Kowthar Shire
KCUR intern, 2025-2026Kowthar Shire is the 2025-2026 newsroom intern for KCUR.
She is originally from Columbus, Ohio. She moved abroad to Doha, Qatar in 2016, and then to Kansas City, Missouri in August 2021 and has been here ever since.
Kowthar graduated from the University of Missouri-Kansas City in May 2025, where she majored in Strategic and Professional Communication and minored in English. Kowthar spent her last semester interning for the school's student-run publication Roo News after joining as a staff writer.
Email her at kshire@kcur.org
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A champion of women and children’s rights, Kitchen is remembered by those who knew her as someone who never gave up on a cause. Throughout her career, she has won many awards for her activism and gained recognition from the White House for her work. -
A new law capping the amount of THC included in hemp products could be “a death blow” to businesses like Plift and Emerald Med CBD that use them to create alternatives to alcohol and health supplements for doctor’s offices -
HerCafe, a matcha business founded by a University of Missouri-Kansas City student and her friend, has found success with its weekend popups around the metro area. Customers line up at mosques, wellness events and outside clothing stores for a taste of their specialty drinks. -
The 2026 FIFA World Cup is fast approaching, and Kansas City will host a massive fan festival on the National WWI Museum and Memorial lawn. Read on for a first look. -
People gathered by the thousands across cities in the U.S. on June 14 to protest actions of the Trump administration. Organizers expected a bigger turnout for the second wave of protests Saturday, driven by the ongoing shutdown of the federal government and immigration crackdowns. -
KC Streetcar hosted a preview ride Wednesday along the Main Street extension, ahead of its opening on Friday, Oct. 24. Here’s what the Union Station to University of Missouri-Kansas City loop was like. -
Joshua Rocha, 28, was convicted of first-degree murder by the same jury last week in the fatal shooting of Officer Daniel Vasquez. It is the first time Clay County prosecutors have asked for the death penalty since 1988. -
Joshua Rocha, 28, admitted to police just hours after the 2022 killing of North Kansas City officer Daniel Vasquez that he decided he was going to shoot as soon as Vasquez started following his car. Prosecutors, who are seeking the death penalty, said “he chose death.”
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The Unified Government could vote this week on an ordinance that would make it illegal for people to sleep outside on public and private property. But without a single overnight shelter in Wyandotte County, community groups say the crackdown will only worsen conditions for unhoused residents. -
The Kansas City Council ended its years-long agreement to stop the economic tug of war between the Kansas and Missouri sides of the metro. Both states offered big incentives to the Chiefs and Royals, but neither team have said yet where they'll go.
