Kansas City Today

How Kansas is becoming more divided

By Brian Ellison,

Published January 9, 2023 at 4:00 AM CST

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Kansas Democrats can't seem to overcome the urban-rural divide that's keeping them out of the state legislature, despite some gains in Johnson County. Plus: A new law is changing how Missouri students are taught to read.

Kansas Democrats won new House seats in the state's most populated county last fall. Regardless of these wins, though, Republicans continued to dominate in the rural counties. The Kansas News Service's Dylan Lysen reports on the widening urban-rural divide in Kansas.

A new law that took effect this month seeks to change the way Missouri students are taught to read. St. Louis Public Radio's Kate Grumke reports on the science-backed methods that many hope will put Missouri on the map for reading improvement.

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Brian Ellison

As a host and contributor at KCUR, I seek to create a more informed citizenry and richer community. I want to enlighten and inspire our audience by delivering the information they need with accuracy and urgency, clarifying what’s complicated and teasing out the complexities of what seems simple. I work to craft conversations that reveal realities in our midst and model civil discourse in a divided world. Follow me on Twitter @ptsbrian or email me at brian@kcur.org.

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Trevor Grandin

Trevor Grandin is a contributing producer for KCUR Studios.

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Byron J. Love

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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