Luke X. Martin

Segment 1: Instead of a divided country, Sen. Blunt sees "great capacity to come together."

In a live broadcast from NPR studios in Washington, Missouri's junior U.S. senator weighs in on upcoming midterm elections and the fate of the state's senior senator, who's engaged in one of the hottest midterm races in the country. He also discusses his efforts on the behalf of Missourians in pushing legislation to help ease the opioid epidemic, and on a bill that would make air travel more traveler-friendly.

Segment 1: The state of KanCare.

Since it's creation in 2013, KanCare has received heavy criticism. The privatized Medicaid dispursement program started by former Gov. Sam Brownback has struggled with long processing wait times, bad data collection and lawsuits. Today, administrators of the program discuss the myriad issues they've dealt with already and the ones that remain to be solved.

Segment 1: Jason Kander's withdrawal from the Kansas City mayor's race illustrates the long-term effects of PTSD.

As political watchers in Kansas City deal with the fact that the leading candidate in next year's race to replace Sly James is out, we sat down with a veteran and a counselor to discuss the challenges of living with and managing post-traumatic stress disorder.

Segment 1: State auditor says her look into Clay County government is forthcoming.

Many in the metro think of Clay County politics as dull, but disputes on the board of commissioners and accusations of misused public money are anything but tedious for concerned citizens there. Today, we reviewed a segment from July about what drove one group to ask state officials to take a closer look. Then, we got an update on the audit in question.

It’s always a good day when Up To Date's indie, foreign and documentary film critics are in the house to run down the best movies showing in town! Today, they shared their thoughts and reviews of "The Children Act," "Blaze," "Fahrenheit 11/9," "Love, Gilda," "Lizzie," "The Wife," "Pick of the Litter," "The Bookshop," and "Operation Finale."

Segment 1: Government agencies suing pharmaceutical companies look to legal lessons learned from previous settlement against Big Tobacco.

A class-action lawsuit against tobacco companies in the late 1990s netted hundreds of billions of dollars, compensating states for costs associated with treating tobacco-related illness. Now, a comparable strategy could help defray the money cities, counties, and states are shelling out to deal with the opioid crisis. Today, an attorney involved in both cases explained the differences and similarities involved in each.

Segment 1: Will redevelopment on a single block of Troost be the bellweather for how the city revitalizes other neighborhoods?

Segment 1: Parkville candidates for Missouri House look to replace term-limited state Rep. Nick Marshall.

Lauren Arthur's big Senate win in Clay County has many Missouri Democrats hoping the same could happen in the neighboring state House race for District 13. We sat down with the two major-party candidates to discuss their proposed policies on a gas tax increase, marijuana legalization, violent crime and more.

Segment 1:  Why public money is needed to get a proposed underwater attraction off the ground.

Segment 1: "My goal is to fight for the people of my community and solve problems," says Rep. Kevin Yoder.

Segment 1: How to analyze political ads.

As midterm election campaigns start to hit their stride, voters in Kansas and Missouri are sure to be inundated with any number of political advertisements. As a public service (and at the request of a listener named Mary Anne) we spoke with trusted, professional fact-checkers about what to keep an eye out for when attempting to separate the fact from conjecture.

Segment 1: Will Kansas City's new months-long arts festival draw a crowd and make a buck?

Segment 1: Updates on the projects that are changing Kansas City's urban neighborhoods.

As property developments continue unabated in downtown Kansas City, we return with a review of the latest batch of projects. This installment covers recent happenings in the River Market, the Crossroads, around 18th And Vine, and along Troost Avenue between 24th Street and Linwood Boulevard. We also discussed the controversial continued reliance on tax incentives in parts of town like the Power and Light District, which have already seen success.

Segment 1: A proposed ordinance would limit the amount of time pedestrians could spend in crosswalks and traffic islands.

Segment 1: This reliably Republican Congressional District could be a toss-up, come November.

A relatively unknown Republican candidate's victory in the primaries came as a surprise to many in Kansas' 2nd Congressional District, but it has given Democrats new hope that their nominee for the seat, Paul Davis, might have a chance to flip that political territory. We spoke with GOP insiders to gauge their support for and coalescence around newcomer Steve Watkins, and asked Statehouse reporters about the Democrat he's facing in the midterm.

Segment 1: Proposed work requirements for some public food assistance is ruffling feathers.

While senators and House members in Washington struggle to find the compromises that could turn this year's version of the farm bill into law, millions of stakeholders await a solution. Today, we got an update from Harvest Public Media on how the negotiations, and their eventual outcomes, could affect city- and country-dwellers across the Midwest.

Segment 1: After a year of controversy, how is the former governor's nonprofit bouncing back?

Before he was Missouri's governor, Eric Greitens founded The Mission Continues to help veterans reintegrate in and improve the communities where they lived. After he became governor and was accused of using the nonprofit's donor list to raise campaign funds, the charity came under intense scrutiny. Now that the dust is starting to settle, we spoke with the organization's leader and a volunteer to see how the group is moving beyond the scandal.

Segment 1: Most people agree access to pre-K needs to be expanded. Not everyone agrees on how to pay for and oversee it.

Days after Kansas City Mayor Sly James made public the particulars of his plan to fund expanded early childhood education, opposition to the proposal is piping up. Today, we heard educators and community organizers explain why they think the mayor's scheme to get more 4-year-olds into pre-K needs work.

Segment 1: After the incumbent's endorsement, Kris Kobach emerges as the GOP nominee to face Greg Orman and Laura Kelly in November's midterm.

With the field set for this fall's gubernatorial election in Kansas, the three campaigns left standing will turn their full attention to winning in November. Before we follow suit, we invited political watchers in Topeka to consider the implications a Kobach-Hartman ticket will have on down-ballot Republicans hoping to appeal to moderate voters.

Segment 1: Twenty-five years after the "Great Flood of 1993," is Kansas City any safer?

Segment 1: Former Kansas City mayor reflects on the impact of downtown development.

Much of the credit for Kansas City's current downtown boom can be placed at the feet of former Mayor Kay Barnes, whose efforts culminated in the creation of the Power and Light District and the construction of the Sprint Center. Nevertheless, parts of town east of Troost still struggle for invesment and redevelopment. We spoke with Barnes about her legacy and the community-building work that's left to be done.

Segment 1: A shuttered charter school in Kansas City leaves some families in the lurch.

Segment 1: Kansas GOP candidates faces tough Democratic — and Republican — challengers.

Segment 1: Zippy new scooters are the newest form of transportation in Kansas City.

Segment 1: State Sen. Laura Kelly makes her case in the race for Kansas governor.

In Kansas' crowded field of candidates for governor, there is a lone woman running. Today, we met Laura Kelly, the Senate Minority Whip whose district stretches along Highway 24 from Wamego to Topeka. She discussed her multi-continental childhood, her passion for education and her plans to bring the state back from the financial brink.