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Meet the regulars of Clinton's Soda Fountain

Clinton’s Soda Fountain in Independence, Missouri, is beloved by regulars and tourists alike for its homestyle ice cream and its connection to former President Harry Truman. Plus: Looking back on when a group of Kansas counties tried to secede and form their own state called West Kansas.

We’re bringing you an occasional series about Kansas City’s neighborhood hangouts and the customers who bring them to life. KCUR’s Savannah Hawley-Bates spent time with ice cream lovers at Clinton’s Soda Fountain on the historic Independence Square. The shop opened in 1988 in the same building where President Harry Truman worked at a former soda fountain when he was a kid.

More than 30 years ago, a group of southwest Kansas counties tried to secede and form their own state called West Kansas. It’s largely forgotten now, but the divide between east and west Kansas remains today. Calen Moore of the Kansas News Service tells us what happened with the plans for the 51st state.

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Kansas City Today is hosted by Nomin Ujiyediin. It is produced by Byron Love, Celia Morton and KCUR Studios, and edited by Gabe Rosenberg, Madeline Fox 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.
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