Frank Morris | KCUR

Frank Morris

National Correspondent and Senior Editor

Frank Morris has supervised the reporters in KCUR's newsroom since 1999. In addition to his managerial duties, Morris files regularly with National Public Radio. He’s covered everything from tornadoes to tax law for the network, in stories spanning eight states. His work has won dozens of awards, including four national Public Radio News Directors awards (PRNDIs) and several regional Edward R. Murrow awards. In 2012 he was honored to be named "Journalist of the Year" by the Heart of America Press Club.

Morris grew up in rural Kansas listening to KHCC, spun records at KJHK throughout college at the University of Kansas, and cut his teeth in journalism as an intern for Kansas Public Radio, in the Kansas statehouse.

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A Development Win For Kansas City May Be A Loss For Agricultural Research

By • May 19, 2019
Amy Mayer / Harvest Public Media

A couple of federal agencies you probably haven’t heard of keep track of what farmers grow, what Americans eat and how the country’s entire food system operates. And the Trump Administration wants them out Washington, D.C. — and maybe in the Kansas City area.

USDA Narrows Down Relocation Sites For Research Agencies; Kansas City, Indiana In Top 3

By & • May 3, 2019

The Kansas City metro area is among three sites still in the hunt to become the next location for the U.S. Department of Agriculture's research arms.

Lawyers And Coders Team Up To Help Ex-Offenders Clear Their Records In Kansas City

By • Apr 29, 2019
Joe Robertson / Local Investment Commission

Having a criminal record can make it hard to find a job, and a place to live. Missouri allows some offenses to be erased from a person’s record, or expunged, years after an offender has finished serving his or her sentence, but it’s a tricky process.

Rural Towns Across The Midwest Struggle To Overcome Damage From Flooding

By • Apr 25, 2019
Facebook / KCUR 89.3

The catastrophic flooding in Missouri, Nebraska, Iowa and Kansas last month caused more than $12 billion in damage, by one estimate.  But much more is at stake as the flood waters recede.

Small, rural towns are damaged … and dying.

Even communities with a lot going for them have taken a beating. Lynch, Nebraska, for instance, a remote village near the South Dakota line, with only about 200 residents.

Henry Bloch, Co-Founder Of H&R Block, Dies At 96

By • Apr 24, 2019

When Henry Bloch returned to Kansas City, Mo., after World War II, he teamed up with his older brother Leon and they did bookkeeping and other services for small businesses.

Leon decided to return to law school, forcing Henry to find a replacement. He placed an ad in the newspaper.

Henry says his mother answered the ad and told him that he should hire his younger brother. Richard decided to join the business even though Henry said he couldn't afford him.

By 1955, the brothers decided to stop doing tax returns because they were too busy with other business services.

Losses Continue To Mount After Recent Midwest Flooding

By • Apr 22, 2019

Copyright 2019 KCUR 89.3. To see more, visit KCUR 89.3.

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Kansas Says Goodbye To 3.2 Beer, A Holdover From The Days Of Prohibition

By • Mar 30, 2019
Frank Morris / NPR and KCUR

For many decades now, the only beer you could buy in Kansas grocery and convenience stores was limited to 3.2% alcohol. 

But on Monday, that 3.2 beer will be a thing of the past.

“It's a big step for the groceries and the state of Kansas,” says Dennis Toney, an executive with Ball’s Food Stores. “We’ve all wanted this for quite some time.”

Kansas is one of the last states to do away with this Depression-era alcohol, which looks likely to soon die out altogether.

The Missouri River Is Now Primed For Catastrophic Spring Floods

By • Mar 25, 2019
Frank Morris / NPR and KCUR

The threat of major new flooding on the Missouri River is receding this week, but the stage is set for further disaster as the usual spring flood season dawns in the coming weeks.

Last week's flooding left billions of dollars of destruction in its wake.

“This is just a prelude of what’s to come. I can only remember one other flood in early spring like this,” said Bob Baker, who has been farming in the river bottoms just west of Weston, Missouri, all his life. “I think we’re in for a long summer.”

There’s No Place Like Home For Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, At Least Until Trump Tweets Him Out

By • Mar 18, 2019
Frank Morris / NPR and KCUR

U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo says he misses Kansas and would like to go back into business in the state someday. But at the Road to the Global Entrepreneurship Summit in Overland Park Monday, the former congressman was cagey about his future in public office.

The annual conference gives business people a chance to rub elbows with potential funders in government, foundations and the private sector. Pompeo said it’s no coincidence that this year’s summit was in his home state.

These Kansas City Activists Want To Make Housing The Biggest Issue In The Mayor's Race

By • Mar 4, 2019
Frank Morris / KCUR 89.3

Protesters withstood single-digit temperatures on the steps of City Hall Monday to share horror stories about landlords kicking their families out after a serious illness or being left with no safe, permanent housing options after an eviction. KC Tenants, a new group advocating for tenants' rights, intends to make housing a central issue in the upcoming mayoral election.

“Housing needs to be the next mayor’s airport,” said activist Tiana Caldwell to cheers of approval.

With Protections For Creeks And Ponds At Risk, People Gather In Kansas To Sound Off To EPA

By • Mar 2, 2019
Frank Morris / KCUR 89.3

The water we drink is protected by federal rules, which are at the crux of a long-running fight over how far upstream that protection extends.

“Agriculture is land and water. When you’ve got control of the water, you’ve got control of the land,” said Blake Roderick with the National Waterways Conference.

Meat's Expanding Its Horizons, Giving The Livestock Industry Pause

By • Jan 3, 2019

The U.S. meat industry is gigantic, with roughly $200 billion a year in sales and growing. But the industry faces emerging threats on two fronts: plant-based meat substitutes and actual meat grown in labs.

Missouri Farmer Pleads Guilty To $140 Million Organic Grain Fraud Scheme

By • Dec 20, 2018

A Missouri farmer has pleaded guilty to federal fraud charges after he charged customers more than $140 million for conventionally produced grain sold as certified organic.

Big Beef Prepares For Battle, As Interest Grows In Plant-Based And Lab-Grown Meats

By • Dec 18, 2018

The U.S. meat industry is gigantic, with roughly $200 billion a year in sales, and getting larger. But the industry faces emerging threats on two fronts: plant-based meat substitutes and actual meat grown in labs.

Plant-based meat substitutes are a lot more, well, meaty than they used to be. They sear on the grill and even "bleed." They look, taste and feel in the mouth a lot like meat. Savannah Blevin, a server at Charlie Hooper's, an old-school bar and grill in Kansas City, Mo., says the vegetarian Impossible Burgers on the menu are popular with the meat-eating crowd.

Holiday Sales Falter But Specialty Shops Thrive In Johnson County, Kansas

By • Dec 16, 2018
Frank Morris / KCUR 89.3

Sales tax collections for the early part of this year’s holiday season are down across Kansas, and that includes Johnson, Wyandotte and Douglas counties. But some local shops are having a great year, by selling experience as well as stuff.

Kansas City Activists March Against President Trump's Decision To Fire Attorney General Sessions

By • Nov 9, 2018
Frank Morris / KCUR 89.3

Protesters in cities across the country marched Thursday evening to decry President Donald Trump’s decision to fire Attorney General Jeff Sessions. In Kansas City, protesters said they fear Session’s replacement will quash Robert Mueller’s investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 election.

In Overland Park, Hearts Go Out To Pittsburgh And Religious Leaders Urge Action

By & • Oct 29, 2018
Dan Margolies / KCUR 89.3

The parking lot filled fast at Kehilath Israel Synagogue. More than 1,300 people turned out Monday night for a diverse vigil in Overland Park supporting the Jewish community in Pittsburgh.

“Our hearts go out to the people in Pittsburgh, because we know what that’s like,” said Janee Hanzlick on her way into the building.

Methamphetamine Roils Rural Towns Again Across The U.S.

By • Oct 25, 2018

The sharp rise in opioid abuse and fatal overdoses has overshadowed another mounting drug problem: Methamphetamine use is rising across the United States.

"Usage of methamphetamine nationally is at an all-time high," says Erik Smith, assistant special agent in charge of the Drug Enforcement Administration's Kansas City office.

"It is back with a vengeance." he says. "And the reasons for that are twofold." The drug's now stronger, and cheaper, than it used to be.

Rural Americans Are OK With 'Outside' Help To Beat Opioid Crisis And Boost Economy

By • Oct 25, 2018

Rural Americans can take a dim view of outsiders from Washington, D.C., (or even from the state capital) meddling in their communities.

Ronald Reagan summed up the feeling when he was president: "I've always felt the nine most terrifying words in the English language are, 'I'm from the government, and I'm here to help.' "

But rural Americans have come across scarier phrases since then, like "the opioid epidemic."

Recovering Addicts Say Rural Missouri's Meth 'Explosion' Is A Warning To The Country

By • Oct 17, 2018
Frank Morris / KCUR/NPR

The sharp rise in opioid abuse and fatal overdoses has overshadowed another mounting drug problem: Methamphetamine use is rising across the country.

“Usage of methamphetamine nationally is at an all-time high,” says Erik Smith, assistant special agent in charge of the Drug Enforcement Administration’s Kansas City office.

Oh, The People You’ll Meet On The Colorado Trail

By • Aug 22, 2018
Frank Morris / KCUR 89.3

The Colorado Rockies are packed with natural beauty, huge vistas, pretty flowers and adorable critters.

But when I backpacked the 160-mile Collegiate Loop on the Colorado Trail last month, I discovered a great little community of strangers out on the trail. Here are just a few of the notables I met on the trail.

Farmers Say Current Trade War Mirrors 1980 Russian Grain Embargo

By • Aug 21, 2018

Harvest season isn’t far away for corn and soybean farmers, whose crops are worth less now than when they planted in the spring due to the United States’ trade war.

“We don't know what to think from one day to the next. It's hard to plan,” said Duane Hund, a farmer in Kansas’ Flint Hills.

Forty percent of farmers polled this summer by Farm Futures said President Donald Trump’s trade policy is permanently damaging U.S. agriculture. The scrambling of global markets is just beginning, Hund said, and pointed to the 1980 Russian grain embargo as an example.

Missouri Stalls Expansion of Cattle-Feeding Operation Near Powell Gardens

By • Aug 1, 2018
Andrea Tudhope / KCUR 89.3 file photo

Updated Aug. 1, 2018 —

The Missouri Administrative Hearing Commission found lots of reasons to stall the expansion of a feedlot near Powell Gardens last week, among them that the corporation that won the permit to expand does not legally exist.

Trump Delivers Campaign-Style Speech At Veterans Of Foreign Wars Convention

By • Jul 24, 2018

Copyright 2018 NPR. To see more, visit http://www.npr.org/.

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Trump Talks Up Military, Trade Policies In Kansas City; Shows Support For Hawley

By & Sophia Tulp & Aviva Okeson-Haberman • Jul 24, 2018
Sophia Tulp / KCUR 89.3

President Donald Trump gave a wide-ranging address to the national Veterans of Foreign Wars conference Tuesday in Kansas City, discussing tariffs, foreign policy and immigration and criticizing Democrats.

Trump also attended a luncheon fundraiser for Missouri Attorney General Josh Hawley, who faces a primary for the Republican nomination for U.S. Senate in two weeks. 

Depression-Era Federal Program May Come To Farmers’ Rescue As Trade War Continues

By • Jul 9, 2018
Frank Morris / KCUR 89.3/NPR

The corn and soybeans growing in Glenn Brunkow’s fields in the rolling Flint Hills north of Wamego, Kansas, got some much needed rain recently and look healthy.

Brunkow has reason to expect a good harvest, but the way things are looking globally, he’ll lose money on the crop. Trade disputes with China, Mexico and Canada threaten to slash U.S. food exports by billions. About half the soybean crop goes overseas, most of that to China — and since mid-April, soybean prices have plunged about 20 percent and corn about 15 percent.

How The Agency That Gave Us 'Government Cheese' May Aid U.S. Farmers

By • Jul 2, 2018

Copyright 2018 KCUR 89.3. To see more, visit KCUR 89.3.

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As Rural Towns Lose Population, They Can Learn To 'Shrink Smart'

By • Jun 19, 2018

Just outside tiny Sheffield, Iowa, a modern steel and glass office building has sprung up next to a cornfield. Behind it, there's a plant that employs almost 700 workers making Sukup brand steel grain bins. The factory provides an economic anchor for Sheffield, population 1,125.

Charles Sukup, the company's president, says that even though workers can be hard to come by, there are no plans to relocate.

"Our philosophy is you bloom where you're planted," Sukup says with a smile.

Tariffs On Canadian Newsprint Choke Already Troubled American Papers

By • Apr 19, 2018

It's no secret that the Internet has been hammering newspapers. Ad sales and subscriptions have been falling for years. Now, there's a new problem — the actual paper newspapers are printed on just got much more expensive.

Since the first of the year, the Commerce Department has imposed steep tariffs of up to 32 percent on newsprint imported from Canada. While that's boosting profits for the five remaining U.S. newsprint mills, the preliminary tariffs have raised prices nationwide and triggered something of a crisis in an already troubled industry.

Schlitterbahn Co-Owner Pleads Not Guilty in Kansas City, Kansas, Waterslide Death

By • Apr 5, 2018
Frank Morris / KCUR 89.3

The co-owner of Schlitterbahn Waterparks & Resorts has pleaded not guilty to second-degree murder charges related to the death of 10-year-old Caleb Schwab on a 17-story waterslide in Kansas City, Kansas. Judge Robert Burns made Jeff Henry  surrender his passport, but he declined to make Henry wear a GPS ankle monitor.

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