Mackenzie Martin
Senior Podcast Producer/ReporterWhether it’s something happening right now or something that happened 100 years ago, some stories don’t fit in the short few minutes of a newscast. As a podcast producer at KCUR, I help investigate questions and local curiosities in a way that brings listeners along for adventures with plot twists and thought-provoking ideas. Sometimes there isn’t an easy answer in the end – but my hope is that we all leave with a greater understanding of the city we live in.
I'm a podcast producer and reporter at KCUR. I help make A People's History of Kansas City, Overlooked, and Hungry For MO. Reach me at mackenzie@kcur.org or find me on Twitter @_macmartin.
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The White Castle chain began in 1921 in Wichita, Kansas, where its ingenious small burgers kicked off a national craze and inspired imitators of all shapes and sizes. But over a century later, White Castle has entirely vanished from its home state. And the story of how it introduced America to the hamburger has largely been overshadowed by its fast food rivals. -
The White Castle chain began in 1921 in Wichita, Kansas, where its ingenious small burgers kicked off a national craze and inspired imitators of all shapes and sizes. But over a century later, White Castle has entirely vanished from its home state. And the story of how it introduced America to the hamburger and the concept of fast food has largely been overshadowed by its restaurant rivals.
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In 1948, Phillip Sollomi debuted an Italian vinaigrette at his Kansas City fried chicken restaurant, the Wishbone. An immediate hit, the salad dressing formed the foundation for an empire: You can find that iconic Wish-Bone bottle in nearly every supermarket in the country. Decades after Sollomi left the company, his family has returned to the city to reclaim their legacy.
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In 1948, Phillip Sollomi debuted an Italian vinaigrette at his Kansas City fried chicken restaurant, the Wishbone. An immediate hit, the salad dressing formed the foundation for an empire: You can find that iconic Wish-Bone bottle in nearly every supermarket in the country. Decades after Sollomi left the company, his family has returned to the city to reclaim their legacy.
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Is there any other regional pizza in the country that elicits as much debate and shame as St. Louis-style? A square-cut, thin-crust pie topped with ooey, gooey Provel cheese, this unconventional pizza is the result of decades of St. Louis ingenuity — and yet, even many locals apologize for their unique creation.
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Is there any other regional pizza in the country that elicits as much debate and shame as St. Louis-style? A square-cut, thin-crust pie topped with ooey, gooey Provel cheese, this unconventional pizza is the result of decades of St. Louis ingenuity — and yet, even many locals apologize for their unique creation.
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Residents of Kansas City, Kansas, had been sounding alarms about detective Roger Golubski and corruption in the police department for decades. But city leaders did nothing, and Golubski retired in peace while the families of his victims mourned. It wasn’t until a year after KCUR started working on this podcast that the FBI finally arrested Golubski — on just a fraction of his alleged crimes. What does justice even look like after all this time?
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Former detective Roger Golubski is connected to a litany of murdered women in Kansas City, Kansas. Several were sex workers who Golubski was accused of abusing and using as informants. But their cases were never solved by his fellow officers, and their families have spent decades without closure.
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Who is Roger Golubski? Once interested in being a Catholic priest, Golubski spent 35 years in the Kansas City, Kansas, Police Department, which had a reputation for racism and corruption. The secret to Golubski’s career was his use of “confidential informants,” who he cited to secure countless convictions — including at least one person who was innocent. Now, Golubski is facing a federal indictment for kidnapping, raping and assaulting women.
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Kansas City, Kansas, detective Roger Golubski started taking advantage of Stacey Quinn when she was only a teenager. Local activists allege this was a pattern for “Golubski’s girls”: The detective would pick up vulnerable women in the neighborhoods he patrolled, sexually abuse them for years, and manipulate them into silence. And just like Stacey Quinn, many of them were murdered.
