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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Strawberry Hill in Kansas City, Kansas, has perhaps the most concentrated collection of dive bars in the metro. But no matter what neighborhood you’re in, Kansas City has a place for drinkers and diners looking for a low-key hang with decent food and cheap drinks. -
Two winners of last week's primaries are aiming for their first terms representing Missouri in Congress next year. We'll hear how Republican Chris Stigall and Democrat Jordan Herrera plan to unite their respective parties and secure seats in Washington. -
Some patients will soon have to meet new criteria to be eligible for Medicaid under the president’s One Big Beautiful Bill Act. Some experts fear the new requirements could result in millions of people losing coverage and higher costs for healthcare providers. -
A group of parents in the Shawnee Mission School District are happy about a new Kansas law banning cellphone use during the school day, but they want even more done about access to digital media. Now the district is restricting the use of school-issued iPads during recess and at home. -
Multidisciplinary artist Kasim Hardaway reflects on the first year of “Take What You Need,” an interactive public art installation that pops up around Kansas City and invites people to pause and reflect on their lives. -
Missouri Secretary of State Denny Hoskins refused to certify a ballot initiative aimed at undoing the new congressional maps drawn by Republican legislators. Those maps carved up Kansas City in an effort to oust Democratic Rep. Emanuel Cleaver II, and this rejection sets up another legal battle ahead of November’s high-stakes midterms. -
While voters in Missouri and Kansas overwhelmingly shot down ballot measures championed by Republicans, they also largely chose conservative, Trump-backed candidates to run against Democrats in November’s general election. -
Capitalizing on the World Cup, the Kansas City Indian Center put out even more billboards this year calling on the Kansas City Chiefs to change their name and stop stereotypical practices like the “tomahawk chop.” Activists argue that the move to a new stadium is the perfect opportunity to address the longstanding complaints. -
Missouri residents overwhelmingly voted against proposals to eliminate the income tax and change how citizens can change the Missouri constitution. Meanwhile, Kansans elected Reverend Adam Hamilton as the Democratic opponent to U.S. Sen. Roger Marshall and Democrat Cindy Holscher and Republican Ty Masterson will face each other in the race for Kansas governor.
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Chris Harris is building houses for rent near Harris Park, where he owns a nonprofit that teaches kids how to play golf and other outdoor sports. The developments will target families making between $34,000 to $70,000 a year.
