Ellen Beshuk
Up To Date intern, 2025-2026Ellen Beshuk is the 2025-2026 intern for Up To Date.
She has a motivation to start conversations that encourage curiosity and inform on what matters, and is excited to bring stories about our environment, community, and technology to the producing booth.
Ellen previously worked for The Pitch, and graduated from the University of Missouri–Kansas City with a degree in biology and communications.
In her free time, she enjoys reading, seeing live music, and doing pretty much anything outdoors.
Contact her at ebeshuk@kcur.org
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Residents of Gardner, Kansas, are confronting a new data center proposal from Beale Infrastructure just weeks after a similar proposal was withdrawn. Members of the community are concerned about the impact on their environment, utilities, and noise levels.
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Relentless rainfall has flooded Kansas City neighborhoods east of I-435 near the 23rd Street exit, as meteorologists note a historically high amount of storms and warnings this year. Several businesses have had to close indefinitely, as they wait for the city to respond and drain the water.
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Prairie Village-based Flint Development sold a Texas warehouse to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security for use as an immigration detention facility. Local activist group The People for Prairie Village is protesting and calling for the company to cut ties — or leave town.
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Now under new management, Powell Gardens Colonial Farms plans to gradually shift its growing practices. The goal is to improve environmental health while preserving the fruit-picking and family-oriented experience that Kansas Citians expect.
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Quindaro in present-day Kansas City, Kansas, was founded before the Civil War as a diverse community that helped people escaping slavery. Now, Reps. Sharice Davids, Emanuel Cleaver II and Derek Schmidt are trying to pass a law that would give national protections to the ruins.
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Debate is growing among Catholics in Kansas City and beyond after President Donald Trump criticized Pope Leo XIV over the Iran war, and shared an AI-generated image of himself as Jesus.
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The USDA has canceled a grant program that supported small and emerging farmers, cutting nearly $300 million nationwide. Kansas City-area organizations like Cultivate KC and MyCo Planet say the loss is disrupting projects already in progress.
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Starting in Seattle, Washington, Dr. Friedrike Benning biked over 2,000 miles before her first day as a fellow at the Stowers Institute for Medical Research. Along the way, she discovered how her work as a researcher reflected her journey as a cyclist.
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A new study from the University of Missouri-Kansas City reveals that people are actually speaking fewer words each day — and the loss is even greater among people under 25 years old. But engaging in small, everyday conversations can help strengthen connections and improve communication skills over time.
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New signage is bringing long-forgotten history to light at a Johnson County creek, and reframes a name that residents have debated for years. Instead of changing name of Negro Creek, local leaders chose to tell its story publicly.