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.
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Platte County Prosecutor Eric Zahnd died last week. In April, Zahnd said the job, which he held for nearly 24 years, brought him joy and also “considerable pain.” Up To Date spoke with two former prosecutors about the toll the job had on their mental health.
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The Kansas State Fair offered the first chance to see U.S. Senate candidates Roger Marshall and Adam Hamilton and gubernatorial candidates Ty Masterson and Cindy Holscher square off. The raucous crowd at times shouted down candidates as they spoke.
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Charles Adair was in the midst of a mental health emergency when he turned himself into law enforcement for old traffic warrants. If sheriff’s deputies at the Wyandotte County, Kansas, jail had followed protocol for a mental health crisis, it might have prevented Adair’s death — which was ruled a homicide due to being restrained with a knee on his back.
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More than 700 patients were sued by a doctor in western Kansas for medical debt. The doctor is now Republican U.S. Sen. Roger Marshall, who for decades was a practicing obstetrician-gynecologist.
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An 11-year-old boy was allegedly physically and sexually assaulted in April at Eisenhower Middle School in Kansas City, Kansas. In August, the district’s school board received notice of a pending $5 million lawsuit for failing to prevent the attack.
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The 6th district council member told KCUR's Up To Date on Thursday that his constituents want the city to negotiate a stadium deal that is more beneficial to residents. He said they also want more transparency from Kansas City's leaders.
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Independence's superintendent said the district still needs to hire two elementary teachers, while Kansas City Public Schools has around 13 vacancies in "core content areas." Improving literacy and math comprehension remain top priorities.
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Some immigrants in Kansas City are changing their work hours and shifting other parts of their daily routine to avoid encounters with Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents. A new study found last year’s surge of immigration enforcement resulted in nearly 8,000 jobs lost in Kansas City.
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The ninth studio album of the Lawrence, Kansas, band The Roseline, was a piecemeal project a year in the making. The band’s founder, Colin Haliburton, hopes people will relate to the lyrics that touch on personal experiences.
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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.