Brian Ellison
Host/ContributorAs a host and contributor 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 Twitter @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 the substitute host of KCUR's Up to Date, an occasional newscaster, and anchor election night coverage. From 2015 to 2019, I hosted the award-winning KCUR political podcast Statehouse Blend Missouri. I've been part of teams recognized awards from the Radio Television Digital News Association, the Society of Professional Journalists, and the Religion News Association. My reporting has included appearances on NPR's Here and Now and national election coverage and KCPT's Kansas City Week in Review. I continue to preach, teach and organize as executive director of a national non-profit organization. My partner Troy and I live in Kansas City with our dog daughter Willoughby, who is lovable, if a bit much.
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Democratic Kansas Gov. Laura Kelly shares what she'll focus on accomplishing over her last two years in office as she faces an even stronger GOP legislative supermajority. Plus political headlines from across the metro. -
The family-run establishment began as a food truck in 2021 and just celebrated its one year anniversary at its brick-and-mortar location at 1196 Douglas Street. The restaurant specializes in traditional homestyle dishes from the state of Guerrero, Mexico. -
A Missouri appeals court ruled last week that the constitution’s “plain, unambiguous” language means cities and counties cannot stack marijuana sales taxes. Here's why that could mean cheaper cannabis in Kansas City.
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The culinary scene just east of Kansas City proper is full of hidden gems, neighborhood mom-and-pop shops and iconic old-school joints. Here’s where to eat like a local in Independence, Blue Springs, Lee’s Summit and elsewhere. -
Missouri became the first state to overturn a near-total abortion ban through a voter referendum in last week's election. Planned Parenthood Great Plains president Emily Wales says they're ready to resume abortion services by early December, although prolonged legal battles could push that date back. -
To cap a lossless season, much like their NFL counterparts, the Kansas City Chiefs Wheelchair Football Team will play in wheelchair football's national championship game on November 23 here in Kansas City. It would be their second title in four years. -
Missouri residents voted to legalize abortion, overturning one of the most restrictive abortion bans in the nation. They also voted to raise the minimum wage and send Josh Hawley back to the U.S. Senate. In Kansas, voters reelected Sharice Davids to the U.S. House. Plus, Kansas City and Johnson County voters made big decisions about their top law enforcement officials.
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Racist and nativist rhetoric has made headlines in the 2024 election, and immigrants and refugees around Kansas City have taken notice. Plus: One of Missouri's few openly gay Republican lawmakers says his vote on transgender rights cost him his party's support — and reelection.
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Jackson County voters will elect a new county prosecutor in just over one week. Republican Tracey Chappell and Democrat Melesa Johnson met for a debate on KCUR's Up To Date about how they’d approach criminal justice.
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In the race to be Missouri's next governor, Democrat Crystal Quade says she'll work across political differences to make Missourians' lives better. She shares her thoughts on issues Missouri voters are concerned with ahead of the November election. Plus: We bring you political headlines from across the metro.
