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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Pope Francis, the leader of the Catholic Church, died Monday at age 88. Around the world and in Kansas City, Catholic faithful are mourning his loss. -
KCUR invited Congress members from Kansas and Missouri to answer questions from constituents about what's happening in Washington. Despite multiple invitations to each of the area’s federal elected officials, just Democratic Reps. Sharice Davids and Emanuel Cleaver II chose to attend. Here's what we heard. -
The distinctive fungus prized for its earthy flavor has a honeycomb appearance and pops up after heavy spring rains — just like the Kansas City metro experienced this past weekend. -
Kansas Citians are fed up with dangerous and reckless street racing and stunt driving, which led to the injury of one officer earlier this month. KCPD Police Chief Stacey Graves said the department has operations planned to curb it, and are working with elected officials to increase penalties for participants and spectators. -
Timothy Heaphy was an investigator of the January 6, 2021, attacks on the U.S. Capitol as well as the 2017 Charlottesville riot. He's the author of "Harbingers: What January 6 and Charlottesville Reveal about Rising Threats to Democracy," and will visit Kansas City this week for an event at Rainy Day Books. -
Many people relying on Medicaid for health insurance are concerned about potential cuts by the federal government, but in rural Kansas, community members don't like to talk about it. A newspaper editor from Marion, Kansas, explains why that is. -
Missouri voters legalized abortion and instituted a paid sick leave policy through the voter-led initiative petition process last November. Just a few months later, state lawmakers are working to overturn both. -
Missouri's elected officials have been productive so far in 2025, a stark contrast to the deadlocked chambers of the last few years. But with about a month left in the session, a budget and new anti-abortion legislation are still on the to-do list. -
Missouri residents have spoken up about how President Donald Trump's aggressive federal workforce cuts and tariffs have hurt the region. U.S. Rep. Emanuel Cleaver II said there's little Democrats can do in Congress, but that protests remain a powerful tool for pushing back against the government. -
Kansas City has recorded 12 homicides linked to domestic violence so far this year — the same number reported in all of 2024. Domestic violence service agencies fear the problem could get worse if social services lose federal funding.
