Elizabeth Ruiz
Producer, Up To DateWhen you listen to Up To Date, I want you to understand decisions being made in the city, feel inspired by community members, and empathize with people who've had different experiences. As an Up To Date producer, I connect you to the news through conversations with community members and elected officials. Contact me at elizabeth@kcur.org or on Twitter at @er_bentley_ruiz.
-
Thousands of military members are pending discharge from the military after President Trump's ban on transgender people was allowed to go into effect. One Army major stationed at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas, tells Up To Date why she'll continue to resist the ban. -
A memo from President Trump earlier this year revealed plans to remove transgender service members from the military — a plan the Supreme Court has allowed to be enforced while the legal battle plays out. Thousands of transgender service members now face the possible end of their careers. -
Arts organization in Kansas City are under financial pressure after the Trump administration rescinded grants from the National Endowment for the Arts. Spinning Tree Theatre is one of hundreds of organizations who were notified by email last week that their grant had been withdrawn. -
President Trump signed an executive order directing the Corporation for Public Broadcasting to immediately cut funding for NPR and its member stations. KCUR's general manager and interim director of content explain what we know about the impact to KCUR and Classical KC. -
The changing political landscape around clean energy makes for an uncertain future for Kansas students training for jobs at the multi-billion-dollar Panasonic Energy plant in De Soto, Kansas. -
Kathy Nelson is the president and CEO of both Visit KC and the Greater Kansas City Sports Commission and Foundation. She joined KCUR's Up To Date for our series "5 Questions." -
A civil rights lawsuit is costing the KCPD and the city's Board of Police Commissioners $4.1 million. An attorney for the family of Cameron Lamb, who was killed by a white detective in 2019, said they're happy to have the "political football" of the case behind them. -
Kansas Citians are fed up with dangerous and reckless street racing and stunt driving, which led to the injury of one officer earlier this month. KCPD Police Chief Stacey Graves said the department has operations planned to curb it, and are working with elected officials to increase penalties for participants and spectators. -
Many people relying on Medicaid for health insurance are concerned about potential cuts by the federal government, but in rural Kansas, community members don't like to talk about it. A newspaper editor from Marion, Kansas, explains why that is. -
Missouri residents have spoken up about how President Donald Trump's aggressive federal workforce cuts and tariffs have hurt the region. U.S. Rep. Emanuel Cleaver II said there's little Democrats can do in Congress, but that protests remain a powerful tool for pushing back against the government.
