Steve Kraske
Executive Producer and Host, Up to DateWhen I host Up To Date each morning at 9, my aim is to engage the community in conversations about the Kansas City area’s challenges, hopes and opportunities. I try to ask the questions that listeners want answered about the day’s most pressing issues and provide a place for residents to engage directly with newsmakers. Reach me at steve@kcur.org or on Twitter @stevekraske.
I got a call out of the blue one day from then-news director Frank Morris who asked if he would be interested in hosting a show. I didn't think I had the time, but thought it over and decided to give it a shot. Now, more than 20 years later, I'm glad I did.
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Fairway’s independent bookstore Rainy Day Books has been going strong for 50 years, thanks to the large community it’s built. To celebrate, Rainy Day’s founder will share highlights and stories of the big name authors who have helped propel the small Kansas shop to the national stage. -
Prairie Village will see turnover on the city council after November’s election. Four of the six incumbents whose terms are up are not running again. Chi Nguyen, who represents Ward 3, and Greg Shelton, who represents Ward 5, joined KCUR's Up To Date to reflect on their terms and the recent controversies that have shaped the city. -
The Plaza’s new owner, Gillon Property Group, recently submitted plans to Kansas City outlining its vision for the future of the district. The group wants to make the area more friendly to pedestrians and increase the allowable height of buildings, in a process that will take several years. -
Folly Theater staff have spent the week cleaning up after a break in left the 125-year-old venue badly damaged. After canceling last weekend's show, the Folly plans to reopen November 1. -
Illegal car sideshows have frustrated Kansas City residents and the police for years. Even some stunt drivers say the events have grown unsafe due to a rise in drama and gun violence at the events. Now they have an alternative that doesn’t require blocking local roadways. -
Kansas City's streetcar extension opens big opportunities for stores and restaurants along the routeThe Main Street extension of the Kansas City streetcar line is finally open for riders after years of disruptive construction. The owners of Crows Coffee and Ragazza say they're trying to capitalize on the increased foot traffic. -
As frustration grows around the weekslong government shutdown, Kansas City-area U.S. Reps. Mark Alford and Emanuel Cleaver II can’t see eye-to-eye on a solution that will benefit their constituents. The two Congress members joined KCUR’s Up To Date to debate what's causing the gridlock in Washington. -
An ARPA grant from the Missouri Department of Natural Resources allowed the city to invest $5 million to restore the Blue River. Once a favorite for outdoor recreation in Kansas City, the river has become polluted as a result of urbanization. -
Kansas City Mayor Quinton Lucas joined KCUR's Up To Date to discuss the city's projected $100 million budget deficit in 2027, the streetcar extension on Main Street opening later this week and where things stand on new stadiums for the Royals and Chiefs. -
Kansas City Life Insurance Company demolished nearly two dozen buildings at the north end of the Valentine neighborhood last year, and has more planned. In July, the Valentine Neighborhood Association applied for a portion of the neighborhood to be designated a historic district, and the Kansas City Council could vote as early as this week on the proposal.
