Nomin Ujiyediin

Kansas News Service Reporting Fellow

Nomin is a Kansas News Service reporting fellow at KCUR.

Prior to joining the news service, Nomin produced All Things Considered at WNYC in New York City and was a host, producer and reporter at KGOU in Norman, Oklahoma. She has an MA from the City University of New York Graduate School of Journalism, where she focused on urban reporting, radio and photography. She also has a BA from Rutgers University. Nomin was a Knight CUNYJ fellow in 2015, and an AIR New Voice fellow in 2017.

In her spare time, Nomin lifts weights, plays video games and tries to contain her bad New Jersey attitude.

Kansas To Pay Teach For America $270,000 For Recruiting Three Teachers

By Nomin Ujiyediin • Nov 15, 2018

The Kansas Legislature agreed to pay education nonprofit Teach For America more than $500,000 this year for a pilot program to recruit 12 teachers to the state.

But the national organization only recruited three teachers for the state in 2018. All of them were placed in Kansas City, Kansas, where the local school district pays their salaries and benefits on top of another $3,000 per teacher per year to Teach For America.

Judge: It's Too Late To Open A Second Polling Place In Dodge City

By Nomin Ujiyediin • Nov 1, 2018

A federal judge has ruled that Ford County, Kansas, does not have to provide a second polling place in Dodge City on Election Day.

In a ruling late Thursday, U.S. District Judge Daniel Crabtree denied a request for a temporary restraining order filed by the American Civil Liberties Union in late October on behalf of a Dodge City resident and a Latino community organization.

ACLU Sues County Clerk As Outcry Builds Over Dodge City's Lone Polling Place

By Madeline Fox & Nomin Ujiyediin • Oct 26, 2018

Local organizers in Dodge City fought for more, and more accessible, polling places even before their lone, out-of-the-way voting location drew national attention.

On Friday, the American Civil Liberties Union sued County Clerk Debbie Cox.

FCC Says Rule Change Could Boost 5G Internet, But Critics Say It Could Hurt Rural Broadband

By Nomin Ujiyediin • Oct 23, 2018

The Federal Communications Commission voted 3-1 on Tuesday to undo Obama-era rules intended to help small companies provide faster wireless internet service.

The FCC said the decision will foster more investment and use of the 3.5 gigahertz band, a radio frequency spectrum that can be used for 5G internet service.

But small wireless internet service providers said the decision could shut smaller players out — limiting their ability to bid on licenses and deliver broadband in rural areas.

Kobach Claims He Can Save $2 Billion For Medicaid, But Experts Say The Math Doesn't Add Up

By Nomin Ujiyediin • Oct 22, 2018

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4:44

Kris Kobach says his proposal to reform Kansas Medicaid could save the state $2 billion.

At campaign events, the Republican nominee for governor touts the benefits of combining Medicaid with direct primary care, an unconventional payment system that avoids the bureaucracy of health insurance.

This Year's Race For Kansas Governor Could Make Or Break Medicaid Expansion

By Nomin Ujiyediin • Oct 15, 2018

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5:07

Few issues split Kansas politics like the Obama-era expansion of Medicaid.

Unlike 33 other states, Kansas still hasn't expanded its Medicaid program under the Affordable Care Act. The decision would pay for the health care of thousands of people who don’t currently meet the program’s stringent eligibility requirements.

Trump In Topeka: Vote Republican Unless 'You're Tired Of Winning'

By Scott Canon & Nomin Ujiyediin • Oct 7, 2018

Fresh off a victory that cemented his latest, controversial, pick for the nation’s high court, President Donald Trump came to Kansas Saturday night hoping to transfer his popularity in the state to two fellow Republicans.

Trump arrived just hours after Brett Kavanaugh was sworn in as a justice on the U.S. Supreme Court — the most controversial appointment to the court in generations. He was in regular rally form, playing to an adoring crowd of some 10,000 thrilled supporters at the Kansas Expocentre in Topeka.

Committee Recommends More Lenient Fees, Bonds In Kansas Municipal Courts

By Nomin Ujiyediin • Sep 19, 2018

A committee of Kansas judges and attorneys says cities need to reduce the costs of appearing in municipal court.

The Kansas Supreme Court appointed the ad hoc committee last September to assess whether the state’s municipal courts impose an unreasonable financial burden on low-income people.

A report released Wednesday lists more than a dozen suggestions to reduce or simplify fees, bail and monetary fines that come with being arrested and charged with a crime.