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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.

  • For years, Soakie's in downtown Kansas City was one of the only Black gay bars in the United States. The bar closed in 2004, as development began on the Power & Light District, but a new historical marker remembers its impact.
  • A Kansas City Medicaid enrollee is among several plaintiffs suing over policy changes that would require medically frail people to prove their condition significantly impairs their ability to work. Plus: Massive restrictions on federal food benefits are being felt especially hard in rural areas, where food insecurity is on par with urban centers.
  • Home births have been increasing in Missouri and Kansas. And "free birth," when a person gives birth without the help of a medical professional, has been popularized in recent years by influencers. Hear why experts are concerned, but women who have done it say the practice is misunderstood.
  • If approved by voters on Nov. 3, Missouri Amendment 3 would repeal abortion rights guaranteed in the state Constitution. It also would ban gender-affirming care for transgender youth — something that's already prohibited by state law.
  • Flock Safety cameras have sparked bipartisan uproar with many worried that the cameras, which scan license plates, infringe on privacy. Misuse of the cameras and their data has been documented across Missouri, Kansas, Iowa and Nebraska. Also, more farmers are fixing up their decades-old equipment rather than buying new.
  • Violent crime is going down in Kansas City, but cases of domestic violence are rising. Domestic violence often happens behind closed doors, and in some cases abuse begins subtly and progressively gets more intense. We'll hear from a survivor about what it took for her to leave the relationship, and how she found help.
  • A federal appeals court has again sided with Missouri Republicans, ruling the state must use the GOP-leaning congressional map passed by lawmakers last year. Plus: how new limits on federal student loans are impacting future physicians in Kansas.
  • Communities are killing data center proposals faster than ever. But in a struggling small town, the idea of investment measured in billions of dollars can dwarf anything city leaders had ever hoped to attract previously. Hear the appeal data centers may have to places the information age has so far left behind.
  • Public school funding continues to fall across the U.S., with Missouri facing its own tight budget. Schools are facing tough decisions like collecting more in taxes, reducing staff members and programs, closing buildings — or all of the above.
  • McClatchy, one of the biggest newspaper companies in the country, laid off dozens of journalists last week, including several in Kansas City. These decisions not only affect the news you see, but also the way that local government functions.