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Luke X. Martin
Culture EditorAs culture editor, I oversee KCUR’s coverage of race, culture, the arts, food and sports. I work with reporters to make sure our stories reflect the fullest view of the place we call home, so listeners and readers feel primed to explore the places, projects and people who make up a vibrant Kansas City.
I was born in Manhattan, Kansas, and raised in Wichita where I fell in love with public radio listening to member station KMUW. I got my start pulling early morning DJ shifts at the student-run radio station KJHK while studying English at the University of Kansas.
I was previously an intern for KCUR's Up To Date, and joined the staff as associate producer in 2016. I have reported on government and politics in the Chicago metro area, and national security and defense in Washington. My work has appeared online at UPI.com, The Daily Caller, Politics Daily and The Pitch.
I have a master’s of journalism from the Medill School of Journalism, Media and Integrated Marketing Communications at Northwestern University. If you see me along a running trail or track in Kansas City, please offer me some water or a high five.
My email is luke@kcur.org.
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Kansas City has long been associated with barbeque, fountains and jazz music — but accordions? Not so much. Still, Kansas City has a rich accordion history thanks to Joan Cochran Sommers, an icon who is still conducting, teaching and playing the accordion.
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Three Democrats are facing off in the 2024 Democratic primary for Jackson County Prosecutor, after Jean Peters Baker announced she would not run for re-election. We'll hear from two of the candidates about their stances on abortion, the death penalty and more.
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Some of the 24 people injured during Kansas City's Super Bowl parade in February have had to resort to credit cards to stay afloat financially, while they wait for promised donations to be delivered. The latest in KCUR’s series “The Injured” looks at the high cost of surviving a mass shooting.
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Kansas City’s extreme temperatures have many community members sheltering inside in the air conditioning. But how is the city's unhoused population coping with the heat? Plus: Get the top headlines from around Kansas and Missouri.
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In a new memoir, Overland Park resident Chelan David recounts visiting all 50 states in the U.S. with his daughters, a journey of bonding and self-discovery. Plus: Kansas Gov. Laura Kelly says if lawmakers can’t come up with a tax-cut plan the state can afford, she’ll keep calling more special sessions.
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Tens of thousands of people were caught up in the melee after the Chiefs Super Bowl victory parade on Wednesday. KCUR’s Up To Date spoke with just a handful of them to learn about the terrifying experience, and find out what they took away from it.
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Kansas City Police report that three people are in custody after a shooting west of Union Station near the parking garage, which occurred near the end of Wednesday's Chiefs victory rally. One person is dead and at least 21 were injured, not including those hurt in the rush out of the area.
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The Crown Center children’s theater made headlines in 2022 after a former artistic director who worked there for more than 30 years was accused of sexually assaulting young men. Jeff Church was found dead in his Kansas City, Missouri, home days after the accusations became public.
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The Kansas City region is shining bright once again in the national food competition. The Town Company, The Campground, Affäre, Chewology and Westport Cafe have been named among the best restaurants in the country this year.
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Religious pilgrims have been visiting a monastery north of Kansas City to see the well-preserved remains of an exhumed nun, who is drawing claims of sainthood because of her “incorrupt” body. Plus: Congress made SNAP work requirements stricter, shortly after Kansas made similar changes.