Laura Ziegler
Community EditorI partner with communities to uncover the ignored or misrepresented stories by listening and letting communities help identify and shape a narrative. My work brings new voices, sounds, and an authentic sense of place to our coverage of the Kansas City region. My goal is to tell stories on the radio, online, on social media and through face to face conversations that enhance civic dialogue and provide solutions.
I have been a producer with NPR in Washington D.C. and a national NPR reporter covering the Midwest. Email me at lauraz@kcur.org or reach me on Twitter @laurazig.
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The Citizens Association started in the early 1930s and once held enormous influence over city elections. Its power has waned in recent years, but a new, more diverse group is reshaping the organization. -
The parents of a trans, non-binary teen tell their story as lawmakers in Jefferson City work to pass a slew of anti-trans bills.
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The Kansas House last week narrowly passed a "school choice" bill that would shift public tax dollars to private schools, much to the frustration of public school leaders and Gov. Laura Kelly. The Kansas State Board of Education opposes the bill, saying there's no way to track how students are doing.
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Young people with intellectual disabilities often get placed in foster care because their challenges are more than their families can handle. Kansas lawmakers and foster agencies hope they can help keep some of those kids in their original homes. Plus: Teachers at Kansas City Public Schools will soon be paid the highest starting salaries in the region.
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After decades of planning and five years of construction, Kansas City has officially made the switch to its new airport terminal. Plus: Why the Missouri Attorney General's effort to remove the St. Louis prosecutor from office could have statewide implications.
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The Kansas City Chiefs celebrated their Super Bowl win on Wednesday with a parade that stretched more than a mile through downtown and ended up at a rally in front of Union Station. Here are the best photos from the day.
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Kansas City residents will head to the polls in April to elect the mayor and city council, but voters will also decide whether to implement new taxes on recreational marijuana and short-term rentals, like Airbnb.
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Shayla Curts, the young mother of a toddler and infant, was pregnant with her third child when she was shot and killed by a man in December. Her family says this might not have happened if Jackson County's child welfare system had worked like it was supposed to.
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Kids around the metro are returning to class after the holiday break — but the new semester has some familiar issues kicking around. Staffing issues in schools, fights over curriculums and controversial mascots were some of the top stories in 2022, and those continued debates are setting the tone for the year ahead.
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The Strawberry Hill Bakery has outgrown its original location in Kansas City, Kansas, but the brothers who run it promise the povitica recipe is the same one their great, great grandmother brought from Croatia at the turn of the last century.
