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Kansas City Council Panel | What Are You Reading?

Kansas City council members Andrea Bough and Melissa Robinson
Luke X. Martin
/
KCUR 89.3
Andrea Bough, left, and Melissa Robinson both joined the Kansas City Council in June 2019.

Kansas City council members discuss their response to the ongoing pandemic, calls for police reform, the search for a new city manager, and more; and what books people are reading to fill the hours stuck at home.

Segment 1, beginning at 3:58: Council members Andrea Bough and Melissa Robinson say access to employment is key to addressing Kansas City's violent crime.

"The best thing for us to do, as it relates to crime and violence is to ensure that we wage a war on unemployment," Robinson said. When pressed on the issue, Bough said she thinks it's time for Kansas City police Chief Rick Smith to step down.

Segment 2, beginning at 35:32: Book lovers share recommendations for good books to pass the time stuck at home.

A lot of folks have more time on their hands these days, and that gives them more time to read than they may have had in years. Find out what books our guests are recommending for leisure, education and social consciousness this summer.

Adib Khorram’s picks:
"The Summer of Everything," by Julian Winters
"Vampires Never Get Old," edited by Zoraida Cordova and Natalie C. Parker
"The Murderbot Diaries" series, by Martha Wells
"Felix Ever After," by Kacen Callender
"Night Shine," by Tessa Gratton

Kaite Stover’s picks:
"Boyfriend Material," by Alexis Hall
"18 Tiny Deaths: The Untold Story of Frances Glessner Lee and the Invention of Modern Forensics," by Bruce Goldfarb
"The Vanishing Half," by Brit Bennett
"Blacktop Wasteland," by S. A. Crosby

When I host Up To Date each morning at 9, my aim is to engage the community in conversations about the Kansas City area’s challenges, hopes and opportunities. I try to ask the questions that listeners want answered about the day’s most pressing issues and provide a place for residents to engage directly with newsmakers. Reach me at steve@kcur.org or on Twitter @stevekraske.
As culture editor, I help you embrace what makes Kansas City fun and vibrant, whether it’s a championship sports franchise or a little-known wonder. I work with reporters to ensure KCUR stories on art, culture, and race fully reflect our diverse home so readers and listeners can take full advantage of what the metro has to offer. Email me at luke@kcur.org.
As senior podcast producer for KCUR Studios and a host of A People’s History of Kansas City, I interview everyday people and dig through old newspaper articles to unearth stories of the visionaries and renegades who created this region. I focus on bringing the past to life, so we can all better understand the city we live in today. Email me at mackenzie@kcur.org.
Chris Young is an Assistant Producer for KCUR’s Up To Date. Contact him at chrisy@kcur.org.