Luke X. Martin
Culture EditorAs culture editor, I help you embrace what makes Kansas City fun and vibrant, whether it’s a championship sports franchise or a little-known wonder. I work with reporters to ensure KCUR stories on art, culture and race fully reflect our diverse home so readers and listeners can take full advantage of what the metro has to offer.
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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The Independence board of education first approved a four-day school week in December 2022 to help recruit and retain teachers amid a chronic shortage across the state. Whether the district can keep its shortened week, though, will be decided by voters on Tuesday. -
Kansas City has been in the national news a lot lately, including one surprising place: stories about the New York City mayoral election. Many national news outlets, most of them conservative-leaning, have zeroed in on candidate Zohran Mamdani’s proposals for free bus fare and government-run grocery stores, and they’re using Kansas City as a negative example of both.
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Shakea Roper needed to make a lifestyle change, but safety concerns can make it hard to find a place to be more active. Roper teamed up with the Marlborough Community Coalition on a walking group for all ages and skill levels, and transformed how she thinks about being a neighborhood resource. -
Sandwiches are versatile, portable, and filling, which makes them perfect for a hearty breakfast, a picnic lunch or a low-key dinner. Kansas City’s food scene is full of delicious hoagies, tortas and bahn mi. Here’s where to find the cream of the crop. -
People across Missouri and Kansas are losing their starry views to light pollution. But the right lighting decisions can help preserve night skies and benefit animal and human health.
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In a 5-4 vote last year, Jackson County legislators approved a budget that was later vetoed by County Executive Frank White. Now more than three months into 2025, Jackson County has yet to pass a spending plan. Hear why the gridlock has led to a lawsuit and why some county services aren't being funded.
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The Kansas City metro is still digging itself out from a nearly-record 11 inches of snow that got dumped by a blizzard over the weekend. Roads remain icy and treacherous, however, and much of the city remains shut down. -
Tenant union members at an Independence apartment building are in their third month of a rent strike. Has it been worth the risk? Plus: A Kansas native explains how Truman Capote and Harper Lee ended up joining her family for Christmas dinner.
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Apple NewsA University of Missouri professor spent years listening to insects — hear how his work is influencing other researchers. Plus, a 117-year-old African American church in Parkville is getting much-needed restoration work thanks to the National Heritage fund.
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Democrats have long enjoyed support from organized labor, but many union members don’t feel a party allegiance any more. In Kansas City's Northland, both Republican Rep. Bill Allen and his opponent, UAW member and Democrat Shirley Mata, hope to win over dissatisfied voters. Plus: The Midwest is going through another drought, but farmers might not be eligible for relief.
