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What's next for KCPD Chief Rick Smith?

Kansas City Police Chief Rick Smith continues to be surrounded by controversy — between conflicting reports about his retirement and increased calls for him to be fired immediately after audio of him calling the victim of a police shooting "the bad guy" surfaced. Plus, what we know about the omicron COVID-19 variant following its discovery in Missouri.

Nearly two weeks after speculation that Kansas City Police Chief Rick Smith was being forced out, the board that oversees the department announced that Smith would stay in charge through spring 2022. KCUR Reporter Peggy Lowe fills us in on the back-and-forth over Smith's future and what's known about the video of the Smith calling the victim of a police shooting "the bad guy."

The first confirmed case of the omicron variant in Missouri was discovered Friday, just days after the first known U.S. case was detected the California. Side Effects Public Media’s Sebastián Martínez Valdivia reports, some tracking the variant are hopeful they’ll quickly get up to speed.

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Kansas City Today is hosted by Nomin Ujiyediin. It is produced by Byron Love and edited by Gabe Rosenberg & Lisa Rodriguez

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As a newscaster and a host of a daily news podcast, I want to deliver the most important and interesting news of the day in an engaging and easily understandable way. No matter where you live in the metro or what you’re interested in, I want you to learn something from each newscast or podcast – and maybe even give you something to talk about at the dinner table.
As an on-demand producer, I am focused on using my skills and experiences across multiple digital applications, platforms and media fields to create community focused audio, video and on-demand products for KCUR Studios. The media that I produce aims to inform, entertain and connect with the Kansas City metro area as we continue to learn from each other. Email me at byronlove@kcur.org.
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