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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Fifty-four years after the first annual Earth Day, many people are making environmental sustainability their business. KCUR's Up To Date spoke with Kansas Citians whose livelihood is saving the planet.
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Kansas News Service environmental reporter Celia Llopis-Jepsen spent two years researching and reporting the first episode of Up From Dust. The newly launched podcast tells the stories of the Kansans who are addressing environmental crises.
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More than half of U.S. adults said that they’ve listened to an audiobook at some point. The industry is continuing to expand, and Up To Date’s panelists have a diverse range of recommendations for every listener’s needs.
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The U.S. Postal Service has experienced delays in mail delivery around the country, including Missouri and Kansas. As Missouri Congressman Sam Graves pushes for federal legislation to protect citizens, he says it is time to bring in a new postmaster general.
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Owning a home today is more expensive than ever and disproportionately out of reach for people of color. Civic Saint in Kansas City wants to use tiny homes to help close the gap and protect the environment.
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A group of Kansas City homeowners sued the National Association of Realtors in 2019 over what they said were inflated commission fees. The powerful trade group, which denies wrongdoing, agreed in March to pay $418 million in damages and to adjust its commission practices, which could transform the way Americans buy and sell homes.
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The Kansas City nonprofit Fathers Assisting Mothers is working to address the maternal mortality crisis that hits hardest among Black women by enlisting expectant fathers to advocate for partners of color throughout pregnancy.
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A group of Black leaders in Kansas City is circulating a petition to potentially rescind City Manager Brian Platt's new contract extension, alleging racist practices in his leadership. Platt told KCUR there is always work to be done on racial equity, but said he has not created a racial divide in his administration.
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Stories For All, a digital storytelling project run by the Hall Center for the Humanities at the University of Kansas, is celebrating the end of its current funding period with a festival spotlighting work from its more than 40 community partners.
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Death is inevitable, so why don't more people plan for it? The nonprofit KC End of Life is teaching people how to prepare for passing, and how a doula can support everyone through the difficult times.