© 2025 Kansas City Public Radio
NPR in Kansas City
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations
Kansas City is under a winter storm warning. Check here for weather-related delays and closings.
Up To Date

Kansas City Restaurant Closings | Nurses' Coronavirus Concerns | Infamous Missouri Pharmacist

Chrissy Nucum is the chef and owner at KC Pinoy in the West Bottoms.
Alyssa Broadus
/
Little Fixations
Chrissy Nucum is the chef and owner at KC Pinoy, a Filipino restaurant in the West Bottoms. It will be closing at the end of September after two years in business.

We run down the Kansas City restaurants that have closed since the pandemic started, the Missouri Nurses Association is still asking for a statewide mask mandate, and the painstaking investigation of a Kansas City pharmacist who diluted cancer treatment drugs.

Segment 1, beginning at 4:07: The restaurant industry in Kansas City continues to struggle.

The list of restaurants closing in Kansas City will get longer as patio dining becomes less of an option in the fall and winter, predicts restaurant critic Liz Cook. As she mourns the restaurants Kansas City is losing, she hopes for federal restaurant relief and encourages people to support their favorite restaurants by ordering takeout.

Segment 2, beginning at 26:39: Despite demands from Missouri nurses, Gov. Parson has yet to issue a statewide mask mandate.

The state director of the Missouri Nurses Association says the state is averaging more than 1,400 new known coronavirus cases a day and that access to protective equipment is still a problem. Meanwhile, events like Bikefest in Lake of the Ozarks over the weekend are drawing thousands of people together, against the recommendations of health officials.

Segment 3, beginning at 38:25: A new book sheds light on the investigation into Robert Courtney.

"Operation: Diluted Trust" looks into the painstaking FBI investigation that uncovered how a Kansas City pharmacist was diluting cancer medication. Robert Courtney is currently serving a 30-year sentence in a prison in Englewood, Colorado.

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.
Chris Young is an Assistant Producer for KCUR’s Up To Date. Contact him at chrisy@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.
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.