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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As a teen, Elana James grew up busking on the streets of Kansas City. Now a professional musician, James is the co-founder of Hot Club of Cowtown, a jazz and swing band that's performing at the Folly Theater on Jan. 18. -
"Mapping the Heavens: Art, Astronomy and Exchange Between the Islamic Lands and Europe" features paintings from the collection of the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art, rare books from the Linda Hall Library and other sources to tell the story of how scientists across time, place and religion expanded early knowledge of astronomy. -
Kansas City Restaurant Week, which runs this year from Jan. 10-19, will give local diners a chance to get out of the house after the blizzard and explore the city's diverse eateries — with special menus and deals. A portion of Restaurant Week proceeds will also support local charity House of Hope. -
Kansas Republicans head into this year's legislative session on Jan. 13 with an even greater supermajority. And GOP leaders have their sights set on property tax cuts, although Democrats are wary of repeating the mistakes of Kansas' past. -
A Kansas City judge temporarily lifted Missouri's abortion ban in December. However, she left licensing restrictions on the books, which means it's impossible for Planned Parenthood Great Plains to resume performing the procedure yet. -
Tricia Rojo Bushnell is the executive director of the Midwest Innocence Project. She joined KCUR's Up To Date to for our new series "5 Questions" to discuss what she's reading, streaming and more. -
Kansas City made a concerted effort to support unhoused individuals in the first major winter storm of 2025, Mayor Quinton Lucas said in an interview with Up To Date. But the mayor admitted the city isn't where it should be in its housing policies — including in building a low-barrier shelter. -
Missouri voters in November narrowly passed an amendment legalizing sports betting, but the system faces challenges before anyone can actually start gambling. -
Abortion access, taxes and public safety will be priorities when the Missouri General Assembly begins the 2025 legislative session on Jan. 8. The incoming House Minority Leader and Senate Majority Leader, both of whom come from the Kansas City area, discuss their approach to getting bills across the finish line. -
The Kansas City Chiefs already clinched the AFC's top playoff spot as they rest their stars ahead of another Super Bowl push. The team looks to be clicking at exactly the right time to make it three-in-a-row.
