© 2025 Kansas City Public Radio
NPR in Kansas City
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations

This Johnson County mom wants to talk about fentanyl

Kansas is one of the worst states in the nation for drug overdose deaths for young adults. But one Olathe mom wants to help families overcome the stigma. Plus: New polling data gives us a look at how Kansans feel about abortion, marijuana legalization and more.

More kids between the ages of 15 and 19 die of drug overdose in Kansas than anywhere else in the country, according to preliminary CDC data. The primary cause is fentanyl. As KCUR’s Noah Taborda reports, that’s why an Olathe mother is trying to change the way high school students think about drugs.

With Kansans in some counties already voting in the presidential election and Statehouse races, new survey data provides a look at how people in Kansas feel about certain key issues. Kansas News Service reporters Daniel Caudill and Zane Irwin discuss the results of the survey and how this election could impact the partisan back-and-forth in Topeka.

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

Kansas City Today is hosted by Nomin Ujiyediin. It is produced by Olivia Hewitt and KCUR Studios, and edited by Lisa Rodriguez and Gabe Rosenberg.

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.
Olivia is the 2024-2025 KCUR Studios intern. Email her at ohewitt@kcur.org
KCUR prides ourselves on bringing local journalism to the public without a paywall — ever.

Our reporting will always be free for you to read. But it's not free to produce.

As a nonprofit, we rely on your donations to keep operating and trying new things. If you value our work, consider becoming a member.