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'What if I'm not coming back?'

After coming to Kansas City to train in journalism, a young reporter is now back in Ukraine — where she is observing from the front lines as her home country becomes a war zone. Plus, a couple in Missouri hopes to create the state’s first Black-owned hemp processing site.

To escape Russia's widespread bombing of Kyiv and other cities in Ukraine, hundreds of thousands of refugees have migrated to Lviv. Once considered a safe spot in Ukraine, the city is now being targeted with missiles. Anna Yakutenko is a Ukrainian journalist who trained in the states — including here at KCUR — speaks with KCUR's Sam Zeff about life on the ground in Lviv, Ukraine.

"I don't know if I'm gonna come back (to Kyiv), and my apartment will be safe," Yakutenko said. "When I packed it was actually one of the few times that I cried because I was packing some stuff, considering, 'What if I’m not coming
back?'"

After the U.S. Department of Agriculture completed the first-ever survey of hemp production, it found an industry worth over $800 million. However, the department also discovered a glaring diversity discrepancy: Only 6% of hemp farmers are Black.

Although cannabis business has been hard for many people of color to break into, Corinne Ruff of St. Louis Public Radio reports that many in Missouri hope the hemp industry will offer a new way in.

Contact the show at news@kcur.org. Follow KCUR on Twitter and Facebook for the latest news.

Kansas City Today is hosted by Nomin Ujiyediin. It is produced by Byron Love with Trevor Grandin and edited by Gabe Rosenberg and 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.
Trevor Grandin is a contributing producer for KCUR Studios.
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