Brian Ellison

The race to replace Missouri Sen. Rob Schaaf has come down to two millennials who knew each other while attending Mizzou.

One is Republican Tony Luetkemeyer, a soft-spoken attorney who’s seeking his first elective office and has deep political connections — he’s close to party leaders and his wife, Lucinda Luetkemeyer, was general counsel in the office of former Gov. Eric Greitens.

The other is Democrat Martin T. Rucker II, a former Kansas City Chiefs and Mizzou football player who co-founded a Democratic-leaning political club in the Northland and ran unsuccessfully for a state House seat in 2016.

The influence of money in today's politics is undeniable, in Missouri and everywhere else. We explore campaign contributions, PACs, "dark money" groups and more, not only in big races like the U.S. Senate race between Claire McCaskill and Josh Hawley, but also in tight local races like the fight for the Missouri Senate seat in Platte and Buchanan Counties. We talk with Republican Tony Luetkemeyer and Democrat Martin Rucker, and St. Louis Public Radio's Jo Mannies.

Segment 1: Methamphetamine epidemic of the 90s hasn't gone away in Missouri, it's gotten worse.

Segment 1: This reliably Republican Congressional District could be a toss-up, come November.

A relatively unknown Republican candidate's victory in the primaries came as a surprise to many in Kansas' 2nd Congressional District, but it has given Democrats new hope that their nominee for the seat, Paul Davis, might have a chance to flip that political territory. We spoke with GOP insiders to gauge their support for and coalescence around newcomer Steve Watkins, and asked Statehouse reporters about the Democrat he's facing in the midterm.

The final slog to the November elections is underway, and Missouri's already wild political year holds the possibility of getting wilder yet. As Democrat Jason Kander pivots from the state and national stage to a Kansas City mayoral run, we get his assessment of the state of Missouri politics. We recap the primary election's top story, the overwhelming defeat of the anti-union "Right to Work" law. And we take a closer look at November's top race: the battle between Claire McCaskill and Josh Hawley that could determine control of the U.S. Senate.

Segment 1: Twenty-five years after the "Great Flood of 1993," is Kansas City any safer?

Segment 1: If approved, the proposed 3/8-cent sales tax to fund expanded early childhood education in Kansas City will be on the November ballot.

Segment 1: Problems in Clay County government prompted request. 

More than 9,000 Clay County residents are asking Missouri State Auditor Nicole Galloway to take a hard look on their county's government. This week the county administrator resigned, last year two other county officials were charged with tampering with public records, and there have been a number of questionable purchases made with tax payer dollars. Today we looked at how county government became so bad that residents went to the state for answers.

Segment 1: Does Kansas City have a bad reputation within the Indian community? 

Indian nationals coming to America often have to worry about immigration hurdles and racism. Two violent incidents since 2017 in the Kansas City metro have added violence to their list of concerns. Most recently, Sharath Koppu, a UMKC student from India was shot and killed during a robbery at the restaurant where he worked. Today, representatives of the Indian community revealed their views of living here.

Segment 1: Witness says suspect killed in Kansas City Police Department shooting "was a very troubled individual."

In a re-broadcast of a segment that aired June 19, 2018, we discussed the Kansas City, Missouri, police shooting death of a sword-wielding woman and the role mental illness may have played in the encounter. We examined when deadly force by law enforcement is warranted. 

Segment 1: Kansas City, Kansas, Public Safety and Neighborhood Infrastructure Sales Tax up for renewal.

A three-eighth-cent sales tax that passed with 70 percent of the vote in 2010 has collected more than $50 million devoted to public safety and neighborhood projects in Wyandotte County. This August, voters there get to decide if the sales tax has been worth the money. The levy is set to expire in 2020 unless it is approved for renewal. Today, we discussed the projects that the tax has benefitted and if it's still the best option for the Unified Government.

Segment 1: How Kris Kobach changed the secretary of state's office in Kansas.

After winning the bid for Kansas secretary of state in 2011 with 59 percent of the vote, Kris Kobach recieved national attention for controversial his voter I.D. laws and anti-immigration stance. Most recently he's made headlines with his gubernatorial campaign. Today, we reflected on the changes the former law professor has brought to the secretary of state's office and whether the transformation Kobach has effected is permanent. 

What caused Missouri Governor Eric Greitens to resign now and reactions from area Republicans and Democrats

Segment 1: Implicit bias, white allyship and the Starbucks arrests.

The Missouri House committee investigating Gov. Eric Greitens is undertaking an unusual spectacle this week: reading hour upon hour of legal proceedings out loud, together.

As the 2018 legislative session careened to an end, we took stock of what legislation passed, what didn't pass, and what was allowed to quietly pass away. It turns out that with all eyes on the accusations against Gov. Eric Greitens, his fellow Republicans were fairly successful at advancing a legislative agenda.

Host Brian Ellison calls on KCUR editor Erica Hunzinger to help recap the session, and Sen. Jason Holsman, a Kansas City Democrat, talks about what went wrong for his party.

He's an actor, writer, storyteller ... and now, filmmaker. While growing up on his family's farm in Louisburg, Kansas, David Wayne Reed used to dress in drag and perform shows for the hay crew and visiting seed salesmen. He became a founding member of KC's Late Night Theatre. And in his new film, he returns to his farm roots.

• David Wayne Reed

Missouri Reps. Lauren Arthur and Kevin Corlew are fighting over an exceedingly rare prize in Missouri politics: an open Senate seat in a district that doesn't have a clear partisan leaning. Whether voters choose the Democratic Arthur or the Republican Corlew in a June 5 special election could speak volumes about the mood of the electorate at a turbulent time.

Segment 1: Understanding who's who in the upcoming trial of Missouri Governor Eric Greitens.

Missouri Governor Eric Greitens will stand trial on Monday for a felony charge of invasion of privacy. In the courtroom overseen by Judge Rex Burlison will be more than just prosecutor Kim Gardner and defense lawyer Edward Dowd.  Each will lead a team of powerhouse attorneys so there are a lot of names in the lineup. To help us make sense of them all, we ran down the rosters with two reporters familiar with the players involved.  

Segment 1: What is tax increment financing, and what are its drawbacks?

Tax increment financing districts, known as TIFs, have been a significant tool in Kansas City's development. But could they hurt communities as much as they helps them? In this first of a two-part series on the effects of TIFs, we took a look at opposition to the measures.

Segment 1: Local 15-year-old creates a space for teens and young adults to embrace their love of books.

Book festivals for adults are a dime a dozen. Now, a teenager from Prairie Village is looking to give young readers a chance to geek out over their favorite past-time, too. We met the organizer, and spoke with two writers who are taking part this weekend in the first ever LitUp Festival.