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Remembering Kansas City jazz legend Ida McBeth

Celebrating the life and legacy of Kansas City singer Ida McBeth, who died last week at age 70. Plus: Missouri voters legalized recreational marijuana last November. Will Oklahoma be next, and what can they learn from Missouri's successful ballot measure?

Recreational marijuana has been available in Missouri for about a month. That’s after voters approved the expansion last year. Today, Oklahomans will decide whether to legalize recreational marijuana in their state. Harvest Public Media’s Xcaret Nuñez reports on how the results in Missouri could inform what will happen in Oklahoma.

Ida McBeth was known for her captivating stage presence and deep, commanding voice. She was a mentor and role model for younger generations of Black women coming up in the Kansas City jazz scene. KCUR's Steve Kraske sat down to talk with director of the Marr Sound Archives Chuck Haddix and renowned Kansas City singer Millie Edwards on Up To Date to remember and celebrate her life and legacy.

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 Paris Norvell, Byron Love and KCUR Studios and edited by Gabe Rosenberg and Lisa Rodriguez.

You can support Kansas City Today by becoming a KCUR member: kcur.org/donate

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.
Paris Norvell is a freelance podcast producer for KCUR Studios,
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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