Candidate Nicole Galloway | 'Ladybird, Collected'

By Steve Kraske,

Published October 5, 2020 at 5:07 PM CDT

Meg Heriford puts free bagged lunches outside of the Ladybird Diner in downtown Lawrence. From the middle of March to the end of July, the diner served over 13,000 free lunches and gave out hundreds of grocery boxes to community members in need.

The Democratic candidate lays out her plan for Missouri and how a Lawrence diner evolved from serving customers to serving those in need during the pandemic.

Segment 1, beginning at 3:48: Gov. Parson's Democratic challenger says she has a better plan for running Missouri — including fighting the pandemic.

If she becomes the governor of Missouri, State Auditor Nicole Galloway says she would issue a statewide mask mandate, increase rapid testing and initiate a rigorous statewide contact tracing program. Galloway called out Governor Mike Parson for a lack of leadership.

Nicole Galloway, Missouri State Auditor and Democratic candidate for Missouri governor

Segment 2, beginning at 34:52: "Ladybird, Collected" is the story of how a tiny diner in Lawrence changed during the pandemic.

Feeding those in need has always been a part of Ladybird Diner's business plan. But because of the pandemic, owner Meg Heriford has now converted to a community kitchen full-time. Heriford is hoping sales of her book of essays called "Ladybird, Collected" will allow the diner's mission to continue.

Meg Heriford, owner of Ladybird Diner and author of "Ladybird, Collected"

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Steve Kraske

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.

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Danie Alexander

As senior producer of Up To Date, I want our listeners to hear familiar and new voices that shine light on the issues and challenges facing the myriad communities KCUR serves, and to expose our audiences to the wonderful and the creative in the Kansas City area. Just as important to me is an obligation to mentor the next generation of producers to ensure that the important conversations continue. Reach me at alexanderdk@kcur.org.

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Mackenzie Martin

Whether it’s something happening right now or something that happened 100 years ago, some stories don’t fit in the short few minutes of a newscast. As a podcast producer and reporter at KCUR Studios, I help investigate questions and local curiosities in a way that brings listeners along for adventures with plot twists and thought-provoking ideas. Sometimes there isn’t an easy answer in the end – but my hope is that we all leave with a greater understanding of the city we live in. Reach me at mackenzie@kcur.org.

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