Brian Ellison
Host/Senior News AnalystAs a host and senior news analyst at KCUR, I seek to create a more informed citizenry and richer community. I want to enlighten and inspire our audience by delivering the information they need with accuracy and urgency, clarifying what’s complicated and teasing out the complexities of what seems simple. I work to craft conversations that reveal realities in our midst and model civil discourse in a divided world. Follow me on socials @ptsbrian or email me at brian@kcur.org.
Having studied for careers in both journalism and the ministry, I've served as a Presbyterian minister in Kansas City since 1999 and part-time in KCUR's newsroom and talk show studios since 2008. I'm a frequent substitute host of KCUR's Up to Date and Kansas City Today podcast, an occasional newscaster, and election night anchor. My work includes appearing regularly on Kansas City PBS's Week in Review and KMBC's Heart of the Matter. I continue to preach, teach and organize as executive director of a national non-profit organization.
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More and more Missourians are waiting in jail for services from the state’s mental health department, which has a backlog of more than 500 people with stalled cases. Hear what mental health directors are telling state lawmakers. -
Kansas City, Kansas, is known as the home of Da’ Bomb Hot Sauce, from the web series “Hot Ones," but there are many places throughout the metro to get a good kick of spice in your meal. Here’s where to get the best blazing meals in the Kansas City area. -
Kansas legislators have had an unusually busy year so far — most recently the passage of a law that restricts bathroom usage for transgender people, and prohibits gender changes on IDs. We'll hear about what's been passed at the halfway point, and what's still to come.
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Missouri Governor Mike Kehoe has proposed having citizens vote to phase out the state income tax over the next five years. But is that a viable option for the state budget?
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Independence, Missouri, officials are considering tax breaks for a massive AI data center, but many residents don’t even want it built in the first place. Plus: After almost a year of conflict, a private prison operator is finally playing nice with the city of Leavenworth to get a permit for an ICE detention facility.
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Looking for the perfect place in Kansas City to eat out with that special someone? The local scene's best offerings include fine-dining restaurants, cozy bistros, a dive bar and more. -
More than a year after Missouri voters narrowly approved the legalization of sports betting, the books are now open across the state. Missourians wagered more than $543 million in December, although the state made little tax revenue from that. Now a bill could legalize video lottery terminals.
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In 2023, a Kansas City police officer shot and killed two people and injured a third, but he won’t face criminal charges. And that’s not the only legal settlement involving Blayne Newton. Hear about Newton’s conduct and how it has fanned the flames of tension in the community.
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From fine-dining institutions to neighborhood favorites, we take a stroll down memory lane of since-closed Kansas City restaurants. These spots shaped generations of diners — and their closures have something to say about the city’s evolving food culture. -
Just before Christmas, the University of Missouri-Kansas City informed all tenants of 4825 Troost Ave., the largest of which are KCUR and Classical KC, that they must vacate the building by the end of January. We'll talk about what we know — and what we still don't — about the move.
