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Kansas City Today
Every Weekday

Kansas City Today is a daily news podcast from KCUR Studios bringing you all things Kansas City, wrapped up in 15 minutes or less. Whether you’re an early bird or a night owl, it’ll be waiting in your feed every weekday. Hosted by Nomin Ujiyediin.

  • Participants at a fundraiser for the Johnson County GOP earlier this month took turns kicking, punching and pummeling an effigy of President Biden, leading to bipartisan outrage and demands of resignations. What does the incident say about the Kansas Republican Party and its future?
  • On April 2, Jackson County residents will be asked to extend a sales tax that would commit upwards of $1 billion to a new Royals stadium in downtown Kansas City. Even though businesses in the Crossroads and other community groups are still negotiating with the team, Royals owner John Sherman says the downtown ballpark will be good for the city.
  • Kansas City Mayor Quinton Lucas expects to vote 'yes' when he weighs in on Jackson County's 3/8th-cent sales tax extension April 2. But, with many unanswered questions about how the Royals downtown ballpark would affect businesses and the community, the mayor wants answers soon.
  • U.S. Sen. Josh Hawley and other Missouri politicians have been especially vocal opponents to the United States financially backing Ukraine in its war against Russia. Plus: Woodman Elementary school in Wichita is experimenting with a program that pairs kids who regularly misbehave with a mentor and given new, constructive tasks to complete on a regular basis.
  • Kansas City has an immigrant population of over 130,000 people that is growing every year, adding to the area's labor force and tax base. Still, a high percentage of immigrant residents can't get the medical care they need — including Selene Rocha, an immigrant living in Johnson County.
  • In the wake of last year's contentious fight over zoning laws in Prairie Village, new bills in the Kansas Legislature would threaten local control over rezoning and limit cities' ability to stop citizen petitions. The proposals are being fiercely opposed by cities across Johnson County.
  • The Rabbit Hole, a new museum in North Kansas City, is set to open next week. The museum hopes to immerse kids and parents in the world of children's literature. Plus: The indie rocker from Lawrence, Kansas, who's redefining his sound and flirting with folk music.
  • Kansas could be the first state in the U.S. to allow foster youth ages 16 and above to pick the adults who help support and make decisions for them. The SOUL Family program aims to help create a network of support as foster teens transition into adulthood.
  • Missouri advocates are trying to gather 171,000 signatures for a ballot measure to legalize abortion, but even with a large amount of cash and enthusiasm, the Missouri General Assembly could get in their way. Plus: People in older, more affordable Kansas homes are more likely to lose power, and there's no easy fix.
  • Activists, unions and neighborhood groups have been calling on the Kansas City Royals to sign a community benefits agreement for their proposed downtown stadium for months. And they have a good blueprint of what that could look like. The NBA's Bucks made similar promises to their Milwaukee hometown before constructing a new basketball arena, and University of Wisconsin economist Laura Dresser says it shows a path to "demand real results from a public investment in a private interest."