas, for now. But Amtrak still hasn’t committed to operating the long-distance routes that connect small towns to larger cities long-term.

Earlier this year, Congress agreed to an additional $50 million to keep the Southwest Chief, which travels from Chicago to Los Angeles with stops in several small Kansas cities, running through September.

Racial Tensions Continue To Roil Lee's Summit School Board

By Elle Moxley • May 22, 2019

The Lee’s Summit school board remains deeply divided over issues of race and equity, a week after voting down a plan to bring in consultants for diversity training.

At a tense work session Wednesday night, newly elected board member Mike Allen accused the district’s first black superintendent, Dennis Carpenter, of only caring about black students.

Carpenter responded, “I will not let you do this. Tell me when I said I was here for the black kids only.”

Navigating Downtown Kansas City's Ring Of Highways Is Throwing Pedestrians For A Loop

By Anne Kniggendorf • May 22, 2019

Matt Staub considers himself to be a forward-thinking guy.

And lately, he's been wondering whether, if he'd been a city leader in the 1950s, would he have wanted to build the downtown loop — those four highway arteries that form a boundary around Kansas City, Missouri's central business district.

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