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How Kansas City is feeling a week after Ralph Yarl's shooting

It's been more than a week since 16-year-old Ralph Yarl was shot in Kansas City. Now that the dust is settling, how are Black residents feeling and what questions are still left unanswered? Plus: Why some cities still ban a plant that helps endangered monarch butterflies.

It's been an emotional week in Kansas City following the shooting of Ralph Yarl, a 16-year-old Black teen. The man who shot him, Andrew D. Lester, has since been charged with two felonies and plead not guilty to both. So far, no hate crime charges have been filed. KCUR's Lawrence Brooks IV has a recap of the past week's events.

Monarch butterflies can't reproduce without milkweed, and as conservationists worry about monarch populations, some Kansans are itching to help. The problem? Many city codes prohibit its growth. KCUR's Celia Llopis-Jepsen speaks with homeowners risking fines to plant it.

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Kansas City Today is hosted by Nomin Ujiyediin. It is produced by Trevor Grandin, Byron Love and KCUR Studios 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.
Trevor Grandin is a contributing 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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