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Kansas City's Budget | Missouri Is Bear Country

Mayor Quinton Lucas delivers the State of the City address Wednesday night at Winnetonka High School while interpreter Michelle DeMartino signs for the hard of hearing. DeMartino's parents died this week from COVID-19 but she insisted on being at the speech.
Carlos Moreno/KCUR 89.3
Kansas City Mayor Quinton Lucas talked about the city's new proposed budget during his State of the City address on February 10, 2021.

Councilmembers from Kansas City's Third District give their thoughts on the proposed city budget and a furbearer biologist explains why Missouri's black bear population has been increasing.

Segment 1, beginning at 4:41: What councilmembers in Kansas City's Third District want changed in the city budget.

The proposed 2021-2022 budget for Kansas City, Missouri, cuts millions of dollars in spending, while promising that no city employee will lose their jobs. Some of the fine print concerns councilmembers from Kansas City's Third District — including the continued use of the city's rainy day fund and spending millions on a Northland soccer complex. The final budget will be adopted on March 25.

  • Brandon Ellington, Kansas City, Missouri councilman representing the Third District.
  • Melissa Robinson, Kansas City, Missouri, councilwoman representing the Third District.

Segment 2, beginning at 32:16: What you need to know about Missouri's growing bear population.

As Missouri’s black bear population continues to grow at a rate of 9% annually, bear sightings are increasing — even in major cities like Kansas City and St. Louis. That means all state residents should be prepared to come into contact with bears, especially while hiking or on vacation in southern parts of the state. Missouri might even institute a bear hunt this October.

Public hearings on Kansas City, Missouri's new proposed budget will be held Saturday, February 27, from 9 a.m. - Noon at Municipal Arena, 301 W. 13th St., Kansas City, Missouri, and virtuallyon Tuesday, March 2, 10 a.m. – 1 p.m.

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.
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.