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Where Kansas City is too darn hot

Much of Kansas City experiences some heat island effect. As global temperatures rise, Kansas City planners and environmental experts are trying harder to make these hot spots cooler. Plus: Missouri hasn't just outlawed abortion — it's also funding anti-abortion organizations that are working in neighboring states.

Nearly 75% of Kansas City, Missouri residents live in a heat island, where temperatures can be at least 8 degrees higher on any given day. That presents serious health and energy concerns. KCUR’s Noah Taborda has more about the people most affected and efforts to cool them down.

The Missouri Legislature expanded a tax credit for people who donate to crisis pregnancy centers, right around the same time that the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade. The resulting prohibition of nearly all abortions in Missouri led those groups that try to steer people away from abortions to bring the fight to other states.

St. Louis Public Radio’s Jonathan Ahl spoke with Jeremey Kohler of ProPublica, who investigated how these taxpayer-subsidized groups operate.

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

Kansas City Today is hosted today by Madeline Fox. It is produced by Celia Morton, Byron Love and KCUR Studios. It's edited by Madeline Fox, Gabe Rosenberg and Lisa Rodriguez.

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

Madeline Fox is the assistant news director for KCUR. Email me at madeline@kcur.org.
Celia Morton is the KCUR Studios intern for summer 2024. Email her at cmorton@kcur.org.
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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